The Swan Princess: Princess Tomorrow, Pirate Today

*Sighs* Yes, despite that monstrosity of a sequel called A Royal Family Tale, this franchise has somehow managed to spawn a sixth movie! There isn't any behind the scenes facts or whatever that I could find other than having Alise's voice actress be changed. So can this movie be as beautiful as a princess, or will it be as bad as being pillaged by a pirate? Let's take a look!

Story: Well, now we're at that point in this over franchise where the writers have clearly run out of ideas. Now they're taking the Pirates of the Caribbean route (because EVERYTHING is better with pirates, right?!) as Alise wants to be a 'modern princess' rather than being taught the proper ways by her grandmother & goes on an adventure with Rogers to a remote island after having enough of Uberta's obsessively overbearing 'princess bootcamp'. And yes, the basic structure rips off plot elements from Brave, except nowhere near as interesting or character driven. Not once does this movie dive into the emotions or motivations behind the characters' actions, leaving me completely uninvested because of how pathetic they are. And speaking of pathetic, the modern references are even worse in this because they are just so desperately trying to make it cool & hip with the latest trends for the kids when all it does is make this movie horrendously dated. But do you want to know the strangest thing (on top of this movie existing)? NOTHING important happens at all & it's done in such a boring & convoluted way. One moment will focus on Alise & Lucas, then another with Rogers & the de facto villains in some Masterchef rip-off subplot (yes, really) for no real reason & the animal sidekicks including the scullions from the last movie searching for Alise under Uberta's orders! Seriously, it takes about a quarter into this 75 minute movie for Alise to actually go on her 'adventure' & even at that, it feels like there's no actual plot! It's just a series of scenes that have nothing to do with each other nor have any actual impact in the overall franchise. And despite having the 'Swan Princess' as the main title, Odette herself barely appears let alone contributes anything of importance other than going on a royal expedition with her husband to set up the main plot. I guess it's not always bad to focus on a side character in a franchise, but there has to be more substance to them & Alise simply can't carry out her own movie (which says a lot given that she barely has screen time). This is the epitome of a soulless cashgrabber and while the other CGI movies were so atrocious, they legitimately made me angry, I just couldn't give a flying fuck over what was going on.

Animation: Yet again, the transition to computer animation doesn't do any favors for the Swan Princess franchise! With the same creepy character designs with uncanny valley dead eyes, it's arguably worse this time round because Alise is such an unappealing character to look at because of the very poorly rendered textures on the skin & hair (seriously, the animals look like they're made of rubber), the facial expressions looking creepily caricatured with no signs of subtlety and the very poor lip synching. The character animation is also incredibly choppy & the interaction between characters and objects feels non existent, including the occasional clippings to cut costs and very clunky over the top movements. Even interaction between paint on her face in one scene is very poor because it looks like it was stuck on her character model already instead of having the look or feel of it. Although I have seen much worse rendering on the elements like water and sand, all of that is negated by the fact that none of the surroundings are interesting to look at. All it really is is the castle, generic waters and the most generic tropical island I have ever seen. And speaking of, the monsters who inhabit the island are all designed so generically and the modern technology/references are so out of place within the Swan Princess universe, from reality TV style editing and Uberta wearing modern yoga gear! In fact, the overall quality felt like something out of a PS2 game! And given that this was released this year, to call the animation poor is an understatement!

Characters: Unlike the other Swan Princess movies, this decided to focus on Alise rather than Odette & Derek, & I have to say that it's a change for the worst. I do appreciate the movie TRYING to give Alise more of a personality compared to the last movie where that was non-existent, but it doesn't change how...boring she is. And how cliched her wishes are to be a 'modern' princess (uh...what exactly qualifies as modern when it's set in at least the 1800s?) when she actually does nothing of importance to the story. Queen Uberta's characterization is all over the place now being so forceful in her princess bootcamp (in other words, finishing school) up to the point that she puts Alise under house arrest. Yes, she may have been...pushy in the other movies, but not to this extent! As for Lucas, he's not an interesting character at all because he's just too stubborn with his backstory of his parents supposedly not loving him without hearing the reasons behind why they wanted (or rather were forced to) take him away. The relationship between them feels really forced and the strange use of 'sign language' didn't make them charming or funny. Rogers' interest in piracy comes out of nowhere nor does it make him interesting, even if he's the closest to how he was in the original. Jean Bob, Speed & Puffin are one dimensional cardboard cutouts of themselves with barely any contribution to the 'plot' other than the former being worshipped as a God by the Boggs which goes absolutely nowhere. This is on top of the scullions (who yet again confuse the hell out of me) returning and the ghost of Scully popping in when the plot demands him to with no indication or set-up as to how it works. As for the villains, the Boggs...they have no purpose in this movie at all. On top of their existence being as (if not more) mind boggling as the scullions, they're so brainless & incompetent that you'd think that they were made for a knock-off Mario game. They're not threatening & don't even have a motive for any of their 'actions!' other than being 'comic relief' while not being funny! Oh yeah, and Odette & Derek barely appear other than finding some bullshit excuse to get out of Alise's hair for the 'plot' to get going. If you were expecting to see them actually be parents towards Alise, you'll sadly not get it in this at all unless you stick by til the end when your interest in this movie was long dead! To call the characters in this stupid, annoying and pointless is too kind to this movie. In fact, I don't think there's any characters that anyone can like!

