| An Almost Christmas Story | |
|---|---|
 Release poster | |
| Directed by | David Lowery |
| Screenplay by | Jack Thorne David Lowery |
| Story by | Alfonso Cuarón Jack Thorne |
| Produced by | Alfonso Cuarón Gabriela Rodríguez David Lowery |
| Starring | Cary Christopher Estella Madrigal Jim Gaffigan Mamoudou Athie Alex Ross Perry Gianna Joseph Phil Rosenthal Natasha Lyonne John C. Reilly |
| Cinematography | David A. Ross Z. Scott Schaefer |
| Edited by | Mike Melendi |
| Music by | Daniel Hart |
| Production companies | Disney Television Animation Esperanto Filmoj Titmouse, Inc. Maere Studios 88 Pictures |
| Distributed by | Disney+ |
| Release dates |
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| Running time | 25 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
An Almost Christmas Story is a 2024 animated short film directed by David Lowery, who produced and co-wrote alongside Alfonso Cuarón.
Plot
A young owl named Moon unexpectedly finds himself in a Christmas tree destined for Rockefeller Center. In his attempts to get home, he forms a bond with a lost girl named Luna.
Cast
- Cary Christopher as Moon
- Estella Madrigal as Luna
- Jim Gaffigan as Papa Owl
- Mamoudou Athie as Pelly
- Alex Ross Perry as Dave the Dog
- Gianna Joseph as Peaky
- Philip Rosenthal as Punt
- Natasha Lyonne as Pat
- John C. Reilly as The Folk Singer
Production
In September 2024, it was announced that Disney+ would release An Almost Christmas Story, which would be the third and final holiday short produced by Alfonso Cuarón for the streaming service, after Le pupille (2022) and The Shepherd (2023). It was loosely based on the story of Rocky, an owl who was discovered and rescued from the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree in 2020. John C. Reilly, in his role as "The Folk Singer", performs four songs in the short, two of which are original.
David Lowery went to Nicholas Ashe Bateman, founder of Maere Studios to design and make the visual effects of the short. Maere Studios created a totally CG process to emulate different types of animation, including stop motion and miniatures, all told through a world of cardboard. Disney+ released a 'Making of' - Behind the Scenes showing part of the visual process.
Music
| An Almost Christmas Story | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soundtrack album by John C. Reilly and Daniel Hart | ||||
| Released | December 13, 2024 (2024-12-13) | |||
| Length | 10:50 | |||
| Label | Walt Disney | |||
| Producer | Daniel Hart | |||
| John C. Reilly chronology | ||||
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| Daniel Hart chronology | ||||
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| Singles from An Almost Christmas Story | ||||
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The short features four songs performed by John C. Reilly; two of the tracks are original songs composed by Daniel Hart. The deluxe edition of the soundtrack was released on December 13, 2024.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Ar Fa La La Lo" |
| 3:09 |
| 2. | "It's Christmas Today" | Hart | 1:58 |
| 3. | "In the Bleak Midwinter" |
| 1:43 |
| 4. | "The Spirit of Christmas" | Hart | 2:00 |
| 5. | "The Holly and the Ivy" |
| 1:58 |
Release
An Almost Christmas Story premiered at the Hamptons International Film Festival on October 14, 2024. It was also screened at the Animation Is Film Festival that same month. It premiered on Disney+ on November 15, 2024.
Reception
Viewership
Analytics company Samba TV, which gathers viewership data from certain smart TVs and content providers, calculated that An Almost Christmas Story was the tenth most-watched winter holiday title, being watched by an estimated 166,660 households in the United States.
Critical response
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 100% of 8 critics gave the series a positive review, with an average rating of 8.2/10.
