The Predator Holiday Special (2018)

Santa Claus, his elves and his reindeer encounter a Predator at the North Pole. It's a two-minute stop-motion film included in the Blu-Ray special features for The Predator designed to promote the home release, which probably takes less time to watch than to nut. It's a fun, festive, bloody treat to fit the holiday.

3 forearm clasps out of 5

Note: Can be viewed here in its entirety for free.

The First Snow of Fraggle Rock (2025)

The caves are decorated with lights, and the Fraggles of Fraggle Rock await the first blanket of winter, but when only a single snowflake materializes, Gobo doesn't have enough inspiration to write the annual holiday song. So he must travel to "Outer Space" (the human world) for further motivation. The Fraggles's best attribute has always been the music, and there are four new songs here, although only one of them is an earworm ("Can You Feel It?"). It's a pretty tame and tepid holiday special designed for the kiddies, and nothing I would ever be interested in revisiting. Worth it only for the nostalgic factor.

2 rock blocks out of 5

Predator: Dark Ages (2015)

An unofficial short film which I'm only reviewing because it's a skilled effort. Set during the Crusades, a group of Templar Knights are visited by a Predator. It's a simple premise and execution, although the Predator looks a bit beefy, like a latter-day Jason. The acting is decent even though the lack of budget shows. It's very low tech, but no worse than some of the official entries.

1½ swordpoints out of 5

Note: This fan film can be viewed here in its entirety.

A Puppet Master Halloween II (2025)

Attempting to build upon the techniques employed in the short film, this unofficial fan production manages to feel like a later entry in the Puppet Master series even though it doesn't really do anything interesting with it. It's a competent tech exercise, but about the equivalent of playing with dolls.

1 puppet movie too many out of 5

Note: The film can be viewed here for free.

A Puppet Master Halloween (2019)

This fan film demonstrates how easily these films can be reproduced using low tech methods to replicate the original designs. The result feels closer to the spirit of the original films than any of the newer films have achieved. Which just goes to show anyone can make these films. Not a lot happens here, but it's a nice proof of concept.

2 dossiers out of 5

Note: The special can be viewed here for free.

The Short Films of David Lynch (2002)

An anthology of six shorts from early in Lynch's career (1966-1996), including student films and other commissioned projects, accompanied by introductions from the director. While I can't say I liked any of these personally, there's no denying the singular vision present in these works. There is no way David Lynch was not going to become who he was. Some of these are so dense and inscrutable, all you can do is sit back and watch in stunned silence. The "best" of these, The Cowboy and the Frenchman (1988), is a slapstick film featuring veterans Harry Dean Stanton and Jack Nance. All of them defy convention.

3 "what the hell?" out of 5

An Almost Christmas Story (2024)

An owl with a broken wing befriends a street urchin while both attempt to get back home. This animated short confused me at first glance because it seems like traditional stop-motion puppetry, but it's actually achieved entirely in CG, janky movements and all. It's almost like an uncanny valley handmade effect. The result is entirely convincing, but somehow I feel like I've been swindled.

Anyhow, I admire it more for its unique visual style than its very basic premise.

3 Rockefeller tree lightings out of 5

The Shepherd (2023)

A pilot on his way home for Christmas gets lost mid-flight when his aircraft suffers a complete electrical failure, stranding him high above water. Running low on fuel, with no working equipment and zero visibility, the pilot attempts flying in a triangular pattern in the vain hope of being located on radar to alert other aircrafts of his presence and guide him home. It's a sad, sweet tale that reminded me of an episode of Amazing Stories. Based on the 1975 novella of the same name.

3 miracles needed out of 5

Le pupille (2022)

AKA: The Pupils

"A film clumsily and freely inspired by a letter," this 40-minute short provoked a lot of ire in me and I'm pretty sure I took away the wrong message from it. At an all-girls Catholic boarding school during wartime Italy, an outcast orphan is told by the strict head nun that she is "wicked" and the poor little girl takes it to heart. The themes revolve around selfishness and sacrifice, but it mostly made me furious for the generations of guilt trips that the Church has inflicted. Don't blame the innocents for your sins.

3 Zuppa Ingleses out of 5

The Velveteen Rabbit (2023)

A young boy is given a velveteen stuffed rabbit as a Christmas gift, who promptly becomes forgotten in lieu of other "modern" and mechanical toys. What the rabbit longs for more than anything is to be real, but it requires the selfless love of a child. I had somehow never read this story before so this was my first time encountering the material. It's a very touching tale that reminded me of a cross between Pinocchio, Winnie the Pooh and Toy Story.

(I'll be honest, I mostly reviewed this for inclusion in The Bunny Collection.)

3½ bitter Skin Horses out of 5

Harvie Krumpet (2003)

The life and times of one Harvek Milos Krumpetzki, a mentally challenged man plagued by a lifetime of bad luck (aka, life), whose outlook remains simple but optimistic. An early "clayography" by Adam Elliot, best known for Mary and Max. Despite the seemingly innocuous nature of its subject matter, the depressing realities of this one will have you reaching for your razors by the end of it.

4 fakts out of 5

Cat Shit One (2010)

A short CGI animation (approx 22 mins) directed by Kazuya Sasahara and based on Motofumi Kobayashi's manga of the same name. Technically promoted as the first episode of a series, to date it's the only one to appear, so I'm treating it as a short. It features armed bunnies in a middle eastern war zone. Furry mammals at war with foreign camels may seem comical on the surface, but the work is deadly serious and realistically violent. While the mo-cap animation often feels like video game FMV, the camera follows the action just like it would for live action, successfully placing the viewer in the thick of it.
The story follows two soldiers, Packy and Bota, as they attempt a rescue mission amidst superior enemy numbers. The characterisation is decent, considering how brief it is, and voices in the Japanese version are great.

