My Top 10 Favorite Christmas movie Moment's

Whenever the holiday season comes around, I always bring out my collection of favorite Christmas movies and specials. It’s simply impossible to go a year without those beloved pictures like “It’s a Wonderful Life” and “Miracle on 34th Street”.  I’ve done a list of my personal favorite holiday specials of all time once before, but for this list, I’m going to take a look at all the treasured moments that make these films so wonderful. Those warm scenes that just put a smile on my face and bring to life the joy of the holiday. I’ll have some familiar moments that many know, and I may even have some surprises that you probably wouldn’t expect, but hey, these are just my personal favorite holiday moments, nobody has to agree with me 100%. Do feel free to comment on what some of your favorites might be, and lets begin the countdown.

#10 “Walking in the air” from “The Snowman” (1982)

With its light as air storytelling and rich atmosphere, the 1982 short titled “The Snowman” is simply one of the greatest holiday gems of all time. The story revolves around a snowman that’s brought to life through the magic of Christmas, and he spends the night with the young boy who created him. The highlight is a scene in which the snowman actually flies the boy through the night sky, all set to a magical song titled “Walking in the Air”. It’s just a beautiful segment, the music is so warm and uplifting. Plus, it’s just awesome that this kid gets to fly around the world on Christmas in a way that’s unique, but also in the spirit of the season. 

  

#9 “There is a Santa and he exists within Kris Kringle” from “Miracle on 34th Street” (1994)

Obviously the original 1947 “Miracle on 34th Street” is the superior holiday classic, however ... in my opinion, it’s the 1994 remake that actually has the stronger ending. This is the story of a seemingly ordinary man who believes himself to be Santa Claus, which results in him being put on trial to prove his sanity. While no clear facts are made to support his claim, the judge still gives a passionate speech about the collective faith of people who believe in something greater then themselves, like the belief in God, which is based solely on faith alone without any real facts. He then determines that by a similar example, there is a Santa, and that he exist within a man named Kris Kringle. It’s just a really touching ending, and the overall theme of faith over fact is a wonderful addition that the remake took full advantage of.    

#8 “When Christmas Comes to Town” from “The Polar Express” (2004)

“The Polar Express” is another personal favorite that I love to watch every year. I just adore the animation, the atmosphere, and the simplicity of the experience. For some reason, the scene that always stands out to me is when a lonely boy sings about the simple joys he desperately wants to feel around Christmas. This leads into a duet between him and a young girl, as they sing "When Christmas comes to Town". It may seem just a little corny to have these children signing, but I just love this song, I love the melody, and really love all the colors and visuals that are displayed in this moment. It’s simply a touching little scene with these two kids, and it just adds a little more magic to the experience.

#7 “All is Right with the World” from “A Christmas Story” (1983)

When you’re a kid, getting that special gift for Christmas is the only thing on your mind, and that’s the charm which this movie captures so well. It’s all about that wonderful time when we were kids, and Christmas was a magical time of the year. It’s just one of the best feel good moments of any Christmas classic, seeing those kids get that special gift. The best individual moment of all is that final scene with the mother and father sitting by the lit up Christmas tree as they watch the snow fall, which just seems to sum up the spirit of the holiday in only 30 seconds.

#6 “Calling a Size Fire” from “Joyeux Noel” (2005)

Based on the incredible true story set during the First World War, French, German and Scottish soldiers are neck deep in the trenches, and ready to kill one another. Then, one single soldier comes out of hiding while singing “Silent Night”, reminding everyone that it’s Christmas Eve, and that they should share the peace and love that Christmas is all about. This leads to all three groups calling a Size Fire in light of the holiday. They leave their bunkers, exchange gifts and even hold a mass. It further emphasizes what a powerful time of year this is, and how it affects us as individuals. It’s such a powerful moment that’s brought to life beautifully in this movie, and its well worth seeing if you haven’t already.

#5 “The Birth of Jesus” from “The Nativity Story” (2006)

Well, kind of an obvious choice, what countdown of best Christmas moments could possibly be more special then the event that started it all. While I freely admit that the 2006 motion picture of the Christmas Story isn’t the absolute strongest, it’s still respectful of its biblical source material, and this films version of the manger scene is sensational. I like that it's depicted it in such a subtle, yet uplifting manner. We don’t really see the quires of angles in the sky, and there isn’t an over blown orchestra, instead its kept rather quiet, with a simple musical score filling up the atmosphere. However, I still feel the size and the importance of the moment just from everyone’s reactions, and it always leaves a subtle impact. It’s arguably the greatest moment of the greatest holiday themed story of all time, and it would have ranked higher had the scene been as strong in it's execution as the following scenes. 

