How many times do we really need the '(insert character names here) saves Christmas' story to be told? Ice Age sort of did the same thing, but they did so in a way that put a clever twist on the origin of the holiday. For pure Madagascar fun, this is all well and good, but it's completely unoriginal. The lion, zebra, giraffe and hippo come up with a plan to deliver the presents themselves so they might save the world from a fate of broken hearted children. This gives the jolly man with the rosy cheeks a serious case of amnesia, which comes with the potential cost of having to cancel Christmas. Santa shows up to deliver coal to Julien again, but he, too, is blasted from the sky. Of course, this was only Santa Claus punishing King Julien for being on the naughty list, but as we already know, his ignorance knows no bounds. Our Madagascar friends learn that this 'goblin' comes once a year and showers the lemur population with coal. Predictably, Alex, Marty, Gloria and Melman are hoping to make their way back to New York City in time for Christmas, but a series of complications thwart their plan - King Julien mistakes the gang's makeshift hot air balloon as the 'red night goblin' and blasts them out of the sky. I'm a big fan of the Madagascar franchise, believing each successive film to be better than the last, but this Christmas special just didn't do anything for me. Moving on to Merry Madagascar is where the sleigh begins to fall off its rails, though. Fun in the Shrek-verse continues with Donkey's Christmas-tacular, as the entire gang puts a comical spin on the most notable holiday tunes of all time. It does a wonderful job of conveying the fact that you don't need a bunch of fancy ornaments or decorations to have a good time, because what's truly important is spending time with your friends and family. ![]() Things start off promising enough with Shrek the Halls, which is a terrific standalone effort that embraces the ideals of the holiday, as opposed to the superficial aspects that tend to go along with it. There are definitely some redeemable qualities to this collection. A Christmas special should invoke the same kind of feeling you get when you see a majestically decorated tree for the first time all year, but in this case, it felt more akin to receiving an ugly Christmas sweater.ĭon't get me wrong, it's not all bad. Most of these shorts have been solely designed to showcase the beloved characters of the studio, which makes the oh so important heart behind the holidays little more than an afterthought. With that being said, it feels like there's something missing from the overall experience provided in Dreamworks Holiday Classics, and the reason for that is simple - Dreamworks tried to replicate the success of their Halloween offerings in very much the same way, which was to give us the proper visual cues and hope that made the final product feel Christmassy enough. Now, although Christmas is also often associated with parties and various other fun gatherings, it's more about warmth, compassion, giving unselfishly, and spending time with your family and friends. Halloween is just a lot of silly fun that can be enjoyed by children and adults alike. All you really need for a good Halloween special is a story that takes place on all hallows eve, featuring the appropriate colors, costumes, ghouls, and atmosphere. In all fairness, that's not exactly hard to do, right? Halloween means so many things to so many people - Some associate the holiday with thrills and chills, some with the prospect of obtaining candy, and others just like to dress up and party. To say it's a bold move for Dreamworks to think they can actually compete in this market is an understatement if there ever was one, and predictably, the Dreamworks Holiday Classics collection falls short many expectations.įirst, let me reiterate why the Halloween release worked as well as it did - It actually nailed the spirit of Halloween. You can't even talk about Christmas specials without thinking of Charlie Brown's barren tree, a stop-motion animated reindeer with a red nose that glows, or the joyous snowman that proudly announces his birth upon coming to life. ![]() Of course, it had an advantage, as there really aren't too many worthwhile Halloween specials on the market, but Christmas? The holiday brought forth by the sight of candy canes and decorative trees, as well as the smell of pine and gingerbread, has more than a healthy handful of classics that stand proudly beside it. ![]() Just a few short months ago, Dreamworks put their stamp on the holiday home video market with a collection of Halloween shorts, and there's no question that it was a delightful treat. *Click on ALL images in this review for full 1080p screenshots
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