Lacey Chabert continues to hold a prominent place at Hallmark in 2026, with new projects that take her from romantic European settings to the holiday atmosphere of Walt Disney World. The actress, whose long relationship with Hallmark has produced more than 40 original movies, is entering another busy stretch of her career with Paris Is Always a Good Idea and Holiday Ever After: A Disney World Wish Come True among her major projects.
Chabert has spent years building a strong connection with viewers who enjoy Hallmark romances, Christmas movies, mysteries, and family-centered stories. Her latest work shows that the partnership continues to move into new settings and formats.
She has also discussed creative ideas connected to her Southern roots and musical background. However, no new Hallmark musical set in the South has been officially confirmed as of July 28, 2026.
Lacey Chabert Remains a Major Hallmark Star in 2026
Few performers have become as closely associated with modern Hallmark entertainment as Chabert.
Her history with the network stretches back more than 15 years. During that period, she has appeared in romantic comedies, Christmas favorites, mystery stories, and multi-film franchises.
Her 2026 schedule continues that relationship while giving audiences something different.
One of her most notable projects is Paris Is Always a Good Idea, a six-episode Hallmark+ series based on Jenn McKinlay’s 2020 novel.
Chabert plays Chelsea Martin, a professional fundraiser whose personal journey leads her back into the world of several former romances.
The story uses travel as a major part of Chelsea’s emotional journey. Europe becomes the backdrop as she looks at past relationships and considers what she wants next.
Hallmark scheduled the series to debut July 30, 2026.
What Is Paris Is Always a Good Idea About?
The Hallmark+ series follows Chelsea as she reconnects with different parts of her past.
Her travels include Ireland, France, and Spain, creating a broader setting than viewers typically see in a single Hallmark television movie.
Paris naturally plays an important role.
The European locations allow the production to combine romance with travel while giving Chelsea’s story six episodes to develop.
Chabert leads a cast that also includes Scott Michael Foster, Rebecca Hanssen, Henry Czerny, Barbara Niven, Julien Samani, and Alejandro Albarracín.
The episodic format is significant for Chabert.
She has spent much of her Hallmark career starring in feature-length television movies. A six-episode series provides more time for character development, relationships, and the consequences of Chelsea’s earlier decisions.
The project also continues Chabert’s recent run of productions filmed in memorable destinations.
European Locations Give the Series a Different Feel
International travel has increasingly become part of Chabert’s Hallmark work.
With Paris Is Always a Good Idea, the setting is fundamental to the plot rather than simply serving as scenery.
Chelsea moves through places tied to previous chapters of her life. Each destination helps her reconsider the decisions that brought her to her current position.
Paris provides one of the project’s most recognizable settings.
Chabert has spoken positively about the experience of working in the French capital, describing the opportunity to film there as particularly special.
For American Hallmark viewers, the series combines several familiar ingredients: romance, personal growth, scenic destinations, and the possibility of a fresh start.
Yet its multi-episode structure allows those elements to develop differently from a standard two-hour movie.
A Major Hallmark Christmas Movie Is Also Coming
Chabert’s 2026 Hallmark schedule does not end with her European adventure.
She will also headline Holiday Ever After: A Disney World Wish Come True.
The upcoming movie combines Hallmark’s Countdown to Christmas tradition with Walt Disney World, creating one of Chabert’s most distinctive holiday settings.
Hallmark has confirmed the movie for its 2026 Christmas programming.
An exact premiere date had not been announced as of July 28.
Chabert plays Lindsey, a woman visiting Walt Disney World with her extended family during the Christmas season.
Her vacation takes an unexpected turn when she encounters Philip, played by Travis Van Winkle.
The two have history, but not the romantic kind Lindsey might have wanted.
Lindsey and Philip Get an Unexpected Second Chance
Lindsey and Philip previously went on a date that did not go well.
Neither expects a romantic reunion at Walt Disney World.
Their circumstances change when they discover that their families are staying near each other. That proximity repeatedly puts Lindsey and Philip together during the vacation.
As they spend more time around one another, their first impressions begin to change.
The setup gives Chabert another holiday romance while placing the story inside one of America’s most famous family vacation destinations.
Walt Disney World also gives the production access to instantly recognizable holiday imagery.
Christmas decorations, theme park attractions, family traditions, and romantic moments all become part of the movie’s setting.
Filming at Walt Disney World Was Personal for Chabert
The project carried special meaning for Chabert beyond her role as Lindsey.
During a July 28, 2026 appearance on Live with Kelly and Mark, she discussed how emotional she became when she learned about the opportunity.
Working on a project at Disney had been a dream for her.
Chabert grew up visiting Disney destinations, making the chance to film a Hallmark Christmas movie at Walt Disney World especially meaningful.
Her reaction to receiving the news was intensely emotional. She recalled crying after learning she would get the opportunity.
Production also gave her significant time at the Florida resort.
Chabert stayed at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge while working on the movie. Filming took place around Walt Disney World, including Main Street, U.S.A. at Magic Kingdom.
That access gives Holiday Ever After something that cannot easily be recreated on a conventional television set.
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Travis Van Winkle Stars Opposite Chabert
Travis Van Winkle takes the leading male role as Philip.
Van Winkle has worked with Hallmark before and has appeared in numerous film and television projects, including FUBAR.
The dynamic between Lindsey and Philip begins with their unsuccessful first date.
