- I noticed only one new Network Christmas special this year, Dreamworks’ Shrek the Halls which aired last Wednesday. It’s interesting that I also noticed few blogs talking about it. Animated News reported its airing and positive ratings but not much more than that. Jim Hill also gave it a positive review; the comments were mostly negative. The animation blogs were silent, though. The show did get good reviews, but so did those three movies. I missed the program completely. I went out that night, but truthfully I wouldn’t have ________________Turkey, anyone?
watched it if I were home. I’m not a fan of Shrek.

Will Finn did comment on the Tom & Jerry Nutcracker Tale which aired on Cartoon Network. I saw more of that than I did of Shrek. After coming in on T&J Nutcracker already in progress and after watching a minute of it, wondering, at first, whether it was one of those Gene Deitch cartoons then realizing there was a lot of digital composition and movement, I knew it had to be more recent. I figured out what it was and decided I’d seen enough. By the way, when was the last time T&J were animated in the U.S.? Maybe Chuck Jones?

I did turn on the Charlie Brown Christmas show on ABC this past Tuesday. It took me a full five minutes to realize it wasn’t the original one – I wasn’t really paying attention, but the voices were too theatrical. It was Charlie Brown’s Christmas Tales done in 2002. It was too slick, and I lost patience.

Not much “Special” for me anymore in these Christmas Specials. I’m getting to feel like a grinch about animation anymore. At least with dvd we can pull out one of the golden oldies. Magoo’s Christmas Carol, anyone?

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- My good friend, the excellent composer and musician, Ernest Troost, has a film he scored premiering on Sunday night. If you’re looking for something enter-taining to watch, this is undoubtedly it.

The Pictures of Hollis Woods is a film adaptation of the Newbury honor book by author, Patricia Reilly Giff, who also coauthored the script. Tony Bill directed the film.

I’ve written about Ernest’s music in the past (see here and here); he and I did quite a bit of film together, and the work was enormously rewarding.

Ernest moved to LA and feature films years ago. He’s won an Emmy and been nominated for several more. We’ve continued to work together on a couple of Weston Woods shorts long distance.

As for me, all you have to do is tell me that Sissy Spacek and Alfre Woodard are together in a film, and I’m there. Ernest is a plus for me. I’m looking forward to the show.
The Pictures of Hollis Woods
Sunday, CBS, 9pm ET/PT

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