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Reindeer in Here delighted audiences with the antics of a young reindeer named Blizz, who felt he was different since one antler was smaller than the other. He banded together with a group of new and old friends to save the future of Christmas.
The animated movie was based on the best-selling book by Adam Reed and brought to the screen by director Lino DiSalvo.
This new animated holiday classic was relatable because we have all longed for a friend or to fit in.
The film featured an all-star voice cast, including Adam Levine as Blizz, Melissa Villaseñor as Candy, Henry Winkler as Smiley, Jim Gaffigan as Santa, Gabriel Bateman as Theo, Brooke Monroe Conaway as Isla, and more.
The film contained a modern vibe with a classic feel. Some of the characters still look like they were handpainted, giving each one a strong personality.
Instead of focusing on one of the well-known reindeer, this film focused on a tiny reindeer named Blizz, who kept crashing when he flew because his antlers were mismatched.
Both of the unlikely heroes felt like misfits at the beginning of the film. The story showed that even if you were different, everyone had unique and special gifts that could help others. Both adults and children will relate to that theme.
Theo felt as lonely as Blizz did because his parents constantly moved because of their jobs. He never had a best friend only interacted with a talking puppet. We’ve all been the new kid longing for a friend but feeling too shy to introduce ourselves.
Theo felt scared to make friends, fearing his family would move again just as he became close to one. With only his puppet to interact with, Theo hadn’t experienced the joy of a snowball fight or flying through the air. Being with Blizz let him be a kid.
Blizz wanted to be shown respect, so he wanted Santa to hear his Christmas wish, like all the other children’s wishes. Unfortunately, as he tried to put his desire in the magical snow globe, someone stole the globe.
Blizz and his friend Candy, the adorable snowgirl, were determined to save Christmas. After they crashed into Theo’s room, they convinced him to help them.
I love how only children could see Blizz and Candy. It showed that children believe in magic, which can sometimes save the holidays.
Poor Theo had no idea what he signed for when he agreed to help since he got stuck wearing a contraption made from Christmas lights.
Poor Theo had to wear that sparkling contraption walking around the neighborhood. For a 10-year-old boy, I’m unsure what was more humiliating, having the bullies throw him into the snow or running into his crush, Isla.
Even worse, the group needed Isla’s help once the intruder stole the snow globe back again. Theo became more mortified as Candy sang Isla’s praises. Most tween boys don’t want their crushes to know what they think of them.
It’s entertaining that two misfits from the North Pole and two kids found a way to outsmart the villains and save Christmas.
Even the villain turned out to be not outright evil. I’ve seen so many holiday movies, and usually, the intruder that steals something special has a grudge against Santa. That wasn’t the case this time.
Smiley, the head of holiday operations, thought things at the North Pole needed to be updated. He wasn’t totally wrong. Santa was getting older, and that magical snow globe was getting full.
Like the other characters, Smiley was insecure. He felt that since tradition said he had to retire after 25 years, he would no longer be useful. In some ways, he understood Blizz because he longed to make another successful invention too.
It’s ironic that Blizz, the odd reindeer, was the one that reached Smiley and got him to return the magical snowglobe. Blizz’s true gift was to understand people and reach their inner souls.
However, Blizz needed to work on his self-esteem. He worried he would always be a failure when Smiley first imprisoned them. When Theo got the elves to release them doing his infamous voices, he embraced his gifts as Blizz taught him.
So many kids think they’re invisible like Blizz and Theo did, which made it so crucial that Santa recognized them finally.
This holiday film reminds me of the animated holiday classics I grew up with, but it added extra magical elements and storylines to help us appreciate the childlike magic of Christmas.
Everyone needs to believe in good friends and Christmas wishes.
When Adam Reed created his best-selling book “Reindeer In Here: A Christmas Friend” he wanted it to replace the Elf on the Shelf tradition. As seen in the film, a reindeer would visit a child each December and get to know them.
During that month, the reindeer and child would become friends like Blizz and Theo. Instead of basic toys, the reindeer would learn children’s innermost thoughts and wishes and report them back to Santa at the North Pole.
Blizz proved Christmas wishes could come true.
Reindeer in Here will stream on Paramount+ Wednesday, November 30.
Laura Nowak is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on Twitter.