Top 20 Favorite Christmas Specials (TV and DTV)

Now that I've gotten the Theatrical Films out of the way, let's take a look at what makes up the other half of our Christmas Season of watching: the specials.  

Unfortunately, a lot of shows tend of have Christmas themed episodes that fall flat.  The Simpsons has done at least half as many Treehouse of Horror themed ones and I know other sitcoms and family shows have tackled the subject.  They usually miss out on the spirit of the holidays or at the very least seem a bit too commercial-esque for me to want to watch them year in and year out.  But then there are some that stand the test of time.  Classics that are a part of our hearts and we tend to watch every single year.  While we often have to wade through a lot of garbage, the best stick with us for all time.  

Some of these are feature length and others are anywhere from 22 to 44 minutes long, dependent entirely on who was making it and more importantly when it came out.  What matters is that all of these are either not feature length or were not released in theaters.  One of them was released in theaters, but wasn't the main attraction so it counts here.  But for the sake of everyone here and for the Holiday Season, I'm going to rank my 20 All Time Favorite Christmas Specials.  They can be original or come from a preexisting franchise.  All that matters is it could not be feature length and/or released in theaters.  You won't find National Lampoon or Scott Calvin on this list.  Instead, you'll find some old friends from shows long since passed, as well as a few from shows you might not really think of when you hear the word Christmas.  Well, let's stop beating about the bush and let's take a good and long look at my list.  

Honorable Mentions:

"The Santa Experience" (Rugrats)

"Road to the North Pole" (Family Guy)

"Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire" (The Simpsons)

"Pinocchio's Christmas" (Rankin-Bass)

Mickey's Magical Christmas: Snowed In At The House of Mouse 

Winnie the Pooh: A Very Merry Pooh Year 

Holly Jolly Jimmy (The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius)

Operation N.A.U.G.H.T.Y. (Kids Next Door)

#20: Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted "Fever Dream" (Christmas)

I have a bizarre fascination with this movie.  Whereas the DTV movies Disney put out like The Little Mermaid 2 or The Fox and the Hound 2 are so bad and unmemorable that we can just put them in the back of our mind and never think of them, there are some that stand the test of time.  Sometimes for legitimate reasons of quality, but in some cases for the sheer chaos it instills.  Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas is one of these films.  It is terrible, but in the same way that The Room or Ryan's Babe are terrible.  It's a hilariously awkward and bad movie.  I know I've been harsh on this movie in the past, but you know what, I think I can live with it.  

For those of you blessed without the knowledge of this movie, it takes place during the events of the original film, between the time the Beast saved Belle from the wolves and him giving her the library.  Belle learns from the enchanted objects that the Beast has outlawed Christmas in the castle as a bitter reminder of his beastly form, but Belle seeks to throw the best Christmas Celebration ever while trying to also make the Beast less cold to her and the members of the Castle staff.  Unbeknownst to her, the evil court composer Forte (Tim Curry) is scheming to remove her from the castle to not only retain his immortality as an enchanted organ, but to also keep his control over the Beast as he feeds the gloomy and angry feelings he has inside.  The songs are terrible, the animation is lackluster and the plot goes all over the map, but at the very least I can say that this film is a Christmas movie that understands the meaning of the seasons.  Give Disney credit where it's do, they got that right for once.  While it does that right, I can't say the rest of it makes much sense.  Belle's gung ho attitude towards the Beast (after he imprisoned her and treated her horribly) is jarring, as too is the Beast's complete derision of the Christmas season for no reason, as it was his attitude towards the Enchantress that made him a monster and not the fact that it happened to be on Christmas.  But whatever, take what you can with something like this.  A fever dream of a DTV Disney movie, but at least it's not completely irredeemable like the aforementioned DTV movies or any of the others that belong on the list.  Or maybe it's just the drugs kicking in...

