Diary of a Wimpy Kid Christmas: Cabin Fever (2023) User Reviews

A wimpy Christmas

[MB-reviewer185 · 7/10 · 9 December 2023]

I have read most of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books by Jeff Kinney and enjoy reading them, but I did not like the four live action movies from 20th Century Fox; I have enjoyed the first two animated films from Disney based on the two books, which is why I prefer the animated adaptations over the live-action ones. Diary of a Wimpy Kid Christmas: Cabin Fever (2023) is as enjoyable and entertaining as the earlier two movies, with a nice Christmas look and feel to it and well-done animation; also, it has things you will recognize from the book it is based on, only if you have read the book though.

The voice acting is well done, and the characters are likable; Greg Heffley goes from having a selfish personality by doing whatever it takes to get a new video game console for Christmas, to learning how to help people and spending time with family, even though his family is weird. Greg's friend who helps him on the tough situation is Rowley Jefferson who gets dragged into the problem of accidentally breaking a snowplow and works with Greg to get rid of the evidence; the whole time he wants to do traditional Christmas things, but because Greg is his friend, he tries to help. Also, there are things involving Greg's family being snowed in at home, and Greg avoiding a creepy looking elf doll mostly because he was told it is Santa's little helper.

The animation is pretty, and the character designs are exact to the drawings in the books; the movie was had funny moments, and nice moments involving Greg Heffley learning more about what Christmas is about or just doing good things for people and for his family. I recognized a lot of moments in the movie that are from the book, because I have read the book, and the way they are executed is well done and accurate to the book; the only way you will notice certain things in the movie is if you have read the book, but I think you can enjoy the movie without needing to.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid Christmas: Cabin Fever (2023) is an enjoyable and entertaining Christmas movie that people who have read the book will like, and people who have not read the book will like; likable characters, funny scenes, nice looking animation, and a nice Christmas look and feel. If you like the books and the earlier two movies, then you will like this; if you have not read the books, this is a nice, animated Christmas movie to check out.

A decent movie

[bdjajic · 5/10 · 10 December 2023]

The main characters voice acting is terrible, but after a while you get used to it. It doesn't feel true to the brand, as he is very manipulative in the beginning to Rowley and is an overall bad person, but at the end is good, I would have enjoyed to much more if he was bad all the way through, that's what I came for, and that is what most die-hard fans came for too. At the end Greg gives away a "Megastation" console that he got for christmas to charity, which does not make sense given the character's personality in the books.

Good Life lessons, all the voice actors are good, but take some time to get used to, a few giggles here and there, decent movie.

I would say most kids under 12 will like it, and anyone from 16-24 will also like it mainly because they grew up with the franchise, if you want to watch a good DOAWK movie, just do yourself a favor and watch the first 2 live action ones.

The Wimpiest Christmas

[TheMysteriousReviewer · 6/10 · 10 December 2023]

Maybe I was right, I do see a bit of potential for the animated movies. I'll admit I did sound too soft on the animated version of Roderick Rules. Thinking about it, yeah it was pretty bad. But this has given some hopes again. Diary of a Wimpy Kid Christmas: Cabin Fever is an okay Christmas movie that does base on that book well with a good message of cherishing your family despite the hard times and a bit of redemptions for the characters, even Greg at the end (I hope it stays cannon and doesn't pull Cera's father from Land Before Time). But what keeps this from being the best Diary of a Wimpy Kid movie is that the animation hasn't really upgraded much and rather wants to tradition being cheap. This convinces me that releasing Diary of a Wimpy Kid movies ever year instead of two-three years would mean they don't take enough time. The same would go to the running time where the movie wouldn't have enough to extend details for the plot to make it fun. All we ever see is the Heffley family panicking throughout the entire snowstorm, that's it. I think it will be worth watching for Diary of a Wimpy Kid fans during Christmas time. I wouldn't consider this a great film, but at least a little bit of a miracle from last time.

Great Cabin Fever Adaptation!