#4 “Maybe Christmas means a little bit more” from “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” (1966)

“How the Grinch Stole Christmas” is hands down my favorite animated holiday short of all time, I love all the colors, the music, the rimes and more than anything, I love seeing the mean-spirited Grinch discover the true meaning of the holiday. Without question, the absolute best scene obviously is the ending, in which our villain finally realizes that … “Maybe Christmas perhaps means a little bit more”. It’s one of the simplest, yet touching scenes I’ve ever experienced in an animated production, and it still gets to me even as an adult. I think it works because it doesn’t come off as overly preachy with the delivery of its message. It just conveys it’s moral, we see how it impacts our villain, and we see what he takes from the lesson he learns. It’s nostalgic, it’s cheerful, and can turn any grouchy frown upside down.

#3 “Merry Christmas George Bailey” from “It’s a Wonderful Life” (1946)

Okay, who doesn’t watch this movie every year, and still on repeat viewings get the same impact from this finale. It's the story of one mans ordinary life, and how it affects the life of countless others, which is just as heartwarming, as it is influential and thought provoking. Of course, its the ending that everyone remembers, when all the towns people come to Georges aid, and give him their money that really gets to me. It's also beautiful as it parallels an earlier scene during the great depression, in which it was George giving the towns people all his money. Another little moment that always sticks with me is when Georges little brother Harry gives him a toast, and claims that he’s “The Richest Guy in Town”. This statement is aimed at a man who never went on to fame, fortune and just had a quiet life with a terrific family. It further highlights how beautiful the little things are, which so many have taken for granted. It’s a moment that I try to capture so often in my own life, to be surrounded by family, loved ones, and to just take that second to respect how rich the gift of life really is. Of course, that final group shot of everyone singing, paired with James Stewart winking to his guardian angel just gets me in the warm feels every time. 

#2 "Heavenly Reunion" (Disney's The Little Match Girl) (2006)

This is a very personal entry on my list, because the story of "The Little Match Girl" is one that my late grandfather read to me all the time when I was a child, and it was a story that always touched me for how somber, yet beautiful it is. This animated 2006 short from Disney in my view is the absolute best visual adaption that captured the emotional impact of the tale perfectly. It's the story of the final hours of a little girl living out on the street ... she's out in the cold, can't find shelter, and her only warmth are her matches. Igniting them conjures memories of a Christmas she shared with her late Grandmother, and how it was the most warmth she's ever felt. She falls so deep in this vision that it mingles with her reality. What started as a warm memory of her grandmother giving her a hug has become the grandmothers spirit, and now she's carrying the child's soul into heaven. It's the moments that merge sorrow and joy into a whole that always leave the biggest impact on me, and this scene is about as dramatic, yet as beautiful as they get. I’m not the kind of guy who cries during movies, let alone cartoon shots, but this ending is an exception in which I always find myself getting terry eyed, not just for the context, but for rekindling warm memories of my own loving grandparents who've long past. 

Before I reveal my #1 favorite, here are some honorable mentions ...

“The Gift of Friendship” (Dragons: Gift of the Night Fury)

"Family Reunites" (Home Alone)

"Looking Back at Childhood Videos" (Christmas Vacation) 

"Finding a Home" (The Small One) 

"All the music I'll ever need" (Mickey's Once upon a Christmas)

#1 “God Forgive me the Time I wasted” from “A Christmas Carol” (1984)

Just like the Grinch, it’s such a treat to see the bitter Mr. Scrooge have a change of heart and understand why this time of year is so special. There are several renditions of “A Christmas Carol”, and everyone of them have a heartwarming ending paired with the famous line "God Bless Us Everyone", and each version lifts my spirit, and put's me in the loving holiday mood. However, while the reformation in general is always great, there's one stand out epilogue from the 1984 version that just tips it to a higher level. It's when Scrooge reconciles with his nephew and for the first time meets his nephew's wife. He apologizes for the mistakes he’s made, and finally becomes one with the family on a more personal note then any other version. Both the acting and direction in this scene is pitch perfect, and there's these subtle inflections from the couple as they are over joyed to have him their, and make the Christmas feel complete. The big take away moment for me is when Scrooge hugs them both and says “God forgive me for the time I’ve wasted”. It’s such a powerful moment that really hits home, and in my opinion is the most emotional moment from any version.

  

 Thanks for reading my countdown, and ... Merry Christmas!