19. "Yes Mikey, Santa Does Shave" (Recess) 

Hey, another Disney property.  It's no coincidence that Recess is on a Top List of any kind.  After all, it was one of the most important mainstays of the Disney's One Saturday Morning lineup from 1997 until the show's wrap up in the early 2000s.  And their Christmas episode (as well as the DTV movie that has it and a few other episodes packaged into it in Miracle on 3rd Street) is just another example of why cartoons in the 1990s just felt better than they were in eras before and since.  Whether that remains true is up for debate, but they at least knew how to appeal to us kids.  

Mikey seems to be the only one excited for Christmas and the arrival from Santa Claus.  The rest of his friends are all skeptical of the existence of Saint Nick.  Mikey goes on a quest to prove to his friends that Santa is real, but finds himself stymied at every turn.  But a conversation with an old man (James Earl Jones) compels Mikey to reinvigorate himself in his pursuit of the truth while also giving him the confidence to perform in the school's Holiday Pageant in front of a worldwide audience.  The main focus on this episode is that even though something isn't able to be seen or proven, you can still have faith that it exists.  This goes the same for any religion or believing in someone like Santa Claus.  This has a lot in common with a Rankin Bass cartoon that just missed the cut in "The Night Before Christmas", in that people try to equate irrefutable proof and facts as equal to or greater than faith.  In some cases, they are right, but in some other cases, it's important to keep a spirit of hope and loving care alive, lest we slide back into hating one another.  It always reminds me of just why I love the Christmas season as much as I do.  

18. Jack Frost (Rankin-Bass)

 You ever think you might want to see the plot of The Little Mermaid told without merpeople?  Well, too bad.  Rankin-Bass gave us a unique spin on a classic myth of a magical spirit that gives us the cold we either love or hate.  It's one of the more popular specials they made, but not quite up to snuff with the likes of Rudolph, Frosty or Year Without a Santa Claus.  

Jack Frost, while blessing the people of a poor village with the cold, falls head over heels in love with a beautiful woman who is mesmerized by his power despite not being able to see him.  After saving her from falling off a waterfall and being declared a hero (despite not having been seen), Jack flies up to Father Winter and asks to be turned into a human to be with her.  Father Winter reluctantly grants his wish, telling Jack that he needed to win a horse, a bag of gold and a wife lest he return to being a spirit.  Jack goes down to Earth as a mortal, but finds wooing the love of his life harder than he expected without his powers and oddly enough, fails in his endeavors, but manages to rid the village of the evil man who lorded over them.  It's a surprisingly somber story for Rankin-Bass to tell and it usually makes my sister cry (though I should say she doesn't know the real ending to Hans Christian Andersen's original Little Mermaid story, so that's one thing).  I enjoy it because of it's relatively lowkey ending and the job of Buddy Hackett as the narrator, but the rest of the special is fairly strong on it's own.  

17. "Babies in Toyland" (Rugrats)

I had a hard time deciding which of the Rugrats Christmas specials I would use on this list and even came close to putting the Hanukah Special on here as well.  In the end, I chose "Babies in Toyland" because of just how inventive and imaginative of a story it is.  It is a special that I always think of when I'm imagining Rugrats in my head.  

Christmas is coming up fast for the Rugrats as Tommy tries to educate his little brother Dil about the meaning of Christmas.  But Angelica lies to the babies and warns them that if they do not help Dil have a fantastic Christmas, he wouldn't have another one.  Tommy and his friends try to help Dil have the greatest Christmas he could ever imagine as they are brought by their parents to "Christmas Land" to meet Santa Claus and embark on a myriad of adventures that take them from the land of the Nutcracker all the way to the manger in Bethlehem.  While this is going on, Angelica angrily searches for Santa Claus after making the stand in quit his job and begins to wonder if she's actually on the Naughty List, wondering what could possibly make her do better, learning that treating every day like Christmas and caring for her friends would make things better on her.  While this show isn't exactly forward thinking always reverts to the status quo at the end, it's a nice lesson to teach to kids who might generally only think about themselves around the holidays.  I know this special was what helped motivate some friends of mine to think more positively about Christmas, so I hope it's done the same for the rest of you.  The imagination and magic in this episode is off the charts, so expect to be thoroughly entertained by this one.  

