Holiday Picks: A Charlie Brown Christmas

With snow in the forecast, temperatures dropping, and people digging out their mittens and hats, it's officially December!  Enjoy a holiday pick each day before Christmas.

Dir. Bill Melendez.  Paramount, 2000.  DVD.

Originally broadcast on television in 1965, this heartwarming and funny cartoon written and created by Charles M. Schulz is the ultimate Christmas classic for me.  Featuring the gang from the Peanuts comic strip and a jazzy soundtrack composed and performed by Vince Guaraldi, it isn't Christmas until I've watched this cartoon.  Charlie Brown is having a predicament.  It's Christmas, and he's supposed to be happy, but he just isn't.  He feels the holiday is too commercial, and he doesn't know what the true meaning of it is.  Lucy decides if he directs the holiday play, that it will put him in the spirit of the season.  With the help of Linus, Charlie Brown and the gang remember what Christmas is all about.

I love, love, love this cartoon!  My favorite scene is Linus reciting the Christmas story from the Bible on stage.  I also love the little Christmas tree that Charlie Brown finds, and how the entire Peanuts gang helps decorate it for him.  And Snoopy.  Gotta love Snoopy and his antics.  This cartoon is a gem, and a must-see with your family.  Who is your favorite Peanuts character?

Holiday Picks: Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas!

With snow in the forecast, temperatures dropping, and people digging out their mittens and hats, it's officially December!  Enjoy a holiday pick each day before Christmas.

Dir. Chuck Jones.  Warner Home Video, 2006.  DVD.

This is another one of my favorite holiday cartoons!  Originally broadcast on television in 1966 and based on the picture book, this is something I have to watch every December.  The Grinch is true to his name - grumpy, grouchy, and not a fan of Christmas.  He lives atop a mountain overlooking the town of Whoville, and every year has to endure their Christmas celebrations.  He decides to stop Christmas from coming and ruin the Who's Christmas by stealing their presents, decorations, candy and food for their Christmas dinner.  But, he discovers that Christmas is not all about presents and food.  It means a little bit more.  Be sure to share this classic with your family this Christmas season.  Do you have a favorite movie you "must" watch each Christmas?

Holiday Picks: Prep & Landing

With snow in the forecast, temperatures dropping, and people digging out their mittens and hats, it's officially December!  Enjoy a holiday pick each day before Christmas.

Dir. Kevin Deters.  Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment, 2011.  DVD.

Another favorite holiday cartoon of mine, this was originally broadcast on ABC in 2009, which is where I first saw it.  I immediately fell in love with the concept, the characters, and the repeatable catchphrases.  Prep & Landing is the name of an elite unit of high-tech elves, who make sure homes around the world are "prepped" for Santa's "landing" on Christmas Eve.  Wayne has been doing this job for 227 years, and is a little tired of it.  Upset after not receiving a promotion to Director of the Naughty List intelligence team, he is partnered with rookie elf Lanny in order to train him.  Lanny is young, optimistic, and thinks everything is "sooo tinsel!"  During their mission, Wayne decides to slack off a bit, and in doing so, he and Lanny encounter challenges that test their skills, while also potentially ruining Christmas for children.  But, with a little teamwork, can they help "The Big Guy" bring Christmas to kids everywhere?

I guarantee you will love this cartoon!  Full of fun characters and a great plot, this will be a holiday favorite for your family.  In 2011, ABC aired a second Christmas TV special, Prep & Landing: Naughty Vs. Nice, which is another winner!  I'm sure they will be re-aired this holiday season on television.  If you haven't seen them, "oh, frostbite!"  Check them out!  What are some of your favorite holiday television specials?

Holiday Picks: Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas

With snow in the forecast, temperatures dropping, and people digging out their mittens and hats, it's officially December!  Enjoy a holiday pick each day before Christmas.

Dir. Jim Henson.  Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment, 2001.  DVD.

