Perhaps the main staple of the Christmas viewing log for me is "A Charlie Brown Christmas". The entire short is a delightful and charming feature from start to finish, and is well coupled with it's simplistic animation and wonderful characters.
We get to see all of our favorite characters as they prepare to celebrate Christmas, even working on a small production. Charlie Brown does his best to provide the gang with a tree though it's pitiful size doesn't exactly win them over at first. At the very end Linus gives a rather memorable speech.
Overall, A Charlie Brown Christmas is one of my all time favorite yuletide shows. It may not have a huge budget like the Santa Clause movies or even have the backing of a large household name like Disney but what it does have is it's timeless nature and will always be at the top of my list for what to watch first.
Friday, December 24, 2010
Thursday, December 23, 2010
White Christmas
Watching this film is starting to become a yearly tradition for me, and I am rather glad that I was introduced to this gem of a film from the fifties.
Two war buddies come home and soon become a hit duo on television as they sing and dance their way to stardom though that is just the start of things. One day they receive a letter asking them to come and watch a sister act to perhaps give them some pointers on how they could improve as a favor to a friend of theirs. This sets in motion a whirlwind of events as the four become tangled up together and wind up in a rather green Vermont. Upon arriving the two buddies, Phil and Bob, find that their old war general owns the inn they are staying at and is in a spot of financial trouble. This prompts the pair to work together with the sisters as they give the man a Christmas gift he will never forget.
White Christmas doesn't always come off as a Christmas film to me despite being set so close to December 25th. It largely focuses more on the characters themselves and the story of giving which is sort of a nice pace compared to some films which try to cram as much festive spirit down your throat possible. The song and dance numbers are all rather entertaining, save for the number titled "Choreography" which comes across as really odd and slowed things down for me. Even though this a new yearly tradition, it is certainly one that I look forward to repeating every year from now on.
Two war buddies come home and soon become a hit duo on television as they sing and dance their way to stardom though that is just the start of things. One day they receive a letter asking them to come and watch a sister act to perhaps give them some pointers on how they could improve as a favor to a friend of theirs. This sets in motion a whirlwind of events as the four become tangled up together and wind up in a rather green Vermont. Upon arriving the two buddies, Phil and Bob, find that their old war general owns the inn they are staying at and is in a spot of financial trouble. This prompts the pair to work together with the sisters as they give the man a Christmas gift he will never forget.
White Christmas doesn't always come off as a Christmas film to me despite being set so close to December 25th. It largely focuses more on the characters themselves and the story of giving which is sort of a nice pace compared to some films which try to cram as much festive spirit down your throat possible. The song and dance numbers are all rather entertaining, save for the number titled "Choreography" which comes across as really odd and slowed things down for me. Even though this a new yearly tradition, it is certainly one that I look forward to repeating every year from now on.
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Toy Tinkers
Perhaps one of my all time favorite Donald Duck shorts, if not one of the best Christmas shorts released by Disney. Toy Tinkers is much like Pluto's Christmas tree in the basic premise of Chip an'Dale versus a star character.
It's close to Christmas and Donald is in the midst of celebrating the holiday season, house decked out in all sorts of fun ornaments and presents everywhere. However the peace ends quickly when Chip an'Dale arrive and begin an all out Christmas war with the irritable duck.
The short is quite charming and entertaining from start until the end, with wonderful visuals of the holiday season. Even though the short does follow a slightly formulaic set up, the holiday twist gives it a breath of fresh air which is what makes it so timeless and gives it it's charm. Well worth a watch if one is able to find it.
It's close to Christmas and Donald is in the midst of celebrating the holiday season, house decked out in all sorts of fun ornaments and presents everywhere. However the peace ends quickly when Chip an'Dale arrive and begin an all out Christmas war with the irritable duck.
The short is quite charming and entertaining from start until the end, with wonderful visuals of the holiday season. Even though the short does follow a slightly formulaic set up, the holiday twist gives it a breath of fresh air which is what makes it so timeless and gives it it's charm. Well worth a watch if one is able to find it.
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Gremlins
Gremlins, a wildly fun roller-coaster ride as one minute your hair will stand on end and, the next you'll be laughing at the havoc these gentle looking Mogwai create when all the rules are broken.
This movie starts us off in a small Chinatown shop and if there is one thing we've learnt about these places it is that entering them throws the rules out the window and magic enters the picture. The first half of the film in general is a pretty good one, we are introduced to our characters and get to spend a lot of time with the adorable Gizmo and his companions once he gets wet and multiplies. From the second half onward we get more of a horror aspect to the film as the Mogwai lead by their leader, Stripe, engage in causing as much chaos as possible upon turning into their Gremlin form.
Easily the best thing about this movie is the Gremlins themselves. First you have Gizmo, and the Mogwai form, which is cute, cuddly and has impossibly large eyes. Then you have the Gremlin form which just looks pretty cool with an almost Alien vibe to it. The Gremlins themselves are just plain awesome as they run amok and at one point all sit and watch Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs while singing along to "Heigh-Ho". That's not to say of course that the human cast isn't lacking, Billy and Kate are an alright pair of protagonists. However, I have to give the mother a lot of credit given how she takes out three Gremlins herself of the original five that Gizmo spawned until Billy comes to her rescue from the fourth. The father isn't all that bad as the quirky inventor though his scenes did feel a bit slower to me than the other characters. His opening scene in the Chinatown shop is probably the only place where this isn't a downside since the movie is just getting started up.
Gremlins. If you haven't seen it yet you should probably check it out. This is definitely a film not to be missed and is fun to watch any time of the year and not just around the holiday season.
This movie starts us off in a small Chinatown shop and if there is one thing we've learnt about these places it is that entering them throws the rules out the window and magic enters the picture. The first half of the film in general is a pretty good one, we are introduced to our characters and get to spend a lot of time with the adorable Gizmo and his companions once he gets wet and multiplies. From the second half onward we get more of a horror aspect to the film as the Mogwai lead by their leader, Stripe, engage in causing as much chaos as possible upon turning into their Gremlin form.
Easily the best thing about this movie is the Gremlins themselves. First you have Gizmo, and the Mogwai form, which is cute, cuddly and has impossibly large eyes. Then you have the Gremlin form which just looks pretty cool with an almost Alien vibe to it. The Gremlins themselves are just plain awesome as they run amok and at one point all sit and watch Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs while singing along to "Heigh-Ho". That's not to say of course that the human cast isn't lacking, Billy and Kate are an alright pair of protagonists. However, I have to give the mother a lot of credit given how she takes out three Gremlins herself of the original five that Gizmo spawned until Billy comes to her rescue from the fourth. The father isn't all that bad as the quirky inventor though his scenes did feel a bit slower to me than the other characters. His opening scene in the Chinatown shop is probably the only place where this isn't a downside since the movie is just getting started up.
Gremlins. If you haven't seen it yet you should probably check it out. This is definitely a film not to be missed and is fun to watch any time of the year and not just around the holiday season.
Monday, December 20, 2010
The Year Without A Santa Claus
We once again are treated to a magical holiday special from Rankin/Bass with one of their more delightful stop-motion shorts, The Year Without A Santa Claus.
A rather weary Santa Claus one day decides that it's high time he took a vacation and shuts down the preparations for Christmas. This leaves things up to Mrs Claus and two peppy elves, Jingle and Jangle, to help cheer Santa up by finding some Christmas cheer in the world. However there are several obstacles in their way as Jingle, Jangle and Mrs Claus find aid in a small child and even get to meet Mother Nature as they work towards their goal.
The Year Without A Santa Claus has delightful visuals and many songs that are memorable. Perhaps the most prominent songs that everyone is familiar with are the theme songs for both the Heat Mizer and the Snow Mizer, though Blue Christmas also has it's charm to it. A classic holiday short and one of the most loved favorites of this season, it never fails to put a smile on your face.
A rather weary Santa Claus one day decides that it's high time he took a vacation and shuts down the preparations for Christmas. This leaves things up to Mrs Claus and two peppy elves, Jingle and Jangle, to help cheer Santa up by finding some Christmas cheer in the world. However there are several obstacles in their way as Jingle, Jangle and Mrs Claus find aid in a small child and even get to meet Mother Nature as they work towards their goal.
The Year Without A Santa Claus has delightful visuals and many songs that are memorable. Perhaps the most prominent songs that everyone is familiar with are the theme songs for both the Heat Mizer and the Snow Mizer, though Blue Christmas also has it's charm to it. A classic holiday short and one of the most loved favorites of this season, it never fails to put a smile on your face.
Sunday, December 19, 2010
The Little Drummer Boy
The Little Drummer Boy follows our titular hero whose name is Aaron as he is captured by the greedy Ben Haramed. Now, one thing to remember is that Aaron hates all humans, because of this hate he travels through the desert with his three animal companies, a lamb, a donkey and a camel.
Ben Haramed takes Aaron to Jerusalem after capturing him and forces the young boy to perform in his shows. After Aaron throws an outburst on his hate for humans, he and Ben are forced to flee from the city before a group of angry citizens run them out. Not long after they escape, they come across the camp of the Three Wise Kings who decline a performance from Ben who only seeks to gain their fortune. Ben though takes advantage of a camel too weary to go further and sells Aaron's friend to the Kings who continue to Bethlehem. Aaron chases after, following the star in the sky as the Kings are until he finds them. The reunion is short lived as the small lamb is injured and near death when a chariot races by. The small drummer boy seeks the advice of the Kings who suggest he put his belief in the King of Kings and begins to play for the small baby Jesus.
