Movie Review: The Princess Bride

Movie Review: The Princess Bride                                                                                          1-10-20

In the fictional country of Florin, there lived a princess named Buttercup (Robin Wright), who was friends with farm boy Wesley (Cary Elwes). One day, years after Wesley was thought to be dead, Buttercup is betrothed to Prince Hunmperdink (Chris Sarandon). However, Buttercup doesn’t love Prince Hunmperdink, so she runs away, but she gets kidnapped by outlaws Vizzini (Wallace Shawn), Fezzick (Andre the Giant), and Inigo Montoya (Mandy Patinkin). After a misadventure involving shrieking eels, quicksand, a giant rat, and Vizzini being outsmarted, Buttercup reunites with Wesley, who spent the last five years masqueraded as the fabled Dreaded Pirate Roberts. However, Prince Hunmperdink captures the both of them and sends Wesley to a dungeon. Now it’s up to Fezzick and Inigo to rescue Wesley so he can rescue his true love, Buttercup.

The Princess Bride is a timeless gem with outstanding actors, funny and memorable quotes, lovely backgrounds and settings, a story that sticks true to the original book, and hilarious cameos from Peter Falk, Billy Crystal, and Carol Kane.

Billy and Carol as Miracle Max and his wife Valerie.

Another thing I appreciate about The Princess Bride is the amount of Easter Eggs in the unnamed boy’s bedroom. If you look closely in this scene, you can actually see a Captain America action figure!

In conclusion, The Princess Bride is one of the best 80s movies that ranks among Back to the Future, ET, the Indiana Jones trilogy, and Who Framed Roger Rabbit.

Rating: The perfect rating of 5 stars, and I’m not being too generous this time.
PS. For those parents reading this at home, you'll have to be cautious about this movie. There's some mild language, innuendos, and sword fights.

Movie Review: The Lion King (2019)

Movie Review: The Lion King (2019)                                                                       1-17-20

Before I begin my review, I’d like to point out that this movie is animated and not live-action.

The Lion King is about a lion cub named Simba (LD McCrary as a cub, Donald Glover as an adult), who is destined to be king of the savannah. However, his evil uncle Scar (Chiwetel Ejiofor) wants to be king, so he kills King Mufasa (James Earl Jones) during a wildebeest stampede and blames Simba on it. Simba runs away and meets a meerkat and warthog named Timon (Billy Eichner) and Pumbaa (Seth Rogan), who teach him how to live a care-free life. However, Simba later discovers that he must fight Scar and reclaim his place as king.

Sound familiar? Well, that’s because Jon Favreau’s The Lion King is basically a shot-for-shot remake of the original 1994 classic. Yes, the computer animation is breathtaking, but the characters aren’t as expressive as their 2D counterparts. I know that in real life, most animals don’t have the muscles in their mouths necessary to smile or frown, but they still could have cocked their heads or wiggled their eyebrows.

Do you have any idea what Simba is feeling in this scene? I certainly don't.

Also, the songs feel unnecessary in this film: It’s just awkward seeing realistic animals singing.

Simba, Nala, and some other animals singing 'I Just Can't Wait To Be King'.

Like the remakes of Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin before it, this Lion King also had a lot of the humor drained out of the original film. The best moments of the movie are with Timon and Pumbaa, though that isn’t enough to save the movie.

Timon and Pumbaa singing 'The Lion Sleeps Tonight'.

I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I’d rather watch The Lion King 1 1/2 over this! Yes, it’s a cash-grabbing direct-to-video sequel, but at least it knows it can’t live up to its predecessor! The movie knows it’s self-referential, and it uses every opportunity to sneak in some funny jokes.

In conclusion, stick with the original Lion King. This one may have earned over a billion and a half dollars at the box-office, but it just doesn’t compare to the original 1994 film. If you want to watch a good CGI movie set in Africa, watch 2013’s Khumba, which I will review in April.

Rating: 2 stars out of 5

PS. If you are reading this, Disney, please make sure Mulan stays true to the original movie while still feeling different. Try to make sure it sits comfortably on the same shelf as the remakes of Cinderella, The Jungle Book, and Pete's Dragon.

