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Elliot: The Littlest Reindeer

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A scene from the movie Elliot the Littlest Reindeer. (Empire Entertainment)
A scene from the movie Elliot the Littlest Reindeer. (Empire Entertainment)

WHAT IT'S ABOUT:

When one of Santa’s reindeer suddenly announces his retirement, he needs to find a replacement and fast! Against all odds, Elliot and his best friend Hazel set out to prove that he is the horse for the job. As Elliot and Hazel take on the North Pole reindeer try-outs, Hazel learns that Christmas as we know it may be headed for disaster. Meanwhile, back at the farm a potential new owner has plans that threaten the lives of their friends. Elliot is faced with the biggest decision of his life: save his friends, or follow his dreams and save Christmas. Maybe he doesn’t have to choose; after all, big dreamers dream big!

WHAT WE THOUGHT:

Well. There’s no sugarcoating it, Elliot: The Littlest Reindeer is not going to be on my list of top movies of the year. It’s not the one movie I recommend you watch before you die. That being said, it’s not the worst movie I have ever seen. That honour is reserved for a flick I will not mention here, but will save for special date when I can write a thesis on it. 

What I’m trying to say is if you or your kid really want to go see it, then there might be once or twice when you chuckle or shake your head at the sheer silliness of it all. The animation is passable and in keeping with what you might know from daily cartoons.

The voice acting of Josh Hutcherson as Elliot and Samantha Bee as Hazel were my personal favourites out of the cast, but everyone puts in decent performances.

The real problem was the sloppy script and boring pacing of the overall story. The movie didn’t do enough work to set up a universe for rich characters to inhabit but rather relied on tired cliches and predictable twists and turns. There are gaping plot holes and only a few running gags that start out fun but get very boring, very fast. 

You might think this is perfect for the little ones who are still developing their critical eye but the reality is, they’ll know it’s not that good too. Kids are savvy. Just let them watch The Incredibles or Anastasia or anything else that’s actually good instead. 

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