[KFstudios2009 · 7/10 · 9 December 2023]

Diary of a Wimpy Kid Christmas: Cabin Fever, is an animated Christmas special based on book six from the famous Wimpy kid franchise, with now over eigthteen books. I was expectimg this movie for over a year now, and I had high expectations. The trailer looked a little weird but it is always worth to give it a try. And this was my first thought: A very fun christmas special for the whole family. Because it is exactly it. It had a runtime on only an hour, great for kids, and it was fun and entertaining. I was entertained myself, I growed up with this books, have read them all, and watching this and looking on all of the details is really fun. Many easter eggs included, some family photos and video game posters that have been mentioned many times in the books. The adaptation of book six: Cabin fever, was very fun. I felt I didn't like the two previous animated movies mostly because they felt like remakes of the live-action series, but in here, something totally new. The animation was also greater in here, good, bright colors, and the character expressions looked much better and more similar to the books. The voice-actors were great, Greg, his mother and Manny was the best. I didn't like Rowley's voice because it didn't fit so much. What I felt was a problem in this film to was that the story was rushed and it was overall very short. But they used their time greatly anyway. The action sequences were drawn great from different angles, and the music was great. They used sometimes themes from other famous films like Psycho and they used also the sound of Matrix. That was really fun and enjoyable. In the end, Cabin Fever was enjoyable. Fun and emtertaining, great family fun, but felt a little rushed and Rowley's voice could be better. The rest, was great! Good film, and a fine adaptation to book six of Wimpy kid.

Nice little special

[steveeuesden · 7/10 · 9 December 2023]

It's not the best diary of a wimpy kid production but I'm my opinion it is quite nice it has a hood story although it is sometimes rushed and not everything from the book is adapted properly I still feel like it's worth watching if ur bored one day it's far from the best but it has its moments and spoilers for the ending but it is amazing has a poor old lady gets her kid a console Greg ended up being quite a nice guy in this fun special Overall. It is not the best of the wimpy kid shows but better than the other animated ones and worth while I gave this specials a 7/10 I recommend if u are bored.

Don't watch.. Major Christmas spoiler for kids

[eoinblacklock · 1/10 · 14 December 2023]

Just a PSA about the new Diary of a wimpy kid movie on disney plus. It destroys Santa! Apparently the kid finds presents hidden in the hotpress and then receives the same ones on Christmas day. It very obviously done. It's rated 6+ so it can't be blocked at all. Online says it needs to be 12+. It happens very early on in the movie.

Lots of upset online about it

At minute 23 Greg makes a discovery in the linen closet .. this discovery could ruin Christmas for a lot of children.

Disney+ should remove this show before the magic of Christmas is lost.

Hopefully word will spread about the spoiler to the adults before it reaches the school playgrounds.

Fun Movie, "Spoiler" threats overblown

[aimeedingman-44075 · 7/10 · 16 December 2023]

Honestly Mickey's Once Upon A Christmas gets closer to spoiling the magic. Lots of people give and receive gifts on Christmas Day in multiple ways, from parents and from Santa. My ardent Santa loving, Diary of a Wimpy Kid fan children did not notice or say anything about this movie, other than they enjoyed it. We've watched it twice and I had no idea people were upset. It's not the greatest movie I've ever seen, but it was fun while having a good general message about doing the right thing in the end. Don't worry too much about the "spoiler." Diary of a Wimpy Kid fans will enjoy this movie, and the family will laugh. That's a win.

Gregg is the bad guy

[crivelloma · 1/10 · 14 December 2023]

I strongly suggest avoiding this movie. Gregg is a mean, dishonest, and manipulative character. He constantly "forces" his best friend, Rowley, to lie. And it kills Rowley. There is a snowball effect metaphor that plays throughout the movie, and every time Gregg opens his mouth, his lies get bigger and meaner. It physically hurts Rowley. Gregg doesn't care. My kid was confused by the antagonist, because she is the person that Gregg hurts in the movie, then when he gets to know ger better, still chooses to lie. An elf on a shelf serves as Greggs only beacon of morality, as it seemingly follows him around whenever he is doing wrong. Once his family finds out what he is guilty of, they too try to cover it up. In the end, Gregg gives away his most coveted present (a video game console that his parents purchased, and he hasnt opened yet) to the woman he hurt, who is a singke mother, as a measure of atonement. He throws away the elf (a family heirloom) so he wint have attack of conscience next year, and is comforted by the thought that he can simply ask for the console next year.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid Christmas: Cabin Fever - The best of the Disney+ films so far

[PeriBloxV2 · 6/10 · 12 December 2023]

So originally, I wasn't planning on writing a review on this since I didn't really have much to say but looking back, there is quite a bit I'd like to say about this film and it somehow managed to exceed my expectations. So, what do I think of this film? Well, surprisingly, I ended up really enjoying it. I thought it was just going to be like the other films and just be okay, but no, it was actually pretty good. Let's discuss it.