The Little Drummer boy is narrated rather dramatically by Greer Garson, one of several big names including voice over regulars June Foray and Paul Frees. The script is fairly ok but I did find it annoying how repetitive the characters were in telling us that Aaron hates humanity. The small backstory on Aaron was rather nice in showing us why he hates him but regardless coupling it with the multiple statements makes it a tad much. Overall the entire special is rather well done and some may not mind the small fault I had found in the short upon watching.
Ben Haramed takes Aaron to Jerusalem after capturing him and forces the young boy to perform in his shows. After Aaron throws an outburst on his hate for humans, he and Ben are forced to flee from the city before a group of angry citizens run them out. Not long after they escape, they come across the camp of the Three Wise Kings who decline a performance from Ben who only seeks to gain their fortune. Ben though takes advantage of a camel too weary to go further and sells Aaron's friend to the Kings who continue to Bethlehem. Aaron chases after, following the star in the sky as the Kings are until he finds them. The reunion is short lived as the small lamb is injured and near death when a chariot races by. The small drummer boy seeks the advice of the Kings who suggest he put his belief in the King of Kings and begins to play for the small baby Jesus.
The Little Drummer boy is narrated rather dramatically by Greer Garson, one of several big names including voice over regulars June Foray and Paul Frees. The script is fairly ok but I did find it annoying how repetitive the characters were in telling us that Aaron hates humanity. The small backstory on Aaron was rather nice in showing us why he hates him but regardless coupling it with the multiple statements makes it a tad much. Overall the entire special is rather well done and some may not mind the small fault I had found in the short upon watching.
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
How did Santa get his red suit? Where did his name come from? Why does he come down our chimney? These questions and more are answered as we explore Santa's history in this Rankin Bass special.
Long ago there was a small baby simply named Claus and is found by Grimbsy. The child is quickly brought fort to the man in charge of the town , the Burgermeister who sends the baby away. Grimbsy however, loses Claus when a strange wind carries him off to the woods where the animals take him to be taken in by the elves. It's almost like a scene out of Snow White, the lost child being befriended by animals and coming to live with a group of small people. However, unlike Snow White the animals teach Claus many things such as how to laugh, play and climb trees. The elves of course teach him how to make toys, follow the stars among other things.
As time passes Claus is given the name Kris and tells the elves (whose last name is Kringle) that he will take their unused toys they make to the children in the nearby town. While travelling through he befriends a small penguin named Topper and makes a temporary enemy out of the Winter Warlock. As he arrives, Kris finds out from the school children and their teacher, Jessica, that the Burgermeister has outlawed toys.
What follows is Kris becoming a wanted man for bringing toys to the children and breaking the silly law that was put into place. He tries many times over the next while to bring them the toys in various fashions and explains why Santa comes down the chimney and puts toys in our stockings. Through all this he even befriends the Winter Warlock whose icy heart melts away and marries Jessica who becomes Mrs. Claus.
Santa Claus is Coming To Town is a great Rankin Bass short and a staple to any Christmas viewing log. It's rather enjoyable getting to see how Santa became who he is and why he does things the way that he does. The short though does have a couple odd spots here and there such as Jessica's rather trippy song and the lack of explanation on how Kris and the other Kringles escape from behind bars. Despite these it is still a great show to watch and the pros far outweigh the cons.
Long ago there was a small baby simply named Claus and is found by Grimbsy. The child is quickly brought fort to the man in charge of the town , the Burgermeister who sends the baby away. Grimbsy however, loses Claus when a strange wind carries him off to the woods where the animals take him to be taken in by the elves. It's almost like a scene out of Snow White, the lost child being befriended by animals and coming to live with a group of small people. However, unlike Snow White the animals teach Claus many things such as how to laugh, play and climb trees. The elves of course teach him how to make toys, follow the stars among other things.
As time passes Claus is given the name Kris and tells the elves (whose last name is Kringle) that he will take their unused toys they make to the children in the nearby town. While travelling through he befriends a small penguin named Topper and makes a temporary enemy out of the Winter Warlock. As he arrives, Kris finds out from the school children and their teacher, Jessica, that the Burgermeister has outlawed toys.
What follows is Kris becoming a wanted man for bringing toys to the children and breaking the silly law that was put into place. He tries many times over the next while to bring them the toys in various fashions and explains why Santa comes down the chimney and puts toys in our stockings. Through all this he even befriends the Winter Warlock whose icy heart melts away and marries Jessica who becomes Mrs. Claus.
Santa Claus is Coming To Town is a great Rankin Bass short and a staple to any Christmas viewing log. It's rather enjoyable getting to see how Santa became who he is and why he does things the way that he does. The short though does have a couple odd spots here and there such as Jessica's rather trippy song and the lack of explanation on how Kris and the other Kringles escape from behind bars. Despite these it is still a great show to watch and the pros far outweigh the cons.
Friday, December 17, 2010
A Muppet Christmas Carol
It's hardly surprising that combining the Muppets with the Charles Dickens novel would lead to a slightly lighter and more fun version of the story. One thing that is rather nice though is just how faithful they were to the novel and even gave a small push to urge the audience to check it out just before they fade out.
The story gives us Gonzo as Charles Dickens who guides us along a bit and narrates with the help of Rizzo the Rat (Who is in it for the food). As we go through the story we are greeted with a large cast of Muppets including Kermit the Frog as Bob Crachit and Miss Piggy in the role of his wife. Our Scrooge is played fairly well by Michael Caine and is able to be rather straight despite the chaotic madness we have come to expect from the Muppets.
Much like Disney's version a large appeal to this film is just how many characters are involved in the now long defunct t.v show. Fozzie Bear, Rowlf, Beaker, Honeydew and more all make cameos at one point and we are even treated to Statler and Waldorf singing their own song about how evil they were in life, taking on the role of the Marley brothers.
The entire film is rather great mix of the rapid fire jokes and gags that make the Muppets so appealing and yet they also manage to achieve the more serious parts when the time calls for it. A Muppet Christmas Carol is highly recommended to anyone wanting a special treat to watch this, or any, holiday season.
The story gives us Gonzo as Charles Dickens who guides us along a bit and narrates with the help of Rizzo the Rat (Who is in it for the food). As we go through the story we are greeted with a large cast of Muppets including Kermit the Frog as Bob Crachit and Miss Piggy in the role of his wife. Our Scrooge is played fairly well by Michael Caine and is able to be rather straight despite the chaotic madness we have come to expect from the Muppets.
Much like Disney's version a large appeal to this film is just how many characters are involved in the now long defunct t.v show. Fozzie Bear, Rowlf, Beaker, Honeydew and more all make cameos at one point and we are even treated to Statler and Waldorf singing their own song about how evil they were in life, taking on the role of the Marley brothers.
The entire film is rather great mix of the rapid fire jokes and gags that make the Muppets so appealing and yet they also manage to achieve the more serious parts when the time calls for it. A Muppet Christmas Carol is highly recommended to anyone wanting a special treat to watch this, or any, holiday season.
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Santa Clause 2
Once again Tim Allen dons the Santa suit in this Disney sequel that seems to be trying to cash in on the popularity of the original film. Like most sequels (especially Disney) this isn't quite as good as the original but is still better than a fair number of other Christmas geared entertainment.
Santa seems to be having a couple of problems lately despite his success as the current..Santa. It seems that his son Charlie went from being young and innocent to a trouble making teen and lands on the 'Naughty' list. To make matters worse Bernard and a new helper elf inform Santa that he needs to fulfill one thing that was overlooked in the first film, he needs to get married. One must wonder though where the previous Mrs. Claus went when her husband fell off the roof in the first film......
Needing to fulfill his duties as a father, get married and keep on track as Santa, Scott decides to make a rather big mistake. Going along with a plan thought up by the new elf, Santa brings in a toy Santa to cover for him at the North Pole while he goes to get things sorted down. Bernard helps out by giving him a watch to show how much magic he has left and tells him if he runs out that he can never come back as well that he only has until Christmas Eve.
Santa Clause 2 isn't really a great film, there's a lot of small things that just add up to detract from how good it could have been. For one we not only get Comet back, but also have a second reindeer in training named Chet join us. Chet is.....annoying instead of comedic like intended and his humor largely comes from crashing or yelling gibberish. As well we get fart jokes from Comet. Things have changed a bit and are a bit more technological this time around instead of having a more fantasy base. The opening kind of drags on a bit and the romance a bit rushed considering Santa has to convince a woman to marry him and his choice is.....lacking the Christmas spirit. While it does have it's good moments there's just a bit too much to keep it from the great level.
Santa seems to be having a couple of problems lately despite his success as the current..Santa. It seems that his son Charlie went from being young and innocent to a trouble making teen and lands on the 'Naughty' list. To make matters worse Bernard and a new helper elf inform Santa that he needs to fulfill one thing that was overlooked in the first film, he needs to get married. One must wonder though where the previous Mrs. Claus went when her husband fell off the roof in the first film......
Needing to fulfill his duties as a father, get married and keep on track as Santa, Scott decides to make a rather big mistake. Going along with a plan thought up by the new elf, Santa brings in a toy Santa to cover for him at the North Pole while he goes to get things sorted down. Bernard helps out by giving him a watch to show how much magic he has left and tells him if he runs out that he can never come back as well that he only has until Christmas Eve.
