At first, I thought this was just a cheesy little kids' film, not really worth watching. But it turned out to be one of the sweetest little Christmas films I've ever seen. The characters, for the most part, are well-rounded and you can sense the grandfather's love for his grandson, and his willingness to help however he can, even selling his daughter's beloved music box so that he can buy Annabelle back from the mean neighbor; the young friend Emily's devotion to Billy, the rich but selfish aunt's greed, and Annabelle's tender heart and self-sacrifice for Billy, giving up her own dream of being able to fly, and even her Christmas voice, so that her friend can talk again.
There's a lot of love and tenderness in this film! The animation is simple, yet somehow effective. This film would make a terrific live-action film, with some of the missing details filled in. For example, why was the fire in the barn apparently more traumatizing for Billy than the loss of his parents, especially since no animals seemed to have died in it? What exactly had made the neighbor so mean, even though we know he had somehow lost his wife? We didn't even know if she had died or left him. Did the mean neighbor and the rich aunt actually get married? And how did the adult Billy explain to Emily exactly what had happened to Annabelle after she was turned into a reindeer?
Anyway, this is a lovely Christmas film that's definitely worth a watch. Even adults should probably enjoy this one!
