Post review of Little Spirit: Christmas in New York
Tom Shales didn't like tonight's new animated Christmas special Little Spirit: Christmas in New York. You can read why here. Should you still be curious about the movie, here's a video interview with one of the animators.
How does something so un-original, so lame, so horrifying to the senses even get made?
In a long line of cheap, shallow, tawdry, trite commercials that try to pass themselves off as "Holiday specials" - Little Spirit takes the whole genre to a new low.
Let's start with the fact that we have a cast of characters about whom we feel nothing - quite frankly, Leo is simply a boring kid we're all supposed to feel sorry for because his dog ran away - yet I couldn't muster the tiniest bit of sympathy for this flat character. The "city of strangers" with whom Leo is supposed to be bonding throughout this hour of misery are nothing but worn-out New York City cliches. The dog is annoying - and Macy's has yet to grasp the concept of subtlety when it comes to brand placement.
Then we get into the "magical" part - Little Spirit seems like nothing but a cheap rip-off of "Lilo and Stitch" - voice and all - with flashbacks to "Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure" - but without the fun nor the depth.
If this is the new bar which holiday specials must reach, then God help us, every one.
I'm afraid I skipped it after reading Shales' review. Thanks for confirming his opinion though. It is a shame that they'll put enough money into making an hour of animation, but skimp on the story.
How does something so un-original, so lame, so horrifying to the senses even get made?
ReplyDeleteIn a long line of cheap, shallow, tawdry, trite commercials that try to pass themselves off as "Holiday specials" - Little Spirit takes the whole genre to a new low.
Let's start with the fact that we have a cast of characters about whom we feel nothing - quite frankly, Leo is simply a boring kid we're all supposed to feel sorry for because his dog ran away - yet I couldn't muster the tiniest bit of sympathy for this flat character. The "city of strangers" with whom Leo is supposed to be bonding throughout this hour of misery are nothing but worn-out New York City cliches. The dog is annoying - and Macy's has yet to grasp the concept of subtlety when it comes to brand placement.
Then we get into the "magical" part - Little Spirit seems like nothing but a cheap rip-off of "Lilo and Stitch" - voice and all - with flashbacks to "Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure" - but without the fun nor the depth.
If this is the new bar which holiday specials must reach, then God help us, every one.
I'm afraid I skipped it after reading Shales' review. Thanks for confirming his opinion though. It is a shame that they'll put enough money into making an hour of animation, but skimp on the story.
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