So first off, let's talk about the animation. These models still take time getting used to, but they feel slightly better in this film in terms of the facial expressions. They still aren't as expressive as other stylized animated films out there, but it looks fine in my opinion. Everything else looks good though, the lighting and shading looks better and there's a cool shots thrown here and there.

Next off, the story. So the story is pretty similar to the books as to be expected, with some minor changes, like how in the book, Greg gets in trouble for hanging posters on the school wall, with the dye ending up getting into the wall, and in the movie, Greg ends up destroying a snowplow, but there are also some pretty big changes. The film takes on a more campy-Holliday special vibe where it basically becomes a "Spend time with your family, presents are about giving not receiving" type of mumbo jumbo, but it's still fun to watch even though it might not have the same cynical nature of the books.

Next up, the characters. First off Greg. Greg is still portrayed as a lot more likeable in this, nothing more to say. He is still a bit mean to Rowley, but not nearly as bad as book Greg. I don't really mind this change compared to most people, especially since in the original cabin fever book Greg's jerk-ish nature was also toned down compared to other books. Next up Rodrick. Rodrick is still fun to watch in this. He is a lot more funnier moments in this compared to his appearance in the other movies, and I like how they kept his character growth from Rodrick Rules where he's still there for his brother when things get really down for him, but he's still going to mess with him whenever he gets the chance. Next up is Hank, who I feel like has reverted a bit back to his live action movie personality with how crazy and overreactive he gets to certain things, like how he is constantly monitoring his family during the snow storm, which was funny and I really enjoyed watching. I don't really have much to say about Susan and Manny, they haven't really changed much since the other 2 films.

In conclusion, Diary of a Wimpy Kid Christmas: Cabin Fever is a fun little christmas movie. It's a solid adaptation with the books with barely any major changes, the characters feel more fun to watch, and the animation even got a bit of an upgrade. Overall, I'd give this film a 6.5/10. Thanks for reading!

I can't believe that Disney would show a movie that

[simon-83785 · 1/10 · 15 December 2023]

I can not believe Disney would show a movie that explains away the magic of Christmas. If your kids are believers then please avoid. The quality of Disney story telling is incredibly low standard as of late. How many Disney films in the last 5 years are under 6 out if 10 star?

I am so glad I managed to watch this movie before my children did. I am not to sure what Disney is thinking anymore. I do not feel comfortable letting my kids have free run of Disney plus anymore. Disney desperately need to listen to fans and get feedback and opinion and try and work out why so many movies have been so wide of the mark.

The best animated wimpy kid movie yet

[L8ton-Rocks · 8/10 · 8 December 2023]

I'm just gonna say that this was the best wimpy kid animated movie yet. I usually look forward to these wimpy kid animated movie's each year, and this did not disappoint at all. I loved Greg's character development, the thrilling moments and pretty much nearly everything. And I didn't mind the recasting on the characters. And the animation is slowly getting better and better within' each movie. Now obviously it's not perfect but it's good enough. I highly recommend this if you're getting trying to get into the Christmas spirit and I'm hoping that each Wimpy kid movie will get better and better year after year.

Verdict: 8/10.

A piece of Christmas coal! Keep believers away from this movie.

[msouter1984 · 1/10 · 18 December 2023]

I recently watched "Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Christmas Cabin Fever" on Disney Plus with my almost six-year-old twins, and I must express my extreme disappointment and frustration. As a parent, I strive to maintain the magic of Christmas for my children, who are fervent believers in the enchantment of the holiday season.

To my dismay, the movie took an unfortunate turn when the wimpy kid discovered his unwrapped Christmas present in the airing cupboard. This revelation could potentially sow seeds of doubt in young minds about the existence of Santa Claus. As a result, I had to quickly turn off the movie to prevent any unnecessary questions from arising.

I urge Disney to address this issue promptly, either by reconsidering the inclusion of such scenes in children's content or by providing a mechanism for parents to filter out such potentially problematic content from their children's profiles. Preserving the magic of childhood innocence during the Christmas period is crucial, and I trust that Disney will take the necessary steps to ensure the content aligns with the values and expectations of parents.