Disney’s Pocahontas (1995) (Movie Review)

   It’s Thanksgiving 2016, plus with Disney’s “Moana” premiering this month and featuring their first ethnic Princess sense Pocahontas, I felt that the time was right to look back, and do a review of one of my favorite child hood Disney movies. So let’s rewind back to 1995, with the premier of Disney’s 33^rd fully animated feature film “Pocahontas”. This is a movie I’ve wanted to talk about for a long time, however, this review will be a little more challenging as the film itself is one of the more “controversial” of their animated line up. Actually, “Pocahontas” is probably Disney’s most controversial movie sense “Song of the South” from back in 1946. So in this review I’ll cover what the film as a whole means for me personally, but I’ll also look at the controversies surrounding the film to see what criticisms are legit and fair against the movie ... which in truth will be most of them, or maybe even all of them.

   Set in 1607, this movie tells a mostly fictionalized story of how the Native American Princess came into contact with the English Settlers lead by explorer John Smith and the greedy Governor Ratcliffe. The settlers aim to strip mine the land of its most valuable resources, putting them at odds with the Powhatan tribe who live off the land. Thus, the conflicts between the two cultures ensue, and war is declared. Caught in the middle of the turmoil are the Indian Princess Pocahontas and the English Settler John Smith who have both fallen in love, and aim to use their new found relationship as a stepping-stone to bring peace between their two diverse cultures. In short, this is Disney’s animated equivalent of “Romeo and Juliet” or “West Side Story”, just with a Native American backdrop. I’ll definitely talk about the controversy of this later in my review, but for now I want to talk about the contents of what the film has to offer on its own, as it has a lot of highlights.

     First of all, as far as animation is concerned ... the movie is gorgeous. To this day, I think “Pocahontas” is one of the best looking animated movies I’ve ever seen. The warm colors, the lighting, the detailed backdrops, the line work ... it’s just a firkin work of art, and a real feast for the eye. 

The animators were clearly inspired by early Disney films like “Sleeping Beauty” to utilize a lot of “line work” for the overall design, but the colors are so absorbing that you hardly even notice. Also, even though this isn’t a fantasy, the forest setting still has this really magical atmosphere, and the overall pacing of the movie allows me to feel completely submersed in this world. Beyond the arresting visuals, the overall direction and transition of select moments are beautifully shot with an artistic narrative and rhythm. For example, one of my favorite scenes is the build up to when Pocahontas first meets John Smith by the waterfall. This is a long segment with no dialogue at all, yet the scene conveys everything beautifully through the character animation and direction. You could probably watch this film on mute and it would still be a satisfying experience, although, that would deprive you of the films next be highlight. 

   For all the movies short comings, “Pocahontas” is still undeniably one of Disney’s best musicals, probably among my top three favorites for sure. The other two would have to be “Beauty and the Beast” and “Frozen” respectively. Each song complements the story, and individually their all very memorable. The song “Just around the Riverbend” is still a personal favorite of mine, with its engaging musical rhythm and inspiring theme of daring to explore the unknown.

I’ve always liked the opening song “Virginia Company” paired with “Steady as the Beating Drum”, as they introduce us to both cultures in visual detail. Even Alan Menken’s instrumental track is fantastic to listen to, and rightfully won the Academy Award for best original score. The villain song titled “Savages” is one of the greatest to ever come from Disney, or any musical for that matter. 

It doesn’t revolve around an individual “bad guy”, but a collected hatred among two diverse classes, which makes it very unique. While the lyrics in the song are a little hockey, the track itself is still riveting and the visual style of the song is once again sensational. I suppose Governor Ratcliffe’s actual villain song titled "Mine, Mine, Mine" is also kind of catchy too. Of course the most famous song of all is the Oscar winning “Colors of the Wind”, which despite being a little preachy is still one of Disney’s great classic songs. My personal favorite song is the romantic number between our two heroes titled “If I Never Knew You”. This song was deleted from the original theatrical film version, but it was edited back in for the 10^th anniversary DVD. Ignoring the fact that Pocahontas and John Smith were never one of my favorite Disney couples, this song is still a personal favorite. The melody is beautiful, and it’s just a great song revolving around what life would be like without someone you loved.

