Diary of a Wimpy Kid Christmas: Cabin Fever

I have read most of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books by Jeff Kinney and enjoy reading them, but I did not like the four live action movies from 20th Century Fox; I have enjoyed the first two animated films from Disney based on the two books, which is why I prefer the animated adaptations over the live-action ones. Diary of a Wimpy Kid Christmas: Cabin Fever (2023) is as enjoyable and entertaining as the earlier two movies, with a nice Christmas look and feel to it and well-done animation; also, it has things you will recognize from the book it is based on, only if you have read the book though.

The voice acting is well done, and the characters are likable; Greg Heffley goes from having a selfish personality by doing whatever it takes to get a new video game console for Christmas, to learning how to help people and spending time with family, even though his family is weird. Greg's friend who helps him on the tough situation is Rowley Jefferson who gets dragged into the problem of accidentally breaking a snowplow and works with Greg to get rid of the evidence; the whole time he wants to do traditional Christmas things, but because Greg is his friend, he tries to help. Also, there are things involving Greg's family being snowed in at home, and Greg avoiding a creepy looking elf doll mostly because he was told it is Santa's little helper.

The animation is pretty, and the character designs are exact to the drawings in the books; the movie was had funny moments, and nice moments involving Greg Heffley learning more about what Christmas is about or just doing good things for people and for his family. I recognized a lot of moments in the movie that are from the book, because I have read the book, and the way they are executed is well done and accurate to the book; the only way you will notice certain things in the movie is if you have read the book, but I think you can enjoy the movie without needing to.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid Christmas: Cabin Fever (2023) is an enjoyable and entertaining Christmas movie that people who have read the book will like, and people who have not read the book will like; likable characters, funny scenes, nice looking animation, and a nice Christmas look and feel. If you like the books and the earlier two movies, then you will like this; if you have not read the books, this is a nice, animated Christmas movie to check out.

Ah, "Diary of a Wimpy Kid Christmas: Cabin Fever", the latest holiday romp that surprisingly hit a bit closer to home than expected. First off, the premise is classic Wimpy Kid - Greg Heffley, eyeing the tantalizing Mega Station 9000, embarks on a comedic quest to maintain his spot on Santa's nice list. Mix in a creepy elf doll, a lawn-destroying snowball, and a snowplow lady named Gabby, and you've got the recipe for a festive disaster.

But the real kicker is the snowed-in lockdown. As the Heffleys huddle together, battling cabin fever and dwindling supplies, I couldn't help but reminisce about my own COVID lockdown days. The film captures that stir-crazy, family-dynamics-on-edge atmosphere with a comedic twist that's both relatable and absurd.

The heart of the film, however, lies in its unexpected turn towards empathy and generosity. Greg's journey from self-interest to selflessness, especially his interaction with Gabby and her son, adds a layer of depth to the narrative. The movie wraps up with a feel-good resolution, reminding us that sometimes, the best gifts aren't things, but acts of kindness and understanding.

"Diary of a Wimpy Kid Christmas: Cabin Fever" might not be a holiday classic, but it's a genuinely funny, heartwarming tale that offers a few laughs, a bit of nostalgia, and a gentle reminder of the spirit of the season. Plus, Elfrendo's creepy, unblinking gaze is sure to haunt your Christmas dreams, in a fun way, of course!

Going into this movie, my expectations were understandably low after the garbage that was released the previous two years. However this definitely crushed those expectations. This movie is no doubt the best animated one so far, and a pretty solid Christmas movie.

"Cabin Fever" is probably my favorite book in Jeff Kinney's series, so I was pretty happy when a movie was announced. Obviously I was still cautious due to how bad the first one and Rodrick Rules were, but this was pretty good. It has a very strong Christmas vibe which I wasn't expecting, the voice acting improved ten-fold, and it was overall really entertaining.

I also appreciate how much Greg Heffley grows as a character throughout this. He starts off still somewhat mean and selfish, but by the end he ends up as a selfless, kind-hearted teenager. The characters in this movie are just very well written all around, and somehow even Manny is pretty tolerable and actually said something that let out a weak laugh from me. I also throughly enjoyed watching the sequence where the snowstorm trapped everyone inside, as that was a huge highlight of the book and this movie portrayed it pretty dang well. The movie also portrays very wonderful messages about spending time with family, telling the truth, being on your best behavior, and enjoying the holiday season.

Obviously there are still some cons, because these movies will probably never be a 10/10 let alone a 9/10. First off, this movie has a lot more annoyingly cringe dialogue compared to the other animated movies, particularly with Susan. I've never liked Susan in the animated movies because of her annoying voice and her overly-cheery personality. Rowley is also not the greatest in this one, but definitely better than the first two movies. Second, the beginning is the weakest part and drags on about 25 minutes too long.

Overall, this movie really really surprised me since Disney has released some real stinkers this year and the first two animated Wimpy Kid movies were less than mediocre. The Christmas spirit is strong, there's a ton of character development, and is a great movie in general. 8/10, would recommend to Wimpy Kid fans and Christmas lovers alike.

Honestly Mickey's Once Upon A Christmas gets closer to spoiling the magic. Lots of people give and receive gifts on Christmas Day in multiple ways, from parents and from Santa. My ardent Santa loving, Diary of a Wimpy Kid fan children did not notice or say anything about this movie, other than they enjoyed it. We've watched it twice and I had no idea people were upset. It's not the greatest movie I've ever seen, but it was fun while having a good general message about doing the right thing in the end. Don't worry too much about the "spoiler." Diary of a Wimpy Kid fans will enjoy this movie, and the family will laugh. That's a win.

Just a PSA about the new Diary of a wimpy kid movie on disney plus. It destroys Santa! Apparently the kid finds presents hidden in the hotpress and then receives the same ones on Christmas day. It very obviously done. It's rated 6+ so it can't be blocked at all. Online says it needs to be 12+. It happens very early on in the movie.

Lots of upset online about it

At minute 23 Greg makes a discovery in the linen closet .. this discovery could ruin Christmas for a lot of children.

Disney+ should remove this show before the magic of Christmas is lost.

Hopefully word will spread about the spoiler to the adults before it reaches the school playgrounds.