Songs: Like the other sequels, the songs in this are way too out of place for the kind of movie it's trying to be. To be frank, I don't even remember them & I actually had to rewatch this so I could form a proper opinion on them individually! We Want Meat is the Bogg's first song which is grating because it's a rap number which turns into a running gag throughout the movie. Pirate Today is just generic because it's just about the title of the movie without explaining Alise's motivations for wanting to be a pirate with a melody which rips off the Pirates of the Caribbean score. Green Thing is yet another obnoxious song which the Boggs chant to Jean Bob when they decide to worship him for no real reason. Standing on My Own is Lucas' generic 'sad song'/ 'I am' 90's pop ballad which is pretty much about him moping over his family as the poor man's I Stand Alone from Quest for Camelot. I can't really consider this a musical, but every song in this is either bland, forgettable, generic or the worst, pathetic.

You know a TV show you love but then comes a filler episode which has nothing to do with anything in the grand scale of things? That's pretty much this movie in a nutshell. The writers didn't even try with the plot, the animation is utter garbage, the characters while the new ones are pointless and the songs are so pathetically put together. This movie is actually beyond incompetent. This is as if a group of 5 year olds decided to come up with a story in class. Actually, even they can come up with better than this heartless crap because at least they have something called creativity! I don't know what else to say other than don't bother with this movie and stick with the first movie because this has absolutely no purpose to exist, even more than the last two movies. And with the announcement of a seventh film being released next year, I think it's safe to say that this is slowly becoming the direct to DVD equivalent to the Ice Age franchise...let's just pray that this doesn't end up like the Land Before Time series!
Story: 😡
Animation: 😡
Characters: 😡
Songs: 😡
Overall: 😡

Elf

Hello, and Merry Christmas to one and all. After running a poll on Twitter, the people have decided that I should review the 2003 movie Elf as my Christmas Day review! I remember 2 years ago that I reviewed Elf: Buddy's Musical Christmas, and I mentioned that I loved this movie so much and would always watch it during the holidays. If you want to find out more about my thoughts on the animated version, then go and check out my review of it. Anyway, clearly I'm not the only one who only thinks good things for this movie because everybody on Twitter was outraged when Sky revealed they wouldn't be airing this on demand or on any other British channels. Thanks 2016 for further ruining everybody's lives during the most wonderful time of the year! Good thing I have the DVD and thank god for the internet...So, will this movie be able to avoid sitting on a throne of lies with all the praise it's been given, or am I a cotton-headed ninny muggins for reviewing this? Let's take a look!

Story: Given that this has been considered a modern holiday classic, it really is hard not to see why. Surprisingly original, it follows Buddy, a human raised as an elf who finds out his birth father is on the Naughty List. With that, he decides to head to New York despite everybody's understandable confusion. While it takes the concept of a stranger in a new world, it does it in a way that's. This leads to the best part of the movie: the humour. Thanks to the balance of the deadpan and over the top throughout, it leads to many laughs and the execution is what really helps. By blending two different styles, Jon Favreau really knows when to show cartoonier situations and everyone's reactions to them are hilarious. From over the top snowball fights, to Buddy slathering maple syrup on spaghetti and loudly singing in Gimbels, the is what saves it from being annoying. He also knows how to make the story original while respecting other Christmas specials and movies, parodying them in an endearing way up to the point he got freaking Ray Harryhausen for a cameo. Next to that, the heart is also what saves it from being obnoxious or annoying, as the message of Christmas bringing family together despite their differences really shining through. This all shown through the relationship between Buddy and Walter, as while the former's quest to get his father off the naughty list may make the latter look like a cold hearted demon, he's not really a 'bad guy'. Jon Favreau makes them real people and that's why this movie works. I'll dive more into this in the characters, but instead of making them cardboard cutouts of generic tropes, they really help with diving into the strong emotions which make me feel all warm and Christmas-y while watching this. On top of that, the subplot of people not believing in Santa due to the rise in modern technology and times changing is also a very real one, and it feels pretty sad that this is happening now with the rise of smartphones, social media and what-have-you. The way this is addressed is also well done as it can lead to it being very relateable and quite saddening to see how much the lack of Christmas spirit affects Santa. If I had one criticism, it would be the third act. The whole sad part and all hope is lost stuff just felt weak compared to the beginning and middle because it dives into cliches you'd expect in a plot like this while the rest of the movie was subverting them. But still, the resolution is actually really well done and it helps capture how much Buddy has affected the people of New York, even if it's the smallest act of kindness. The writing and execution save from could've been a dull, generic and obnoxious movie into one that's funny, sweet and most importantly, charming.

