Can we please just take a moment to appreciate what a total delight this is? Anthropomorphized talking animals, a dog who doesn't exhibit all the customary domestic canine behaviors, and an utterly extraordinary voice cast would be enough all by themselves to sell the special, to say nothing of the fun songs. As if all that weren't enough, the animation at once looks very 2D but is also meaningfully 3D, is relatively simplistic yet is rich and colorful nonetheless, and further distinctly recalls the illustration styles of children's books. Add in the wonderful, silly, but warmhearted screenplay of Steve Young, based on J. Otto Seibold's book - a joyful variety of characters, fun dialogue and scene writing, and an imaginative story - and how could one possibly say that 'Olive, the other reindeer' is anything less than fantastic?
To whatever extent the vibrant animation could arguably be said to lack detail (if true, certainly only by comparison to other styles), the writing more than makes up for it. The world of 'The other reindeer' is filled with little bits and pieces that are fabulously entertaining, jaunty and jolly and terrifically inventive. The tale happily dispenses with any fragment of reality to revel in the ridiculous, from a cheekily cartoonish antagonist, to clever use of an often dubious plot device, to small nods and references, to the sheer willingness to let every character be who they want to be. Why, to that point, there are gratifyingly heartfelt, lovely themes peeking just around the corner - equal parts underhanded and obvious - and obliquely cementing the overall tack of the feature, please note the subtle acknowledgements in this "Christmas" story of other holidays that exist.
Between wordplay, situational humor, and gentle sight gags, the film is also flush with light comedy that gracefully adjoins the irreverent yet earnest storytelling. And that's to say nothing of the uncomplicated pleasure of listening to the voice cast who were clearly just having a blast bringing the tale to life. Perhaps I overstep, yet I wonder if Drew Barrymore, Joe Pantoliano, Jay Mohr, or even Peter MacNicol have ever had as much fun elsewhere as they do here, to say nothing of the involvement of Michael Stipe, Tim Meadows, Ed Asner, and many more. Everyone imbues their characters with such glad personality, doing as much behind their microphones as Young and Seibold at their keyboards to make 'Olive' the exceptionally amusing picture that it is. And where would this be without director Steve Moore or producer Matt Groening to tie all the component parts together?
It doesn't matter if it's Christmas Eve or the middle of July, or if a viewer is preteen or elderly: anyone who enjoys a good, genuine, jovial diversion will surely get a kick out of this, and at only 45 minutes, it takes no time at all to watch, and watch again. One rather assumes from the premise that it will be adorable and charming, but still I'm pleased with just how refreshing and satisfying the end result is. 'Olive, the other reindeer' is a modern classic that deserves to be revered alongside holiday classics of years long past, and I can't wait to see it again!
To whatever extent the vibrant animation could arguably be said to lack detail (if true, certainly only by comparison to other styles), the writing more than makes up for it. The world of 'The other reindeer' is filled with little bits and pieces that are fabulously entertaining, jaunty and jolly and terrifically inventive. The tale happily dispenses with any fragment of reality to revel in the ridiculous, from a cheekily cartoonish antagonist, to clever use of an often dubious plot device, to small nods and references, to the sheer willingness to let every character be who they want to be. Why, to that point, there are gratifyingly heartfelt, lovely themes peeking just around the corner - equal parts underhanded and obvious - and obliquely cementing the overall tack of the feature, please note the subtle acknowledgements in this "Christmas" story of other holidays that exist.
Between wordplay, situational humor, and gentle sight gags, the film is also flush with light comedy that gracefully adjoins the irreverent yet earnest storytelling. And that's to say nothing of the uncomplicated pleasure of listening to the voice cast who were clearly just having a blast bringing the tale to life. Perhaps I overstep, yet I wonder if Drew Barrymore, Joe Pantoliano, Jay Mohr, or even Peter MacNicol have ever had as much fun elsewhere as they do here, to say nothing of the involvement of Michael Stipe, Tim Meadows, Ed Asner, and many more. Everyone imbues their characters with such glad personality, doing as much behind their microphones as Young and Seibold at their keyboards to make 'Olive' the exceptionally amusing picture that it is. And where would this be without director Steve Moore or producer Matt Groening to tie all the component parts together?
It doesn't matter if it's Christmas Eve or the middle of July, or if a viewer is preteen or elderly: anyone who enjoys a good, genuine, jovial diversion will surely get a kick out of this, and at only 45 minutes, it takes no time at all to watch, and watch again. One rather assumes from the premise that it will be adorable and charming, but still I'm pleased with just how refreshing and satisfying the end result is. 'Olive, the other reindeer' is a modern classic that deserves to be revered alongside holiday classics of years long past, and I can't wait to see it again!