Ruins Christmas for young children Avoid

[john-m-peters · 1/10 · 19 December 2023]

This is on Disney+ with an age rating of 6+. So I thought that would be fine for a 7 year old eagerly waiting santa. How wrong I was, the movie revealed the parents give the gifts, as greg finds his gift from santa a few days early. There is also a scene where the characters roll their eyes at another child who says he believes in santa. There is nothing to redeem this at the end.

Come on Disney, something major has gone wrong with your organisation if your product control can't take a step back and say "hey, our big Xmas release spoils santa - let's stick it as a 12 so we avoid as many little ones finding out" or the writers saying "hey, let's have a mysterious gift appear at the end"

Absolute trash

[jakesnewlife · 2/10 · 19 December 2023]

1 star! When I saw this movie came out, I was exited. Cabin Fever was probably my favorite book from the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. How could they possibly make a movie that was just as good? Well, they can't. The amount of dissapointment that im honestly feeling right now is insane. I honestly can't tell wether this movie is a Christmas special or a crime documentery. The book didn't go this into the crime. They sprinkled it a little bit throughought it, and it still felt christmasy. This just feels like a crime filled, slog of a movie, that just drags on. For example, at the beginning, the movie suddently turns to the movie Duel for some odd reason, that just drags on. Each scene is just Greg stressing over the fact he might go to jail. On top of all this, it's not faithful to the book at all. The only part that resembles the book in any way is the snowstorm, and the rest of it is just small stuff that no one cares about. Rodrick Rules wasn't like this. It was faitlful to both the book and the live action movie, which I still consider to be one of my favorite live action movies. The comedy managed to be on point in the animated one, and it actually managed to make me laugh. This was just a sinical cash grab. This was a horrible continuation of a fantastic movie. The only reason im rating this 2 stars instead of 1 is because of the good voice acting. DO NOT WATCH.

Why does this sequel even exist?!

[jaxstorm-32906 · 1/10 · 10 December 2023]

This movie has hideous animation, awful voice acting, mean spirited cruelty, and it rips off how the grinch stole Christmas and SpongeBob SquarePants! Disney, you need to understand that ruining childhoods such as classics or modern shows will eventually get you a lawsuit. Disney should be ashamed of themselves for making this abysmal and hideous sequel! Christmas is now ruined because of you! If Stephen Hillenberg and Dr. Seuss were both alive to see this, they would be SOOOOOOOOO Disappointed to see that the Gregory family is ruining their work! So this movie and the previous 2 deserve a 0/10!

How does this animated adaption of my favourite Wimpy Kid book hold out? Let's see...

[LTPHarry · 8/10 · 8 December 2023]

Diary of a Wimpy Kid Christmas: Cabin Fever is the first adaption of a Wimpy Kid book not adapted into a live-action movie. The previous two animated movies were flawed in this concept mainly because they threw in everything in very little time. This one actually does it a bit better, but in all terms it's very different to the book.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Cabin Fever is my favourite book in the series, because it had the perfect blend of everything all wrapped up into 218 pages. This film while sharing some plot elements, has little connection to the original story.

So, the synopsis is that Greg is wanting a new video game system for Christmas, however when he and Rowley are building a snowman and accidentally damage a snowplough, they are now wanted criminals by the police and Greg is worried that if the rest of the Heffleys found out, he wouldn't get the game system. However, he soon discovers that the best gifts are not wrapped up in paper, but who we have around us once the family is snowed in and have to try and survive with little food, water and no electricity.

So, in overall honesty, I find this more re-watchable than the previous two animated movies and it could be because this movie is based on a half-hour TV special based on the book that Jeff Kinney planned for Fox, but was never made. So, I can guess he combined the ideas of that special with the book and came up with this movie adaption for Disney+. Bardel Entertainment once again provides animation, and it's pretty much the same as before. Luke Cormican returns as director and so does John Paesano as composer. They all do their job fine and make the movie what it is.

As for characters... Greg does showcase a little more of his book side in some way, but I would say what he does at the end certainly isn't what you would expect from his book counterpart, and more in line with the films. Rowley is perfectly in-character with the book counterpart as well, making himself feel completely scared out of his mind about the fear of being arrested. Rodrick seems to have kept his slightly more nicer behaviour from Rodrick Rules and doesn't bully Greg. Frank is concerned about everything and does have his funny moments although once again, not as much as live-action Frank in the first three live-action movies. I would say Susan is a little bit annoying here and wanting to be as perfect as possible. As for Manny, although he is still a bit annoying, he's much more tolerable than his book counterpart because he didn't deliberately freeze his own family to death (because the power cut effected the neighborhood due to the snow, and not Manny meddling with the fuse box like in the book). The side characters, including the snowplough driver, showcase their character development as well, as she reveals what really goes on at her home.