    With that said, let’s talk about Pocahontas’s relationship with John Smith, which unfortunately is not that great. The two have some terrific individual scenes together like their aforementioned song or when the two first meet, but as a whole, they really don’t have much chemistry. Let me put it this way, I at least understand why John Smith would fall in love with her, as she opened his mind and life to new perspectives that in hindsight made him a better man. On the flip side, I never understood why Pocahontas would fall in love with him. She just dose because it’s a Disney movie, and they need to be a couple. To be honest, I thought Pocahontas had a lot more chemistry with this one other Indian girl who’s her best friend, but don’t read too much into that. John Smith is also kind of a typical bland hero, but voiced relatively well by Mel Gibson. In the plus column, I do like the majority of the characters in this film. I like those two silly English guys, Chief Powhatan is a fine father character, and one of the settlers is voiced by a young Christian Bale, which is very amusing.

   I also like the mystical Grandmother Willow, who’s a tree that acts as Pocahontas’s spiritual guide. 

I’ll admit, this character should have only existed in the mind of Pocahontas herself. The concept of a magic tree coming to life on its own is pretty silly, at least when set in a historical time period. Of course I also love the cute animal characters, and I think it was a smart move to keep them mute. Some have argued that do to their lack of speech, the animals don’t contribute anything aside from some visual comedy. Honestly, with the exception of the humming bird Flit, I think the animals do contribute something to the film in their own simplistic way. The raccoon Meeko provides Pocahontas with the compass that becomes her figurative “spinning arrow”, pointing her on the path. The dog Percy was once Governor Ratcliffe’s nasty pet, but makes a full reformation by the end of the film, which is the first sign of making peace between the two groups. Actually, this is something I especially loved as a kid. Usually the evil pet is there to just be an evil pet that gets his comeuppance, but seeing Percy form a friendship with the other animals always felt special to me.  

   

    In general, I like all the characters in this film, that is with the one reservation of ... the villain. While Governor Ratcliffe has always stuck with me as a memorable Disney antagonist, largely thanks to his design ... which is one of my favorite wardrobe designs ... he's unfortunately the catalyst for many of the films missteps. 

He’s obviously designed and marketed like any classic Disney villain, but without either the excitement or even the charm of other bad guys. I can’t say that he’s completely boring, or even devoid of menace, but his motivations are as generic as they get, and there’s a noticeable lack of conflict between him and our lead hero. Yeah ... something I never noticed as a kid is that Pocahontas and Governor Ratcliffe never share a single scene together, and it’s always a highlight of any Disney movie to see the hero work off the villain. In my opinion, there’s one thing that could have completely redeemed this character and made him one of the greatest villains in the whole Disney roaster. He and John Smith should have been best friends at the beginning of the film, and both with the same nefarious goals. That way John Smiths reformation and union with Pocahontas would have been all the more powerful, and his rivalry with Ratcliffe would have been far more conflicting. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen, leaving Governor Ratcliffe at the short end with Disney’s roster of classic villains. In the plus column, we did get a solid duel performance from the late actor David Ogden Stiers, who shined as both the menacing Governor and his dimwitted, yet good natured footman Wiggins.  

    Now let’s finally talk about our leading Princess Pocahontas as she is the key component of the film. Personally, she’s always been one of my favorite Disney characters, and I think one of the best Princesses from their animated roster. 

Like Belle before her, this is a princess who breaks away from the traditional stereotypes of the past, is stronger, high spirited and has a touching outlook on life that we as a culture can use to make the world a better place. Having said that ... Pocahontas is admittedly not without some set-backs. She lacks the same personality that made other Princesses fun to watch, and I can’t help but feel that there’s more to this character that the movie is glancing over. The film is so focused on her as a romantic interest that we don’t see enough of her diplomatic side, or even her charitable side, which both would have been very meaningful to see more of. On a side note, I know historically her real name is Matoaka, and Pocahontas was just a nickname given to her by her father, which the movie ignores. Now the translation of the name Pocahontas has actually taken on several different meanings, but the most common translation I’ve heard is “Little Mischief”, which I think is kind of cute. I should also note that during this point in Native American history, Pocahontas was closer to the age of 10 or 12, which puts her at odds with John Smith who was closer to 30.

   I suppose it’s time to address the elephant in the room, which is the historical and cultural presentation of the film. I mean, I’m no historian or anything, so I won’t pretend to know all the facts, but I can take a wild guess that this film is largely inaccurate to the historical events. 

Now even before this movie, story tellers have romanticized and embellished the supposed “historical friendship” between the two, to a point where it’s unintentionally become the early American equivalent of “Romeo and Juliet”, and that’s obviously what Disney is trying to capitalize on with this film. Disney’s “Pocahontas” is historical fiction, and this is where I feel the negatives aimed at the movie are justified. Not every film has to be perfectly accurate to real events, the 1984 picture “Amadeus” for example is a motion picture masterpiece, despite taking some liberties with its historical backdrop. However, there are limits to how many liberties a film can take. I believe it was Napoleon Bonaparte who said “History is the version of past events that people have decided to agree upon”, and in that logic is where I think we might get a little careless. 