16. A Very Possible Christmas (Kim Possible)

One of the important lessons about the Holiday Season that one should keep close is that the Holidays aren't about personal betterment, but about how to care for and treat those we care strongly for.  And this episode of one of the best cartoons of all time is no exception to the rule.  

Kim is looking forward to a holiday with her family after a long year of fighting bad guys and saving the world, with Ron hoping she gets her wish.  But when Wade calls to warn them that Dr. Drakken is about, Ron elects to take on a mission to stop Drakken alone, only for the two of them to be launched from the evil villain's lab and launched somewhere into the North Pole in an escape pod.  Kim finds out from Wade about Ron missing and goes off on the rescue, all while Ron and Drakken surprisingly bond over one of their favorite Christmas specials being cancelled and elect to put their feuding aside and enjoy a holiday together, eventually roping in the whole Possible family and Drakken's lead henchwoman in Shego.  The lengths Ron goes to to make Kim's Christmas season by undergoing a dangerous mission himself and the lengths Kim goes to save her best friend are truly what the holidays are about.  Not the pageantry or the festivities, but being with the people you care for and putting aside revelry and anger for just one day. 

15. The Most Horrible X-Mas Ever (Invader Zim) 

No, not even the most beloved and adored Holiday us earthlings could possibly enjoy was safe from the likes of our favorite failed invader.  I never got to see much of this special as a kid, as my mother was very much opposed to this show, so I had to wait until it was on reruns on the Nicktoons Network.  But when I got to see it, I was as pleasantly happy as I was when I first saw The Nightmare Before Christmas as a kid, but for different reasons.  This one is completely unapologetic about what it is and I just love it for this reason.  

Zim is introduced to the Holiday Season during his first year of being on the Planet Earth as part of the Irken Invasion of the known galaxy.  Believing he's found his foolproof plan to take the planet over, Zim disguises himself as Santa Claus in the hopes of manipulating the humans into starting a new Yuletide tradition of "Helping Santa build a giant teleporter capable of sending all humans to their doom".  Dib, of course, is trying to protect the people of a planet that constantly scorns and mocks him with the aid of his bitter sister Gaz and his wacky but loveable father in Professor Membrane.  The results are all of the chaos and demented imagination this show could muster for a Christmas episode.  I had a hard time deciding which post-apocalyptic "X-Mas" episode I wanted on here between this one and Futurama's, but I chose this one because I think Zim unintentionally creating a monster that terrorizes people around the holidays is just perfect irony, considering we know he will never be able to conquer the earth due to his own incompetence.  This might be my favorite episode of this show of all time, to be honest.  

14. The First Christmas Snow (Rankin-Bass)

It has taken me years to be able to find this one after I used to see it every year as a little kid.  This is one of the more unpopular Rankin-Bass specials for some strange reason I will never know.  It's got all the merits of some of the other specials, including those I couldn't just find room for on the list.  The reasoning for this being a lesser special makes no sense to me, but I guess I can live with it.  

The story follows an orphaned Shepherd Boy named Lucas, who is blinded by a bolt of lightning that strikes nearby.  He is cared for by the nuns of a nearby church, with the lead nun (Angela Lansbury) trying to explain to the boy what snow was, as it had never snowed in the valley they lived in in his lifetime.  He is given a role in the Church's Christmas Pageant as an angel and befriends a young girl named Louisa who also helps him to learn to live with his new disability, before a miracle unfolds and snow falls during the pageant and Lucas's eyesight is restored to him.  It's a sweet and definitely less bombastic special in comparison to what Rankin-Bass has done previously and since, but I enjoy it because of how toned down it is.  