The DreamWorks That Never Were

Remember how in my '2020 in Animated Features' article, I talked about how DreamWorks cancelled two movies with potential? Well, today, I will be talking about two films that had potential: Me and My Shadow and BOO.

Me and My Shadow would've taken place in two different worlds: The human world and the shadow world. The human world would've been 3D, while the shadow world would've been 2D. The story would've been about a shadow named Stan, who was attached to a boring human named Stanley Grubb. Stan, however, yearns for a more exciting life, but when a crime in the shadow community puts both their lives in danger, Stan is forced to take control of Stanley, thrusting both of them into an adventure featuring a shadowy villain who intends to lead a rebellion against the human world. Long story short, the film was cancelled because of a variety of reasons, including having its release date changed, switch of directors, 4 box-office failures in a row, PDI being shut down, and DreamWorks co-founder Jeffery Katzenburg leaving the company in April 2016.

BOO, short for Bureau of Otherworldly Operations, was a cancelled DreamWorks film that would've been about two ghosts, a newbie and a veteran, who work at a sort of paranormal Men In Black, policing the afterlife and those who choose to abuse it. It was going to be released in July 2015, but because of the box-office failures of Rise of the Guardians, Turbo, Mr. Peabody and Sherman, and The Penguins of Madagascar, along with the closure of PDI, DreamWorks decided to give BOO the axe, despite the film being halfway finished.
To make matters worse, BOO director Tony Leondis left DreamWorks to work on The Emoji Movie. That's like Chris Wedge leaving production on the 2013 film Epic in favor of a movie about, say, Kinetix toys! Or Dan Scanlon leaving production on Onward to direct a movie about Beanie Babies!
If you're reading this, DreamWorks or Universal (who now owns DreamWorks's catalog), could you at least adapt BOO into a half-hour Halloween Netflix special? If you were able to resurrect Larrikins (another cancelled DreamWorks film) into the short film Bilby (which is included on the DVD and Blu-Ray release of How To Train Your Dragon 3), then you must have the talent and time to resurrect BOO into a Halloween special. I bet it could sit comfortably on the shelf alongside Scared Shrekless and Mutant Pumpkins From Outer Space (a Monsters vs Aliens TV special).
I will talk about Mutant Pumpkins From Outer Space in October, when I include it in my Top 10 Best Animated Halloween Specials countdown. On January 19th, I will post my much-anticipated review of Jon Favreau's The Lion King.

2020 in Animated Features

It's official. The 2010s are over, and it's the beginning of the 2020s. This year, Blue Sky Studios, who are now owned by Disney, will not release a new movie. Like DreamWorks, they are under new management. In this case, Disney Animation president Andrew Millstein will serve as co-president of Blue Sky. Their next film is Nimona, based on the web comic and graphic novel of the same name. It is set to be released on January 14th, 2022. Let's pray and hope that it doesn't end up getting cancelled like Gigantic.

Anyway, let's see what 2020 has in store for us in animated features!

In March, Pixar will release their next feature film, Onward. In a similar fashion to Zootopia, Onward will be set in a suburban town called New Mushroomton, populated by a menagerie of mythical creatures like centaurs, gnomes, mermaids, fairies, and elves. Two elf brothers, Ian and Barley Lightfoot, discover an old wizard's staff with a message from their dad, who died when they were too young to remember him. In this note are instructions for a magical spell that could resurrect their father for 24 hours. However, the spell doesn't work at first, so Ian and Barely go on the quest of a lifetime. My main concern is that this movie will be released three weeks before the release of Mulan and be overshadowed by it.

In April, the colorful happy Smurf-like creatures return for an all-new adventure called Trolls: World Tour. In this film, Poppy learns that there are more Trolls out there that focus on different kinds of music. Queen Barb, a rock & roll Troll, wants to unite the Six Strings so she can destroy all music except rock. To stop her, Poppy and the gang have to travel all over the world to unite all the Trolls. I'm baffled that DreamWorks greenlit a sequel to Trolls, which didn't even become one of the top 5 highest-grossing animated movies of 2016, yet they cancelled two projects that sounded like they had potential.* Not to mention that there's already a Trolls TV special and a Netflix series.