John Serba of Decider said that An Almost Christmas Story blends joy and melancholy with a poignant yet unsentimental tone. He praised its whimsical visual design, nostalgic sepia-toned palette, and thematic use of three-dimensional puppets for main characters alongside cardboard-cutout minor characters. Serba found the humor and the bond between Moon and Luna to be charming and understated, describing the film as "pure and simple and wholesome." Katie Doll of Comic Book Resources found that An Almost Christmas Story effectively blends nostalgia and innovation, creating a heartfelt holiday experience. She praised the film’s unique visual style, which combines stop-motion animation with elements of cardboard and wood to evoke classic Rankin/Bass holiday specials while maintaining modern fluidity. Doll found the story simple yet touching. She stated that the voice performances, particularly Jim Gaffigan as Papa Owl and John C. Reilly as the Folk Singer, enhance the emotional depth and humor of the narrative. Doll highlighted the film's inclusivity, noting Luna's role as an amputee and Moon's resilience, which convey themes of empathy and strength.
References
- Petski, Denise (September 12, 2024). "Alfonso Cuarón's 'An Almost Christmas Story' Animated Short Set to Premiere on Disney+; Written & Directed by David Lowery". Deadline Hollywood.
- "Nicholas Ashe Bateman | Director, Visual Effects, Writer". IMDb. Retrieved 2024-12-15.
- "MAERE STUDIOS - Behind the Scenes of the Design, VFX, and Animation of 'An Almost Christmas Story'". MAERE STUDIOS. Retrieved 2024-12-15.
- Zahed, Ramin (2024-11-12). "'An Almost Christmas Story' Director David Lowery Discusses His New Disney+ Holiday Tale (New Clip)". Animation Magazine. Retrieved 2024-12-15.
- O'Falt, Chris (2024-11-16). "'An Almost Christmas Story': David Lowery Believes We Are at a 'Sea Change Moment' for CG Animation". IndieWire. Retrieved 2024-11-18.
- Disney Television Animation News (2024-12-12). An Almost Christmas Story - Behind The Scenes With Maere Studios I Disney TVA Shorts I Disney TVA 40. Retrieved 2024-12-15 – via YouTube.
- Tangcay, Jazz (2024-12-12). "'An Almost Christmas Story' Director David Lowery on His First Animated Short and Choosing CG Over Live-Action". Variety. Retrieved 2024-12-15.
- "An Almost Christmas Story". Disney+. Retrieved December 16, 2024.
- Sharpe, Josh (December 13, 2024). "AN ALMOST CHRISTMAS STORY Original Soundtrack Deluxe Edition Now Streaming". BroadwayWorld. Retrieved December 16, 2024.
- https://filmguide.hamptonsfilmfest.org/events/analmostchristmasstory/
- "An Almost Christmas Story".
- Disney Plus (2024-10-14). An Almost Christmas Story | Official Trailer | Disney+. Retrieved 2024-10-14 – via YouTube.
- Gruenwedel, Erik (December 18, 2024). "Samba TV: 'National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation,' Hallmark, Netflix Top Winter Holiday Content". Media Play News. Retrieved December 19, 2024.
- "An Almost Christmas Story | Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2024-12-19.
- Serba, John (2024-11-17). "'An Almost Christmas Story' Disney Plus Review: Stream It Or Skip It?". Decider. Retrieved 2024-12-19.
- Doll, Katie (2024-11-12). "Disney+'s New Animated Holiday Special Will Make You Cry". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved 2024-12-19.
External links
| Films directed by David Lowery | |
|---|---|
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| Jack Thorne | |
|---|---|
| TV series created |
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| Films written |
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| Plays written |
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- 2024 films
- 2020s Christmas films
- 2020s English-language films
- 2020s musical fantasy films
- 2020s stop-motion animated films
- 2024 animated short films
- American children's animated musical films
- American Christmas films
- Animated Christmas films
- Animated films about owls
- American musical fantasy films
- Children's Christmas films
- Christmas adventure films
- Christmas musical films
- Disney short films
- Disney+ original programming
- English-language Christmas films
- English-language short films
- Films directed by David Lowery
- Films with screenplays by Jack Thorne
- Films scored by Daniel Hart (musician)
- Films set in New York City
- Stop-motion animated short films