13. Christmas Who? (Spongebob Squarepants) 

Like Rugrats, Spongebob also has two different Christmas episodes to choose from.  But while I do enjoy the stop motion Spongebob Christmas Special from about 10 years ago, I think the original Christmas episode from Season 2 is the better one.  Why?  Well, it's got a bit more of the spirit of Christmas in it than the second one, which seemed more like a parody than anything.  This one is one of the best Nickelodeon specials they've ever done, and is only outdone by one other show's Christmas special.  

Spongebob and the residents of Bikini Bottom are introduced for the first time to the ideas of Christmas by Sandy.  But Spongebob's imagination takes the idea a bit too literally (chiefly with respect to Santa Claus) and he goes a bit overboard to try and welcome him to the undersea world.  Squidward, of course, constantly berates Spongebob for his undying faith in this mythical character, but comes to sympathize with him when he realizes that Spongebob understands the real meaning of the holidays by making Squidward a gift after he feared he wouldn't get one for not believing in Santa.  Squidward then chooses to do everything he can to make his neighbor's holiday worth remembering.  I mean, if a holiday is that meaningful to make the ordinarily bitter Squidward act truly brotherly towards Spongebob, especially today with how static his character has become, can this one truly be beaten by the Rankin-Bass parody one?  Well, I say no.  

12. Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas 

I think Disney had their fingers on the pulse of an entire generation back in the 1990's, especially when it came to Christmas specials and movies.  And this one is no exception, with three short stories that all capture the true spirit of the holidays.  

The stories follow Huey, Dewey and Louie as they have to navigate the same day on repeat everyday when they wish it could be Christmas every day, soon discovering that it wasn't the presents and the feasting that made the holiday, but the people you shared it with.  The second follows Goofy and Max as Goofy tries to keep the spirit of Santa Claus alive in his son after Pete breaks the news to Max about how Santa Claus didn't exist.  The third story is a perfect retelling of the classic story "Gift of the Magi", where both Mickey and Minnie make a difficult sacrifice to try and make the other's Christmas dreams a reality, ironically giving up what they cherished the most for the other and realizing what truly mattered was how they felt towards each other and not what they had.  While on the shorter and more cartoonish side of things, this film is always a must watch at my house because of how much heart and charm it has.  

11. Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer (Rankin-Bass)

Boy am I going to get some hate for this one...

I've got to be honest with you.  This special has gotten a bit worse every single time I see it and it's the only Rankin-Bass special that I have this issue with.  This special has the same issue that the original Dumbo has, in that the story mostly follows how Rudolph is ridiculed for his glowing red nose until it becomes their salvation.  But at least Dumbo had charm and the lead character was a baby and unable to really complain or gripe about his position.  Rudolph doesn't have that luxury.  And it's not just him.  He and Hermy are the same boat in that they are both ridiculed and treated as outcasts until they are deemed useful to those at the North Pole.  I think there is a truly magical story in this somewhere, but they hammer in the cruel treatment of our two main leads a bit too much for me to like this.  

For those of you unaware, Rudolph is born with a glowing red nose that makes him an outcast among his fellow reindeer, including his father Donner.  Tired of being ridiculed and forced to hide his nose, the young reindeer leaves on his own to find some place he belongs in the world, being joined by a treasure seeking miner named Yukon Cornelius and an elf who dreams of being a dentist instead of a toymaker.  Rudolph's journey eventually takes him to the Island of Misfit Toys, who have been cast aside for being different or defective from the other toys made, but he eventually returns to save his family after they go in search of him and are captured by the Abominable Snowman.  But when the snows hit the North Pole and make it impossible to take off safely, Rudolph's nose is just what Santa needs to light his sleigh.  I honestly think, given the way he was treated, Rudolph could have said no and I would have sided with him...

