Much like many other reviewers, I have watched Nostalgia Critic's hilarious, disparaging critique of this special, and it is indeed atrocious. Unfortunately, I have had the dishonor of owning this on VHS since I was a small child. I may have liked it then (and even then, it was kind of creepy), but I don't know what on Earth I was thinking. Anyway, my brother and I pulled out the video a few weeks ago to watch it again for its flaws, and boy, are they ever present. The plot was fairly well developed, but ruined by its horrible directing, hideous animation, and lifeless voice acting (except for Ms. Mavilda, whose anger was voiced well throughout the special).
Even the plot itself takes a nosedive at the end, when Ms. Mavilda becomes a better person after getting struck by lightning while trying to cut down the tree. The moral at the end, for that matter, was also badly chosen: "You always win when you're good". I mean, what does THAT have to do with Christmas? If anything, she should have gone to jail while we learn from her assistant's promotion how much it means to make a change to a formerly bad situation. You can find it on YouTube if you must, but I am definitely throwing out that VHS tape. No one should watch, let alone buy, this piece of Christmas coal.
Even the plot itself takes a nosedive at the end, when Ms. Mavilda becomes a better person after getting struck by lightning while trying to cut down the tree. The moral at the end, for that matter, was also badly chosen: "You always win when you're good". I mean, what does THAT have to do with Christmas? If anything, she should have gone to jail while we learn from her assistant's promotion how much it means to make a change to a formerly bad situation. You can find it on YouTube if you must, but I am definitely throwing out that VHS tape. No one should watch, let alone buy, this piece of Christmas coal.