Overall, I thought this was a nice adaption of a great book, but the book is still better.

Overall a bad movie

[mobediah · 1/10 · 23 December 2023]

Setting aside the Santa spoiler (which is really disappointing), it's still just a bad & boring movie. The entire thing is the same couple scenes over and over again - they're not even funny or suspenseful either. I kept waiting for something interesting to happen, and it didn't until literally the last 60 seconds of the movie. Greg is also a mean kid, which I wasn't expecting. My daughter has read some of the books so maybe that's a character trait of his I am just unaware of, and wouldn't be surprising to others who know the series well. Overall, there are sooo many good Christmas movies out there, this is just a waste of time.

Alfrendo is not what he is supposed to BE!

[willpetes · 1/10 · 24 December 2023]

I've barely made it through the initial five minutes of the movie, only to discover that they've completely overhauled the entire narrative surrounding Alfrendo. That character held a special place in my heart, reminiscent of a cherished doll from my childhood. However, as the storyline unfolded, it became painfully evident that Disney+ had managed to muddle and distort the essence of what made Alfrendo meaningful to me. It's disheartening to see the magic of this character tarnished in such a way. Thanks a lot, Disney+, for casting a shadow over my Christmas Eve and dampening my spirits. This is a huge disappointment!

The spoilers are true and the results aren't good

[amry510 · 4/10 · 4 January 2024]

Our family loves the animated versions of Diary of a Wimpy Kid on Disney+ but this one is the unfortunate exception.

The story is all over the place with Greg trying to be good so that he gets the new gaming system he wants. There is brief mention of Santa but after Greg finds the coveted gift in his house there is no mention of the big guy again.

As a parent I would have preferred for them to either go all in on Santa or simply make this about a gift he asked his parents for but not the mixture of the two as the the story ended up being flat and not making sense.

As others have already stated, this movie is listed for ages 6+ which really needs to be updated.

Snowballs, Snowplows, and Stir-Craziness

[natmavila · 8/10 · 11 December 2023]

Ah, "Diary of a Wimpy Kid Christmas: Cabin Fever", the latest holiday romp that surprisingly hit a bit closer to home than expected. First off, the premise is classic Wimpy Kid - Greg Heffley, eyeing the tantalizing Mega Station 9000, embarks on a comedic quest to maintain his spot on Santa's nice list. Mix in a creepy elf doll, a lawn-destroying snowball, and a snowplow lady named Gabby, and you've got the recipe for a festive disaster.

But the real kicker is the snowed-in lockdown. As the Heffleys huddle together, battling cabin fever and dwindling supplies, I couldn't help but reminisce about my own COVID lockdown days. The film captures that stir-crazy, family-dynamics-on-edge atmosphere with a comedic twist that's both relatable and absurd.

The heart of the film, however, lies in its unexpected turn towards empathy and generosity. Greg's journey from self-interest to selflessness, especially his interaction with Gabby and her son, adds a layer of depth to the narrative. The movie wraps up with a feel-good resolution, reminding us that sometimes, the best gifts aren't things, but acts of kindness and understanding.

"Diary of a Wimpy Kid Christmas: Cabin Fever" might not be a holiday classic, but it's a genuinely funny, heartwarming tale that offers a few laughs, a bit of nostalgia, and a gentle reminder of the spirit of the season. Plus, Elfrendo's creepy, unblinking gaze is sure to haunt your Christmas dreams, in a fun way, of course!

An almost perfect holiday special

[officialrainbowhighfan · 9/10 · 9 December 2023]

At first this movie was just kind of mediocre, but believe me when I say it gets better as it goes on.

This time, Greg accidentally damages public property, and now the police are out to get him. But things go downhill fast when his family gets snowed in for the holidays.

With some pretty talented voices, I very much enjoyed this special, as I'm a pretty big fan of the wimpy world.

Love Diary of a Wimpy Kid? Then this movie is for you!

Thank you for reading my review.

P. S. This movie was very enjoyable, and I was originally going to rate this a 7, but I changed my mind when I saw the end, which was very heartfelt, or as Greg would say, corny.