Santa Clause 2 isn't really a great film, there's a lot of small things that just add up to detract from how good it could have been. For one we not only get Comet back, but also have a second reindeer in training named Chet join us. Chet is.....annoying instead of comedic like intended and his humor largely comes from crashing or yelling gibberish. As well we get fart jokes from Comet. Things have changed a bit and are a bit more technological this time around instead of having a more fantasy base. The opening kind of drags on a bit and the romance a bit rushed considering Santa has to convince a woman to marry him and his choice is.....lacking the Christmas spirit. While it does have it's good moments there's just a bit too much to keep it from the great level.
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
A Garfield Christmas Special
Sadly this is our last Garfield holiday special, however we can look forward to eventually delving into the animated t.v series!
This time around Garfield is celebrating Christmas and we start off in the furry felines mind as he dreams that it is Christmas day. Dream Garfield not only gets to eat his breakfast lasagnas all the way to the tree, but also receives a special chair that pops out any gift he can think of. We are treated to a short song over the opening credits that show Garfield loves Christmas and is largely concerned with getting presents.
However, Jon wakes Garfield with the news that it's Christmas Eve morning and that they will be going all the way to the farm to spend the holiday with his family. Of course, Garfield isn't all that happy about it since he would much prefer to stay in his nice warm bed. Jon's family is an interesting bunch largely the wonderfully entertaining Grandmother and Jon's Mother who sure does love to cook multiple types of potatoes and pies. I rather enjoy the subtle rivalry between the Grandmother and the Mother when it comes to the cooking, at least subtle as the Arbuckles can be.
After a large dinner the Arbuckles, sans Grandma, finish trimming the tree and Jon entrusts Garfield with the important task of putting the star atop the tree. Jon's Dad does however stop to question why the star had to be put on last. We're promptly treated to Doc Boy attempting to play piano though he is shoved aside in favor of a fast paced song from Grandma and a more sentimental one played by the Mom. With the song playing in the background, the Grandmother shares fond memories of her deceased husband with Garfield. The scene is rather nice and gives the special it's first touching moment.
Once the slightly sad bit is passed we move along to a more comedic tone as the Dad is forced to read "Binky: The Clown Who Saved Christmas" and actually has a rather good impersonation of Binky up his sleeve. Jon and Doc Boy seem to have outgrown this tradition yet keep it going if not to tease their Dad a bit. During this whole short Odie isn't overly present as he works on a mysterious project out in the barn and only after the story is over do we get a glimpse of what he is up. While spying on the pooch, Garfield comes across some fifty year old letters. He shares these with the Grandma the following morning after all of the presents have been exchanged, cheering her up. Before all is done though, Odie gives his mysterious project to Garfield, a backscratcher intended for the orange feline who is touched by the gift and learns it's not the giving or the getting but the love that makes the season so great. A short country styled Christmas song plays out as the Arbuckles dance and the credits roll.
A Garfield Christmas special is a lot of fun and balances rather well the comedic tones and the sentimental aspect of the season. The plot centering on the Grandmother and Garfield is charming and gives it that little bit extra to keep it from being just another comedic holiday for Garfield. Definitely a yuletide favorite this time of year.
This time around Garfield is celebrating Christmas and we start off in the furry felines mind as he dreams that it is Christmas day. Dream Garfield not only gets to eat his breakfast lasagnas all the way to the tree, but also receives a special chair that pops out any gift he can think of. We are treated to a short song over the opening credits that show Garfield loves Christmas and is largely concerned with getting presents.
However, Jon wakes Garfield with the news that it's Christmas Eve morning and that they will be going all the way to the farm to spend the holiday with his family. Of course, Garfield isn't all that happy about it since he would much prefer to stay in his nice warm bed. Jon's family is an interesting bunch largely the wonderfully entertaining Grandmother and Jon's Mother who sure does love to cook multiple types of potatoes and pies. I rather enjoy the subtle rivalry between the Grandmother and the Mother when it comes to the cooking, at least subtle as the Arbuckles can be.
After a large dinner the Arbuckles, sans Grandma, finish trimming the tree and Jon entrusts Garfield with the important task of putting the star atop the tree. Jon's Dad does however stop to question why the star had to be put on last. We're promptly treated to Doc Boy attempting to play piano though he is shoved aside in favor of a fast paced song from Grandma and a more sentimental one played by the Mom. With the song playing in the background, the Grandmother shares fond memories of her deceased husband with Garfield. The scene is rather nice and gives the special it's first touching moment.
Once the slightly sad bit is passed we move along to a more comedic tone as the Dad is forced to read "Binky: The Clown Who Saved Christmas" and actually has a rather good impersonation of Binky up his sleeve. Jon and Doc Boy seem to have outgrown this tradition yet keep it going if not to tease their Dad a bit. During this whole short Odie isn't overly present as he works on a mysterious project out in the barn and only after the story is over do we get a glimpse of what he is up. While spying on the pooch, Garfield comes across some fifty year old letters. He shares these with the Grandma the following morning after all of the presents have been exchanged, cheering her up. Before all is done though, Odie gives his mysterious project to Garfield, a backscratcher intended for the orange feline who is touched by the gift and learns it's not the giving or the getting but the love that makes the season so great. A short country styled Christmas song plays out as the Arbuckles dance and the credits roll.
A Garfield Christmas special is a lot of fun and balances rather well the comedic tones and the sentimental aspect of the season. The plot centering on the Grandmother and Garfield is charming and gives it that little bit extra to keep it from being just another comedic holiday for Garfield. Definitely a yuletide favorite this time of year.
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Mickey's Magical Christmas: Snowed in at the House of Mouse
After a successful night at the House Mouse, Mickey and the gang are surprised to learn that they are snowed in, with little sign of things letting up. Donald Duck however seems to be a bit of a Scrooge and is lacking the Christmas spirit. This is sort of odd to me since everything we've seen before contradicts this, especially his older short with Chip an' Dale.
Mickey of course has a plan and decides that everyone should sit around and watch more shorts! This leads me to wonder what they were watching before we joined them, wouldn't they have already watched these Christmas shorts? But who cares! What matters is getting Donald's lost spirit back and serves as the filler between shorts.
The first short up is a Mickey Mouse Work and centers around a Snowman contest. However the short largely focuses on Donald having to deal with a crack in the ice that just won't leave him alone and eventually chases him into the cave of an abominable snowman. It is at this point the snowman takes over the chase and wins the contest.
We return to the House of Mouse to find Donald still lacks the spirit and are treated to a quirky Ludwig Von Drake "The Science of Santa" demonstration and a video clip of Mickey asking various character what they want for Christmas.
Our next short is actually one of my favorites, Pluto's Christmas Tree. It's one of the classic shorts from Walt's years and deals with Pluto as he goes up against Chip an' Dale who live in the tree Mickey has decided to use for Christmas. It's a fun filled short and is actually more entertaining and at times more pleasant to look at than our first short here.
More filler between shorts! We find out what more characters are thankful for and get to hear from characters like Mushu, Eeyore to the Mad Hatter. Following up this up we get a brief clip of Mickey and Pluto breaking the laws of physics to decorate the outside of their house for Christmas.
The Nutcracker segment is our next story as Minnie and Mickey takes the roles of Maria and the Nutcracker respectively. Ludwig Von Drake joins us as Godpapa Drosselmeyer, Donald Duck is the Mouse King (though only because he believes he will win) and Goofy as.....the magical snow fairy. Right then, the short itself seems to have it's characters be rather aware they are actually playing these roles as shown in a small bit with Donald and again with Goofy. We also get a bit of fourth wall breaking when Ludwig and the Narrator (voiced by John Cleese) interact with each other. The short itself is quite fun, even if a few bits of it are repetitive dancing.
What's this? More filler! Yay! We find Donald is still a bit of a humbug, much to Grumpy's enjoyment and to the dismay of everyone else. Rather interesting since even Jafar a -villain- is full of the Christmas spirit. Mickey is saddened that his friend is missing out, and after a chat with Jiminy Cricket has his hope renewed. After one last attempt, things are finally set right. However, all is not done yet as we are treated to 'Mickey's Christmas Carol' though the opening credits are trimmed out.
I'm going to largely skip over reviewing the short again given how I have already summed up my thoughts on it. After the short we are treated to a rather sugar coated Christmas song sung by all of the characters. I think the only real thing of interest from the ending is just getting to see all the characters singing together and it sort of makes up for the overly sugar coated lyrics. For a House of Mouse vehicle, this is rather fun and worth watching for the shorts alone.
Mickey of course has a plan and decides that everyone should sit around and watch more shorts! This leads me to wonder what they were watching before we joined them, wouldn't they have already watched these Christmas shorts? But who cares! What matters is getting Donald's lost spirit back and serves as the filler between shorts.
The first short up is a Mickey Mouse Work and centers around a Snowman contest. However the short largely focuses on Donald having to deal with a crack in the ice that just won't leave him alone and eventually chases him into the cave of an abominable snowman. It is at this point the snowman takes over the chase and wins the contest.
We return to the House of Mouse to find Donald still lacks the spirit and are treated to a quirky Ludwig Von Drake "The Science of Santa" demonstration and a video clip of Mickey asking various character what they want for Christmas.
