Angela’s Christmas: a delightful new family Christmas classic

In the bleak landscape of new Christmas films this year, a delightful new half-hour children’s Christmas special has appeared that is perhaps deserving to be called a new family Christmas classic.

It’s been more challenging for me to keep up with the latest films this year, and perhaps I found the slate of Christmas films emptier than usual because I simply scrolled through Netflix’s offerings. (I have lately grown increasingly disappointed with a large portion of Netflix’ original programming, but that is a matter for another post.) I confess I haven’t seen 2018’s Grinch nor Disney’s Nutcracker—both of which I plan to see.

So I was pleasantly surprised when I started watching Angela’s Christmas (a Netflix original), which is based on the short story written by Frank McCourt, and I continued to enjoy the entire delightful little Christmas special. (Listen to my 5-minute review on Salt + Light Radio Hour here.)

Angela’s Christmas totally deserves to be the new animated family Christmas classic. Centered around little Angela’s imaginative concern for the Baby Jesus being cold, the story has lots of moments of fun and suspense. The animation is delightful, and it has some fun moments that Catholics will appreciate—such as whether or not there was a miracle in St. Joseph’s Church that night! On top of the delightful story, layered writing, compelling characters, believable character arcs, the film is just so darling—it begs for a repeat viewing. Simple enough for young children, the story has more to it for thoughtful adults.

Rather than giving story spoilers, I’ll simply list why Angela’s Christmas is perfect to watch together as a family to “put us in the mood for Christmas.”

1) The Christ Child is the focus of the story, in a way that perfectly brings together the deeper meaning of Christmas (Christ came to save us by sharing everything with us, even our sufferings), and a story that little kids can relate to.

2) The focus on family. Not only is there a lovely plot line for Angela and her brother Pat learning to get along together, but also how their mother explains to them that the real meaning of family is to shelter and support one another. (We catch a glimpse of St. John Paul II’s reference to the family as the domestic church here.)

I also found it completely darling how one of Angela and her big brother’s main concerns was how worried the Blessed Mother would be about Baby Jesus.

3) A focus on the less fortunate. References to the less fortunate—beginning with Angela’s family and of course, with Baby Jesus—are interwoven throughout the story: Angela’s family generously shares their coats with each other just to go to Christmas midnight Mass; the children are obviously compassionate and generous with those less fortunate than themselves, the compassionate policeman who observes how tragic it is to separate a child from his or her family also highlights the plight of those who are deprived of the necessities of life. In a bold choice by the filmmakers, instead of telling the story of Jesus’ birth, Angela’s mother retells the story of Angela’s birth—a day that should have been full of joy but instead was full of suffering that was changed to joy by the love of her children. Her simple story, her gratitude to the children, her obvious courage in the face of hardship, point to the ways that the Christ Child still suffers in our midst today, needing our outstretched hands.

Even though such a delightful film, Angela’s Christmas is missing 2 important things that could have made it an even stronger movie:

1) A lovely Christmas hymn, for which there were many opportunities, and a setting and a tone that would have been perfect. Many hymns would have reinforced the themes of the story, especially a hymn like “What Child Is This.” This is a glaring omission—the filmmakers really missed a big opportunity here to make this a “practically perfect” film.

2) A simple retelling of the Christmas story from a child’s point of view (Angela’s, or perhaps Pat’s). The filmmakers may have decided to let this go because all the characters are so immersed in what Christmas means that it might seem redundant. But by not simply retelling the story, I think some elements of this little short could be lost for those who don’t know the story well, who see Christmas primarily as a family holiday. And who doesn’t need to be reminded why Christmas is a celebration of love?

Despite these shortcomings, this little film packs more into it than the roster of Christmas “feel good” family films. Angela’s Christmas is appropriate for all ages and deserving to become part of the family’s Christmas tradition.

Also noteworthy Christmas movies:

If you haven’t seen The Star, the full-length animated Nativity story told from the point of the view of the donkey who brings Mary to Bethlehem, I highly recommend this wonderfully imaginative tale for children, both playful and respectful approach to the story of Jesus’ birth for little ones.  The talking animals give kids an easy way to identify with the characters in the story, especially Mary, whose affinity with all creation—including the animals, no matter how humble—is a beautiful thread running through the film. The Star is also available on Netflix. You can see my full review from last year here.

2017’s The Man Who Invented Christmas is also well worth seeing as a new version of Dickens’s A Christmas Carol, coming especially from the perspective of the author’s struggle to write one of the best stories of all time. (I could relate!) The title is not my favorite, yet it is a worthy retelling of A Christmas Carol, with wonderful performances, some clever writing, and a lovely focus on family. Here is a review from the Director of our Pauline Media Studies Center, Sister Nancy Usselmann. 

Putting Family First Is “Incredibles 2” True Strength: Film Commentary

Incredibles 2 may not be quite as strong as the original, but continues the Incredibles’ tradition of being a visually engaging, creative, and highly enjoyable movie that is at its best when the family is together.

