Holidaze: The Christmas That Almost Didn't Happen (2006)

The Christmas That Almost Didn't Happen is a cute updated mashup in the style of the Rankin Bass stopmotion Christmas specials. Think of it as Robbie Reindeer and the Hooves of Fire meets South Park (for the bleary eyes and repartee but not the language). The story is clean and full of hilarious bits plus the voice talent is excellent. First you have Fred Savage as Rusty the Reindeer, the inverse-proportionally-famous brother of another unnamed reindeer (whose dad won't stop talking about his famous offspring). Then you have Fred Willard as a figurehead Santa Claus who's about as emptyheaded as Willard Scott and Edie McClurg as the eggnog-swilling Mrs. Claus. In the Big City, John O'Hurley is Kringle, the blowhard thespian and department-store Santa, and support-group members include Gladys Knight as Candie, Harland Williams as Albert the Thanksgiving Day Turkey, Paul Rodriguez as Cupid, and Emily Osment and Brenda Song as Trick and Treat. The cultural references come chockablock as this show makes fun of cooking shows, American Idol, altrock and gothrock music videos, Edward Hopper's Nighthawks, FedEx, Wal-Mart, and much more. IW. 4.5 stars.