By REY FLORES
As children, many of us grew up watching television, particularly memorable special broadcasts of The Wizard of Oz, Rankin and Bass’ Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, and of course, all the holiday-themed Peanuts animated specials.
My favorite was A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving where Snoopy and his little bird friend Woodstock fix a Thanksgiving dinner of buttered toast, jellybeans, and popcorn, much to the dismay of Peppermint Patty.
While we have certainly had our fill of animated movies from the likes of Disney Studios, movies like Finding Nemo, The Lion King, Aladdin, The Little Mermaid, and so on, few animated films deal with Jesus.
This holiday season, Sony, Columbia, and Jim Henson Productions among others have teamed up to bring us a terrific new animated film which may become a new Christmas classic for our younger generations.
The Star is the telling of the birth of our Savior as seen by the eyes of the animals who were present in the manger when Jesus Christ was born.
Like many animated films, The Star has the goofy characters who blunder their way through the story by bringing us laughs over their ineptness, the hero, plus the main protagonist Bo, the donkey who leads a menagerie of animals to experience the greatest story ever told.
I found it entertaining that talk-show legend Oprah Winfrey voices one of the wisecracking camels in this film. Singer Kelly Clarkson voices Leah the horse, Patricia Heaton voices Edith the cow, and actor Christopher Plummer plays King Herod.
While this film has its own unique telling of the Nativity, we all pretty much know the gist of it all, so there’s really no spoiler here.
The one thing I sometimes am uncomfortable with is the predictable and obligatory off-color jokes, like a pigeon shaking its tail feathers in other characters’ faces, or the modern vernacular used as opposed to more traditional mannerisms and language. Don’t misunderstand me — there’s nothing vulgar or bad that I could see, so it’s definitely a family-friendly movie for all ages.
I really like the fact that in a post-Obama era, Americans are no longer fearing to wish each other a Merry Christmas in public, and the movie studios understand that, hence The Star.
Movies like The Star are how Hollywood is responding to its plummeting ticket sales and attendance. Going to the movies has become less and less an option for family entertainment, given that most of what Hollywood produces is gratuitous sex and violence. I’m glad to see that Christian audiences are not being ignored any longer.
The Star is not just a movie, but an effort to bring people back to what Christmas is all about. The filmmakers have produced many multimedia materials to accompany the film on its website. Parents and families can download coloring pages and other fun games and Advent activities and curriculums which teach kids about how the Nativity can apply to our daily lives as followers of and believers in Christ.
This film is pulling out all the stops: Its accompanying music soundtrack features pop diva Mariah Carey and the contemporary all-female singing group Fifth Harmony.
Furthermore, the film has partnered with the Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA), The National Conference for Catechetical Leadership, Convocation of Catholic Leaders, and the American Association of Christian Counselors, and many other reputable organizations.
This film is suitable for children of all ages and may make a neat respite from the busy Christmas shopping season for families.
The Star opens in theaters nationwide on November 17. Visit TheStarMovie.com to view the trailer, to look up its many family-friendly activity resources, and to buy tickets.
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