Originally released in 1977, and based on the children's book by Russell and Lillian Hoban, this movie is a Christmas classic and a "must view" in my opinion.  This movie tells the story of Mrs. Otter and her son Emmet, who struggle to make ends meet.  They get by on money Ma makes from doing laundry, and from what Emmet makes doing odd jobs around their home of Frogtown Hollow.  Despite their hardships, their house is full of love and music.  This Christmas, they both dream of having enough money to buy each other a special gift.  Without the other knowing, Ma and Emmet enter a talent contest in hopes of winning the $50 prize.  For the contest, Emmet teams up with some of his friends to form the Frogtown Jubilee Jug Band, and Ma performs a solo, but they face tough competition from a hard rock band called the Riverbottom Nightmare Band.

Hands down, this is my all-time favorite Christmas movie.  I love it so, mainly for sentimental reasons and that it features Muppets!  I grew up on Fraggle Rock, and always had a fondness for movies featuring the Muppets.  I remember watching this as a kid, and loving the beautiful voice of Mrs. Otter and the earnestness of her son, Emmet.  I love the songs "There Ain't No Hole in the Washtub" and "Where the River Meets the Sea."  The story line is sweet, sincere, and perfect for sharing with your children.  What are some of your favorite classic holiday movies?

Holiday Picks: It's A SpongeBob Christmas!

With snow in the forecast, temperatures dropping, and and people digging out their mittens and hats, it's officially December!  Enjoy a holiday pick each day before Christmas.

SpongeBob SquarePants.  Nickelodeon, 2012.  DVD.

Channeling a Rankin-Bass production, this SpongeBob Christmas episode is done entirely in stop motion animation.  Patchy the Pirate is driving a mail truck along with his trusty sidekick Potty the Parrot when his mail truck gets stuck on a fork in the road, causing a flat tire, and their truck to break down.  (If you've seen the classic 1970 television special "Santa Claus is Comin' to Town," you may notice the similarity to Fred Astaire's character Special Delivery "S.D." Kluger.)  So, Patchy decides to check in with Bikini Bottom and see what SpongeBob is up to for Christmas.

SpongeBob is so excited about Christmas, and he can't wait to  share his cheer with everyone.  Unfortunately, Plankton is his usual grouchy, evil self, because he always get coal from Santa.  He comes up with a way to ruin Christmas by lacing fruitcake with a new element, Jerktonium.  Anyone who eats the fruitcake will become a jerk.  He tries it out on SpongeBob, but it doesn't affect him.  So, Plankton creates an evil robot SpongeBob to ruin SpongeBob's good name.  SpongeBob feed the fruitcake to all of Bikini Bottom, not knowing its side effects, and everyone becomes a jerk.  Eventually, SpongeBob discovers the way to reverse the effects is to sing a song, "Don't Be a Jerk (It's Christmas)."

You've got to love SpongeBob!  He's so full of cheer and happiness, that he'll put you in a good mood.  And, the fact that the writers and producers made the episode a homage to classic Christmas specials is a plus.  You'll love the silly songs, and the message that it's not okay to be a jerk at Christmas.  What are some of your favorite holiday cartoons or specials?

DVD Review: The Gruffalo

Directed by Jakob Schuh & Max Lang.

Featuring the voices of Helena Bonham Carter, Rob Brydon, Robbie Coltrane, James Corden, John Hurt and Tom Wilkinson.

Distributed by NCircle Entertainment, 2009.

What would happen if something you invented was real? That's what happens in this delightful film based on the picture book written by Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Axel Scheffler. Two squirrels beg their mother to tell them a story about monsters, so their mother begins her tale with "a mouse took a stroll through the deep dark wood..." Mouse is looking for a nut, but along the way he comes face to face with fox, owl and snake - they are hungry and they want to eat mouse for lunch! Mouse is a smart one and he scares each animal away by inventing a terrible monster, a Gruffalo. But, what happens when mouse encounters his creation?? Will he outwit him too?

This film is a joy to watch! The animation is delightful - the animals are realistically portrayed but with a softness that matches the original illustrations in the book. Despite the threat of being eaten for lunch, this is a gentle story that is perfect for preschoolers and older children. I can't wait to share this in storytime! If you are looking for a book-based movie, I highly recommend this - also check out the book and discuss the differences and similiaries between the two formats. Happy viewing!