A Surprisingly Entertaining Improvement over the Last Two

[ragsdaleethan · 8/10 · 11 December 2023]

Going into this movie, my expectations were understandably low after the garbage that was released the previous two years. However this definitely crushed those expectations. This movie is no doubt the best animated one so far, and a pretty solid Christmas movie.

"Cabin Fever" is probably my favorite book in Jeff Kinney's series, so I was pretty happy when a movie was announced. Obviously I was still cautious due to how bad the first one and Rodrick Rules were, but this was pretty good. It has a very strong Christmas vibe which I wasn't expecting, the voice acting improved ten-fold, and it was overall really entertaining.

I also appreciate how much Greg Heffley grows as a character throughout this. He starts off still somewhat mean and selfish, but by the end he ends up as a selfless, kind-hearted teenager. The characters in this movie are just very well written all around, and somehow even Manny is pretty tolerable and actually said something that let out a weak laugh from me. I also throughly enjoyed watching the sequence where the snowstorm trapped everyone inside, as that was a huge highlight of the book and this movie portrayed it pretty dang well. The movie also portrays very wonderful messages about spending time with family, telling the truth, being on your best behavior, and enjoying the holiday season.

Obviously there are still some cons, because these movies will probably never be a 10/10 let alone a 9/10. First off, this movie has a lot more annoyingly cringe dialogue compared to the other animated movies, particularly with Susan. I've never liked Susan in the animated movies because of her annoying voice and her overly-cheery personality. Rowley is also not the greatest in this one, but definitely better than the first two movies. Second, the beginning is the weakest part and drags on about 25 minutes too long.

Overall, this movie really really surprised me since Disney has released some real stinkers this year and the first two animated Wimpy Kid movies were less than mediocre. The Christmas spirit is strong, there's a ton of character development, and is a great movie in general. 8/10, would recommend to Wimpy Kid fans and Christmas lovers alike.

The new Diary of a wimpy kid is a fantastic Christmas treasure movie!

[lorandkalahari · 10/10 · 9 December 2023]

As Christmas approaches, all members of the Heffley family are celebrating the holidays; Susan is feverish with the preparations for the holiday, Greg is hiding a crime he committed with Rowley by accident, Rodrick is committed to this crime because of the big tracking fee, but the picture doesn't fit well for him for a while. Manny keeps a secret, Frank searches for the missing products.

So the story is good as it is, even if it is a bit predictable in some places, I mean for those who have read the book. It's enjoyable to see the preparations for the holiday, this film has a good atmosphere and also gives a message, and quite a mature one at that.

Diary of a wimpy kid Christmas: Cabin Fever is a super movie, the best of the series. An excellent choice for a cold, winter, December evening.

It Doesn't Ruin the Christmas Magic

[e_daneva · 8/10 · 17 December 2023]

Diary of a Wimpy Kid Christmas: Cabin Fever is an amazing movie. Even though I liked the other animated Wimpy Kid movies, this is the best. This is better than the original Diary of A Wimpy Kid live action movie. Really in this movie Greg turned from a jerk to a kind hearted boy. Some people reviewing here say that this movie ruins the Christmas magic for believers. I disagree with this, and let me prove it to you. There was a scene where Greg was looking in the closet and he found the gaming system that he wanted. Some people think that this proves that Santa isn't real. It doesn't. The movie clearly showed that Greg wasn't a great kid all year. That probably means that Santa wouldn't get him the gaming system he wanted because he wasn't a very good kid this year. Another scene was when it was Christmas, and even thought Greg did something really kind, he still di.

There is no Santa Spoiler !?

[anthonyberes · 9/10 · 23 December 2023]

Parents and perpetrators of the great Christmas lie need to get your stories straight. First of all, the spirit of Christmas in our home is all about giving to one another. The magic of Santa Claus is really just a bonus but is not the only source of gift giving. So this story fits easily into that cosmovision, and if anything, the spooky elf made Santa even more convincing to my 7 year old. So, I'd tone down your overprotective helicoptering and trust your kids to embrace the complexity of real life. Secondly, this story packed several classic holiday elements into a tight package and reminded me of the way classic movies like The Christmas Story told stories from the kids point of view. And that is exactly what made the story fun and relatable to my kids. And lastly the story made classic holiday magic by combining a tumultuous naughty kid story with a family coming together against the odds and triumphed with a transformation from fear to acceptance and finally to genuine benevolence. So it actually was my family's favorite holiday movie of 2023.