Un Noël eXtra

Alien Xmas (2020) -

I was instantly hit by how much this film had borrowed from other things that had gone before it - 'Robbie The Reindeer in Hooves Of Fire' (1999), 'Elf' (2003), Star Wars (1977-), Star Trek (1966-), 'Third Rock From The Sun' (1996 - 2001), The Grinch (2018), 'The Nightmare Before Christmas' (1993), 'Gremlins' (1984), Roary The Racing Car (2007-11) and so many more. Every sentence or image made me think of something I'd already seen. And actually even the voice over reminded me of 'Family Guy' (1999-) because I kept expecting swearing and other crude humour due to an adult feel that it had, no more so than when Santa (Keythe Farley) turned a candy cane in to nunchucks.

It was also quite a basic story and delivery and I wasn't sure that it was exciting enough to keep kids interested let alone their parents/guardians, etc.

And some of the non clay animation felt a bit cheap and simplistic, lacking a bit of polish.

I supposed that aliens coming for Christmas intent on stealing everything was technically something new, although 'Guardians Of The Galaxy' did something similar in 2022 (Holiday Special) but it also just didn't hit right as if the creators of ruder cartoons had been asked to make a Disney film for the under 8's and just couldn't help making it too mature, which ultimately made it not really suitable for anyone.

But I'm not under 8 and I could see that some of the silliness and colours might appeal to the really young, I just felt that we'd moved past this sort of unoriginal storytelling that was almost something from the 1960's.

Maybe it was just the post Christmas blues, but it didn't have the heart that I needed. We've been so spoiled in these later years with thoughtful ideas and intriguing plots that this was just lacking something and clearly from my list of other media, it was also too similar to so many other things.

600.99/1000.

My kids found this and have watched it at least 10 times in the past 2 days....that means it's good. Some watching a new thing over and over is better than the old things, I like it too. The story makes them laugh and the concept of giving instead of taking/receiving is very sweet.

A perfectly functional extraterrestrial Christmas special from veteran US stop-motion family the Chiodos Brothers. The story is a fairly by-the-books "cruel creature learns the meaning of christmas" trope but with a nicely silly extraterrestrial twist and some deft narrative oddities. The real draw here is some fantastic designs and the legitimately stunning animation - you can tell this has been made by craftsmen and it all feels remarkably tactile. If you're in need of some festive cheer or are a fan of the form you'd be missing out by skipping it.

Alien Xmas follows a group of aliens called the Klepts whose entire society is based upon stealing things. The smallest Klept, named X, is sent on a mission to Earth to destroy earth's gravity and float all Earth's material possessions into space, but an encounter with the elves of Christmas town changes X's outlook and shows him the true meaning of Christmas.

Alien Xmas is a 42 minute animated Christmas special from stop motion animators, The Chiodo Brothers, who've provided effects and animation work on everything from Simpsons, The Thundermans, Elf, and Killer Klowns from Outer Space, and you can tell from their work the put a lot of love into their craft. Alien Xmas, much like the stop motion elements they created for Elf, is very much inspired by the classic Rankin/Bass shorts but with the trio's unique take on the material and I'm pleased to say it works.

While the plot of Alien Xmas is certainly standard Christmas fare that most viewers will be able to predict, the animation, humor, and style of Alien Xmas compliments that familiarity and gives a nice twist to traditional material while also keeping it feeling timeless in its execution. The characters are very expressive in their movements and their actions and the Chiodo brothers create many great locations with some absolutely wonderful details. I really enjoyed this Christmas special and wouldn't mind seeing more if the Chiodos were inclined to do so.

Our three year old absolutely adores this film!

At 40 minutes it's a great film length for younger children, and rather than padding it out with song after song, it relies on the strength of its story.

The animation is lovely, it's funny, heart warming and it's not annoying - which is nice! In fact, I'd go as far to say I really like it too.

I'm really surprised it has got such a low score.