Rather than presenting two strangers who immediately feel a connection, the movie gives them a reason to doubt whether romance between them could ever work.
Their Disney World vacation then forces them to reconsider those assumptions.
The supporting cast adds several recognizable performers.
Richard Kind plays Lindsey’s father, while Christy Carlson Romano also appears in the movie.
Bryce Durfee, Taegen Burns, and Asher Alexander are part of the cast as well. Patrick Renna makes a cameo appearance.
Ryan Landels wrote and directed the film.
Christy Carlson Romano Brings a Familiar Disney Connection
Romano’s involvement has particular relevance because of the movie’s Disney World setting.
She has a long history with Disney entertainment.
Romano became familiar to Disney Channel audiences through Even Stevens and provided the voice of Kim Possible in the animated series of the same name.
Her presence gives the Hallmark production another connection to Disney history.
Richard Kind also brings decades of experience across film, television, stage work, and voice acting.
Together, the supporting cast helps build the family side of a story that is not limited to Lindsey and Philip’s developing romance.
Chabert’s Mississippi Background Still Shapes Her Story
Even while her career takes her to Paris and Walt Disney World, Chabert has maintained a connection to her Southern upbringing.
She was born in Purvis, Mississippi.
Her entertainment career began when she was young, and music formed an important part of her earliest professional experiences.
Chabert competed on Star Search as a child and later appeared on Broadway.
She played young Cosette in Les Misérables, giving her professional musical theater experience well before television made her a nationally recognized actress.
That history is important when considering her interest in stories involving the South and music.
Chabert has discussed the appeal of making a project set in the South. Still, viewers should not confuse an idea she has discussed with an officially scheduled Hallmark production.
As of July 28, Hallmark had not announced a Chabert-led Southern musical with a confirmed title or release date.
More Than 40 Hallmark Original Movies
Chabert’s current projects build on one of Hallmark’s longest-running relationships with a leading actress.
She has starred in more than 40 original Hallmark movies.
Her Hallmark Channel debut came in 2010 with Elevator Girl.
Christmas programming soon became a major part of her career with the company.
Over the years, she has appeared in numerous seasonal movies while also developing other successful projects.
The All of My Heart films gave her a recurring romantic franchise.
She also entered the mystery genre through the Crossword Mysteries series.
Later, The Wedding Veil franchise paired her with Alison Sweeney and Autumn Reeser in interconnected stories about friendship and romance.
These projects helped Chabert develop a Hallmark career that goes far beyond a single successful Christmas movie.
Her Role at Hallmark Goes Beyond Acting
Chabert’s work with Hallmark has increasingly included responsibilities behind the camera.
She has served as a producer on projects, giving her a more active role in bringing stories to viewers.
Her Hallmark presence has also moved beyond scripted movies.
Celebrations with Lacey Chabert gave audiences another side of the actress through an unscripted format.
The Hallmark+ series centered on deserving people receiving memorable celebrations. Chabert worked with a team to help create events connected to personal achievements and meaningful life moments.
Hosting allowed her to interact with people outside a fictional story while keeping the emotional and uplifting qualities associated with Hallmark programming.
The Lacey Chabert Collection Extends Her Hallmark Partnership
Chabert’s relationship with Hallmark also reaches into consumer products.
The Lacey Chabert Collection includes lifestyle and entertaining merchandise, with some designs drawing inspiration from Hallmark’s archives.
The assortment has featured products connected to stationery, greeting cards, kitchens, gifts, and entertaining.
That collaboration reflects how recognizable Chabert has become within the Hallmark brand.
The Disney World Christmas project also has a merchandise component.
Products inspired by Holiday Ever After: A Disney World Wish Come True extend the collaboration beyond the movie itself and into the holiday shopping season.
From Party of Five to Mean Girls and Hallmark
Chabert’s Hallmark career is only one part of her long history in entertainment.
Many viewers first knew her as Claudia Salinger on Party of Five.
The family drama became one of the defining television roles of her early career.
She later reached another major audience through Mean Girls in 2004.
Chabert played Gretchen Wieners, a character who remains closely associated with the movie’s lasting popularity.
She has also built an extensive voice-acting résumé.
Still, Hallmark has become one of the most consistent parts of her adult career.
Her longevity with the company has allowed her to move between Christmas movies, romantic stories, mysteries, travel projects, producing, and unscripted television.
What Comes Next for Lacey Chabert in 2026?
Chabert’s immediate schedule gives fans two very different projects to follow.
Paris Is Always a Good Idea arrives on Hallmark+ on July 30, 2026, putting European travel and past relationships at the center of a six-episode romantic story.
Later in the year, Holiday Ever After: A Disney World Wish Come True will bring her back to Hallmark Channel for Countdown to Christmas.
The Disney World production carries extra personal meaning for Chabert while adding a unique setting to her large collection of holiday movies.
Her interest in Southern storytelling and her musical-theater background also remain notable parts of her creative history. For now, however, no Southern Hallmark musical starring Chabert has received an official production announcement.
What is confirmed already makes 2026 an important year in her Hallmark career.
More than 15 years after her first Hallmark Channel movie, Chabert continues to find new ways to connect with the audience that has followed her across romance, Christmas, mystery, travel, and family entertainment.
With Europe and Walt Disney World forming the backdrop for her newest adventures, Lacey Chabert’s Hallmark journey is still adding new chapters. Share which of her 2026 projects you are most excited to see.