There will be two new animated movies in May. The first, from Warner Animation Group, the creators of The LEGO Movies, Storks, and Smallfoot, comes Scoob! It will be a CGI reboot of the world-famous mystery-solving mutt Scooby-Doo. The animation for Scoob will be done at Reel FX, the same studio behind Free Birds, The Book of Life, and Uglydolls. Too bad neither Grey Griffen or Kate Micucci, the modern-day voice actresses of Daphne Blake and Velma Dinkley, won't return.

The second will be SpongeBob's third feature film, The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run. In this movie, when SpongeBob's pet snail Gary goes missing, he and Patrick go on an adventure across the ocean floor to find him. Instead of being 2D like the previous films, Sponge on the Run will be all CGI.

In June, from Pete Docter (Monsters Inc, Up, Inside Out) comes Pixar's 23rd feature film Soul. In this film, a musician who lost his passion for music is transported out of his body, and must find his way back with the help of an infant soul who is learning about herself.

In July, the popular (and annoying) banana-loving Twinkies will return for an all-new movie called Minions 2: The Rise of Gru. Not much is known about this movie yet, though one thing is certain: I'm 98% sure that I'll skip it and see Disney's Jungle Cruise instead (if it's worth seeing).

September will be the release of Sony Pictures Animation's next endeavor after The Angry Birds Movie 2 (they weren't involved with the first one), The Mitchells vs the Machines. The sci-fi comedy envisions a world in which technology suddenly turns on humanity, interrupting a dysfunctional family’s road trip. In the producers' chair are Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, the same duo behind Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, The LEGO Movie, and Spider-Verse.

In November, Disney will release their 59th (yes, I counted) animated movie Raya and the Last Dragon. In a realm known as Lumandra, a reimagined Earth inhabited by an ancient civilization, a female warrior named Raya is determined to find the last dragon. This movie will be the directorial debut of Paul Briggs, Deam Wellins, and John Ripa, who have been in the animation industry for more than 20 years.

And finally, in December, the prehistoric family from a past that never existed return for The Croods 2. In this film, the Croods are challenged by a rival family called the Bettermans, who claim to be better and more evolved. Original Croods directors Chris Sanders and Kirk DeMicco do not return, since Sanders was busy with the live-action film Call of the Wild, while DeMicco is busy with one of Sony's upcoming animated projects, Vivo. Instead, Joel Crawford, storyboard artist on Bee Movie, the Kung Fu Panda trilogy, and Rise of the Guardians, and director of Trolls Holiday, will be directing. Of all the new animated movies coming this year, I'm most excited for Onward, Scoob, and Soul. I also might see Raya and the Last Dragon if the teaser trailer looks any good. Once again, there will be more animated films than the ones listed above that will premiere this year, but these were the ones I wanted to cover.
I'm sorry that there's no poster for The Croods 2 shown here. As I am typing this, there are no posters or sneak peak art for the film, yet.

*The two cancelled DreamWorks projects I referred to earlier are Me and My Shadow and Bureau of Otherworldly Observations (BOO for short). I will talk about both of them on January 8th. Update! 3-5-20: The Mitchells vs the Machines is now called Connected, and will be released September 18th, 2020. Here's a trailer below. https://www.imdb.com/video/vi3669999129?playlistId=tt7979580&ref_=tt_ov_vi

Notice

Hi everybody, and Merry Christmas! From now on, whenever I update my DVD collection, it will be on Facebook. Here's a link to my latest editions.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=199962264504423&set=pb.100034719517610.-2207520000..&type=3&theater
However, I will still post pictures. I just won't put descriptions for them on this site.












On January 1st, I will cover nine animated movies coming in 2020!

Top 10 Best Animated Christmas Specials

In memory of Carroll Spinney, the original voice actor and puppeteer for Big Bird and Oscar on Sesame Street.
Christmastime is here again in most countries, and instead of reviewing another Christmas movie, I decided to do my Top 10 Best Animated Christmas Specials. However I have made some rules.
1. It has to be at least 21 minutes long.
2. TV shows with a format of one 22 minute story per episode is prohibited, so episodes of The Simpsons, Foster's Home For Imaginary Friends, and Danny Phantom will not be included.
3. For the sake of my blog, the special has to be family-friendly.
As a bonus, at the end of this countdown, I will also include links to purchase these specials on Amazon or eBay.
Anyway, let's get down to my Top 10 Best Animated Christmas Specials!
10. Annabelle's Wish (1997)