What’s the Story?
Fourteen years later after the making of The Incredibles, the sequel picks up right at the point where the first film ended. Despite the “incredible” save of the city by the Incredibles family (secret identity: the Parr family) in the first film, using superheroic ability is still illegal.  Both parents (Mr. Incredible/Bob Parr and Elastigirl/Helen Parr) are out of work. In addition, the Parr family is homeless, as their home was destroyed in their last interaction with super villain Syndrome.

Super-wealthy business tycoon Winston Deaver and his technical-genius sister Evelyn contact Bob and Helen to invite them to help restore public and government confidence in superheroes. Their ultimate goal? Making superheroism legal again. Perhaps unexpectedly, they choose Elastigirl as their lead superhero, which means Bob (Mr. Incredible) is left feeling left behind as the kids’ stay-at-home dad whose self-confidence has been deeply shaken. New villain Screenslaver arrives on the scene to hypnotize/manipulate both the general population and superheroes, so that superheroes will be outlawed once and for all.

Strengths
Once again, writer/director Brad Bird and Pixar/Disney team have made a strong family film that offers exceptional entertainment with “something more” to it. Excellent casting and voice-acting overall, fantastic action scenes—especially as Bob discovers Jack-Jack’s powers—and plenty of laughs will make Incredibles 2 an easy family favorite. (Did you see the Jack-Jack Attack short produced for the original The Incredibles DVD release? Hilarious in its own right, the short is also a great preview/teaser of what I consider the funniest scenes in Incredibles 2—scroll down on Disney’s Incredibles 2 site for a sneak preview of those scenes.)

Weaknesses
The movie runs a bit long—both for the genre and for this particular storyline. A couple of scenes when the family members are apart are not just overly long but repetitive, especially Helen/Elastigirl with the Deavers and Bob griping to himself about their choice of Helen as superhero over him. Character development felt weak overall with continued stereotypes. Helen’s arc is nonexistent and Bob seems to have already forgotten the humility that he learned just a few days before. Apart from Bob, the characters are less vulnerable than in the first movie, and just about everyone in the family makes at least one potentially serious and/or really dumb mistake. But in the end, we are still rooting for this zany, lovable family that needs a second adventure for everyone to realize that they are at their best when they work together as a family.

An “Incredible” Windows to the Soul

Not just as a family but also as a movie, Incredibles 2 is at its best when the family members are interacting together. This theme of family—the love and unity of purpose at work in a family with such gifted and unique members—makes this movie a great watch for kids and families and offers lots of potential for deeper discussion.

Being “different,” or how to be special and use our unique gifts is a theme raised in both Incredibles movies. Every member of the family struggles with how to use their superpowers (except for baby Jack-Jack whose powers explode into the second film). Both Incredibles movies raise the question of what is a hero. Is it just having superpowers (or devices that give you extraordinary power)?

This theme of “superpowers” can be discussed from a human perspective, too. What do we do when we have unusual gifts that prevent us from “fitting in” like everyone else? How do we have a responsibility to use those gifts when they’re not considered acceptable? One theme I would have liked to see better addressed (as it is so well done in The Lego Movie) is how everyone matters, whether or not they have a superpower.

A third angle is to see “superpowers” as a metaphor for the supernatural gifts that we have as Catholics which can make us stand out in today’s society (the sacraments, the Commandments, the Beatitudes, the virtues we are called to live), and how we are called to live these gifts in a culture that doesn’t always respect our Faith and our values.

Most of the characters in the film seem to be explored through stereotypes: the working mother who is finally recognized as heroic, the dad with the fragile ego, the obnoxious little brother who fights unceasingly with his teenaged sister who is selfishly obsessed about one thing. The stereotypes feel a bit stale, perhaps not as funny as they could be, but in the end, the comedy still works because several characters move beyond the limitations of their stereotype.

Bob’s journey is by far my favorite: from a frustrated, clueless stay-at-home dad whose eyes are on the prestigious job he doesn’t have, to becoming a dad who decides to give it his best, even seeking out the help he needs so that he can become the best father for his kids: someone who really listens and attends to the real needs of his children. It’s a great illustration of how hard—and wonderful—good parenting really is, and a wonderful example of the special gifts a father can bring to his children.

A few other themes that the movie “cracks open” a door for discussing but does not directly address are:

• the tension between men and women (who is better, smarter, etc., especially the scenes between Helen/Elastigirl and Evelyn Deavers when they talk “down” or seem to make fun of men—I’d love to see a Theology of the Body discussion on the complementarity of men and women here!), and
• the negative influence of technology, in villain Screenslaver’s rant and ability to hypnotize anyone who is looking at a screen (namely, how watching screens instead of engaging with real life and real people can make us “dumber”). This is a great opportunity to think about how much time we spend looking at screens, and how we spend the time we look at screens.

If you haven’t seen the original movie in a while, it is well worth taking the time to watch both films, with their refreshing emphasis on the importance of family. Putting family first and keeping family together are the true strengths of the Incredibles.