Our next short is actually one of my favorites, Pluto's Christmas Tree. It's one of the classic shorts from Walt's years and deals with Pluto as he goes up against Chip an' Dale who live in the tree Mickey has decided to use for Christmas. It's a fun filled short and is actually more entertaining and at times more pleasant to look at than our first short here.
More filler between shorts! We find out what more characters are thankful for and get to hear from characters like Mushu, Eeyore to the Mad Hatter. Following up this up we get a brief clip of Mickey and Pluto breaking the laws of physics to decorate the outside of their house for Christmas.
The Nutcracker segment is our next story as Minnie and Mickey takes the roles of Maria and the Nutcracker respectively. Ludwig Von Drake joins us as Godpapa Drosselmeyer, Donald Duck is the Mouse King (though only because he believes he will win) and Goofy as.....the magical snow fairy. Right then, the short itself seems to have it's characters be rather aware they are actually playing these roles as shown in a small bit with Donald and again with Goofy. We also get a bit of fourth wall breaking when Ludwig and the Narrator (voiced by John Cleese) interact with each other. The short itself is quite fun, even if a few bits of it are repetitive dancing.
What's this? More filler! Yay! We find Donald is still a bit of a humbug, much to Grumpy's enjoyment and to the dismay of everyone else. Rather interesting since even Jafar a -villain- is full of the Christmas spirit. Mickey is saddened that his friend is missing out, and after a chat with Jiminy Cricket has his hope renewed. After one last attempt, things are finally set right. However, all is not done yet as we are treated to 'Mickey's Christmas Carol' though the opening credits are trimmed out.
I'm going to largely skip over reviewing the short again given how I have already summed up my thoughts on it. After the short we are treated to a rather sugar coated Christmas song sung by all of the characters. I think the only real thing of interest from the ending is just getting to see all the characters singing together and it sort of makes up for the overly sugar coated lyrics. For a House of Mouse vehicle, this is rather fun and worth watching for the shorts alone.
Monday, December 13, 2010
The Santa Clause
When Santa Claus falls off of Scott Calvin's (Tim Allen) roof, he discovers that he must now don the suit and take over as the new Santa Claus. Bit of a hard one to explain to kids that he's the new Santa because the previous died......probably not Disney's best idea.
Scott Calvin soon finds that he has only one year to prepare for his new job as Santa, despite his constant denial of the fact he's the new Claus even after finishing the guy's job and being sucked down chimney's. With begrudging reluctance he begins looking over the enormous naughty and nice list, packs on weight and earns a fast growing beard all in time for the new holiday season.
Through all of this, Calvin has to juggle dealing with his estranged wife, her more new age husband and his neglected son, the latter of which is the only one who believes he's Santa thanks to joining him in the previous years exploits. While trying to juggle his new responsibility and assuring his son he is not Santa Calvin goes on a series of misadventures until he finally accepts his role.
A rather light hearted film, the majority of the cast is really not all that memorable perhaps save for the head elf Bernard and Tim Allen as Santa. The movie avoids trying to heap on the sentimental feelings and instead goes straight for a Christmas fantasy which works out rather well in the end.
Scott Calvin soon finds that he has only one year to prepare for his new job as Santa, despite his constant denial of the fact he's the new Claus even after finishing the guy's job and being sucked down chimney's. With begrudging reluctance he begins looking over the enormous naughty and nice list, packs on weight and earns a fast growing beard all in time for the new holiday season.
Through all of this, Calvin has to juggle dealing with his estranged wife, her more new age husband and his neglected son, the latter of which is the only one who believes he's Santa thanks to joining him in the previous years exploits. While trying to juggle his new responsibility and assuring his son he is not Santa Calvin goes on a series of misadventures until he finally accepts his role.
A rather light hearted film, the majority of the cast is really not all that memorable perhaps save for the head elf Bernard and Tim Allen as Santa. The movie avoids trying to heap on the sentimental feelings and instead goes straight for a Christmas fantasy which works out rather well in the end.
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Mickey's Christmas Carol
When I think of 'A Christmas Carol' this is generally the version that comes to my mind first, second only to the Muppets which we will get to later on.
From the first note of the opening song, you know that we are in for a treat with this short film and even get a slightly more festive Mickey Mouse face title card. The story is more or less the same, as we are introduced to Ebenezer Scrooge and is played by none other than Scrooge McDuck himself. Mickey Mouse fills the role of Bob Crachit, and Donald plays Cousin Fred. Heading home late at night after closing up his business, Scrooge encounters the ghost of his old partner, Jacob Marley (played by Goofy). Marley informs him that if he does not change his ways that he too will wind up in chains and be forced to carry heavy blocks forever. However, before he leaves he also says that three ghosts will come to visit him.
It does not take long from Jiminy Cricket, the Ghost of Christmas Past, to arrive and show Scrooge the old days when he was far happier before money took over his life. Before Scrooge can even recover from the haunting memories of better days, Willie the Giant comes knocking and takes the old grump for a stroll down the street to show him how bad things are for Bob Crachit and his family. Leaving Scrooge alone in the cold, the final Ghost arrives and shows him the inevitable future that lays ahead if he stays the way he is. This is perhaps my favorite ghost of the three from this version, from the way Pete handles Scrooge, and the atmosphere and emotion that are present during Mickey's wordless scene as he sheds a tear over Tiny Tim's grave. The entire bit is well done, and is a great final push to Scrooge who now decides to change his ways thanks to the ghosts.
One of the most fun aspects of this version is just how large a cast there is. All of Mickey's main gang appears, with the surprising exception of Pluto who is absent, as well as many characters from various shorts and features making cameo's. A small list of such characters includes:
Mr. Toad - Fezziwig
Big Bag Wolf
Two of the little wolves
Toby Tortoise
Max Hare
Dasiy Duck (Isabel)
Grandma Duck
Clara Cluck
Gus Goose
Peter Pig
Paddy Pig
Chip an' Dale
Clarabelle Cow
Horace Horsecollar
Huey, Dewey, Louie
Ferdy and Morty (One of which is Tiny Tim)
Minnie Mouse (Mrs. Crachit)
Macbadger
Mole
Rat
Cyril Horse
Weasels
Skippy, Tagalong and Sis Rabbit
Toby Turtle
Grandma Owl
Otto the Hound Dog
Mother Rabbit
Secretary Bird
Melody Mouse
Uncle Waldo
From the first note of the opening song, you know that we are in for a treat with this short film and even get a slightly more festive Mickey Mouse face title card. The story is more or less the same, as we are introduced to Ebenezer Scrooge and is played by none other than Scrooge McDuck himself. Mickey Mouse fills the role of Bob Crachit, and Donald plays Cousin Fred. Heading home late at night after closing up his business, Scrooge encounters the ghost of his old partner, Jacob Marley (played by Goofy). Marley informs him that if he does not change his ways that he too will wind up in chains and be forced to carry heavy blocks forever. However, before he leaves he also says that three ghosts will come to visit him.
It does not take long from Jiminy Cricket, the Ghost of Christmas Past, to arrive and show Scrooge the old days when he was far happier before money took over his life. Before Scrooge can even recover from the haunting memories of better days, Willie the Giant comes knocking and takes the old grump for a stroll down the street to show him how bad things are for Bob Crachit and his family. Leaving Scrooge alone in the cold, the final Ghost arrives and shows him the inevitable future that lays ahead if he stays the way he is. This is perhaps my favorite ghost of the three from this version, from the way Pete handles Scrooge, and the atmosphere and emotion that are present during Mickey's wordless scene as he sheds a tear over Tiny Tim's grave. The entire bit is well done, and is a great final push to Scrooge who now decides to change his ways thanks to the ghosts.
One of the most fun aspects of this version is just how large a cast there is. All of Mickey's main gang appears, with the surprising exception of Pluto who is absent, as well as many characters from various shorts and features making cameo's. A small list of such characters includes:
Mr. Toad - Fezziwig
Big Bag Wolf
Two of the little wolves
Toby Tortoise
Max Hare
Dasiy Duck (Isabel)
Grandma Duck
Clara Cluck
Gus Goose
Peter Pig
Paddy Pig
Chip an' Dale
Clarabelle Cow
Horace Horsecollar
Huey, Dewey, Louie
Ferdy and Morty (One of which is Tiny Tim)
Minnie Mouse (Mrs. Crachit)
Macbadger
Mole
Rat
Cyril Horse
Weasels
Skippy, Tagalong and Sis Rabbit
Toby Turtle
Grandma Owl
Otto the Hound Dog
Mother Rabbit
Secretary Bird
Melody Mouse
Uncle Waldo
Saturday, December 11, 2010
A Very Supernatural Christmas
It seems there are quite a few odd combinations this week for Christmas episodes. Starting off with X-Men before moving along to Ghostbusters and now we find Supernatural takes a stab at the holiday. Literally.
Once people start to go missing around the holidays, Sam and Dean begin to investigate the likely chance that an evil Santa is on the loose and punishing those on the Naughty list. After a long series of trekking for clues, the brothers find that both homes attacked have the same wreath in them made of Meadowsweet. Further investigating leads them to Madge and Edward Carrigan who appear to be the perfect suburban couple. Of course, they are no regular couple and are in fact pagan gods who as they put it, assimilated over the years. Returning later that night, armed with evergreen stakes the Winchester brothers take on the pagan gods after a small setback of being captured.
