Review: Christmas takes a fun flight in The Magic Reindeer: Saving Santa's Sleigh

I have a weird admission to make: I have a thing about stories that take place in snow. When I play video games, I tend to dislike the snow/ice areas. Maybe because of the often annoying mechanics: slippery ice floors, enemies that freeze you upon touching them, etc. I feel similarly about movies and TV shows that largely take place in snowy locales. I find the endless white oppressive to look at, bland, too. There's something so depressing about it. I moved from Ohio to Los Angeles a decade ago in some small part to avoid the harsh Midwest winters. Snow is not my friend.

But, of course, I try (and usually manage, I think) to not hold that against a movie. And it certainly isn't a ding against co-directors Kari Juusonen and Jørgen Lerdam's utterly charming The Magic Reindeer: Saving Santa's Sleigh. 

I imagine the clunky, slightly anonymous title might be in part to not deter people who haven't seen the previous two movies in the series from checking this one out. The previous movies being 2008's The Flight Before Christmas and 2012's Little Brother, Big Trouble: A Christmas Adventure (both of which are known under other titles, as well...it's kind of confusing, overall). I haven't seen the others -- I plan to, now -- but I easily found my footing here.

Niko is a young flying reindeer and the son (maybe step-son?) of Prancer, part of Santa's esteemed Flying Forces. Now it's Niko's time to start training, and take his place alongside his father and the other legendary members of the team. It's a tough moment of transition: leaving his younger siblings and mother behind, throwing himself headfirst into an intense training regimen, and knowing that he'll never be home for Christmas again since, you know, Christmas is the big day for the team. Niko is known for his kindness, not his grit, which makes his mom wonder if maybe he should wait before setting out on this next chapter. What the movie posits is: maybe kindness is grit, if you look at it right.

The unexpected twist comes when Niko is challenged by an unknown newcomer, the rough-and-tumble Stella, who is in her right to try to claim the single training slot for this year's team-building. Some exciting racing exercises ensue, and the spot is hotly contested, when -- as the film's title tells us -- Santa's sleigh goes missing. And Niko, of course, has intel that gives him a lead that the older, more seasoned reindeer lack.

The adventure that follows is jaunty, fun, and fast-paced. Niko is joined by a couple rodent friends, flying squirrel Julius and weasel (?) Wilma, as well as, later on, a veritable army of lemmings.

I need, need to dedicate a paragraph to the lemmings. They deserve it. They are the moment in this movie. They fill the niche that so many animated movies seek to fill -- the cute sidekick characters of which there are many. Here, many many. I love these little guys. Their cute voices, their hilarious dialogue, their unwavering quest to be good followers. All they need is a worthy leader. Every time the lemmings pop up, this movie takes on an extra layer of comedy gold. And I would argue, they're also the true heroes of the day.

my beloveds

Ok, now that they've gotten their due (honestly, they probably deserve more)...

This movie looks and sounds great. The animation is clean and crisp, with a lot of nice little details like the wear-and-tear on the older reindeer's antlers and the icy crystals that form on their fur when they fly too far beyond the northern lights. There are some really lovely lighting effects, too, especially the warm glow of the lanterns and the way they gleam off of the shiny red lacquer of Santa's sleigh. The northern lights are beautifully executed too: when they characters fly through them, they look like giant purple neurons pulsating in a hallucinogenic green sea. It's trippy, and reminded me a bit of the way the Quantum Realm look in the Marvel movies (but these scenes actually look good). 

I can't really pinpoint an MVP in the voice cast, but only because the cast is uniformly good. A lot of really sweet voices, strong comic timing, and fun delivery. Not a weak link to be found.

Thematically, one of the film's chief concerns it wants to impart (especially to younger viewers) is that some things are more important than winning: supporting your friends, being helpful, telling the truth. The way this message is demonstrated gave me a bit of pause at first -- it's bourn out by Niko and Stella helping each other during their various trials, which is nice but like...you guys are in a competition -- but the way it all comes together, with a reveal here and a flashback there, sweetened me on it. This movie really pulls off the landing, which as important in cinema as it is when you're delivering presents to children around the world.

The Magic Reindeer: Saving Santa's Sleigh is a right-down-the-middle hit for the holiday season. It's the perfect kind of movie to put on for the whole family, maybe while you're decorating cookies or wrapping presents. It's sweet, fun, looks great, and has a big heart. Definitely worthy of joining anyone's Christmas movie rotation.