Alien Xmas (2020 TV Special)
9/10
A sweet little Christmas short with some mild laughs and really good stop motion animation.
22 November 2020
Alien Xmas follows a group of aliens called the Klepts whose entire society is based upon stealing things. The smallest Klept, named X, is sent on a mission to Earth to destroy earth's gravity and float all Earth's material possessions into space, but an encounter with the elves of Christmas town changes X's outlook and shows him the true meaning of Christmas.

Alien Xmas is a 42 minute animated Christmas special from stop motion animators, The Chiodo Brothers, who've provided effects and animation work on everything from Simpsons, The Thundermans, Elf, and Killer Klowns from Outer Space, and you can tell from their work the put a lot of love into their craft. Alien Xmas, much like the stop motion elements they created for Elf, is very much inspired by the classic Rankin/Bass shorts but with the trio's unique take on the material and I'm pleased to say it works.

While the plot of Alien Xmas is certainly standard Christmas fare that most viewers will be able to predict, the animation, humor, and style of Alien Xmas compliments that familiarity and gives a nice twist to traditional material while also keeping it feeling timeless in its execution. The characters are very expressive in their movements and their actions and the Chiodo brothers create many great locations with some absolutely wonderful details. I really enjoyed this Christmas special and wouldn't mind seeing more if the Chiodos were inclined to do so.
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