A Supernatural Christmas is just short of a horror movie based around Christmas time, largely due to it's shorter run time. However it still falls into the Christmas category and perhaps deserves it's place a bit more than some of the other shows watched thus far. One thing I rather enjoyed was the character of Madge who reminded me a bit of Kathy Bates in Misery. It was also rather interesting to see a bit of more obscure lore based around the holiday season. Perhaps not quite a staple in the viewing log, it's still fun to watch even if it does not embrace the Christmas season quite as fully as the other specials.
Once people start to go missing around the holidays, Sam and Dean begin to investigate the likely chance that an evil Santa is on the loose and punishing those on the Naughty list. After a long series of trekking for clues, the brothers find that both homes attacked have the same wreath in them made of Meadowsweet. Further investigating leads them to Madge and Edward Carrigan who appear to be the perfect suburban couple. Of course, they are no regular couple and are in fact pagan gods who as they put it, assimilated over the years. Returning later that night, armed with evergreen stakes the Winchester brothers take on the pagan gods after a small setback of being captured.
A Supernatural Christmas is just short of a horror movie based around Christmas time, largely due to it's shorter run time. However it still falls into the Christmas category and perhaps deserves it's place a bit more than some of the other shows watched thus far. One thing I rather enjoyed was the character of Madge who reminded me a bit of Kathy Bates in Misery. It was also rather interesting to see a bit of more obscure lore based around the holiday season. Perhaps not quite a staple in the viewing log, it's still fun to watch even if it does not embrace the Christmas season quite as fully as the other specials.
Friday, December 10, 2010
X-Mas Marks the Spot
Ghostbusters and Christmas, despite sounding like an odd combination actually works out rather well especially when it works in the elements of "A Christmas Carol"
The Ghostbusters, while driving out and about are sucked through a time hole and wind up back in the days of Ebeneezer Scrooge. Busting in at the shouts of ghosts, our heroes accidentally capture the three ghosts, not quite realizing what they are doing or the way it will affect things. Upon arriving back in present day they find that Christmas is no more thanks to Scrooge who never learnt his lesson.
While Egon dives into the machine that houses the ghosts to try and rescue the Christmas Ghosts, Peter, Raye and Winston go back in time to try do what they can to teach Scrooge his lesson. This of course largely means Peter dressing in a disguise as he attempts to do the Ghost of Christmas Pasts job and actually learns a lesson from it all himself. One highlight of this episode is actually getting to see inside the realm where all the stored ghosts are kept, including getting cameos from various ghosts already caught most notably Samhain. Definitely worth looking into for any casual Ghostbusters or Holiday fan.
The Ghostbusters, while driving out and about are sucked through a time hole and wind up back in the days of Ebeneezer Scrooge. Busting in at the shouts of ghosts, our heroes accidentally capture the three ghosts, not quite realizing what they are doing or the way it will affect things. Upon arriving back in present day they find that Christmas is no more thanks to Scrooge who never learnt his lesson.
While Egon dives into the machine that houses the ghosts to try and rescue the Christmas Ghosts, Peter, Raye and Winston go back in time to try do what they can to teach Scrooge his lesson. This of course largely means Peter dressing in a disguise as he attempts to do the Ghost of Christmas Pasts job and actually learns a lesson from it all himself. One highlight of this episode is actually getting to see inside the realm where all the stored ghosts are kept, including getting cameos from various ghosts already caught most notably Samhain. Definitely worth looking into for any casual Ghostbusters or Holiday fan.
Have Yourself A Morlock Little X-Mas
X-Men and Christmas, not always a great combination.
The episode opens to some rather pitiful singing as Rogue, Cyclops and Jubilee decorate a rather enormous Christmas tree and discuss how this is her first year having Christmas with the X-Men. Meanwhile, Jean and Gambit fight in the kitchen over cooking the dinner for tonight. Deciding to go and do some last minute shopping, Jubilee, Storm and Wolverine head out to the mall for a while but run into some trouble when mutants steal ambulance supplies.
After chasing the thieves down, Storm discovers that one of the Morlock's (tunnel dwelling mutants), Leech, has fallen seriously ill. Feeling rather guilty that she's failed them as a leader, Storm and the others proceed to do all they can to pull off a miracle and save him despite the mistrust one mutant, Callisto, shows towards Storm.
The entire episode plays out like a rather bad soap opera and drags down both the X-Men and Christmas shows with it. Hardcore fans might find more enjoyment here than others.
The episode opens to some rather pitiful singing as Rogue, Cyclops and Jubilee decorate a rather enormous Christmas tree and discuss how this is her first year having Christmas with the X-Men. Meanwhile, Jean and Gambit fight in the kitchen over cooking the dinner for tonight. Deciding to go and do some last minute shopping, Jubilee, Storm and Wolverine head out to the mall for a while but run into some trouble when mutants steal ambulance supplies.
After chasing the thieves down, Storm discovers that one of the Morlock's (tunnel dwelling mutants), Leech, has fallen seriously ill. Feeling rather guilty that she's failed them as a leader, Storm and the others proceed to do all they can to pull off a miracle and save him despite the mistrust one mutant, Callisto, shows towards Storm.
The entire episode plays out like a rather bad soap opera and drags down both the X-Men and Christmas shows with it. Hardcore fans might find more enjoyment here than others.
Jolly Molly Christmas
Not one to be left out of spreading holiday cheer, Talespin followed in other Disney shows footsteps and produced it's own Christmas episode, Jolly Molly Christmas.
Much like last night's Goofy short from "Once Upon A Christmas" the episode largely deals with whether or not Santa is real. Instead of Max and Goofy though, we have Molly and Baloo who assures her that Santa is real. Not quite sure, Molly is whisked off to Louie's bar which has been transformed into a rather makeshift North Pole. The real kicker is when Louie himself falls down the chimney dressed as Santa.
Of course, being a Talespin episode there needs to be at least one good air fight. Don Karnage and his pirate crew help out with this, spending a few minutes slowing Baloo down as he tries to make it snow with...soap suds.
When in doubt, watch Goofy and Max in Once Upon A Christmas, since they handle things a lot better. As for Talespin episodes in general, there are a lot more entertaining ones such as the five part series opener.
Much like last night's Goofy short from "Once Upon A Christmas" the episode largely deals with whether or not Santa is real. Instead of Max and Goofy though, we have Molly and Baloo who assures her that Santa is real. Not quite sure, Molly is whisked off to Louie's bar which has been transformed into a rather makeshift North Pole. The real kicker is when Louie himself falls down the chimney dressed as Santa.
Of course, being a Talespin episode there needs to be at least one good air fight. Don Karnage and his pirate crew help out with this, spending a few minutes slowing Baloo down as he tries to make it snow with...soap suds.
When in doubt, watch Goofy and Max in Once Upon A Christmas, since they handle things a lot better. As for Talespin episodes in general, there are a lot more entertaining ones such as the five part series opener.
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Mickey's Once Upon A Christmas
Of course there's a Santy. Otherwise, we'd have a lot of jobless elves running around. Just one of many humorous quotes from Once Upon a Christmas, another of Disney's anthology Christmas specials. Unlike Winnie the Pooh, this one has consistently good animation and features a wider variety of our usual gang.
Opening the first of our three shorts is something familiar to us all, a wish that Christmas happened every day. However, as Huey, Dewey and Louie find out this isn't always a good idea. It's sort of a variation of "Groundhog Day" and spends it's time pointing out Donald's card, that Christmas isn't about the tree, the presents or snow but about the love and warmth we share with our family.
Our second story features Goofy and a much younger Max as they dare to ask the question. Is Santa Claus real? Max isn't quite sure if he believes or not, and Pete is hardly any help as he only enforces the more adult view that Santa is not real. However, good old Goofy in all his more child mind set believes in him right down to the core. Even when things get dark and all hope seems lost, Santa himself arrives to brighten their hope and renews their belief.
Our final story is a classic Mickey and Minnie one as our two favorite mice try and find each other just the perfect gift. It plays out much like "Gift of the Magi" and has almost a classic Mickey short feel to it, but with that extra little Christmas twist to things and serves as a pleasing finale to the movie.
One final note is that aside from the characters mentioned above, we are also treated to seeing Pluto, Chip an' Dale, Uncle Scrooge, Daisy and Aunt Gerdy. The latter of which seems to be a newer character to the Duck family.
Opening the first of our three shorts is something familiar to us all, a wish that Christmas happened every day. However, as Huey, Dewey and Louie find out this isn't always a good idea. It's sort of a variation of "Groundhog Day" and spends it's time pointing out Donald's card, that Christmas isn't about the tree, the presents or snow but about the love and warmth we share with our family.
Our second story features Goofy and a much younger Max as they dare to ask the question. Is Santa Claus real? Max isn't quite sure if he believes or not, and Pete is hardly any help as he only enforces the more adult view that Santa is not real. However, good old Goofy in all his more child mind set believes in him right down to the core. Even when things get dark and all hope seems lost, Santa himself arrives to brighten their hope and renews their belief.
Our final story is a classic Mickey and Minnie one as our two favorite mice try and find each other just the perfect gift. It plays out much like "Gift of the Magi" and has almost a classic Mickey short feel to it, but with that extra little Christmas twist to things and serves as a pleasing finale to the movie.