10. Winnie the Pooh and Christmas Too 

Why is Winnie the Pooh so wholesome?  I mean, I keep asking myself this whenever I have him in countdowns.  Is it his sincerity?  His innocence?  Or is it just how he always seems to find the meaning of things when he has no idea what he's doing?  It makes complete sense for Winnie the Pooh to be involved in a Christmas story with this knowledge.  And while it isn't as beloved as some of the other Christmas Specials we see every year, I think this one belongs in the conversation with the best of the best.  

After Christopher Robin sends out a letter to Santa Claus with gifts everyone wanted, the residents of the Hundred Acre Wood realize that Pooh never got to ask for anything and try to intercept the letter.  But after they get a new and much more complete list, the winds unfortunately fail to carry the mail to Santa, prompting Pooh to take it upon himself to try and deliver the best presents possible for his friends, only for them to fail because, being a bear of very little brain, he's not exactly adept at making things such as snow shoes and fly swatters.  When the ruse is discovered, Pooh takes it upon himself to reach the North Pole before Santa leaves, only for his friends to realize it wouldn't be Christmas without him.  Despite Pooh's failure to bring their letter to Santa, Christopher Robin appears with all of their gifts they had asked for, even a honey pot for Pooh.  This, like "The First Christmas Snow" has a great deal of humility and less bombastic Christmas Special, especially in a time where loud and explosive cartoons were all the rage in the 1980s and 1990s.  And these more gentle and tame specials are what resonate the most with me.  

9. Frosty the Snowman (Rankin-Bass)

Yes, believe it or not, Rankin-Bass can use both Traditional Animation as well as Stop-Motion.  Unfortunately, of the five Traditionally Animated Christmas Specials I can think of, this is clearly the superior of all four.  The other three are...well...more mixed in terms of quality.  "Frosty's Winter Wonderland" is okay, "Frosty Returns" is very meh, "The Night Before Christmas" is pretty good and "Cricket on the Hearth"...well...let's just pretend that one doesn't exist.  But good old "Frosty the Snowman" is one of the best Holiday Specials out there.  So much so that it's one of the few specials that plays on National Television every single year on CBS, whereas ABC and NBC get the other specials.  

After being forced to endure a lame magician on the last day of school, a group of kids build a snowman on their school property and wish him to life.  The hat of said magician lands on Frosty's head and he comes to life.  After arguing with the Magician over who got to keep the hat, Frosty finds himself beginning to melt when the temperature rises.  The lead girl, Karen, elects to help Frosty get to the North Pole, but eventually gets sick from being too cold (or not wearing any pants as you can see in the image).  Frosty takes her to a nearby Greenhouse, but is locked in by the Magician and he melts away, allowing the Magician to take the hat.  But Santa Claus arrives and uses some of his own magic to bring Frosty back, chastising the magician for being so selfish.  Frosty departs with Santa, promising to return one day.  While it's a slightly more busy version of the song we all know and love, I think Frosty is a much better Christmas character than Rudolph.  May not be a popular opinion, but I'm sticking to it...

8. Arnold's Christmas (Hey Arnold!)

Come on, you knew this one was going to be on here.  I mean, how could I get away with leaving one of the most emotional Nickelodeon Holiday Episodes off of the list?  Man, I don't think us kids appreciated just how good of a show Hey Arnold was during it's initial run.  It dealt with serious issues such as alcoholism, depression and in this episode, separation.  

While the rest of Arnold's Boarding House is preparing for Christmas, Mr. Hyunh finds himself unable to enjoy the festivities.  He explains to Arnold that he had to give up his daughter Mai while he lived during the Vietnam War, having her leave with US Soldiers who were evacuating while he remained behind until he was able to escape to America,  But in the 20 years since he had let his daughter go, he had never found her.  Arnold attempts to reunite the two, but finds that the city's archivist is uninterested in helping them and forces Arnold and Gerald to complete his Christmas shopping.  When they fail to procure one last item on the list, which Helga obtains instead, they nearly give up, but Helga offers her boots to the archivist in exchange for the information.  To the shock of everyone in the Boarding House, Mr. Hyunh is reunited with Mai after 20 years and Arnold begins to believe in miracles as Helga watches on, content with what she did for Arnold.  I've said it once and I will say it again, we did not deserve or appreciate this show enough growing up in the 90s.  I think this show could be a big hit nowadays if Nick revived it, but with the Jungle Movie tying up all the loose ends, I think that hope is now non-existent.  