I know this is kind of cheating, since this is technically a direct-to-video movie, but Annabelle’s Wish is a favorite of my mom’s. Anyway, this hour-long special is about a calf named Annnabelle, who was born on Christmas Eve. She, along with other animals on Charles Barker’s farm, was granted the ability to talk, but only for one day. Annabelle befriends Barker’s son Billy, who lost his hearing when the barn was set on fire years ago. Annabelle personally wishes to become a flying reindeer, but when Billy’s Aunt Agnes threatens to adopt him from Charles Barker the next year, it’s up to Annabelle to make the ultimate decision.

Annabelle’s Wish is a charming and overlooked Christmas tale with impressive animation, a heartfelt story, likable characters, and an impressive voice cast including Jerry Van Dyke, Kath Soucie, Cloris Leachman, and the late Jim Varney.

9. Santa Claus is Comin' to Town! (1970)

To be completely honest, I'm not that fond of the stop-motion Rankin-Bass Christmas specials as other people are. However, one special has stuck out to me ever since I was a little boy: Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town! This hour-long special answers many questions that kids may have about old Saint Nick: Why does Santa Claus live in the North Pole? Why does he go down the chimney? How are his reindeer capable of flying? Well, in this beloved Christmas classic, there was a gloomy Northern village called Sombertown, ruled by the evil toy-hating Burgermeister Meisterburger. When Meisterburger comes across a baby on his doorstep, he orders his law keeper Grimsley to take the baby to the orphan asylum. Thankfully, the woodland animals take him to a family of elves. When Tanta Kringle sees the baby, she names him Kris and raises him to make toys. When he is old enough, Kris Kringle decides to go on a quest to deliver toys to Sombertown. During his adventure, he meets a penguin named Topper, the not-as-evil Winter Warlock, and peasant woman and school teacher Miss Jessica. While the animation may not live up to Aardman or Laika standards, this TV special makes up for it with memorable songs, likable characters, a decent story, and an overall message that being happy and selfless like Santa Claus can make the world a better place.
8. Billy and Mandy Save Christmas (2005)
While on a trip to the North Pole to prove that Santa Claus does exist, Billy, Mandy, and Grim discover that Santa Claus has been turned into a vampire! Now the unlikely trio has to kill the Head Vampire and find a way to turn Santa back to normal in order to save Christmas.
Billy and Mandy Save Christmas is not only a hilarious episode of The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy, but it's also a really good Christmas special with guest voices Carol Kane as Mrs. Claus, Malcom McDowell as Baron Von Ghoulish (a vampire who isn't as threatening as he seems), and Gilbert Gottfried as Santa Claus.

Santa after being turned into a vampire.

However, I do have a warning to those parents out there reading this countdown: Billy and Mandy can have a sick sense of humor reminiscent of Ren and Stimpy and The Simpsons. If I were you, I'd read this review of the show on Common Sense Media.
https://www.commonsensemedia.org/tv-reviews/the-grim-adventures-of-billy-and-mandy

7. Dragons: Gift of the Night Fury (2011)

Each Winter, the Vikings of Berke celebrate Snoggletog, a holiday similar to Christmas. This year, the Berkians celebrate Snoggletog with Dragons, who were once their enemies. When all the Dragons but Toothless mysteriously fly off, everyone gets upset, and Hiccup accidentally drops his helmet in the ocean. While Hiccup and Toothless fly off to a mysterious island and discover a new breeding habit that Dragons have, Fishlegs, the big-boned blonde Viking who has a vast knowledge on Dragons, discovers that his Dragon Meatlug is actually a girl, as she laid some eggs. Astrid decides to give everyone on Berke a Dragon egg, and they’re in for an explosive surprise. Gift of the Night Fury is a holiday special that will delight fans of the How To Train Your Dragon trilogy with impressive animation, a good score from Dominic Lewis, and a message about faith, love, and friendship that kids will understand.
6. Toy Story That Time Forgot (2014)