One final note is that aside from the characters mentioned above, we are also treated to seeing Pluto, Chip an' Dale, Uncle Scrooge, Daisy and Aunt Gerdy. The latter of which seems to be a newer character to the Duck family.
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
The Little Match Girl
Not quite a Christmas short, though it does have small moments that fit it in rather nicely. The Little Match Girl was made by the Disney company and sadly can only be found on the Little Mermaid platinum dvds.
The story is told without dialogue, much like Fantasia, and is set to the String Quartet Number 2 in D Major. Running only at seven minutes in length, the short follows a young girl as she tries to sell matches in Russia. The child is declined by several people and trudges through the deep snow to sleep in an alley. As the cold weather gets worse, she uses her matches to bring warmth and lets her imagination run free as she dreams of a warm fireplace, food and a kindly woman caring for her as they light candles on a Christmas tree. The ending won't be spoiled, though the short is full of emotion and can tug at the heart strings. Wonderfully animated, the Little Match Girl is a beautiful short and should not be missed if you have the chance to watch it.
The story is told without dialogue, much like Fantasia, and is set to the String Quartet Number 2 in D Major. Running only at seven minutes in length, the short follows a young girl as she tries to sell matches in Russia. The child is declined by several people and trudges through the deep snow to sleep in an alley. As the cold weather gets worse, she uses her matches to bring warmth and lets her imagination run free as she dreams of a warm fireplace, food and a kindly woman caring for her as they light candles on a Christmas tree. The ending won't be spoiled, though the short is full of emotion and can tug at the heart strings. Wonderfully animated, the Little Match Girl is a beautiful short and should not be missed if you have the chance to watch it.
Merry Madagascar
Dear god a Dreamworks Christmas short.
Alright. On Christmas Eve we find Alex, Marty, Gloria and Melman trying to escape from Madagascar in a giant air balloon that they somehow made. There really isn't a lot of explanation on this, but it doesn't matter too much since King Julian and his lemurs promptly shoot them down thinking they are the Red Goblin. Soon enough though, the Red Goblin arrives and shoots coal down at the lemurs while laughing.
Giving the order to open fire, King Julian and his lemurs retaliate and it ends with Santa crash landing on the island. Alex and the others, knowing who he is, apologize for everything but it turns out Santa hit his head too hard and has lost his memory, prompting our protagonists to take over his duties and spread Christmas cheer all over the world.
The animation can range from rather nice backgrounds, to pretty crappy character design. Sometimes they look far too cartoonish for the backgrounds and it makes it a bit jarring. The humor isn't all that great (Santa stripping to his red thermal underwear and dancing to 'I Like To Move It' ) and the characters are fairly annoying. A holiday classic? Quite doubtful. I would advise people save their time and money and just watch the Charlie Brown Christmas special instead.
Alright. On Christmas Eve we find Alex, Marty, Gloria and Melman trying to escape from Madagascar in a giant air balloon that they somehow made. There really isn't a lot of explanation on this, but it doesn't matter too much since King Julian and his lemurs promptly shoot them down thinking they are the Red Goblin. Soon enough though, the Red Goblin arrives and shoots coal down at the lemurs while laughing.
Giving the order to open fire, King Julian and his lemurs retaliate and it ends with Santa crash landing on the island. Alex and the others, knowing who he is, apologize for everything but it turns out Santa hit his head too hard and has lost his memory, prompting our protagonists to take over his duties and spread Christmas cheer all over the world.
The animation can range from rather nice backgrounds, to pretty crappy character design. Sometimes they look far too cartoonish for the backgrounds and it makes it a bit jarring. The humor isn't all that great (Santa stripping to his red thermal underwear and dancing to 'I Like To Move It' ) and the characters are fairly annoying. A holiday classic? Quite doubtful. I would advise people save their time and money and just watch the Charlie Brown Christmas special instead.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
A Very Glee Christmas
Taking a slight deviation from my usual plan, tonight I decided to review the newest episode of Glee.
I found that this episode was fairly enjoyable, the songs were well performed and I rather enjoyed getting to hear Sue sing the song "You're A Mean One, Mister Grinch" as she reenacts the scene of stealing the tree and ornaments.
During this episode Artie, who is confined to a wheelchair, discovers that his girlfriend Brittany still believes in Santa Claus. After the initial shock he finds that it's best to just humor her and let his girlfriend get to enjoy the magic of still believing for one more year. Rachel does her very best to try and win back Finn after he chooses to break up with her, though is not very successful and only winds up pushing him away a bit further.
Sue Sylvester rigs the Secret Santa among the staff of the school so that she gets all of the presents which prompts Will, Emma and Coach Beiste to work together at setting things right. The New Directions glee club also struggles with being the misfits of the school as more slushies to the face resume, and are even chased from the classroom they go caroling to.
It defiantly helps to have at least a bit of back history on the characters and how their relationships are with each other, so this episode (and review) are probably going to be rather confusing when viewed on it's own. However, if you don't mind having to puzzle things out, this episode is a rather nice holiday show. A highlight is how Sue, her assistant Becky and Brittany act out bits of The Grinch, portraying The Grinch, Max and Cindy Lou Who respectively.
I found that this episode was fairly enjoyable, the songs were well performed and I rather enjoyed getting to hear Sue sing the song "You're A Mean One, Mister Grinch" as she reenacts the scene of stealing the tree and ornaments.
During this episode Artie, who is confined to a wheelchair, discovers that his girlfriend Brittany still believes in Santa Claus. After the initial shock he finds that it's best to just humor her and let his girlfriend get to enjoy the magic of still believing for one more year. Rachel does her very best to try and win back Finn after he chooses to break up with her, though is not very successful and only winds up pushing him away a bit further.
Sue Sylvester rigs the Secret Santa among the staff of the school so that she gets all of the presents which prompts Will, Emma and Coach Beiste to work together at setting things right. The New Directions glee club also struggles with being the misfits of the school as more slushies to the face resume, and are even chased from the classroom they go caroling to.
It defiantly helps to have at least a bit of back history on the characters and how their relationships are with each other, so this episode (and review) are probably going to be rather confusing when viewed on it's own. However, if you don't mind having to puzzle things out, this episode is a rather nice holiday show. A highlight is how Sue, her assistant Becky and Brittany act out bits of The Grinch, portraying The Grinch, Max and Cindy Lou Who respectively.
Monday, December 6, 2010
Beauty and the Beast: Enchanted Christmas
Perhaps one of the most frustrating things about Enchanted Christmas is largely the fact that it is a Midquel. Taking place just after Belle tries to run away, but before she goes to save her father we find that she decides to try and reintroduce Christmas back to the castle. I'm just going to set aside how destructive the whole story is towards the timeline in the movie, lest I rant endlessly.
Moving along! The story actually starts with Lumiere, Cogsworth, Mrs. Potts and Chip as they try and remember who it was that saved Christmas. Both Lumiere and Cogsworth argue about it until they finally settle on having poor Mrs. Potts tell the story of what really happened. Upon viewing this I noticed how villainous Cogsworth looks as a human. I personally think it's the mustache.
As the story is retold, we are introduced to a host of brand new characters. Some new friendly characters include Bernadette Peters as Angelique, the castle decorator and a talking axe who frustrates both myself and Belle with his dialogue. We also encounter Fife, who doesn't realize at first that he's a good guy and works with the villainous Forte, the court composer and is played by Tim Curry.
All told, we get two passable characters and two clunkers. The story itself seems to drag on quite a lot and filled with many events that supposedly only take place over the course of a couple days. It probably takes a lot of skill to make a short movie drag on, yet Enchanted Christmas does it wonderfully. The visuals and songs are alright, obviously having nothing on the original film but there is at least signs that Disney put effort into this film unlike later "cheapquels"
The movie itself is probably best left to the hardcore fans, even then most hardcore Disney fans share a disdain of any sequel, or to the rather young. The one other sign that shows how much work Disney put into this was the fact that they hired back all of the original voice actors for their characters, save Maurice who I believe had no dialogue but is seen briefly. The one small thing that rather disturbed me was during the end as Beast destroys Forte (who was turned into a huge organ). This really made me stop to wonder what Forte looked like after the spell was broken. Did he stay as an organ, or did he turn back into a human just....dismembered? Also. What did they do with "the body" and why are they so unfazed by the fact this guy isn't alive anymore? You could watch the first film to try and find out, but due to the laws of "Big Lipped Alligator Moment" the characters can't talk about it.
Moving along! The story actually starts with Lumiere, Cogsworth, Mrs. Potts and Chip as they try and remember who it was that saved Christmas. Both Lumiere and Cogsworth argue about it until they finally settle on having poor Mrs. Potts tell the story of what really happened. Upon viewing this I noticed how villainous Cogsworth looks as a human. I personally think it's the mustache.
As the story is retold, we are introduced to a host of brand new characters. Some new friendly characters include Bernadette Peters as Angelique, the castle decorator and a talking axe who frustrates both myself and Belle with his dialogue. We also encounter Fife, who doesn't realize at first that he's a good guy and works with the villainous Forte, the court composer and is played by Tim Curry.