7. Woodland Critter Christmas (South Park)

I don't think I've ever seen this one through to it's completion, because I always almost choke from laughter after being unable to breathe.  This isn't just one of the best Christmas Specials of all time, but it's also one of the greatest episodes of South Park.  

Stan is roped in by an overly intrusive narrator into assisting a group of woodland critters in completing their perfect Christmas.  After learning that their Porcupine friend is going to give birth to their "lord and savior", Stan is again convinced to help make a manger for them to allow Porcupiney (yes, that's her name) deliver birth as was tradition and even helps to kill a Mountain Lion that was harassing them, leaving a trio of cubs orphaned.  Stan returns, feeling shame for letting the Mountain Lion mother die, only to find out that Porcupiney's baby is going to be the Anti-Christ and they need a human slave to put the spirit in, but Stan is baptized and thus cannot be used.  The Critters then rope Kyle into being used as a host, while Stan has to teach the Mountain Lion cubs to complete an abortion to prevent the Anti-Christ from being born.  Stan, the Mountain Lions and Santa prevent the Woodland Critters from completing their twisted ambitions, but Kyle is prompted by the narrator (Cartman) into absorbing the spirit to make a Christmas for the Jews, only for the cubs to abort the spirit out of him when Kyle loses his free will.  This show is twisted, but Woodland Critter Christmas is without a doubt the most twisted episode this side of "Scott Tenorman Must Die".  I mean, would you have expected a group of innocent and wide eyed animals to be followers of Satan?  Stan sure as hell didn't...

6. Santa Claus is Comin' To Town (Rankin-Bass)

This one has been a part of my whole life, being one of the few Rankin-Bass specials I can remember word for word and would be so dejected if I ever missed it.  Fortunately, I own it, so now I can watch it whenever I want.  But if there is one Rankin-Bass special that towers over both Rudolph and Frosty in public approval, it's definitely this one.  

Orphaned baby Claus is found and raised by a group of elves known as the Kringles.  Named Kris by his new family, he learns all the tricks of the trade of making toys.  When he's grown up, he takes a sack of toys to a nearby village, which has oddly enough just banned toys thanks to it's evil ruler Burgermeister Meister Burger.  Kringle manages to win the adoration of the children and a teacher named Jessica, as well as the friendship of the normally wicked Winter Warlock, but finds increasing opposition from the Burgermeister.  Made an outlaw with his actions, Kris ultimately flees to the Far North with his family and loved ones, setting up base at the North Pole.  Fearing using his old name, Kris retakes the name Claus and becomes Santa Claus, who has delivered toys ever since to all the girls and boys of the world on a single night: Christmas.  This one is a delight in every meaning of the word.  It isn't afraid to be silly or cheesy and still retains the heart and spirit that makes this time such a wonderful time for many, even if some of the moments in the story haven't aged as well as others (like the trip out moments in Jessica's song and Kris's song can be a touch creepy when he sings about the kids).  Beyond that, as this is a product of it's time, I can live with it.  

5. Mickey's Christmas Carol 

I'm still impressed that within half an hour of runtime, Disney managed to make a Christmas Carol retelling that is fifty times better than the Jim Carrey one that's almost four times as long.  And the vastly superior one is the one starring Scrooge McDuck and freaking Goofy.  Come on, Disney.  You can see this, right?  

