DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVE NOT WATCHED THE MOVIE! THIS REVIEW CONTAINS MAJOR SPOILERS ABOUT PLOT POINTS!
A classic straight out of the middle of my childhood, Annabelle's Wish is a kid's Christmas film about a talking calf who wants to become one of Santa's reindeer, and a mute boy who struggles to live with his disability.
When I was young, this was my favorite Christmas film, surprisingly blowing A Charlie Brown Christmas out of the water (I didn't understand much of the humor in the Peanuts cartoons, or the comics). The bond between Annabelle and Billy was my first taste of bittersweet endings (Although it was mostly sweet rather than bitter, otherwise it wouldn't be much of a kid's movie), and sort of set the standard for these sort of altruistic stories. I didn't understand much of the main conflict involving Aunt Agnes and how she was going to take Billy away, so unfortunately, that wasn't really a part I could get involved in. But the impact it left with the ending was something I was able to walk away with, permanently changing the way I thought about how unimportant my wants were compared to others' needs.
A decade later, I stumbled upon the full movie on YouTube, so I thought I'd give it a look. Surprisingly, it hasn't changed much. The bit with Aunt Agnes was something I could understand (Custody of kids and whatnot), but it wasn't something I was particularly interested in. It was still the bond between Annabelle and Billy that I could stay involved in. Although many of the potentially real moments in the movie were made cliché and corny, I can understand, seeing that it was made mostly for kids.
Overall, it's great for kids who are looking for something to do on Christmas, as well as give a lesson in selflessness. Helped steer me into thinking about putting myself in others' shoes, rather than always thinking for myself. Adults can watch too, if they're willing to bear the overused lines, as well as awkward kid gags that really aren't that funny.
Not that I care. Still gonna be one of my favorite movies I've ever watched.
A classic straight out of the middle of my childhood, Annabelle's Wish is a kid's Christmas film about a talking calf who wants to become one of Santa's reindeer, and a mute boy who struggles to live with his disability.
When I was young, this was my favorite Christmas film, surprisingly blowing A Charlie Brown Christmas out of the water (I didn't understand much of the humor in the Peanuts cartoons, or the comics). The bond between Annabelle and Billy was my first taste of bittersweet endings (Although it was mostly sweet rather than bitter, otherwise it wouldn't be much of a kid's movie), and sort of set the standard for these sort of altruistic stories. I didn't understand much of the main conflict involving Aunt Agnes and how she was going to take Billy away, so unfortunately, that wasn't really a part I could get involved in. But the impact it left with the ending was something I was able to walk away with, permanently changing the way I thought about how unimportant my wants were compared to others' needs.
A decade later, I stumbled upon the full movie on YouTube, so I thought I'd give it a look. Surprisingly, it hasn't changed much. The bit with Aunt Agnes was something I could understand (Custody of kids and whatnot), but it wasn't something I was particularly interested in. It was still the bond between Annabelle and Billy that I could stay involved in. Although many of the potentially real moments in the movie were made cliché and corny, I can understand, seeing that it was made mostly for kids.
Overall, it's great for kids who are looking for something to do on Christmas, as well as give a lesson in selflessness. Helped steer me into thinking about putting myself in others' shoes, rather than always thinking for myself. Adults can watch too, if they're willing to bear the overused lines, as well as awkward kid gags that really aren't that funny.
Not that I care. Still gonna be one of my favorite movies I've ever watched.