I bought this DVD because of the great reviews I read on various sites. It also caught my eye because the graphics make for just about the cutest characters I have ever seen. I found myself making comparisons to Fisher-Price Little People a lot. I grew up with the Rankin-Bass stop-motion animated specials, so I have a big appreciation for a well-done holiday show, even when the stop-motion has been replaced with CGI. Good is good.
I'm not a traditionally religious person, and I don't have kids...I watched this because I enjoy the medium of animation. The music is not what you would traditionally expect, but I found it really enhanced the story and was very uplifting and happy.
So, your narrator is Andy Griffith. The show opens with him (as Melchior) seeing a very bright star while researching the skies. He seems to recall a prophecy associated with just such a thing, and next thing you know, he's on his way to find this new king. He runs into Balthazar and Caspar (or Gaspar...whichever you prefer) along the way and they become traveling companions. Meanwhile, Mary and Joseph are given an angelic "heads-up" about what God has in store for them. Herod hears about this new king coming and orders the census/tax collection in hope of putting a stop to this promised king. Mary and Joseph make their required journey, ending up at the stable where the little king is born. The three wise men make it right on time, having picked the little drummer boy up along the way. The two shepherds with their flock were also in attendance, having earlier been invited by an angel. They had been worried about their shabby appearance, but were assured that this king was not just for rich or poor, but for everyone.
All in all a very sweet story with characters to match. Not a lot of dialogue, but it wasn't needed for the story to be clear.
I'm sure there are those who won't like that this is religious, or those who won't think it is religious enough. To each his own...but I do think it's a really nice story that kids would like. I highly recommend it.
I'm not a traditionally religious person, and I don't have kids...I watched this because I enjoy the medium of animation. The music is not what you would traditionally expect, but I found it really enhanced the story and was very uplifting and happy.
So, your narrator is Andy Griffith. The show opens with him (as Melchior) seeing a very bright star while researching the skies. He seems to recall a prophecy associated with just such a thing, and next thing you know, he's on his way to find this new king. He runs into Balthazar and Caspar (or Gaspar...whichever you prefer) along the way and they become traveling companions. Meanwhile, Mary and Joseph are given an angelic "heads-up" about what God has in store for them. Herod hears about this new king coming and orders the census/tax collection in hope of putting a stop to this promised king. Mary and Joseph make their required journey, ending up at the stable where the little king is born. The three wise men make it right on time, having picked the little drummer boy up along the way. The two shepherds with their flock were also in attendance, having earlier been invited by an angel. They had been worried about their shabby appearance, but were assured that this king was not just for rich or poor, but for everyone.
All in all a very sweet story with characters to match. Not a lot of dialogue, but it wasn't needed for the story to be clear.
I'm sure there are those who won't like that this is religious, or those who won't think it is religious enough. To each his own...but I do think it's a really nice story that kids would like. I highly recommend it.