Disney character take the roles of the characters in Charles Dickens' classic novel about reclaiming the inner soul of one of Britain's most miserly men.  With Mickey as Bob Cratchit, Scrooge McDuck as...well...Ebenezer Scrooge, Goofy as Jacob Marley, Jiminy Cricket, Willie the Giant and Pete as the Ghosts and plenty of other classic Disney characters being used, this is an extremely faithful retelling of the story with a greatly reduced runtime.  It always confused me as to why Disney never greenlit a full-length version of this being made (I guess The Black Cauldron was too deep into production for them to change course).  But as it is, this one is a sheer delight of a retelling of one of the greatest stories ever written and one of the finer adaptations we've ever seen.  But not the best...

4. The Year Without a Santa Claus (Rankin-Bass)

This special has the opposite effect that Rudolph has on me, in that this one gets better every time I watch it.  I can't tell if it's just how much fun this story has with itself and it's source material, or just the warmth the whole special has.  Either way, there's a reason this one is as beloved as all of the other Rankin-Bass specials and is as awaited by millions every season as both Rudolph and Frosty.  

When Santa gets a cold as well as a cold slap of reality that many people in the South no longer believe in him, he decides to take a holiday and rest.  Mrs. Claus, not wanting millions of children to be disappointed, coerces two elves to head down South and drum up some Christmas Spirit, only to get their reindeer captured by the Dog Pound.  The Elves take the sarcastic mayor of Southtown USA too seriously and believe that if they can make it snow, they would get their baby reindeer back.  Santa comes South to the rescue and meets with a boy named Iggy, who admits he's having a hard time keeping the faith.  Reinvigorated by Iggy's parents reassurances in their faith in him, Santa rushes the baby reindeer back to the North Pole while the Elves and Mrs. Claus try to compel the feuding brothers of Heat Miser and Snow Miser to let it snow in the South and give Santa a nice day in the North Pole for his vacation.  But while the rest of the world celebrates Santa's vacation, Santa feels guilty about abandoning the children for the holidays and elects to fly down to deliver the presents on time.  This is probably the most ideal motion picture that Rankin-Bass has made.  It has a decent three act structure, stakes and conflict that gets wrapped up in the end without it getting too cheesy.  Add into that the charm the special has and it goes down as the best of the Rankin-Bass specials.  

3. How the Grinch Stole Christmas 

While Chuck Jones was no longer working on the Looney Tunes cartoons by the 1960s, he still had a bit to offer us.  While some of what he did isn't as memorable or good as the Looney Tunes (AKA his Tom and Jerry cartoons being some of the weaker ones), he did produce one thing that stands out above the rest.  A Christmas special that debuted around the same time as Rudolph and another special we haven't discussed yet.  Though this is the first of many adaptations of the classic Holiday Themed Dr. Seuss book, it's without a doubt the superior one.  After all, while the Live Action one is okay, the Illumination Films one is just awful.  But hey, they are the bane of the Animation World so it doesn't really matter.  

We all know this one, right?  Fed up with the people of Whoville and their passions for Christmas, the Grinch schemes to disguise himself as Santa Claus and plots to steal all that makes the holiday season special, including presents, trees and the feasts.  But he quickly realizes that the Spirit of Christmas isn't something you can steal and is swayed to return what he stole, being welcomed among the Whos for the holiday.  This classic Christmas Special, alongside the likes of the Rankin-Bass specials and one other one, have been delighting audiences for over 50 years and seem to have no interest in stopping anytime soon.  Which is a good thing.  Lessons like these need to stand the test of time, not be cast aside for cheap cash-ins.  

2. A Christmas Carol 

There has never been a more faithful and perfect adaptation of Charles Dickens' fabled story of Christmas salvation than a 1984 motion picture made solely for television.  The acting is top notch, the set pieces are well told and the characters are acting and in place the precise way they should be.  There isn't anything that outright makes Scrooge heel turn too quickly and his miserly and wicked ways are perfectly captured by George C. Scott.  I actually cannot say that there is a better version of this wonderful story, not even the Muppet Version, which is still a phenomenal retelling.  But there is something truly ambitious about this version, especially considering how much work they put into it for a Television Budget.  

