I have very fond childhood memories of watching the classic Christmas movies about Rudolph and Frosty the Snowman. I could not wait to start a family tradition of watching these classics every year with my children. To my dismay, when I had attempted to watch these movies with my now almost 6yr old son during the past two holiday seasons, they could not hold his interest at all.When I was offered the chance to review the newly released Gotta Catch Santa Claus DVD, I wondered if this movie could be part of the next generation of holiday classics. The animation is right on target with many of the most recently popular animated children's films. Of course it does not hurt that the ever-popular William Shatner is the voice behind Santa Claus.
I invite you to take a minute to watch this trailer:
This movie did hold my son's attention. Some obvious differences between this film and the old classics are that Santa's sleigh has turbo boosters, Mrs. Claus is curvaceous and bubbly, and everyone leaves Santa donuts instead of cookies. Some ways this film is similar to the classics are that there is singing, the villain (Mr. LaFreeze) represents the cold, and of course there are Santa and his team of elves and reindeer. My son's favorite scene was when the kids had engaged in a snowball fight with Mr. LaFreeze and his sidekicks.
I think this movie spoke to my son because children are not as naive as they use to be. Many are logical thinkers like the skeptical Veronica, but some are still believers like the main character Trevor. Ultimately, at my son's age, he is still a believer and both he and the general audience wants deep down for the characters in the movie to be able to prove that Santa is real. This film taught my son that science and magic can both exist.
If you'd like to learn more about this fun holiday film, visit the Lionsgate Shop. You can pick up this movie most places where children's DVDs are sold. You can also catch this movie during the ABC Family's 2009 "25 Days of Christmas" Event. Check your local listings for showtimes.
Thank you to Lionsgate for providing us with a review product free of charge.