Visuals: Blending fantasy and reality together, director Jon Favreau was definitely the right person to create the world of Elf. Clearly going for an over the top and cartoony look in the North Pole, I love how it manages to respect the Christmas specials from times past, in particular the ones from Rankin/Bass, as shown with the stop motion style animation and matte looking backgrounds. It helps that it looks very colourful and that it knows to limit itself by creating attention to detail on the architecture so that it's not too caricatured. The costumes also look great as they thankfully don't look too cheap or gaudy while still having an over the top style. This also helps enhance the contrast between human Buddy and the tiny happy go lucky elves, almost going for a whimsical storybook look in the way the factory works. Also, the addition of modern technology of Santa's sleigh helps with showing how times have evolved without deviating too much from the folktale of Santa. Another thing I want to add is that the movie utilizes practical effects for the North Pole, mostly through optical illusions as shown in the picture below of Buddy sitting on Papa Elf's lap. The contrast between this and the beautifully Christmas-y yet realistic and modern New York really helps bring harmony to the two completely different styles. Both realistic and over the top, the visuals look fantastic for what they are and really bring the movie's world to life.

Characters: Besides the original and funny story, the characters are another reason why this movie holds a place in my heart. With Buddy, there's a reason why Will Ferrell's performance became a highlight of his career. With his child-like innocence and charismatic presence, he makes what could have been an annoying or obnoxious character into a hilarious yet endearing one. Just seeing his obliviousness to modern day New York and never-ending optimism makes him a joy to watch, and everyone else's reactions do perfectly sum up the contrast. His father, Walter (James Caan), while stern and overworked, he's not portrayed as a full on bad guy. He just clearly doesn't know what to do with a strange man who claims to be his son and thinks he's an elf. If anything, his reactions sum up what a normal person's would be. His wife, Emily, while a bit strange that she's immediately accepting of her husband's illegitimate son from a previous relationship, still tries her best with the strange situation and can have a few good laughs. Michael, Buddy's half brother, is mostly your normal kid as he (understandably) wants to avoid his crazy brother until. But when the time comes to help him, it shows he has a good heart. As for Jovie...she's probably the weakest character to me. Although her snarky and deadpan nature can lead to some good laughs thanks to the contrasting personalities between her and Buddy, I didn't really find her interesting. We don't know much about the origins of her cynicism for Christmas and her liking of Buddy feels like it comes out of nowhere. I don't necessarily blame Zooey Deschanel cos I really enjoy her & I do give the movie credit that they try to give her an arc about overcoming her shyness, and it is nice that it's used to it's advantage by the climax. So, she's not bad, just more on the weaker side in writing. The other characters are all equally as enjoyable. Ed Asner's Santa brings a funnily snarky yet kind hearted approach to the big guy as a grandparent figure towards Buddy. Papa Elf (Bob Newhart) is also charming as he tries his best to keep the fantasy for his adopted son alive while being aware that he has to know the truth. Even the elves themselves feel human (no pun intended) as they're not just happy go lucky all the time and that they have their own problems through trying to keep the fantasy alive for Buddy. Even a few one off North Pole characters are funny and memorable, including Leon the Snowman (clearly a homage to Burl Ives from Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer) and a cameo of Peter Billingsley (AKA Ralphie from A Christmas Story). Others from the real world like Miles Finch (Peter Dinklage, yes Tyrion Lannister himself) and the Gimbel's manager (Faizon Love) can have their funny moments thanks to their cynicism and funny reactions while not clearly being downright villains. Each character, main and side, are well written, charming, amazingly acted and most importantly, human.

Elf is both a great Christmas movie and one of my personal favourites to watch during the holidays. With a hilarious yet heartwarming story, very well done visuals and a cast of loveable yet characters played by amazing actors, this is a must watch for the holidays, especially if you want something to laugh at. You know what...I think I'm gonna go and watch it right now because after such a crappy year 2016 has been for everybody with all the shit that has gone down, I'm in need of something from a happier time that actually gives hope for people. I don't think I need to say anything else other than go and watch this now and I'm wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and let's try and pick up the pieces of this year and make 2017 a year to look forward to.
Story: 😄
Visuals: 😄
Characters: 😄
Overall: 😄

Disney Sing Along Songs: The Twelve Days of Christmas

Merry Christmas Eve to one and all! As a special entry for this year, I decided to go back to the 90s and review something from my childhood. As a kid, I was a huge fan of Disney Sing Along Songs VHS tapes. Even if I never actually sang along with the music, still listening to my favourite Disney tunes back to back was good enough for me. And this. In fact, it was probably my favourite. Although the version I had was a double feature of this and from 1988, I'll only be reviewing the Twelve Days of Christmas bit because the other one is just traditional Christmas songs set to clips from various Disney cartoons and shorts. So, with all of that said, will Disney's take on Christmas carols bring me Christmas spirit or will it make me as annoyed as listening to Christmas songs plaguing the radios in October? Let's take a look!

Story: There isn't really much of a plot to speak of. It's really just about the Disney characters we know & love spending Christmas in a cabin the the woods while waiting for Santa. I think it's safe to say that it leads to an overload of the bubbly happy fluff that you'd expect from Disney, especially during the holidays. And given that it is a Sing Along video, it's obviously the songs which are the main star. I won't say much about them in this section, but I guess a problem I had because of them was a lack of cohesion, starting off alright in terms of a story with the cabin before randomly deciding to do whatever it wants in the North Pole before the big happy ending at DisneyWorld. It just felt a bit distracting from the original storyline and it left me confused over what it was supposed to be. On top of that, there are subplots which are so random and either go absolutely nowhere or are quickly resolved in about a minute or two. And of course, they're cliched and predictable! I just didn't know what to think of all this that was going on, so I think it's pretty clear that the writers had no idea either. It just feels like they thought that the theme of Christmas would connect them all together, when it actually doesn't.