Obviously there will always be historical events that are never proven 100%, but it is our responsibility to get the facts down as accurately and as respectfully possible. If Disney wants to do their own unique spin on a fairytale, that’s perfectly fine, but when it comes to a historical culture, they need to be very ... VERY CARFULL with the presentation. While I’m sure everyone at Disney had perfectly good intentions with this movie, I don’t think anyone stopped to think if what they were doing might come off as offensive to another culture. Case in point, the Indian’s portrayed in this film can create magic visions in fire places, which are these huge, ghostly spectacles. This feels less like the product of a real Native American village, and is obviously more like Disney magic thrown in just because it’s a Disney movie. This just feels like an immature presentation of a real Native Culture, and it puts this movie in a really bad position.

    Putting aside the cultural and historical problems, others have criticized this movie for being largely uneventful and mostly boring. Now this is all subject to personal taste, because I remember watching this film a lot as a kid, and enjoying it every bit as much as “Aladdin”, “The Little Mermaid” and so forth. Even to this day, I still enjoy watching the film. I guise because I’m a sucker for nostalgia, and I still think it’s cool to see Disney do their own animated equivalent of “West Side Story” in a different setting. However, I’ll admit, it doesn’t have the same “fun factor” as other Disney movies. 

The pacing is slower, the comedy is subdued, and there isn’t much action. Also, “Pocahontas” came out right in the middle of the Disney Renascence, a time in which the studio was consistently turning out some of their biggest and best work. I think the big problem was that this film came off the heels of “The Lion King”, which was a monumental juggernaut in children’s entertainment, and it made “Pocahontas” look pathetic by comparison. However, I do think this movie was a mostly admirable effort to speak to both kids and adults equally. The execution wasn’t as strong as it could have been, but their hearts were in the right place. The various morals in the movie are still relevant to this day, and even if it’s a recycled message I still can’t fault the movie for conveying genuinely good values to the viewer.

    Now before I wrap up this overly long review of mine, I have to talk about the ending, because personally I think this is one of the greatest endings of any Disney film. There’s no big climax, no over blown action spectacle, and it doesn’t resolve in a traditional happy ending. We have the two sides march into battle, and just before the slaughter ensues, Pocahontas makes a daring sacrifice to rescue John Smith, which in turn brings peace to the two factions. The animation during this scene once again is incredible, as the backdrop begins as a rising sun, allowing for the color red to take up most of the imagery, and emphasizes the heated turmoil between both sides. Then when Pocahontas steps in and mediates peace between the two, the sun has fully risen providing cooler and lighter coolers, as the characters have equally reached a calm state. 

   The downside is that John finds himself at the receiving end of a bullet, and is forced to leave. Now most Disney movies end with our main couple together, but this is more like the “Casablanca” of Disney films in which the couple is forced to go separate ways. There's still the lingering hope that one day they’ll meet again, but even if they don’t, we still have the satisfaction that both their lives are now more complete thanks to the experience they shared together. So it’s a fine mix of beauty and sorrow, plus the whole ending scene is just gorgeously shot, and it leaves me with chills every time I see it. Also in comparison to both “West Side Story” and “Romeo and Juliet”, I felt that this relationship was more beneficial to both warring parties, where as in the former two stories, I felt that the couple accomplished nothing in terms of bringing the divided groups together. P.S. – “I love “West Side Story”, and it is obviously the superior musical by comparison”.

   So with all that said, is Disney’s “Pocahontas” a good movie ... probably not. Both the cultural and historical flaws are very serious negatives, the story is based on familiarities that can make the experience boring for some viewers, the romance at the center point of the film feels generic, the villain is average, and even the message is a little too familiar for the movie to really leave an impact. 

Now having said all that, I still can’t bring myself to say that I don’t like this movie. Despite its many set-backs, Disney’s “Pocahontas” is still personally one of my top 10 favorite animated films the studio has produced. I still love the characters, I love the animation, I love the music, I love the atmosphere, I love the setting, on general principle I love the morals, and the film to this day still gets me in the warm “feels” every time I watch it. While I regrettably can’t recommend “Pocahontas” as easily as other animated films, I’m still glad I grew up with it, and I’m glad it’s held up for me after all these years. 

Thanks for reading my review of Disney’s 1995 classic “Pocahontas” ... and continue to enjoy the movies you love!   

And Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!