Lutins d'élite : Mission Noël

Watched 'Prep & Landing' as part of my "watching as many Christmas films and shorts not yet seen before as possible" quest. Of this quest, 'Prep & Landing' was among the best and one of the revelations. Then again, expectations were quite high in the first as a big Disney and Christmas fan.

Cannot add much to the previous positive reviews that have summed up what is so wonderful about 'Prep & Landing' so well. Can say very little better. Anybody who hasn't seen it yet is seriously missing out, am kicking myself at how it could have taken so long to see it and the only reason that comes to my head was that it was recommended to me after having never heard of it until now.

The animation is bright and colourful, some of it also very imaginative. The characters don't look blocky and move smoothly while the attention to detail in the backgrounds is something to behold. The music captures the nostalgia, warmth, excitement and emotion of Christmas to perfection.

'Prep & Landing' has hilarious humour, touching and never mawkish sentiment and emotional moments and thrilling excitement. Not only are these individual elements carried over so brilliantly in the writing and the storytelling they are beautifully balanced also. The references are a sheer delight, adults are more likely to get them and be more familiar with them than younger viewers but the latter are very likely to want to know more about what is being referenced after watching.

Having likeable characters that one cares and roots for is always a plus and, unless deliberately otherwise which is the case with a fair share of films and television shows, this is important. 'Prep & Landing' has likeable characters, while the spirit of Christmas is displayed with a lot of fun, heart and warmth without being over-sentimental or preachy. The voice acting is very good, Dave Foley being spot-on.

Overall, a must watch. 10/10 Bethany Cox

Prep & Landing (2009)

**** (out of 4)

I hate using the word "classic" on recent films as I believe they need time to grow into that but there's no question that this here is one of the best animated shorts I've seen in a very long time. An elf named Wayne (voice of Dave Foley) is expecting a promotion from Santa but when he's passed over he decides to take his job less seriously the next year, which ends up possibly causing a young boy his Christmas presents. The entire set-up of this short film is without question one of the most imaginative and entertaining that I've seen. The "prep and landing" refers to the elves job as they have to prep the house to make sure everyone is asleep and make sure that Santa's landing will allow him to get into the house without being noticed. This was such a nice and catchy way to tell the Santa legend that I can't help but think people will get a big kick out of it. Of course, it doesn't hurt that this Disney short features some terrific animation and most importantly it has some very memorable characters. Foley really does a fine job bringing Wayne to life and I thought he was terrific in the voice role and really adds a lot to the film. At just over twenty-minutes there's not a slow second to be found here and instead there are just good laughs and a terrific time.

I generally loathe Christmas movies (Its A Wonderful Life is an exception) and Christmas cartoons are usually worse. This is a little masterpiece - helmed by John Lasseter, how could it go wrong? There is a perfect marriage of material that children and adults can enjoy, much the same as most of the Pixar projects. The voice overs are excellent and the whole thing manages to sidestep the mawkish and still remains magical. The animation is of the usual high quality and the writing is terrific. it bears rewatching and is sure to be part of a regular Christmas TV schedule. Why cannot others manage to do this? Surely Pixar are not the only production company with good writers, animators and directors. The problem is,I guess, that Lasseter has set the bar so high it is almost impossible to compete with such a fantastic talent.

I am 60+ and my husband and I watch it every year and just smile. So cute and funny, just a fun watch.

It captured the essence of a great Christmas special without finding the pitfalls of so many other recent Christmas movies. It is contains a great deal of technological references with analogs of NASA and naval terminology and procedures, but it doesn't take the magic out of Santa. There is no attempt at explaining Santa's abilities with special engines or "Clausometers," it shows the realistic and humorous backline of Santa's huge operation. Like any great Christmas movie it has a perfectly Christmas-spirit ending that makes you feel more like a perfect you. Hilarious,touching, exciting, and it has a ton of historical, pop-cultural, and technological references. We are watching it a second time! We loved it!