Christmas on Netflix: Angela's Christmas Wish (2020)

 

 

Angela's Christmas Wish came out in 2020 from Brown Bag Films and 9 Story Media Group, and was presented by Netflix. It is the second story with characters created by Frank McCourt. 

The story opens in Limerick, Ireland in 1913. Angela's dad takes a ship to Australia to find work. Two years later, on Christmas Eve, the family is all missing their dad, so Angela's mother tells them a story about a fat king and a skinny pauper who are each granted a wish by a genie. This gets Tom, Pat, and Angela thinking about what their mother would wish for at Christmas. 

Pat and Angela decide they must bring their father home for Christmas, which leads to several funny moments and a few disappointments. To help them with their quest is Dorothy, the wealthy daughter of the town veterinarian, who tells Angela that if she is able to bring her father home for Christmas, he will help poor McGinty's cow give birth. 

Clocking in at around 45 minutes, this animated special is as heartwarming as its prequel, Angela's Christmas. It explains why Dad is away, which I found helpful, since the one missing piece of the original film was what happened to Dad. We knew the family missed him in the first movie, but we didn't know if Dad was away, in jail, or dead. 

Like the first film, there is a subplot outside of Angela and Pat trying to bring their father home for Christmas. Well, there are a few in this one. 

• Angela hears her mother talking to the neighbor about a Christmas surprise, so she is hoping her mother is buying her that doll in the toy store window.
• McGinty needs a vet to help his cow give birth, but he can't afford him.
• Dorothy wishes that her father wouldn't work so much and would have time to spend with her.

As expected, everything works out for Angela, her family, and new friend. How could it be a tale of the Christmas season without a happy ending? 

While they did work more storylines into Angela's Christmas Wish than they did the original film, I felt it all flowed nicely together to make it a delightful movie.

I watched this movie on Netflix. This review contains my honest opinions, which I have not been compensated for in any way. 

Christmas on Netflix: Angela's Christmas (2017)

 

The Netflix original, Angela's Christmas, was released in 2017. Set in Limerick, Ireland in 1914, it tells the story of an impoverished family led by a single mother, the narrator's grandmother. Tom, Pat, and baby Aggie, are siblings to Angela, the third child and the narrator's mother. 

Just seven months prior to the start of World War I, Angela and her family visit St. Joseph's church on Christmas Eve. Angela, afraid baby Jesus from the manager scene will be cold, sneaks back into the church and brings baby Jesus home with her to keep him warm. Once her mother finds out, she tells the story of the night Angela was born, which reminds the girl that baby Jesus needs to go home to his family. 

This is a heartwarming tale of the season with a healthy dose of humor along the way. The heart of a child is so clear in Angela's Christmas. A young girl growing up with little, thinks not of herself, but for the needs of another. The animation is wonderful. The story is touching. The ending is clever. 

Inspired by Frank McCourt's Pulitzer-prizing winning memoir of his childhood, Angela's Ashes, this short movie will capture your heart and fill you with the joy of the season. 

I watched this movie on Netflix. This review contains my honest opinions, which I have not been compensated for in any way. 

Christmas on TV: An Elf's Story: The Elf on the Shelf (2011)

 

An Elf's Story: The Elf on the Shelf  is the first TV movie based upon The Elf on a Shelf: A Christmas Tradition picture book written by Carol Aebersold and Chandra Bell. It tells the story of a scout elf who is sent to the family of Taylor McTuttle with a mission: to help Taylor, who is questioning the magic of Christmas.

Renamed Chippy by his family, he does his best to convince Taylor that Santa and Christmas magic are real, but he is soon discouraged. With the help of his elf friends, Santa, and a special letter, Chippy is glad to call his mission a success.

This half-hour animated special aired on CBS in 2011. As a parent who despised the Elf on the Shelf tradition, and found the spying elf a bit creepy--even if Stringbean (our elf) is cute--I found this TV movie enchanting, because it captures all the magic and joy without the whole spying on the kids and convincing them to behave aspect. 

Taylor's sisters are thrilled with their elf's arrival, and their song about Christmas captures everything that Christmas is all about: love, joy, peace, faith to believe, spending time with family, sharing, caring, and forgiveness. Taylor is the lone family skeptic, who ultimately ends up believing in Christmas thanks to Chippy. The movie ends with Santa's arrival on Christmas Eve, and he encourages the viewers to wish each boy and girl a Christmas of peace and a year full of joy as Chippy flies home to the North Pole. 

This movie was released on DVD the following year. 

I watched this movie on NetFlix. This review contains my honest opinions, which I have not been compensated for in any way.

Christmas on TV: The Case for Christmas (Hallmark Channel, 2011)

Could someone actually sue Santa Claus? That's what happens in this 2011 Hallmark Channel movie starring Dean Cain and Rachel Blanchard.

Young attorney Michael Sherman (Cain) is at the courthouse looking for clients, when he finds a man claiming to be Kris Kringle (George Buza). After being charmed by Michael's daughter, Lily (Helen Colliander), Kris asks Michael to represent him in a class action suit being brought against him by Braxton Bennett (Barry Flatman), a rich entrepreneur. Bennett is suing Santa for emotional distress because he didn't bring him the presents he asked for, and he's found others who claim to have the same problem.

Widower Sherman has student loans to pay, so he's certainly not about to turn down a case, but Santa Claus? This guy certainly must be off his rocker. Lauren (Blanchard), a good friend of Michael's deceased wife, and Lily think Kris is the real deal.

It's hard not to like a movie with Dean Cain in it. He's such a versatile actor, who brings great depth and emotion to all his characters, whether he's playing Superman (Lois & Clark), Joseph Smith (September Dawn), or a toy maker living on a ranch (The Three Gifts). The Case of Christmas is definitely a feel-good seasonal tale. Cain plays emotionally detached Michael Sherman well and makes him believable and sympathetic. Colliander's Lily is also a star. Not only adorable, her wonder and awe of Kris Kringle and her quick belief of who he is and what he can do, add a great deal to the movie.

I have to admit, however, that Blanchard's character lacked chemistry for me. Lauren is pining away for Michael, and when Kris asks her why she hasn't told him she's in love with him, her plain answer is that he would never be interested in a girl like her. Yet, she can believe Kris is the real Santa Claus without missing a beat. Blanchard delivers her lines, but until she gets angry at Michael, I don't feel any emotion behind them. I didn't even sense the connection between Lauren and Michael at the end. It's like the writers made the decision that the movie had to have a romance storyline in it, whether it would work or not. Personally, I felt it would have been better without the romance.

What I do think is hilarious is the sub-story of problems with the equipment at the North Pole. Kris has to keep disappearing to go back home to fix the machine. When he does, he leaves his right hand man, Charlie Elfkin (Dylan Roberts), to help Michael with the case. Charlie is an annoying guy with a huge appetite, leading to many funny moments. Bennett and his attorney, Dina (Krista Bridges), also add several funny scenes.

Overall, this is a cute seasonal movie. The combination of serious and funny was good, but I wouldn't have minded if the movie was more drama and less comedy. 

Release Date: 19 November 2011 (USA)
Runtime: 87 minutes

I recorded this movie on my DVR off the Hallmark Channel. This review contains my honest opinions, for which I have not been compensated in any way.