An Almost Christmas Story

Matt Roush says...

Oscar winner Alfonso Cuarón, in collaboration with director David Lowery and co-writer Jack Thorne, delivers his third holiday short for Disney+, a charming animated fable that appears to have been delivered from a magical woodshop. The story, inspired by an actual event, follows impetuous young owl Moon (voiced by Cary Christopher), who takes shelter with a broken wing in a tree that to his surprise is soon dispatched from the forest to midtown Manhattan as that year’s iconic Rockefeller Center Christmas tree. Moon’s adventures as he tries to find his way home involve another lost soul, a little girl named Luna (Estella Madrigal), and a trio of pigeons (Natasha Lyonne, Phil Rosenthal and Mamoudou Athie) who are both hindrance and help. John C. Reilly is the troubadour/narrator, singing original songs in the spirit of Burl Ives’ Sam the Snowman from Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. ’Tis the season.

What's Worth Watching (Nov 15)