Reviewing - Christmas Specials
A Charlie Brown Christmas (***)
In which a blockhead picks the worst Christmas tree on the lot and just expects everyone to be happy about it
It's cute but I'm not sure what all the hubbub is about.
This isn't a Christmas flick that I grew up with, but it was a staple of my wife's childhood. As such, it's found its place firmly in our list of holiday films to watch each year. There's something incredibly charming about the simplicity of it all - the animation is cheap but expressive, the music is repetitive yet timeless, and the story is plain but not boring. The kids are cute and occasionally funny as they put together a Christmas production, and Charlie Brown is one of those characters who you can't help but love. He's an underdog with a heart of gold.
As someone whose faith is crucial to them, I loved how the biblical account of the birth of Jesus made its way into this special. It's a poignant thought to consider that this is one of the few Christmas films to unashamedly present Jesus as the center of the season...especially considering that this film is now over five decades old. I gotta give them points for that.
At the same time, the plot is fairly loose. I get how this special is based off of a comic strip, and thus it's filled with quick gags and side moments that intend to deliver laughs. The drawback to this is that it feels like the narrative never really takes center stage. It's more about those quick five-second moments than it is about the whole thing - as if the pieces are worth more than the sum of their parts.
But hey, you can't fight the classics, and I cannot deny that this is a sweet little story with music that still plays on the radio fifty-some years later. They may not have intended this to become the classic that it is, but there's a heart to this story that's lasted generations.
Angela’s Christmas (*1/2)
In which a young girl chastises our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for misbehaving
If you’re looking for a way to kill 30 minutes while still feeling somewhat Christmas-y, this isn’t your worst option. That said, much of the film feels dark, cold, and empty – and I mean all of these in the literal sense of the words. Our characters walk down dull moonlit streets where there aren’t any other characters about, and everyone’s always cold. What makes these 30 minutes enjoyable is Angela and her interactions with her toy baby Jesus. The way she reassures, scolds, and confides in baby Jesus is a fun mixture of cute and silly. Is it enough to make this a must-see? Not even close. But if you’re looking for something short to watch during the holidays, I suppose you could do worse.
Spongebob Squarepants: Christmas Who? (***)
If you're not a fan of Spongebob, this will absolutely not win you over. That said, as one who watched "The Spongebob Squarepants Movie" so many times I could once recite it verbatim, this Christmas Special is the Spongebob episode fans like me always wanted. It's unabashedly classic Spongebob humour, with stupid gags, over-exaggerated facial expressions, and a whole-hearted commitment to general silliness. That sort of humour is certainly not everyone's cup of tea, and my wife (who is VERY funny, by the way) watched this entire thing without cracking a smile once. It's lowbrow comedy, but it never pretends to be anything else.
Also there's a little musical number where Spongebob proudly sings "La lala lalala -lala la-LAAAAAA lala-lala" while the background shifts through various Christmas wrapping paper designs and he wiggles his arms and legs around - that's probably the greatest part of the whole episode. If that doesn't sound like a good time to you, skip this. If your interest has been acquired, you're in for a real treat.
The Toy That Saved Christmas (***1/2)
This is an underrated classic of Christmas specials.
Many are familiar with VeggieTales, the breakout hit children’s show from the 90s that had a bunch of talking vegetables tell stories from the Bible (amongst other things). VeggieTales became incredibly big in Christian families over the years, and there have been great heights as well as unfortunate lows. I likely have a nostalgic bias towards the earlier episodes in the series, but I do believe that there was a special magic to the first few years of Big Idea Studios. “The Toy That Saved Christmas” is one such example of that magic.
One thing every great Christmas movie needs is a handful of instantly quotable lines of dialogue. This special definitely ticks that box:
“You want a toy that’s fun! You want a toy that’s cute! But most of all, you want a toy with a fully functional buzzsaw built into its right arm!”
“Alright! Everybody with hands, start tying!” *Bob and Larry stare unimpressed towards the audience*
Or my personal favourite exchange:
“Billy has more toys than me!” “Who’s Billy?” “I don’t know – but he has more toys than me!”
There’s an old-school charm to this special and I love it. All of the voices are very fun, too – Bob and Larry are no surprise to Veggie fans, but the little girl and Grandpa George sound exactly like they should. Mr. Lunt’s “hey boss” always pulls a chuckle from me. And the penguins! They’re terrific.
The moral of the story is pretty simple, but it’s told earnestly and with enough charm to make it fun. Give this a shot and you won’t be disappointed.
Frosty the Snowman (**)
In which a villainous magician believes in Santa Claus but not talking snowmen
For a guy that’s made of snow, I thought this whole thing was rather wooden.
Frosty’s a classic – that’s not something that’s up for debate. He’s an iconic character with a great song. But this special just falls a little bit short. For one thing – and I’m not sure if this was just me – but in the version I watched, it seemed like the audio was out of sync every now and then. At first I thought it was just the streaming service I was using, but the fact that it only occurred occasionally made me think something else was going on. I’m probably wrong. Secondly, the story just wasn’t all that great. There’s no real character development of any sort, and the ‘villain’ (if you can call him that) is paper-thin. I just wasn’t that intrigued, which was a bit upsetting given that this was my first time watching it.
Apart from the fact that this is a story about Frosty, there’s no reason that anyone should add this to their list of must-see Christmas stories. No offense to those who have a nostalgic allegiance to this. I just don’t think this has much to offer newcomers.
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (***1/2)
In which the communist fear-driven societal turmoils of the North Pole are revealed by a singing narrator snowman
There’s something just unarguably lovable about this cheaply animated and eyebrow-arching story.
Are there creative decisions in here that seem to tread all over the name of Christmas? Absolutely. Santa Claus turns out to be skinny for most of the year, and he’s not that fond of food. He also hates singing elves, and finds something absolutely unacceptable about Rudolph’s nose. We all know that the other reindeer used to laugh and call him names…but Santa?! He’s supposed to be the embodiment of goodness incarnate! And he’s kicking Rudolph to the curb!
Then there’s the Island of Misfit Toys to consider. Where on earth did this come from? I know that it’s ruled by the winged lion guy who gathers misfit toys so that they can find good homes, but where did the lion come from? And what happened to misfit toys BEFORE he started doing his thing? Why is Santa letting these toys wither away in the frozen wasteland? And for Pete’s sake – what on earth is wrong with a Charlie-In-The-Box?!?
But for all of that, there’s a whole lot to like about this special. Rudolph is a likable character from beginning to end, and Dennis the future dentist is very funny. Yukon Cornelius, the Abominable Snowman, and whatever the head elf’s name was were all great characters too. Sure, they look cheap and old-school, but they’re charming all the same. There’s something memorable about the characters that makes them stick with you.
As much as this film is a classic Christmas flick, I feel like it doesn’t exemplify Christmas as much as it could. No one appreciates Rudolph until they understand what he can do for them, and everyone (Rudolph included) seems to be okay with this. No one at the North Pole seems to have quite learned their lesson – even though Santa does agree to help out the misfit toys. The Abominable Snowman in particular really gets it tough – he loses all of his teeth. That wouldn’t fly today – animal rights activists would shut that movie down ASAP. Whether you love this film or not, we have to admit that this is a very imperfect North Pole.
Like many stories that have stuck with us for more than a few decades, Rudolph is a story that doesn’t quite blend with all of the values that most contemporary audiences share. But that doesn’t make it any less of a classic. It’s traditional, cute, funny, and musical. Butt if I ended this with “it’s destined to go down in history”, I’d probably get punched.
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