All told, we get two passable characters and two clunkers. The story itself seems to drag on quite a lot and filled with many events that supposedly only take place over the course of a couple days. It probably takes a lot of skill to make a short movie drag on, yet Enchanted Christmas does it wonderfully. The visuals and songs are alright, obviously having nothing on the original film but there is at least signs that Disney put effort into this film unlike later "cheapquels"
The movie itself is probably best left to the hardcore fans, even then most hardcore Disney fans share a disdain of any sequel, or to the rather young. The one other sign that shows how much work Disney put into this was the fact that they hired back all of the original voice actors for their characters, save Maurice who I believe had no dialogue but is seen briefly. The one small thing that rather disturbed me was during the end as Beast destroys Forte (who was turned into a huge organ). This really made me stop to wonder what Forte looked like after the spell was broken. Did he stay as an organ, or did he turn back into a human just....dismembered? Also. What did they do with "the body" and why are they so unfazed by the fact this guy isn't alive anymore? You could watch the first film to try and find out, but due to the laws of "Big Lipped Alligator Moment" the characters can't talk about it.
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Miracle On 34th Street (1947)
Perhaps one of the most charming movies about Santa Claus ever released. Released in 1947, Miracle on 34th Street follows a sweet elderly man who believe he is Santa Claus while he works at the Macy's store during the Christmas season.
While working there he meets the planner for Macy's and her young daughter, who does not believe in Santa Claus. Of course, this isn't quite acceptable so he sets to right things. Even having to go through a trial to prove that he is not crazy in his way of thinking.
The film itself is very charming, and filled with the Christmas spirit. It captures the hectic holiday season rather well and the characters are fully enjoyable as they all start to wonder just how much they believe. Definitely a seasonal favorite, Miracle On 34th Street is not one to be missed.
While working there he meets the planner for Macy's and her young daughter, who does not believe in Santa Claus. Of course, this isn't quite acceptable so he sets to right things. Even having to go through a trial to prove that he is not crazy in his way of thinking.
The film itself is very charming, and filled with the Christmas spirit. It captures the hectic holiday season rather well and the characters are fully enjoyable as they all start to wonder just how much they believe. Definitely a seasonal favorite, Miracle On 34th Street is not one to be missed.
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Winnie the Pooh: Seasons of Giving
Perhaps one of my less favorite Winnie the Pooh films, this one is less a full length movie and more of three shorts that are tied together with the basic Fall/Winter theme. A lot of the animation is recycled from "New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh" and only about five minutes of this 70 minute feature is actually brand new animation.
Starting us off is "Groundpiglet Day" in which the gang mistakenly thinks it's actually February 2nd instead of November. Since they cannot find a groundhog, they decide it's best to dress Piglet up as one to see if there will be more Winter or if it's time for Spring. One of the more amusing misunderstandings comes later in the episode when Tigger, Rabbit and Pooh assume that Piglet (who ran off to find a real groundhog) was turned into a snowman and melted in the bowl they put the snowman in.
Moving into our second short, we find that it is time for Thanksgiving. Winnie the Pooh Thanksgiving largely finds the gang preparing to celebrate the holiday in the only way they know how. Ample amounts of Honey, lemonade, haycorns, thistles and ice cream. However, Rabbit, always the one to barge in and take over tells them they are doing it all wrong and promptly assigns each person a task. We get to spend a bit of each time watching each task, though in the end things still don't quite come together and a lesson is learned by all.
The final short is probably the one with the most drama and depth, which is really refreshing for Winnie the Pooh media given how it's been catering towards tots recently. As the gang prepares for Christmas, we are treated to a story from Rabbit that explains his relationship with a young bird named Kessie. While I do enjoy the final act of this film, Kessie's voice can be rather grating at time and is perhaps the sole factor that takes away from the full enjoyability of this part. As it turns out, Rabbit rescues Kessie when she is young, and raises her in his home but soon becomes quite attached and refuses to let her learn to fly. As the movie closes we get a surprise visit (Take a guess as to who shows up) and thus ends Seasons of Giving.
Overall, the animation improves with each segment but there are still a couple things that take away from the film such as the voice and animation inconsistencies. Despite starting out rough, the film does improve and is still a fairly distracting hour from things.
Starting us off is "Groundpiglet Day" in which the gang mistakenly thinks it's actually February 2nd instead of November. Since they cannot find a groundhog, they decide it's best to dress Piglet up as one to see if there will be more Winter or if it's time for Spring. One of the more amusing misunderstandings comes later in the episode when Tigger, Rabbit and Pooh assume that Piglet (who ran off to find a real groundhog) was turned into a snowman and melted in the bowl they put the snowman in.
Moving into our second short, we find that it is time for Thanksgiving. Winnie the Pooh Thanksgiving largely finds the gang preparing to celebrate the holiday in the only way they know how. Ample amounts of Honey, lemonade, haycorns, thistles and ice cream. However, Rabbit, always the one to barge in and take over tells them they are doing it all wrong and promptly assigns each person a task. We get to spend a bit of each time watching each task, though in the end things still don't quite come together and a lesson is learned by all.
The final short is probably the one with the most drama and depth, which is really refreshing for Winnie the Pooh media given how it's been catering towards tots recently. As the gang prepares for Christmas, we are treated to a story from Rabbit that explains his relationship with a young bird named Kessie. While I do enjoy the final act of this film, Kessie's voice can be rather grating at time and is perhaps the sole factor that takes away from the full enjoyability of this part. As it turns out, Rabbit rescues Kessie when she is young, and raises her in his home but soon becomes quite attached and refuses to let her learn to fly. As the movie closes we get a surprise visit (Take a guess as to who shows up) and thus ends Seasons of Giving.
Overall, the animation improves with each segment but there are still a couple things that take away from the film such as the voice and animation inconsistencies. Despite starting out rough, the film does improve and is still a fairly distracting hour from things.
Friday, December 3, 2010
Small One and Santa's Workshop
Part One of Disney's numerous Christmas movies and shorts, tonight I viewed two of the more rarely seen shorts.
Starting the night off is "Santa's Workshop" a Silly Symphony from 1932. This delightful short follows Santa Claus as he reads the Naughty and Nice list while his elves rush about to prepare for the long night ahead. The short has a rather quick pace and no real storyline like the Mickey Mouse shorts, we largely just get to see Santa's workshop. One of the more interesting bits is seeing how the toys are made, from dolls being scared so that their hair stands on end to be permed, to chess boards being painted on.
While the animation probably feels sub-par compared to what is being put out today, back in the 1930's this would have been rather well done. The backgrounds are wonderfully detailed, instead of small boxes we get piles of various toys. This short was eventually followed up with a sequel the following year, one of the few shorts to have that.
The Small One is one of those rare shorts that actually handles Christian themes from Disney, who often shied away from religion despite small inclusions scattered throughout their animated history. Small One is a rather moving tale of a young boy and the love he has for his pet donkey who is rather old and unable to pull his weight anymore on the farm. Not wanting to part with his faithful friend, he still sets out for the nearby town and insists that he will be the one to sell the donkey to ensure it finds a good home.
Through the long short, he encounters a variety of characters as he searches for the right person from the Tanner to a greedy merchant who runs the auction house. Eventually though, he finds just the right man to sell him to and even gives his loyal friend a new special purpose as the short closes.
Well animated, the Small One has a rather nice opening song during the credits as well as a more upbeat one later into the short. Despite the good animation, it doesn't quite have a Disney look to it but I have also had less exposure to it so far. Perhaps in time that one small thing will change, but until then this is still a wonderful short and is well worth hunting down to watch.
Starting the night off is "Santa's Workshop" a Silly Symphony from 1932. This delightful short follows Santa Claus as he reads the Naughty and Nice list while his elves rush about to prepare for the long night ahead. The short has a rather quick pace and no real storyline like the Mickey Mouse shorts, we largely just get to see Santa's workshop. One of the more interesting bits is seeing how the toys are made, from dolls being scared so that their hair stands on end to be permed, to chess boards being painted on.
While the animation probably feels sub-par compared to what is being put out today, back in the 1930's this would have been rather well done. The backgrounds are wonderfully detailed, instead of small boxes we get piles of various toys. This short was eventually followed up with a sequel the following year, one of the few shorts to have that.
The Small One is one of those rare shorts that actually handles Christian themes from Disney, who often shied away from religion despite small inclusions scattered throughout their animated history. Small One is a rather moving tale of a young boy and the love he has for his pet donkey who is rather old and unable to pull his weight anymore on the farm. Not wanting to part with his faithful friend, he still sets out for the nearby town and insists that he will be the one to sell the donkey to ensure it finds a good home.
Through the long short, he encounters a variety of characters as he searches for the right person from the Tanner to a greedy merchant who runs the auction house. Eventually though, he finds just the right man to sell him to and even gives his loyal friend a new special purpose as the short closes.
Well animated, the Small One has a rather nice opening song during the credits as well as a more upbeat one later into the short. Despite the good animation, it doesn't quite have a Disney look to it but I have also had less exposure to it so far. Perhaps in time that one small thing will change, but until then this is still a wonderful short and is well worth hunting down to watch.
Thursday, December 2, 2010
It's A Wonderful Leaf
Darkwing Duck and Christmas. Can it get any better to us hardcore Darkwing fans?
Just to get it out of the way, I'm a huge Darkwing fan and am really glad Disney actually put out two sets of episodes for the show. However, until I get around to reviewing the rest of the series let's take a look at "It's A Wonderful Leaf"
It's Christmas time in Saint Canard and the mall shoppers in a frenzy. Across the way we find Drake Mallard as he dutifully protects the presents under the tree from his enthusiastic daughter, Gosalyn in her attempts to open them early. However, not all is well in the city as the villainous Bushroot has decided to be a Grinch and ruin things for everyone. Starting out small, he decides to spread some negative vibes and runs amok in the mall as he gets the shoppers mad at each other.