Visuals: OK, how do I put this with the visuals...? They're pretty bad. Probably the worst aspect has to be the editing. It all looks like somebody playing around with Windows Movie Maker, filled with awkward scene wipes and transitions, all of which make you feel like you're on a never-ending trip. This is mostly shown in Snow Ho-Ho-Ho, which distracted me from actually looking at what was going on. The green screens are also equally as terrible, especially during Hip Hop Noel as it shows the shape of Santa in different colours while break dancing. Also, while the costumes of the characters can look charming, after a while they can look creepy because of their never ending smiles and over the top movements. The rest of the costumes, make up and sets also look really cheap and bizarre, from life sized toys, the elephants in I'd Like to Have an Elephant for Christmas and fake North Pole. The only times where the sets actually look good are when they use real places, like the cabin does admittedly look cosy and Christmasy and when the characters are singing in the Disney parks, which are actually beautiful to look at with all the colours and Christmas lights (despite the fake CGI fireworks). Besides those though, the visuals really surprised me with how poor they were, even for the 90s.

Characters: I can't really say much about the characters because there are no arcs and they are all their same selves: Mickey's all chipper and happy, Minnie's his equally as sweet girlfriend, Donald can have a fiery temper while having a good heart, his nephews are all mischievous and spoilt and Goofy is his clumsy yet kind hearted self. None of them really have their own development or character besides their typical traits, but that doesn't mean that they're bad. Oh yeah, and Pluto is of course Mickey's loyal dog despite not really contributing much. As for Santa's elves, they all got on my nerves with how over the top happy they were with their massive Cheshire Cat grins and annoying attempts to be hip & cool. I'm sorry that I don't have much to say about the characters because they're either generic for the beloved characters we know, and infuriatingly annoying for the new ones.

Songs: Oh boy, let me tell you about these songs because they are so cheesy that they've already been piled on top of macaroni & bacon! Seriously, every single one made me cringe so much that I actually in embarrassment that I was letting these tunes pass my ear drums. While there are a few classics like a country jamboree version of Deck the Halls and an obnoxiously over the top version of Jingle Bells, most of the songs are original. Very Merry Christmas is an obnoxiously over the top introductory number, Dear Santa is just an excuse to fill the screen with Disney product placement, Snow Ho-Ho-Ho made me cringe so much. But this is nothing compared to Hip Hop Noel. This is definitely the worst out of all of them because it tries so desperately hard to be all cool & hip for the kids that it made me facepalm in shame that somebody actually composed and wrote this and was approved by Disney! He Delivers is no better with the modern references and the strange arc about Huey not believing Santa only to change his mind a minute later! Here Comes Santa is OK while a bit cringeworthy while showing a DisneyWorld Christmas parade because of the overtly happy tune and lyrics. I'd Like to Have an Elephant For Christmas is probably the second worst song because not only is the idea of Goofy wanting an elephant ridiculous, but it comes so out of nowhere and it has absolutely nothing to do with the rest of the clumsy plots. Probably the best songs are the versions of Twelve Days of Christmas, O Christmas Tree and We Wish You a Merry Christmas, both visually and in execution. They actually take the songs seriously while being light-hearted but not up to the point that they're obnoxious and annoying. They let them be what they are instead of desperately trying to modernize them. Despite being the main focus of this video, the songs are easily the worst part of because of how desperately hard they try to be happy, cool and obnoxious. Ironically, all they'll do is make you cringe into a smile.

Although it has A LOT of flaws, I can't really hate this. Just because I've grown up and have clearly become more cynical, it doesn't mean I don't appreciate this for what it is. I can guarantee children will eat this up and despite it being overtly saccharine and syrupy that it'd make you die of diabetes. But I can't say that it's anything beyond...OK. The nostalgia goggles admittedly had an effect on me after watching this, but I'm not gonna act like it's the most amazing thing ever. For the most part...it's mediocre. Yes, the songs are terrible, the modernizations annoyed me on top of the trippy visuals, but the heart is clearly in the right place and I think people are in need something over the top happy after the depressing year 2016 has been. This reminded me that Christmas, Hannukah, Kwanzaa or whatever holiday you celebrate at the end of the year, should be a time to appreciate the people and things you love past and present (yes, I know this sounds beyond corny). To me, that includes movies and this was something I used to love. Sure, I think it's crap now, but I still appreciate it.
Story: 😠
Visuals:😠
Characters: 😕
Songs:😡
Overall:😕

The Snow Queen

Yes, this exists. Originally made & released back in 2012 in its native Russia, this ended up being released in the US both on
-demand and in theaters in 2013 obviously trying to cash in on another more popular adaptation of the Hans Christian Andersen tale by a certain animation company! Anyway, should this be as celebrated as Frozen or should this be given the cold shoulder? Let's take a look!

