The film was a bit of a mixed bag. The animation style was fun, the run time was quick, and the voice acting etc was all solid. The story had some nice moments.
For a religious themed film about Christmas, however, it felt surprisingly critical.
First, organized religion is depicted in a fairly unfavorable light. The priest, for example, was unkind and uncaring. In one instance he has to be reminded by a police officer how to be a decent human after he tries to throw a child in jail. If there is a villain in this story it is almost certainly him.
Second, while the film often contains valuable lessons (kindness, not stealing etc), it also suggests that miracles (at least in some instances) may have come from hoaxes or misunderstandings. Angela's sneezing (while unseen) becomes the basis of the sneezy miracle, which is accepted by some of the church goers as real. While this was certainly an adorable scene for those non-religious, it may strike a different cord for those who believe in the continued presence of miracles.
Overall, the film had an interesting story and above average voice acting. It's not a great Christmas film but is certainly a passable one. I'm mostly surprised that religious audiences seems to enjoy this one as much as they seem to given that it doesn't shine the kindest light on religious beliefs or figures.
For a religious themed film about Christmas, however, it felt surprisingly critical.
First, organized religion is depicted in a fairly unfavorable light. The priest, for example, was unkind and uncaring. In one instance he has to be reminded by a police officer how to be a decent human after he tries to throw a child in jail. If there is a villain in this story it is almost certainly him.
Second, while the film often contains valuable lessons (kindness, not stealing etc), it also suggests that miracles (at least in some instances) may have come from hoaxes or misunderstandings. Angela's sneezing (while unseen) becomes the basis of the sneezy miracle, which is accepted by some of the church goers as real. While this was certainly an adorable scene for those non-religious, it may strike a different cord for those who believe in the continued presence of miracles.
Overall, the film had an interesting story and above average voice acting. It's not a great Christmas film but is certainly a passable one. I'm mostly surprised that religious audiences seems to enjoy this one as much as they seem to given that it doesn't shine the kindest light on religious beliefs or figures.