3½ tailed gunners out of 5

Wallace and Gromit: A Matter of Loaf and Death (2008)

In the last (and best) of the W+G shorts man and pooch are running a bakery business from their home. A safer profession than window cleaning, one might think, but there's a serial killer doing the rounds – one that kills bakers.
Being a murder-mystery means there are sinister tones throughout, but the story doesn't skimp on laughs and inventiveness because of it, although some of the jokes will require a certain level of movie knowledge. On the opposite side tonally, romance is in the air once again for Wallace, who's madly in love with an ideal - while Gromit has to endure the sickening pet-names. It's a good thing the dog's dedication and loyalty are unwavering.
Animation is masterful, and sets are beautiful and wonderfully detailed. All in all, it's a fitting farewell to the short film format for the beloved characters.

5 butterings out of 5

Wallace and Gromit: A Close Shave (1995)

In the dead of night a sinister truck stops outside the duo's house. W+G are tucked in their respective beds (the latter doing some studious knitting), unprepared for what's happening outside. Naturally, it spells trouble for the dedicated pooch, but there's more than just Wallace's safety to worry over.
Yet again the set-ups are pitch perfect, and there's more inventive daredevil manoeuvres that prove Aardman's mastery of the stop-motion format. There's a few subtle in-jokes for those that watched the previous shorts, and even a romance sub-plot for the Wensleydale cheese-eating inventor.
Notably, A Close Shave has the first appearance of another Nick Park created character, a sheep who got a spin-off TV show and movie all of his own.

4 rustling yarns out of 5

Wallace and Gromit: The Wrong Trousers (1993)

It's Gromit's birthday, but that doesn't mean he gets time off from chores. Worse still, the household bills are piling up, so Wallace suggests a paying lodger - the duo's equilibrium in under threat. When a beady-eyed shifty penguin answers the advert, Gromit's life gets even more stressful.
The trousers of the title are techno-trousers, a time-saving crazy Wallace invention. They play a role in the drama, a scenario that channels a few different genres (including heist and classic British horror) to good effect.
The claymation animation was great in the previous outing, but TWT is a sizeable step up from that. I loved the UFO catcher scene, but the film's crowning achievement is a scene involving a toy train. It would've been a labour of love to animate, but the result is unequivocally worth it.

4 shocking calamities out of 5

Father Christmas (1991)

The answer to what Father Christmas does with the 360+ days of the year that he isn't working comes courtesy of another Raymond Briggs adaptation.
The red-nosed gift-giver sounds remarkably like comedian Mel Smith (because it is) and lives in England, which was news to me. We witness him holidaying in Europe and America, indulging his passions at the expense of his suffering wallet. His antics make him somewhat relatable, but he's too much of a complainer to actually like very much. It has a slight connection to The Snowman (1982), but it isn't in the same league. And while the character designs are similar, the animation is less pencil-esque pretty than the other.

2½ bloomin trots of 5

The Snowman (1982)

Based on Raymond Briggs' picture book (1978) of the same name, the beautifully hand-drawn frame animation The Snowman has become a British national treasure over the years. My version has David Bowie trying to fool viewers into believing that he was the kid who went on a magical moonlit adventure; if that's true, why was he opening James Brighton's present?
I love how the snowman is as awed by the peculiar world of man as much as the kid is awed by the walking snowman, and I love how music takes the place of words. Only once is there lyrics, a single song that's come to define the entire production. It's used during the scene that's referenced and parodied most, but in tandem they capture the magic of youth superbly. But for me it's the animation's memorable ending that really makes it special.

3½ chilled revellers out of 5

The Halas and Batchelor Short Film Collection (2015)

Best known for their adaptation of George Orwell's Animal Farm (1954), the husband and wife team of John Halas and Joy Batchelor created a huge number of animations in their lifetime. Inspired by a wide range of artistic sources, including poetry and music, their works were made primarily in traditional 2D animation, but also 3D stop motion, and more.
The pictured collection has eighteen such works, ranging from 3 to 12 mins (both approx.). There's a startling amount of variety on display, but what they each have in common is a staggering level of creativity; and you can feel the love invested in the work in every pen and brush stroke. If you're a fan of animation and haven't heard of the duo, then you're in for a treat.
My personal favourite is the video for Kraftwerk's masterpiece, Autobahn.

4 future cars out of 5

Tulips Shall Grow (1942)

Although uncredited at the time, Tulips is Ray Harryhausen's first commercial work as chief animator. It’s set in what appears to be Holland. In a beautiful village with idyllic windmills, a pair of lovers, Jan and Janette, fear for their lives when an invading military force known as The Screwballs move in.
The aggressors resemblance to Nazi soldiers is certainly no coincidence, given that Dir. George Pal had previously lived in Holland and, furthermore, left his home (in Prague) to escape their rise to power.
The simple animation gets more adventurous and complicated as the danger level increases, but thanks to Harryhausen it's always astonishing.

4 high kicks out of 5

She and Her Cat (1999)

To give it its full title, She and Her Cat: Their Standing Points (i.e. viewpoints) is an early short (5 mins) B+W anime from Dir. Makoto Shinkai. The animation is simplistic, but it's certainly not hurried and it suits the aesthetic.
It begins in springtime, then moves through the subsequent seasons to end in winter. There's a voice-over from the perspective of a male cat, commenting on his relationship with the young woman whose house he shares. It's a sweet, thoughtful and often poetic slice of observation that provides a glimpse into one example of the process by which two souls can come together.

3½ pensive stares out of 5