Story: Despite the fact it was clearly released in English to cash in on Frozen, this is actually a pretty faithful adaptation to the original Snow Queen tale! Instead of making it into a princess flick about sisters, this sticks to the original plot of a girl called Gerda trying to save a boy named Kai, the offspring of the last known wizards the Snow Queen had frozen) from the evil Snow Queen after she curses him. The rest of the movie is actually about Gerda & the Snow Queen's troll henchman Orm trying to get to the her palace including coming across a crazy flower lady, a king & a pirate ship. However, like Frozen, it does make some changes to make it more kid friendly, and to be honest, it can be for the worst! Not only does it use the generic journey plot, but it also includes annoying comedic sidekicks for Gerda to interact with on her journey to save Kai. This creates the problem of not really having a cohesive narrative, feeling more like small vignettes which never really have any pay-off by the end. And thanks to the English dub...it can resort to some immature jokes. I'm talking about poop jokes and of course, obligatory fart jokes because apparently that's 'comedy'. And to hide spoiling the movie, the relationship between Kai & Gerda is changed so the beginning once you quickly can be a tad disturbing. That's only a nitpick compared to the rest of the plot, though and there is one thing I will give the movie credit for: the world building. On top of respecting the original fairytale, the world the movie is set in is interesting to watch and the way it dives into the Snow Queen's backstory was pretty well done. Despite resorting to your typical quest plot and an inconsistent structure, it still feels pretty nice to see a legitimate adaptation of the Hans Christian Andersen tale from this instead of a Frozen rip-off.

Animation: Now, I'd like to point out that the budget for this film was only $7 million, which is nowhere near the budget of a mainstream animated film nowadays (heck, even Idina Menzel's salary for Frozen was more than the entire budget for this). And with that, the animation is surprisingly good! Sure, the characters may have underdefined skin & textures at times (especially the Snow Queen), the character animation can be a bit clunky & the human designs are pretty basic, but given the low budget, it's clear the animators did their best with what little they had. I will say that the world itself is pretty creative, blending fantasy and reality seamlessly with the very interesting designs for the various monsters and creatures which inhabit it. Without a doubt the best part of the animation has to be the backgrounds. Not only does it accurately depict the setting of Russia, but it can also get creative with the different places Gerda and Orm go to, like the the Flower Lady's greenhouse and the King's castle literally split in two. The effects are also surprisingly good for what they are, especially whenever the Snow Queen would use her magic or when Gerda conjures magic on the. Even the texture can also look pretty good, especially on elements like Luta's fur, flowers, magic and the character's hair. It may not be up to scratch with the likes of Disney or Dreamworks, but the animation is still good for what it is.

Characters: When it comes to the characters, they're more of a mix. Gerda is the protagonist who wants to save Kai from The Snow Queen. To be honest, neither she nor Kai are that interesting and they don't really have much personalities other than Gerda being snarky yet naive and Kai being a talented painter. Orm is the comedy sidekick who helps Gerda on her adventure to save Kai despite being a minion for The Snow Queen and...yeah, he grated on my nerves. He's the source of most of the bad comedy (I think it's more of a case of the English dub instead of the character himself), but he still has a little arc of his own learning about making friends compared to being someone's slave. Luta is the generic cute animal sidekick for Gerda, who doesn't really contribute much other than reaction shots. The side characters Gerda and Orm meet are all one-note and to be honest, were way too weird. The Flower Lady was just crazy trying to kidnap Gerda for her unexplained powers to make a quick buck, the King was weird wanting to split Gerda in two between himself and his children (before quickly learning how much his family really means to him), and the Pirate leader and her daughter were hardly characters at all. They were all either obstacles or plot devices which are quickly forgotten for the next part of Gerda and Orm's journey. Finally, there's The Snow Queen AKA Irma (Gee, doesn't that sound like Elsa?) She's mostly your typical cold hearted and stern villain, although she can genuinely come across as threatening and intimidating. They're not the worst written characters I've ever seen in an animated movie, but I think it just goes down to personal taste because I can't really describe any of these characters as beyond mediocre.

I know it's very easy to assume that this is a Frozen knock-off because of the story & release date coinciding with the movie, but it's actually more than that. The best I can say is that it's OK. While the plot is a bit generic, it's still a decent adaptation of the original Hans Christian Andersen tale, there are a few bumps in the animation, bit it's still good for what it is and there are some good characters, but the main ones are generic. Do I think Frozen is better? Well, I find it unfair because despite being based on the same source material, they're actually very different movies. I may prefer Frozen because of the strong emotional stakes, better written characters, unforgettable songs & subverting Disney tropes while celebrating them, but this is still worth a watch!
Story: 😕
Animation: 😊
Characters: 😕
Overall: 😕

Pluto's Christmas Tree

I remember back when I reviewed Mickey's Magical Christmas: Snowed in at the House of Mouse and made a promise that I'd review this short separately. Well, I'm keeping my word so that's why I'm reviewing this today as part of the Animation Advent Calendar! Released back in 1952, this short was shown in cinemas and is known to be one of the few shorts directed by Jack Hannah to not feature Donald Duck as a prominent character. Yeah, I never thought there'd be directors who focused on certain characters in Disney shorts...So, can Pluto shine in his own Christmas short, or is it best to leave Mickey in the spotlight? Let's take a look!

