AN ALMOST CHRISTMAS STORY (2024)

The slow death of cable, and the rise of streaming, have had a devastating effect on Christmas special features. I am not talking about movies from the Hallmark variety, increasing even more if possible (and all having almost identical posters, too). I’m talking about the sweet, short features that would play one after the other during the holidays for children to watch during what would usually be daytime television; think A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965) and Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town (1970). Released on Disney+, the short animation feature An Almost Christmas Story falls exactly in that category.

Produced by Academy Award-winner Alfonso Cuarón (Y Tu Mamá También), it’s the famous director’s third production of a short holiday feature for Disney+ in as many years; the two previous shorts were comedy-drama Le Pupille (2022), which premiered at the 75th Cannes Film Festival and earned an Oscar nomination, and spooky drama The Shepherd (2023). An Almost Christmas Story also boasts an experienced director, David Lowery (The Green Knight).

An Almost Christmas Story wastes no time explaining why it’s an almost-Christmas movie. The character of the Folk Singer (John C. Reilly) narrates, mostly through songs, and asks the viewer to ponder the question: what makes a movie a Christmas movie? Is it simply because it’s set during the holidays, or is something else at play?

An excitable, air-headed young owl named Moon (Cary Christopher) gets into trouble after accidentally destroying his family’s nest. While trying to gather sticks to help rebuild the nest, a hawk attacks him, and one of his wings is broken. After saving him in extremis, his papa (Jim Gaffigan) urges him to stay hidden in a tree until he returns for him. Moon follows his instruction a little too well and ends up in Rockefeller Plaza: the tree he was nestled in was cut and brought into New York City to be the plaza’s Christmas Tree. He’s now trapped in the city, unable to return to the forest with his family.

Down on the skating rink of the plaza, Luna (Estella Madrigal) is dealing with a broken wing of her own. As we learn a bit later, one of her legs was amputated, and she’s struggling to learn to skate with her prosthetic leg. Moon tumbles down to the rink just as Luna leaves after a bad fall, and he has a confusing and scary encounter with a trio of street pigeons led by the tough Pat (Natasha Lyonne). He ends up in the same subway car as Luna after running away from the pigeons, and they strike up a friendship.

In an interesting twist on the animated classic of friendly, talking animals, Luna cannot understand Moon. Luna’s dialogue makes it clear that what the audience hears as dialogue from Moon, she hears only as hoots and chirps. Nevertheless, they can communicate and confide in each other. They are both lost and far away from home, and they need to navigate the city’s complex transit to make it back. The Folk Singer is never very far, somewhere in the background, singing about the spirit of Christmas and whatnot.

The animation style of An Almost Christmas Story is the film’s most interesting feature. Although it was achieved with computer-generated animation, the film is meant to look like stop-motion animation and as if many props are made of cardboard and paper. The play of textures and colours with the big-city lighting is candy for the eyes and propels us back into the wonderful, imaginative years of childhood play, where leftover boxes and crafted objects were the best toys. Lowery explains, in an interview for Walt Disney, that the choice of cardboard as a look was in homage to his childhood memories, of using the material to make props for his own home movies. The effect is beautifully executed and holds up to a rewatch: one might notice how background characters are entirely one-dimensional, or how the subway is made of taped-up boxes.

As far as performances go, casting children for the roles of Moon and Luna was a masterful choice. Cary Christopher is a stand-out choice for Moon; his youthful intonations make Moon’s impulsive, innocent personality believable and endearing. Christopher is far from a newbie, having booked his first acting job when he was only three-years-old (and amassing over 15 acting credits so far), and his experience and talent are showcased in this particular role. Estella Madrigal is a newcomer, and she offers a sweet, understated performance as Luna, a perfect foil to Christopher’s Moon. The other casting choice that stands out, and is immediately recognisable, is Natasha Lyonne as the menacing Pat. She’s a shoo-in when it comes to New Yorker roles, with her rich accent and deep voice. Her comedic chops made what would otherwise be a simple bully role into an unintentionally funny one, and viewers of all ages will enjoy her turn as Pat.

Finally, John C. Reilly gives a solid performance as the Folk Singer, a likeable busker with a beautiful singing voice, who, just like Moon and Luna, is a bit far from home. It’s too bad the overall message of the film gets a bit muddled in his singing narration. Cuarón and Lowery got lost in the sauce of the most wonderful time of the year and forgot to give a solid answer to the film’s entire premise: what makes a movie a Christmas movie? Is it unlikely friendship, love, family, or the elusive spirit of Christmas? Or maybe it’s a bit of everything mixed together. It won’t matter as much for younger viewers, but it certainly dampened my enjoyment of the film. It tries to be everything at once and ends up being nothing much at all. The visuals and performances save it, making An Almost Christmas Story a fun, casual holiday watch, and nothing more.

USA • INDIA | 2024 | 21 MINUTES | COLOUR | ENGLISH

Cast & Crew

director: David Lowery.
writers: David Lowery & Jack Thorne (story by Alfonso Cuarón & Jack Thorne).
voices: Cary Christopher, Estella Madrigal, Jim Gaffigan, Mamoudou Athie, Alex Ross Perry, Gianna Joseph, Phil Rosenthal, Natasha Lyonne & John C. Reilly.