While at a post-Christmas play date at Mason's house, Woody, Buzz, Rex, Trixie, and a Christmas ornament end up in a playroom with a new franchise of dinosaur toys called the Battlesaurs. There's just one problem: The Battlesaurs think that they're actual warriors. Now Trixie has to convince Reptilis, a highly-skilled Battlesaur, that he, along with the other Battlesaurs, is just a toy, and that being played with by a kid is the most important thing in the world.
Toy Story That Time Forgot may not be as good as Toy Story of Terror and recycles the same story as Toy Story 1, but it has top-notch animation, a good score from Michael Giacchino, and some character development on Trixie, the Kristen Schaal triceratops. Too bad none of her new traits in this special were applied to Toy Story 4.
5. Arnold's Christmas (1996)

It’s Christmastime again in Hillwood, and Arnold has been chosen to be the Secret Santa for Mr. Hyunh. With the help of his friend Gerald, they embark on a wild goose chase to find Mr. Hyunh’s long-lost daughter, Mai. The first half-hour episode of the successful Nickelodeon series, Arnold’s Christmas is a classic Christmas-themed episode that I recommend watching year after year.
4. The Snowman (1982)

Based on the book by Raymond Briggs, The Snowman is about a boy who makes a snowman that comes to life at night. He takes the boy on a trip to the North Pole, where there's a snowman family reunion being held. The boy also meets Santa Claus and is given a scarf as an early Christmas present. The scarf is the only proof that it wasn't a dream, because the next day, the snowman melted. The Snowman is an unforgettable and timeless holiday special with beautiful animation, a poigent dialogue-free story, and a memorable score from Howard Blake.
3. Prep & Landing (2009)

Ever wondered how Santa Claus delivers billions of presents to every kid on Earth in a single night? He has a team of elves to help him land safely on each roof, spy movie style! However, after working at the 'Prep and Landing' division for over 200 years, Wayne (Dave Foley) considers retiring. However, he has been assigned to train a rookie elf named Lenny (Derek Richardson). While Wayne just relaxes and watches TV in a house, Lenny gets captured by a kid named Timmy. With no one on the roof, Santa misses one of the millions of houses during a harsh snowstorm. Can Wayne save Christmas and remember what it means to be a true elf? Prep and Landing is an underrated gem with impressive animation, a solid story, and likable new characters. This is a TV special that I recommend for years to come.
2. A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965)