Story: It's pretty simple when getting down to it: Mickey chops down and decorates a Christmas tree while Chip and Dale cause havoc and Pluto tries to prevent them from ruining the tree. And of course, hijinks ensue! As a story itself, it is pretty cute and funny, from the fast paced action, the funny gags with Pluto and the chipmunks, and Mickey's obliviousness to everything. Even if it's only five minutes long, the structure of is very well done and the mix of comedy and heart are well balanced. Every few seconds, there's always something to smile or laugh at and the execution of the fast paced comedy is really well done. It can also surprisingly be relateable. Given what dogs can be like towards pests in the houses, it can be funny seeing Pluto's determination to save the tree, even if he gives into animal instincts by the end. There is still heart put in like I mentioned, so it doesn't feel too mean spirited or spiteful from Pluto's perspective. Honestly, I'm not sure I can find any criticisms with this. I can't help but enjoy this every time I watch it, thanks to the simplicity, humour and most importantly, charm.

Animation: Well, this is Disney after all, so their 2D animation is nothing short of amazing. With a very simple yet distinguishable look. The character animation is definitely where it gets creative, with the fun ways Chip & Dale thwart Pluto's plans to expose them and protect the tree in a fast pace. Done in a cartoony manner akin to Tom and Jerry, it knows when to restrain itself to avoid being too over the top, shown with Mickey's movements and Pluto's having a more realistic depiction of a dog. The backgrounds are also really well done, with great use of lighting and the attention to detail is beautiful. It also really helps with the atmosphere, especially with the juxtaposition of the freezing snow outside to the cosy warm inside. On top of that, it's also really well done when we see the perspectives of Chip and Dale in the tree, showing how big everything is compared to them and how the lights and various ornaments can look otherwordly. Speaking of, it does really help with the. I guess if I had one nitpick, it would be the relationship between the animation and the background. I don't know, it just looked a bit obvious to me when the baubles were animated compared to the painted ones in the tree. But like I said, that's just a nitpick compared to everything else because the animation is amazing, both for it's time and now.

Characters: There aren't many characters in this, but they are definitely the source of the charm. Of course, Mickey is the same chipper and kind hearted mouse everybody knows him as, even if he's not really the main star for this short. That would actually be Pluto. Although he could be seen as an antagonist for supposedly trying to foil Chip and Dale, his heart is in the right place as he doesn't want his master's hard work on the Christmas tree and decorations to be ruined. This alone shows his loyalty towards Mickey and he can have his own hilarious antics acting like a regular dog would in the snow. Chip and Dale are the comic relief chipmunk duo who are the source of the comedy. They admittedly got on my nerves a few times because of trolling both Mickey and Pluto, but their curiosity of the Christmas decorations and their clever ways of hiding their presence did give me a few chuckles. Other than these four, Minnie, Goofy and Donald briefly appear in cameos at the very end singing Deck The Halls. It felt pretty nice seeing them band together as the source the heartwarming ending. Overall, it's easy to like these characters and it made me feel like a kid again watching their adorable antics onscreen.

Overall, Pluto's Christmas Tree is one of my favourite Disney shorts. With beautiful animation, loveable iconic characters and a simply charming plot, I can understand why this is considered a classic amongst Disney shorts. For those in need of something smaller than Mickey's Christmas Carol or Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas, then I definitely recommend you check this out.
Story: 😄
Animation:😄
Characters:😊
Overall:😄

Saving Santa

Now, I bet you're all wondering what the hell is this movie & why am I reviewing this so close to Christmas? Well, I found it on Sky when looking at Christmas movies. I was running out of ideas because I wanted to do more animated Christmas movies instead of just specials as my comeback for this year, especially given that I've done a few live action movies to add to the list. Starring the likes of Martin Freeman, Ashley Tisdale, Tim Curry & Joan Collins, will this movie make Santa worth saving, or is it getting strange now the number of times Christmas needs to be saved? Let's take a look!

Story: There are three words I can think of to describe the story: it's bland, confusing and annoying. What if I told you that this was in fact about an outcast elf who longed to be an inventor who has to save the North Pole & Santa from an evil corporation longing to be the fastest at selling products online? Yeah, to say this is generic and ridiculous is an understatement. It lists every single stereotype known to man in these movies, making it so predictable from the very start. Filled with plot holes, the time travel aspect is what makes it beyond confusing and there are no rules about how it works in their world. The execution doesn't really help because it does absolutely nothing to make it new or exciting. It's just one scene after the next with not much pay-off, leading to dull and predictable action scenes with no sense of peril or danger. And this leads to one question: why should we care if the villain's company wants to find out Santa's time travel secret? Santa has to work one day while the company have to work 365 days, so why should we believe Christmas will be ruined? As for the humour, none of it made me laugh, mostly because of the characters' incompetence and the surprising mean spiritedness of all the elves around Bernard. Oh yeah, and the obligatory gas humour and low brow jokes. So, pretty much, I can't get angry at this movie because I was that bored while watching it, I really couldn't give a flying crap over what would happen by the end!

