Remember the viral story from 2020 about the tiny li’l fluffy owl that was found hanging out in the Rockefeller Christmas tree? Of course you do. KEWTest thing ever, LOL, dawwwwwwww, *swoon*, and all that. Well, dude’s got his own Christmas special now, sort of, being the inspiration for An Almost Christmas Story, the third Disney+ exclusive holiday-themed short film from producer Alfonso Cuaron. Even better, it’s directed by David Lowery – who helmed the underrated Peter Pan and Wendy and Pete’s Dragon as well as neo-arthouse standouts A Ghost Story and The Green Knight – who oversees a distinctive visual approach for its stop-motion animation, rendering New York City entirely out of cardboard. That’s just one reason this little bauble is a holiday treasure.
The Gist: You could tell me that the John C. Reilly-voiced narrator here, simply dubbed the Folk Singer, is a reincarnation of the Burl Ives snowman or post-fame Dewey Cox, and I’d absolutely believe you. I mean, he just has that vibe. He strums a guitar and sings an Xmas tune he calls “mostly nonsense,” since it has fa-lee-la-loos and things like that in it. Gotta admit, it’s catchy. But we’re not here for that. We’re here for the owl. SHOW ME THE OWL AND MURDER ME WITH ALL THE ADORBS, PLEASE. Thank you.
So, this owl. He’s a fledgling named Moon (Cary Christopher) with a li’l sibling Peaky (Gianna Joseph) and an overprotective Papa (Jim Gaffigan), who appears to be single-dadding his way through this thing, so pour a stiff one for him, wouldja? Moon is a wandering spirit who likes to light off and fiddledeediddle around the woods, much to Papa’s chagrin. There’s all kinds of hungry predators out there that would love to eat a small owl, y’know. Moon is enamored with shiny things like crinkly silver wrappers (my guess? Pop Tart) and the lights of the city over yonder on the horizon. What with one thing (a mean ol’ hawk) and another (Moon’s broken wing), the little fella ends up hiding in a hollow tree that’s soon cut down and trucked off to ye olde urban jungle.
Moon awakens and pokes his head out of the tree and sees 30 Rock in all its Xmas glory: Lights, baubles, snow, happy folks ice skating, all that. He meets a little girl, Luna (Estrella Madrigal), who struggles to skate because of her prosthetic leg. He also meets three pigeons who are slightly threatening but also slightly friendly, which makes them true New Yorkers – especially since one is voiced by Natasha Lyonne, who has the type of Noo Yawk rasp that you can name-that-tune with one note. Moon is heretofore unfamiliar with Christmas, but soon learns what’s most important about it is Being Home. There’s no mention of presents or food or being too busy or any of the other junk that clutters the most wonderful time of the year. Which is to say, this little film has its head on straight.
What Movies Will It Remind You Of?: Think the aesthetic of Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio meets the old Rankin-Bass specials, and you’re in the ballpark. Oh, and one of the other Cuaron-produced shorts on Disney+, Alice Rohrwacher’s Le Pupille, is also an Xmas gem.
Performance Worth Watching Hearing: Making me choose between Lyonne playing an NYC pigeon and Reilly singing falaloofalalaayyy is just cruel.
Memorable Dialogue: The Folk Singer indirectly weighs in on the interminable is-Die Hard-a-Christmas-movie debate: “Have you ever wondered what makes a Christmas story a Christmas story? Some folks say if it’s set during the holidays, then bingo, there you go. Christmas spirit just rubs off on it, and that’s all it takes.”
Sex and Skin: None.
Our Take: Part of the Folk Singer’s Xmas spiel addresses how the holiday can be both happy and sad. You’re also surely aware how the traditional visual components of the season contrast the warmth of hearth and home with the chill of icy snowy weather. Those elements create the holiday-season atmosphere, which is a key ingredient of any Christmas celebration, be it TV or movies or real life. And An Almost Christmas Story, from its whimsical visual design to its simple and direct story, lovingly nurtures that joyful-melancholy tone and imbues it with poignancy and heart, but without overt sentimentality. You’ll feel something, but you won’t end up bawling into your ugly sweater, and for that, we should be relieved.
One of Lowery’s key thematic choices is to render main characters three-dimensionally – puppets crafted from papier-mache or wood, perhaps – while bit players are literal cardboard cutouts. NYC itself is 100 percent corrugated cardboard, from the buildings to the steps and sidewalks to the yellow cabs. It has significant texture to match the sepia-like color palette, which is all browns and golds and muted yellows which, for me, invoked fuzzy, vague memories of mid-century holiday decor at my grandparents’ house. This film excels at invoking stuff like that, stuff about Christmas that makes you feel warm and safe inside a memory.
Of course, the film isn’t all pensive near-tears fodder. The pigeons are funny, and so is the Folk Singer, in all his lightly philosophical playfulness. Same for Moon, a little naif whose pluckiness you can’t help but love. He and Luna speak in parallel dialogue as if there’s a language barrier between them, but once they realize the other has a disability – well, I think that’s the connection that breaks down that barrier. What a lovely gesture that is, understated and sweet. How sweet? As the dickens, I’d say, and I’d never use that phrase lightly. An Almost Christmas Story deserves the dickens, hands down.
Our Call: An Almost Christmas Story is pure and simple and wholesome, and thoroughly delightful. STREAM IT.
John Serba is a freelance writer and film critic based in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
