Holiday Classics

Directed by James Pyle

2023

Another comedy short arrives in 2023 from Midlands animator and actor James Pyle and we’ve got to review this winter-set wonder in the heatwave of June. Despite the sweat, let’s unwrap this festive gift and see what’s inside.

Pyle is well-known around these parts for his excellent and wry takes on life in differing animation styles – including Fires of Serenity, Blather and many more.

But this time, the filmmaker has created what, on the surface, seems like a 1980s-style advert for a wholesome children’s Christmas special straight from the VHS era.

We are introduced to the cutesy “Tiny” in a show called The Littlest Elf. Everything seems normal at the start but soon the filmmaker has the Elf avoiding larger elves clocking in for overtime and speaking to a Grandma Claus whose Humphrey Bogart voiceover is an hilarious nod to sub-par guest spots.

The animation style is Disney-like although I think it’s also intentionally a copy of Disney-knock offs. It’s the kind of bargain basement video your parents thought was Disney but in fact was produced by a company no-one has heard of called Globalzene Productions or something. Pyle is already one step ahead of me with his “Dolor” video brand here.

Voiced by Pyle as well, the humorous American accent he uses has shopping-channel presenter vibes and is delivered excellently with all the OTT false-sincerity of a mid-Western state evangelist.

The film also throws in some darkness with a weeping Santa, putrid Pumpkin and it also informs the viewer copies cannot be removed from their VHS player. A constipated Easter Bunny adds to Pyle’s perfect swipes of day-time ads and depressive US consumerism.

My only criticism is one I’ve mentioned before, in that Pyle’s shorts are sometimes, well, too short. At around one and a half minutes, the quality is high but I would have loved just a bit more. However, in fairness, the animation apes TV advertisements so the structure certainly matches the source he’s parodying.

In the end, Holiday Classics delivers a comic take on retro commercials using the filmmaker’s trademark style as he spoofs and rips apart the fake festive fun of Xmas’s past.

★★★★

4/5

Michael Sales