Animation: It is a tad better than other rip offs, but the animation still has a lot of flaws. Made by Prana Animation Studios, the overall quality looks like a direct to DVD movie. The character designs clearly try to emulate works like Disney, but none of them look that charming or distinguishable because they all have similar features and it's clear that they reused character models and changed a few elements on them. The texturing is also very inconsistent as the skin can look more like plastic, the hair feels more like clunks than individual strands and the fur on the reindeer is virtually non-existent. The backgrounds of the North Pole also don't help as it never really dives into the world itself, mostly looking more like a toy set than an actual North Pole. It doesn't really help that they're so limited that they use very generic fonts for different areas, even if I'll admit that it is really colourful. And I will say that some aspects like the time machine and memory machine are pretty creative, even if it feels like some parts of the modern technology feel like something out of Arthur Christmas or Prep and Landing. Wait a minute...oh, that's why the animation felt familiar! This is blatantly trying to copy Arthur Christmas' world! The similar elf designs, modern technology & even the stables look familiar! I guess that sums up the animation: despite being colourful, the glitches & elements it rips off all drag it down!

Characters: Given what this movie clearly is, then it's safe to say that the characters are exactly what you'd expect. Bernard (Martin Freeman) such a generic loser outcast stereotype, that even I believe it and don't even really root for him to save the day despite it being obvious he will. Snowy (Noel Clarke), is the black stereotype always doubting Bernard until he sporadically decides to help him save Santa in his mission. Shiny (Ashley Tisdale) is the kind of sort of love interest to Bernie, but she's really just an optimistic elf as she believes in Bernard and that Neville can be stopped. Even with that she can easily be qualified as the token sassy girl. The villain, Neville Baddington (yes, that's really his name voiced by the obligatory voice actor for hammy-and-over-the-top-evil-villains himself, Tim Curry), wants to discover the secret to Santa delivering presents super fast so his Amazon-esque company can be the fastest at delivering packages. I think it's safe to say that he's a terrible villain despite Curry's admittedly fun times with hamming it up and his plan being beyond ridiculous. His mother (Joan Collins. I'm not kidding) is the eviler of the two as she constantly puts her son down despite his 'efforts' in their convoluted plan. Oh yeah, and Blitzen is the unfunny comic relief with a confusing running gag of being incomprehensible despite Bernard's reindeer translator! Even Santa himself isn't that interesting just as the generic older wise figure like in many films featuring the big guy and Tim Conway just doesn't suit the character & Mrs Claus (Pam Ferris) barely appears nor does contribute much. But do you want to know who was the most infuriating character out of everyone? All the elves in the North Pole! Somehow Santa hired the most mean spirited and close minded elves who immediately turn against Bernard and give up when Neville invades the North Pole without even trying. I get that Bernard wants to fix his mistakes, but it doesn't really help when literally everyone around him blames him for causing the villains to find the North Pole when it was actually their fault for breaking his inventions without listening to him! So, it's safe to say that from the extras alone, the characters are all beyond one dimensional & annoying!

Songs: Yep, this is a musical and yep, every single song in this is lazy! A majority of them are stupid dated pop songs with banal melodies and lyrics which aren't worth listening to! Bernard's first song, Prospects, is his I Want song which tries way too hard to be all chipper and optimistic, although it can make him look a bit egotistical when he sings about wanting everyone to be like him. An Elf Like Me is the bland 'sad song' juxtaposed with the first song to hammer down that Bernard believes he's a loser and all hope is lost. Do or Die is such a terrible pop song to motivate the other elves to stop Neville and to be more like Bernard. My Christmas Wish is a cloyingly annoying song that tries to be all sentimental & sweet to manipulate the audience. It doesn't really help that it's shown at the beginning and the end of the movie in some 'big plot twist' over who the kid was who may or may not be a young Neville. There's only one other song in the credits, Some Kind of Miracle, which is a dull pop song sung by Ashley Tisdale and sounds just like every generic pop princess song from the mid-2000s despite being made in 2013. I think it's safe to say that the songs are just in here for filler and have absolutely no purpose in the story or characters whatsoever!

This isn't the absolute worst animated Christmas movie I've watched, but it's so dull and boring. On top of a generic and confusing plot, the animation is mediocre, the voice acting is bland, the songs are hopelessly stupid and every character is just reduced to their one dimensional trope. I recommend avoiding this movie, despite Martin Freeman's best efforts in this piece of crap. This is not worth your time nor does it ever truly show anything to do with the meaning of Christmas. It's just a manipulative piece of junk that doesn't deserve any credit.
Story: 😠
Animation: 😠
Characters: 😡
Songs: 😡
Overall:😠

Sofia the First: Winter's Gift

The second Sofia the First Christmas special after yesterday's Holiday in Enchancia, this was shown during the show's second season. This was the time where the show's aforementioned following grew as people above the demographic started to watch it, leading up to quite a few famous guest stars appearing on top of the Disney Princesses. With Buffy & How I Met Your Mother star Alyson Hannigan under it's belt for this episode, does Wassailia deserve to be given a second chance, or should Enchancia just stay away from showing us their holiday traditions? Let's take a look!

