An Almost Christmas Story

An Almost Christmas Story (2024) -

This film was so full of heart and reminded me of the lovely sweet films of my childhood like 'The Snowman' (1982).

I loved this one's animation style and the soundtrack worked with it very well too, even John C. Reilly's nonsense warbling. The cardboard backgrounds were charming and cleverly used.

Personally I think that they just don't make enough of these artistic and beautifully styled things anymore, it's all CGI, which don't get me wrong has it's place, but it's not the be all and end all. So it was lovely to see them bringing stop motion back.

The story of a young Girl helping to get an Owl back to its family, having somehow become lost in New York (No it wasn't called Kevin, although there were some similarities to that story*) was sweet and innocent and I'm sure that the residents of the Big Apple could rip it apart for factual inaccuracies and I must admit that I did make a few comments to that effect myself before I realised that it wasn't really made to be perfect like that.

I supposed that some of the intention of the story was to inspire people to be kind to others because you never know what they're going through, it can be a big scary city out there, sometimes even in a small town and that's not something that everyone can cope with, so just be nice. That's the sort of thing I like.

If I'm totally honest it didn't hit all of the notes that have me revisiting some other films so often, but I do hope that it will always be available to dip in to whenever I do want to, because I was smiling all the way through.

786.11/1000.

*Home Alone (2): Lost In New York (1992)

This cute little animated short follows the adventures of an owl named Moon who gets stuck in a tree that is carted off to Rockefeller Center, where he meets hostile pigeons, jealous dogs, and a friendly one-legged girl.

The look is distinct. The owls look like they're carved out of wood, and some people and objects look like cardboard cutouts. I'm unclear if there was any point to the look beyond hey, this would look cool, but it is interesting.

Unfortunately it doesn't work well with their people designs. The singing-narrator in particular looks creepy and weird, which is certainly not what they were going for.

The best thing is Natasha Lyonne voicing a street-wise New York pigeon. But then, Lyonne is pretty much always the best thing in whatever she's in, so that figures.

I wouldn't say this was a great short, but I did enjoy it and if you're looking for something to watch at Christmastime this is a pretty good option.

Moon is a baby owl who gets out of the home nest and becomes trapped in the giant Christmas tree headed for The Rockefeller Center. It falls right into the middle of the skating rink and later befriends lost girl Luna.

This is a sort-of Disney Christmas special. Other than some of the voice actors, the only name I recognize is Alfonso Cuarón. It's partly his story. I am not familiar with it. It seems a little not that special and I don't find it all that memorable. Only the Rockefeller section really stuck. I like the stop motion animation. The designs are fine. It's a not-that-special special.

The pluses.

Great Voice talent. All of them sounded good acted great, just right.

Nice vibe for the most part. In the delivery of the script.

The negatives.

Not really much of a story. The set up was ok, but then it didn't really go anywhere and nothing much happened, although as mentioned above it was delivered well.

The look. I didn't mind the owls but the human forms were creepy, for no reason. The characters did nothing creepy, there was no creepy required in the story, it was just shadowy lighting and dirty looking puppets, for no reason. Someone came up with the look independent of the story and crowbarred it in. Style over content as we're seeing far too often in film content these days.

We got to the end of the film and looked at each other and said, is that it? What was that about? Why did we watch it?

It wasn't bad, it just wasn't anything much either.

*An Almost Christmas*, Disney's delightful holiday short, is a heartfelt tale that explores the meaning of home during the most festive time of year. With its rich visuals, memorable characters, and emotional depth, the story follows the journey of a protagonist longing to be home for Christmas - though "home" proves to be more than just a physical place.

The short cleverly unpacks the universal truth that home is where love and connection reside, no matter the setting. Whether it's a cozy house, the company of loved ones, or simply a place filled with shared memories, *An Almost Christmas* reminds viewers that the season's true magic lies in the people we cherish.

Balancing humor, charm, and sentiment, the film delivers a poignant message perfect for all ages. It's a tender celebration of togetherness, a beautiful reminder that even when life's circumstances feel imperfect, love has the power to make anywhere feel like home.

(written on my behalf by AI)