In this beloved holiday special, Charlie Brown has been selected to direct a play inspired by the First Christmas. He and Linus Von Pelt have also been assigned to buy a Christmas tree for the play, but the gang is so surprised and disappointed by the tree. However, they soon realize that all it needs is a touch up. A Charlie Brown Christmas is a timeless and charming Christmas special that sticks faithfully to its original source material.
1. How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (1966)
In this holiday masterpiece, the Grinch, a grouchy green primate who lives on top of a mountain, is upset that Christmas is coming once again to Whoville. He hates Christmas because the Whos, cheery human-like creatures who love to sing, get noisy toys for Christmas presents, as well as their annual Christmas caroling. With the help of his dog Max, the Grinch decides to make the ultimate heist and steal Christmas decorations and presents from everyone in Whoville! However, is there more to Christmas than what comes from a store? How the Grinch Stole Christmas is a timeless and ageless gem with astounding animation that rivals Disney, strong vocal performances, and unforgettable songs that have transcended more than two generations. Since then, there have been two feature films based on 'Grinch', but neither of them have the charm of this TV classic.
I'm sorry that I didn't include Mickey's Christmas Carol or Olaf's Frozen Adventure. Since they were originally released in theaters, they are technically not TV specials.
If you want to watch any of these for this Christmas or your next Christmas, here are links to the DVDs (and for some, Blu-Rays) that contain these TV specials that you can buy online.
Annabelle's Wish
https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=m570.l1313&_nkw=annebelle%27s+wish&_sacat=0
Santa Claus is Comin' to Town!
https://www.amazon.com/Santa-Claus-Comin-Town-Screen/dp/B000R7G6KO/ref=sr_1_1 crid=30FXP6CP3I6PT&keywords=santa+claus+is+comin%27+to+town+dvd&qid=1567945773&s=movies-tv&sprefix=Santa+Claus+is+Comin%27+to+Town%21%2Cmovies-tv%2C149&sr=1-1
Cartoon Network Christmas Volume 3 (which includes Billy & Mandy Save Christmas)*
https://www.amazon.com/Cartoon-Network-Christmas-Lars-Thiesgaard/dp/B000GB5M5Q/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=cartoon+network+christmas+3&qid=1567946045&s=movies-tv&sr=1-1
Dragons: Gift of the Night Fury
https://www.amazon.com/Dragons-Gift-Night-Jay-Baruchel/dp/B00DS79HHO/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=gift+of+the+night+fury&qid=1567946073&s=movies-tv&sr=1-1
Toy Story That Time Forgot (DVD)
https://www.amazon.com/Toy-Story-that-Time-Forgot/dp/B013F4VQSM/ref=sr_1_1?crid=UBZJ5W0Q8V8L&keywords=toy+story+that+time+forgot+dvd&qid=1567946276&s=movies-tv&sprefix=toy+story+that+ti%2Cmovies-tv%2C157&sr=1-1
Toy Story That Time Forgot (Blu-Ray)
https://www.amazon.com/Story-that-Forgot-Digital-Blu-ray/dp/B013F4U82M/ref=sr_1_3?crid=2UAN69AU4HMAU&keywords=toy+story+that+time+forgot+blu+ray&qid=1567946381&s=movies-tv&sprefix=toy+story+that+time+forgot+blu%2Cmovies-tv%2C133&sr=1-3
Hey Arnold! Season 1 (which includes Arnold's Christmas)
https://www.amazon.com/Hey-Arnold-Season-Francesca-Smith/dp/B004ZKKL32/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2US6GRYU95IOR&keywords=hey+arnold+season+1+dvd&qid=1567946427&s=movies-tv&sprefix=hey+arnold+seaso%2Cmovies-tv%2C143&sr=1-1
The Snowman
https://www.amazon.com/Snowman-David-Bowie/dp/B00CU9QFJO/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=the+snowman+dvd&qid=1567946515&s=movies-tv&sr=1-3
Prep & Landing (DVD)
https://www.amazon.com/Prep-Landing-Totally-Tinsel-Collection/dp/B0088X7YPA/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=prep+and+landing+dvd&qid=1567946878&s=movies-tv&sr=1-1
Prep & Landing (Blu-Ray)
https://www.amazon.com/Prep-Landing-Naughty-Totally-Collection/dp/B0088X7Z4A/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=prep+and+landing&qid=1567946832&s=movies-tv&sr=1-3
A Charlie Brown Christmas (DVD)
https://www.amazon.com/Charlie-Brown-Christmas-50th-Anniversary/dp/B00M0JU3G0/ref=sr_1_6?keywords=a+charlie+brown+christmas&qid=1567947013&s=movies-tv&sr=1-6
A Charlie Brown Christmas (Blu-Ray)
https://www.amazon.com/Charlie-Brown-Christmas-Blu-Ray/dp/B002HQZX9I/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2HUZGOJSKW96G&keywords=a+charlie+brown+christmas+blu+ray&qid=1567947087&s=movies-tv&sprefix=a+charlie+brown+christmas+blu%2Cmovies-tv%2C147&sr=1-1
How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (DVD)
https://www.amazon.com/Seuss-Grinch-Stole-Christmas-Deluxe/dp/B002JUFPUE/ref=sr_1_4?crid=2Q3SQ178V7MCB&keywords=how+the+grinch+stole+christmas+dvd&qid=1567947142&s=movies-tv&sprefix=how+the+grinch+stol%2Cmovies-tv%2C152&sr=1-4

How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (Blu-Ray)

https://www.amazon.com/How-Grinch-Stole-Xmas-Blu-ray/dp/B002HQZX8Y/ref=tmm_blu_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1567947142&sr=1-4
*If CN Christmas Volume 3 is too much strain on your wallet, here's a link to the special below.
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6s3k6a
And if you're wondering if I plan on doing a Top 10 Best Animated Halloween Specials countdown, I'm actually almost done with it, but you'll have to wait until October 2020.
Well, that wraps up Top 10 Best Animated Christmas Specials! I won't review a new movie until January 19th, but on December 25th or so, I will update my DVD collection.