Drake soon arrives and decides that this is a job for....Santa Claus! Wait, wrong outfit. Darkwing Duck! Going on the prowl, Darkwing and Launchpad set out to stop Bushroots scheme "Operation Bahumbug" as he brings to life Douglas fir trees to steal the presents from peoples homes. However, our hero is on the case and quickly puts an end to things.
Darkwing's Christmas episode is a lot of fun, especially as a fan of the show and can help me move past the gags that are quite common in the episodes. Fairly good as far as animation goes, it's an enjoyable inclusion in any viewing logs of holiday shows.
Just to get it out of the way, I'm a huge Darkwing fan and am really glad Disney actually put out two sets of episodes for the show. However, until I get around to reviewing the rest of the series let's take a look at "It's A Wonderful Leaf"
It's Christmas time in Saint Canard and the mall shoppers in a frenzy. Across the way we find Drake Mallard as he dutifully protects the presents under the tree from his enthusiastic daughter, Gosalyn in her attempts to open them early. However, not all is well in the city as the villainous Bushroot has decided to be a Grinch and ruin things for everyone. Starting out small, he decides to spread some negative vibes and runs amok in the mall as he gets the shoppers mad at each other.
Drake soon arrives and decides that this is a job for....Santa Claus! Wait, wrong outfit. Darkwing Duck! Going on the prowl, Darkwing and Launchpad set out to stop Bushroots scheme "Operation Bahumbug" as he brings to life Douglas fir trees to steal the presents from peoples homes. However, our hero is on the case and quickly puts an end to things.
Darkwing's Christmas episode is a lot of fun, especially as a fan of the show and can help me move past the gags that are quite common in the episodes. Fairly good as far as animation goes, it's an enjoyable inclusion in any viewing logs of holiday shows.
Holiday Hi-Jynx!
On the second day of December, my Christmas blog gave to me.......Pokemon. Huh. Well, on with the review!
Given how many shows often slip in holiday episodes, it's not fully surprising that Pokemon would follow in those footsteps. However at the same time there is just something a bit odd seeing Ash and the gang running around with Santa who apparently trains a Pokemon called "Jynx"
In watching this episode we find Ash during his break before the Pokemon League as he comes across a stranded Jynx. This starts up his story in things as Ash, Misty and Brock discover that Jynx is lost and belongs to Santa Claus. Taking pity on her...him..?....It? Sure, lets go with "It" Taking pity on It they decide to help Jynx get back to Santa at the North Pole. The manner in which they do this is.....unrealistic, but we are also talking about a show with a furry yellow rodent who shoots lightning from his ass. Getting on a raft, they use their Pokemon to drag them as far as possible before they meet up with Santa's assistant, a Lapras (Who apparently is Psychic).
On the other side of things, we also from time to time follow Team Rocket as Jessie swears revenge on the Jynx thinking it's Santa. It appears, with the help of a flashback, that the Jynx once took Jessie's doll that was broken to get it fixed but was unable to return it. Eventually both groups meet up at the North Pole and the battle begins as Team Rocket tries to steal all of the presents while Ash and co. give it their all to foil the villains.
For the most part this isn't really one of the better Pokemon episodes, and has nothing on the better Christmas specials/episodes that are out there. If anything I would rank it somewhere in the middle, near the lower end. As well, since Ash is on his break before the League starts up this episode doesn't make any attempts to further the storyline and acts mostly as filler.
Given how many shows often slip in holiday episodes, it's not fully surprising that Pokemon would follow in those footsteps. However at the same time there is just something a bit odd seeing Ash and the gang running around with Santa who apparently trains a Pokemon called "Jynx"
In watching this episode we find Ash during his break before the Pokemon League as he comes across a stranded Jynx. This starts up his story in things as Ash, Misty and Brock discover that Jynx is lost and belongs to Santa Claus. Taking pity on her...him..?....It? Sure, lets go with "It" Taking pity on It they decide to help Jynx get back to Santa at the North Pole. The manner in which they do this is.....unrealistic, but we are also talking about a show with a furry yellow rodent who shoots lightning from his ass. Getting on a raft, they use their Pokemon to drag them as far as possible before they meet up with Santa's assistant, a Lapras (Who apparently is Psychic).
On the other side of things, we also from time to time follow Team Rocket as Jessie swears revenge on the Jynx thinking it's Santa. It appears, with the help of a flashback, that the Jynx once took Jessie's doll that was broken to get it fixed but was unable to return it. Eventually both groups meet up at the North Pole and the battle begins as Team Rocket tries to steal all of the presents while Ash and co. give it their all to foil the villains.
For the most part this isn't really one of the better Pokemon episodes, and has nothing on the better Christmas specials/episodes that are out there. If anything I would rank it somewhere in the middle, near the lower end. As well, since Ash is on his break before the League starts up this episode doesn't make any attempts to further the storyline and acts mostly as filler.
All Dogs Christmas Carol
Part Two of today's Holiday blog!
Now, I love the story of 'A Christmas Carol' and the idea of it all is enough to make any adaptation even the least bit good just because we get to watch such an awesome story. However, with that said that doesn't always mean the overall product will be all that great. This is one of those examples.
All Dog's Christmas carol follows Charlie and Itchy as they are recruited by a pink angel named Annabelle to teach Carface a lesson and help stop her sister from ruining Christmas by taking over dogs all over the world. Ok....
Annabelle gives Charlie a magical dog tag that allows him to use magic in his plan to stop Carface. Using this, our hero decides to use the story from Charles Dickens to teach the evil dog the error of his ways and get him to help stop Annabelle's sister.
Even for 'A Christmas Carol' things are rather formulaic. Carface meets a ghost, and then we are treated to him viewing either the Past, Present or Future along with a song. The majority of the songs are rather forgettable, and even some of the voices can get a bit grating especially during the beginning with the angel puppies. Animation is rather standard for the time it was released and really isn't all that special.
Altogether the saving grace for the film is the fact it's using a wonderful story as it's frame. Unlike other adaptations of the book, this is one of the worse ones especially with the whole extra plot of the evil spirit trying to take over dogs. Removing that would have definitely been an improvement.
Now, I love the story of 'A Christmas Carol' and the idea of it all is enough to make any adaptation even the least bit good just because we get to watch such an awesome story. However, with that said that doesn't always mean the overall product will be all that great. This is one of those examples.
All Dog's Christmas carol follows Charlie and Itchy as they are recruited by a pink angel named Annabelle to teach Carface a lesson and help stop her sister from ruining Christmas by taking over dogs all over the world. Ok....
Annabelle gives Charlie a magical dog tag that allows him to use magic in his plan to stop Carface. Using this, our hero decides to use the story from Charles Dickens to teach the evil dog the error of his ways and get him to help stop Annabelle's sister.
Even for 'A Christmas Carol' things are rather formulaic. Carface meets a ghost, and then we are treated to him viewing either the Past, Present or Future along with a song. The majority of the songs are rather forgettable, and even some of the voices can get a bit grating especially during the beginning with the angel puppies. Animation is rather standard for the time it was released and really isn't all that special.
Altogether the saving grace for the film is the fact it's using a wonderful story as it's frame. Unlike other adaptations of the book, this is one of the worse ones especially with the whole extra plot of the evil spirit trying to take over dogs. Removing that would have definitely been an improvement.
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Simpsons Roasting On An Open Fire
Kicking off the Holiday viewing today, with none other than the Simpsons.
In the episode we are abruptly introduced to the Simpsons as well as a small number of the enormous cast. As well, this is the first year of the series and the characters aren't quite as polished as they are today.
We follow the exploits of the family as they prepare for the Christmas season. Things however, do not go as planned when Homer's bonus is witheld by Mr. Burns and all the spending money goes towards removing Bart's tattoo.
Not wanting to ruin Christmas, Homer hides the fact he has no bonus this year and sets out to try and earn the money as a mall Santa. Sadly, this isn't enough and when he fails to make more by betting on dog racing he returns home to his family. All is better though in the end, when he brings along Santa's Little Helper, the canine who he bet on and finds that the dog brings everyone joy.
The one thing I enjoy about this episode is the fact that there isn't really a last minute miracle to give Homer the money. While the day is still saved in the Christmas fashion, it doesn't really show that material goods are needed but your family and a new pet.
In the episode we are abruptly introduced to the Simpsons as well as a small number of the enormous cast. As well, this is the first year of the series and the characters aren't quite as polished as they are today.
We follow the exploits of the family as they prepare for the Christmas season. Things however, do not go as planned when Homer's bonus is witheld by Mr. Burns and all the spending money goes towards removing Bart's tattoo.
Not wanting to ruin Christmas, Homer hides the fact he has no bonus this year and sets out to try and earn the money as a mall Santa. Sadly, this isn't enough and when he fails to make more by betting on dog racing he returns home to his family. All is better though in the end, when he brings along Santa's Little Helper, the canine who he bet on and finds that the dog brings everyone joy.
The one thing I enjoy about this episode is the fact that there isn't really a last minute miracle to give Homer the money. While the day is still saved in the Christmas fashion, it doesn't really show that material goods are needed but your family and a new pet.
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