Customer Reviews

Christmas Is Here Again

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

After reading the reviews here, I decided to go out and buy a copy of this film for my family to watch. It sure put us in the holiday spirit and we all cannot wait to watch it again! The animation is done so beautifully that the characters and scenes just seem to come alive. The voice actors in this movie is what really attracted me to the film - quite a diverse group of actors, all of whom are great and truly shine in this film.

The music is quite catchy and enjoyable, the characters are lovable, and the story is an inspiration that provides humor and hope for all! I'm so glad that the film brought in a way to describe what the holiday season really is all about. Go out and buy this film! I know it will be enjoyed by my family for many years to come; it surely will not disappoint you this holiday season! Proudly give this 5 Stars!

This is an enchanting new animated special that you'll have to see. In this star-studded tale, the story of Santa's magic sack of toys is told--including, for the first time, the truth about the black coal he delivers to bad girls and boys. ('Tis true!). The character designs and animation are terrific and bright, the songs are hummable and with talents like Shirley Jones signing (Mrs. Claus), you can't go wrong. Loved the elves. Loved the bear. The movie has magic, humor, and most of all....heart. A really neat presentation that the whole family will enjoy at Christmas time. It'll get you in the mood. It's a new classic just waiting to be discovered.

This film is truly a joy to watch. How refreshing it is to see that someone is not afraid to show what Christmas is all about. Giving and not taking. Thank you for making a movie I want to watch with my kids

I like this movie. I wached it with my sister. We love Christams movies! My favorite part was when the little girl went to the North Pole :)

Thought this would be a good holiday movie to watch with the family so I rented it. Glad I did because this movie is lame. Basically Santa's magic toy "sack" has been stolen by some evil villain that hate's Christmas so Santa is cancelling the holiday. A young girl and a couple other characters set out to find Santa's sack and save xmas. There were three main things I REALLY disliked about this movie:

1)The Music. If I was a music teacher and this was what my class produced, F- for everyone. The songs are not catchy at all and seem like they were made up as the people went along. Not to mention all of them sound the same: background orchestra music with person "singing" in almost a talking voice. Lastly, the songs drag on (and I mean draaaaaaaaag) for several minutes. At the end of each one came a sigh of relief that it was over. I'd rather be punched in the ear by someone wearing brass knuckles than have to sit through another verse of music from this movie. Seriously.

2) The story behind Santa's sack. I give some credit for creativity but I can see how many would find it disturbing that his sack was made from the blankets baby Jesus was wrapped up in at birth. I hope they washed that thing.

3) And finally, what I have the biggest problem with is the antagonist. This movie goes way above and beyond at casting the devilish creature that stole Santa's sack as evil. My daughter is 4 years old and wanted to turn the movie off at those parts because it was too scary. She normally watches Scooby Doo and similar cartoons so she can handle some ghosts and basic kid hauted house stuff no problem. However, this character is downright evil and had me questioning if I even approved of her watching.

The animation style is a bit more "artsy" then most modern cartoons but, after you get used to it, enjoyable change of pace. What really sells this film is the main character Sophianna. This orphan is so sweet yet believable, you want her to succeed and are with her until the end. The rest of the cast varies in depth from flatish (the main villain and his crew, Santa and most of his elves) but they do not detract from the overall story. There are some songs, most of which are well-done. The odd exception is the main villain's which even leads to some humor from the main cast. Overall, a worthwhile buy for anyone young or young-at-heart.

In this age of media saturation, a parent is challenged each Christmas to find something fresh, new, age-appropriate and reflective of the real meaning behind Christmas. This movie is all of that and more, and what makes it especially great is that, while it is essentially an exciting adventure story about helping Santa, it also gives appropriate andrespectful nod to the baby Jesus being the reason for the season--in the same way that the old perennial Santa Claus is Coming to Town does when Kris Kringle gets married, and when Linus reads the Christmas story at the end of A Charlie Brown Christmas. Very refreshing! There is also a wonderful song that features characters called "selves" who are the opposite of elves--and these "selves" are the selfish workers who work for the evil Crad, the bad guy who, when the movie begins, has been trying to take away Christmas for many years--until, of course, the cute little characters in this movie "save the day!!" In short, while it is a bit slow in parts, the characters are darling and funny, the message is right on the money and the colorful design of the film's backgrounds and characters is uplifting and inspiring. My kids enjoyed it many times last year and, I look forward to watching it as a family again this year.

I love the fact that MY kids can watch a new animation film that looks like the classics I enjoyed as a kid a la Rudolph and Frosty. The animation is splashy with retro colors and angular shapes that are really hip. The story is original but quintessentially Christmas and heartwarming. An all-star cast including Norm MacDonald and Brad Garrett as hilarious fox and polar bear con artists, and memorable songs sung by award-winners Shirley Jones, Kathy Bates and Andy Griffith, it's now a perennial favorite for my family and a great gift to give. Highly recommended!

At last a new Christmas movie in the tradition of Charlie Brown. Heart, hope, humor, compassion, a good story. The animation is beautiful. Sophiana will be an inspiration to children to try their best, help each other, and to believe that dreams do come true if you work at them. A must have for every family library. A perfect gift too. I've already bought three!!!

We normally only let our 3.5 year old daughter watch programs that are rated G, so we felt this would be appropriate for her. She just watched this movie and cried because she was so scared. There were definitely some scary parts not suitable for the under 5 crowd. I feel this should be rated PG.