Story: Yeah, this does follow the tiresome formula of the TV series: Sofia wants to do something, a conflict gets in the way, a Disney Princess comes by to sing the moral/teach her lesson, she manages to solve the problem, everything's OK. Rinse and repeat! This time round, it involves Sofia wanting to get Cedric the perfect gift after a cliched eavesdropping at the wrong time & meets a fawn called Winter who is cursed with ice hands by Queen Glacia. And guess who the Princess of the Day is? Tiana AKA the princess who'd be better off teaching a moral about balancing hard work & fun! But instead, she teaches the moral of 'a true gift comes from the heart' and it is a while nice lesson, this has been such a tiresome cliche that so many kid's shows have done it much better! But not only does that plot feel familiar, Winter's story of her ice curse feels so much like Frozen that I was expecting Olaf & Sven to pop up at one point to sing a musical number! And while they try to give Winter a backstory/motivation of wanting to be special, she really can't carry her own episode because she's just not that interesting despite being a freaking fawn! And sure, it is nice that her music is what gets Glacia to revoke the curse, it was pretty obvious beforehand because she's doing nothing else but play her panpipes! Anyway, there's also a brief conflict because of Winter's powers being put on Clover (despite the inconsistencies), but it feels predictable that everything will be fine by the end because the said formula makes it compulsory for everything to be OK. Anyway, I will say that the ending is pretty sweet and heartwarming and like last time, the heart is clearly in the right place. The message this time round shows that even if you think your gift is terrible or not up to the receiver's standards, you've still put effort into giving/making somebody a gift in the first place. So...I guess I can be a bit more forgiving with this episode.

Animation: Given that this is obviously an episode from the TV series, the animation is alright. Similar to Paperman, it's clear they're going for a 2D look within a 3D environment & it actually works better with the character designs thanks to the clearly higher budget, having that iconic Disney style while still being unique & Tiana does fit into the world pretty well. However, the same can't really be said with the character animation as it does feel pretty limited in comparison, even if they do their best with it (although there is an obvious glitch with one of Amber's arms disappearing at the end of the episode). And the same can also be said with the textures as nothing really looks or feels like what it's meant to be, leaving it to feel plastic-y. But unlike other cases, I guess it's intentional given that they're making it look more 2D, but even at that, the lack of attention to detail still bothers me even if the ice & snow admittedly look decent (and much better than Holiday in Enchancia). Another part I like is the backgrounds, giving out a very pretty wintery look around the forests & I also really liked the design of Queen Glacia's castle (which thankfully doesn't rip off Elsa's ice palace). Sure, it may not be the best in terms of technicality, but it does look really good in terms of design.

Characters: Sofia is pretty much the same optimistic & kind hearted princess wanting to do good by getting 'the perfect present' for Cedric & helping Winter with her dilemma despite not thinking about the consequences & learns yet another moral. That's pretty much it. Her arc always seems to be that The other recurring characters like her Sofia's family, Baileywick & Cedric barely appear & are pretty much their same selves (in other words for the latter, annoying). Even Clover doesn't do much besides cracking one liners & trying to be funny because it's Wayne Brady doing his shtick despite going with Sofia during her quest. he titular Winter (voiced by Alyson Hannigan) is a fawn that befriends Sofia who's cursed with the touch of ice akin to King Midas who only wanted to be special. And despite her backstory & motivations behind going to Queen Glacia, she still came across as weak to me despite Hannigan's pretty good performance (even if she's not very convincing voicing a little girl)! Tiana's only purpose is to hand-fist (and sing) the moral of the episode to Sofia that a gift comes from the heart rather than something materialistic or & disappears sporadically like other Disney Princesses that have appeared in the show. And to be very honest, I really didn't feel like she fit into the episode or its theme. Well, the best I could say about her appearance is that at least she gives out useful advice to Sofia compared to Aurora in the previous Christmas special! And finally, there's Glacia, who's interesting in concept, but not really in execution. Even though she can kind of be seen as the villain towards Winter, she's surprisingly benevolent by the end as she still revokes her curse by the end & was aI know it's a bit too much to ask in a 20 minute episode, but the characters old and new in this aren't really that interesting.

Songs: There's only one song in this (From the Heart), but I thought it would be fair to discuss my thoughts on it. Like mentioned before, Tiana sings it to Sofia to tell her that both her present for Cedric & Winter's gift to Glacia should come from the heart as they show their special  It is admittedly a very pretty tune & Anika Noni Rose's beautiful voice does shine throughout, but to be honest, the lyrics themselves are rather generic & really hammer down the message of the episode.

Yeah, while this has some improved animation & I liked seeing Tiana despite feeling out of place, this is still a weak episode. The moral feels heavy handed, the characters are for the most part two dimensional and while the ending is sweet, it was way too cheesy for my taste. I know I may sound pretentious, but I'm sorry, Sofia the First simply isn't a show for me. I know older audiences have grown to like it, but clearly I'm not one of them. If you like the show, go figure! I won't judge anyone my age who likes it because part of me understands why from the concept, the respectable voice actors like Ariel Winter, Sara Ramirez, Wayne Brady & Tim Gunn and the morals, while heavy handed, aren't bad ones at all. So to sum it up...I probably should just stay away from reviewing Sofia the First episodes to make everybody's lives simpler because all I'll do is criticize them and make the fandom's blood boil!
Story: 😕
Animation: 😊
Characters: 😕
Song: 😠
Overall: 😕