Magical Christmas Collection (DVD)

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I wasn´t horribly optimistic when the "Magical Christmas Collection" DVD, a pre-holiday rush release from Image Entertainment, arrived in the mail. It looked wholesome enough, but I wasn´t sure it wouldn´t be cheesy and sappy, especially considering it´s an animated set targeted for the younger audience.

Maybe I got what I deserved when I my pessimism was obliterated with four quite decent Christmas specials. Don´t get me wrong, this is nothing spectacular or ground breaking. It doesn´t belong with your favorite animated Christmas specials (stuff from the Peanuts and Disney, for example), and I think its creators probably realized they weren´t going to compete with these upper tier classics. What they did instead was create some nifty characters faced with some holiday obstacles, all who eventually get to share positive Christmas messages with others.

Oh, and all the main characters are animals. Just so you´re aware. There´s teddy bears, cats, dogs, bunnies, skunks and foxes. Plus some beavers with buck teeth and a passion for adventure. Santa himself also shows up now and again. You know it wouldn´t be a Christmas DVD without him in the picture, right?

Have a look at a synopsis for each short film/episode.

Christopher & Holly: The Bears Who Saved Christmas (1994)
Every child should have a teddy bear, right? The kiddies in this special don´t just have any teddy bears, but teddy bears that come to life when they´re asleep! Trust me, it´s in a good, "Toy Story" like way, not an unwholesome "Small Soldiers" way.

As a family heads along a windy mountain road destined for Grandma´s house on Christmas Eve, a snowstorm halts their progress. Thankfully, the mother, father, son and daughter stumble on a cozy, yet empty, cabin, complete with more than enough firewood. The holiday dishes meant for Grandma´s table provide enough nourishment, but the children are worried that Christmas just won´t be the same if they´re stuck in the woods.

Thankfully, Christopher and Holly, the loveable and daring teddy bears, spring to life, and with help from a talking compass and flashlight, get through a late night trek that brings back a Christmas tree, new friendships with other furry woodland creatures and a magical Christmas morning surprise for the entire family. All is well in the end, and the children learn it isn´t the location that matters, but the message and the people you spend Christmas with.

The only thing wrong in "The Bears Who Saved Christmas" is how perfectly it flows. There´s never a doubt the children will get a Christmas they deserve, and that their dedicated teddy bears will get out of any sticky situation. It´s a nuclear family that gets along extremely well, even in a super uneasy situation or two. Fortunately, the messages put forward are about being thankful for who you have, not necessarily what you have, during the holiday season. They´re strong and simple enough to get through to anyone, young and old alike. This helps it overcome just how easily and flawlessly everything works out.

It´s a pretty simple tale with some real Christmas magic, and some very genuine messages that come to fruition thanks to some unlikely help.

Film value = 8/10

Nick & Noel (1993)
This holiday movie proves that the old adage suggesting cats and dogs don´t exactly get along might put itself aside, at least for the Christmas season.

Noel is a very cute kitty that belongs to a very cute little girl and her daddy. Just before the holidays, a single woman and her dog, Nick, move in next door. The woman can´t stop singing (she´s an aspiring musician), and the little girl´s daddy can´t take it (he´s an aspiring writer). Thanks to all the friction, daddy forgets to take his daughter´s letter to Santa (she is selfless, and states all she´d like for Christmas is a mommy) to the post office. Determined to help her Christmas wishes come true, Noel takes the letter to the North Pole with Nick´s help.

Suddenly, the humans begin to worry, and Christmas seems to have taken a very sharp, negative turn. After searching for Santa and a mother for what seems like an eternity, Nick and Noel make it back through town just in time to celebrate with the humans. Enthralled by their good fortune, the adults are married (by now they´ve fallen in love) by a priest in between Christmas services, and the little girl´s wish has come true. Oh, just so you´re aware, a very hungry and hefty mouse narrates this one. His favorite thing about Christmas is the crumbs.

This was my least favorite episode on the disc. It´s not bad, and it has a good message like the others. I think it feels more forced than any other here, and is slightly too predictable for its young, intended audience. The stars, Nick and Noel, are super friendly and overcome their differences to get to a place where they´re working together rather than independently, but don´t develop a friendship at the level I anticipated.

"Nick & Noel" isn´t a weak addition to the set, but it´s not as strong as the other components here.

Film value = 6/10

Dot & Spot´s Magical Christmas Adventure (1996)
What happens when you move your family from the comfort they know and love in the city to the rural, isolated country, and all around the holidays? It´s a recipe for confused and sad kids, uneasy parents and a shaky holiday season. Of course, I know that when my holidays feel shaky, I rely on my resourceful and talkative Dalmatian dogs to make it all better.