The miserly Ebenezer Scrooge is haunted in the middle of the night on Christmas Eve by the spirit of his partner Jacob Marley and the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Christmas Yet to Come, who try to implore upon the greedy and cruel Scrooge to change his ways, lest he carry the burdens of his avarice and greed as well as the victims of said greed with him when he dies.  Scrooge is troubled by his past, humbled by his present and transformed by the future he can yet change.  While this film is a bit slower paced than other classic, the book screams for a more slower path than a climax like the one we get in the Jim Carrey one or even the Disney one.  This is the definitive adaptation of the most important story of the last 200 years.  

1. A Charlie Brown Christmas 

Well, this one was going to win no matter what I limited it to.  A Christmas Special so humble, so tranquil, made with such care and on such a tight budget and possessing the Christmas Spirit that makes the season brighter that no doubt makes this the greatest of them all.  And why not?  In a time when Christmas was becoming more commercialized and more about material gains than the spirit of the seasons, this I believe is the second coming of "A Christmas Carol".  After all, this story singlehandedly destroyed the Aluminum Christmas Tree industry and that's always a good thing.  

Our favorite unlucky loser is more miserable than ever around the Holidays, unable to bring himself to find the meaning of Christmas.  Lucy suggests Charlie Brown direct their Christmas Play, but few of their friends actually listen to his directions, as even Snoopy acts in opposition to him.  Charlie and Linus go to find the perfect Christmas Tree, but are turned off by all of the fake and aluminum ones, with Charlie finding sympathy for a small tree that looked more like a stick than anything else.  Charlie is mocked for this tree, until Linus gives a speech inspiring to the children the true meaning of Christmas, motivating Charlie Brown to take the tree some place it would be appreciated.  The kids dress up the tree with a bit of tender love and celebrate with a hymn.  I mean, if there is a special that truly understands what Christmas is supposed to be about, it's this one.  There isn't a dastardly villain like the Burgermeister or the Miser Bros., there isn't a spectacle of a climax like in the Beauty and the Beast Fever Dream and there isn't anything over the top like in the Woodland Critter Christmas episode.  It's humble, sincere and filled with the heart of what makes this the best time of the year (in my opinion at least).  It's finding the best out of what you have, rather than trying to flash it up with gloss and glamour.  This one is one I can find myself watching every year and at any time of the year.  

Top 10 Favorite Christmas Movies

 

Well, Christmas is right around the corner, as Thanksgiving comes and passes later on this week.  Those who always fear the growing might and power of the "holiday season" are unfortunately going to have to endure the next 6 weeks of festivities, over-commercialism and repeated songs on the radio until the holidays pass until this time next year (unless you're like me and enjoy Christmas anytime of the year).  It's unavoidable, but if you lose yourself into a temporary time occupier like a movie or a show, it could help alleviate how some people feel about the holidays.  Naturally, this time of year is hard for many either emotionally or financially, so I don't judge those who have a hard time going through this time of year.  It's been hard on my Mom ever since my stepfather died last year and it's hard on a good friend of mine every year because this is when her own father died of cancer when we were younger.  But finding a temporary chance to escape is critical around this time of year.  Fortunately, movies give us an escape route, even if they are embedded with an abundance of Christmas or Holiday themed movies.  

Many don't understand or comprehend the true meanings of Christmas.  Many are made solely as cash grabs and hardly try to stand out or make a difference between them.  This is unfortunate, especially when these movies are based off of already existing properties, do not even remotely try and still end up being successful films (looking at that abomination Grinch movie that Illumination Studios made a few years back).  But some do understand it and some do make the holidays better just by showing up on our TVs.  I have my own personal list of these that I enjoy every year, as well as a list of favorite Christmas Specials I watch every year.  I'm choosing to split these up, because otherwise I would be here forever talking about all of the Christmas themed cartoons and shows I watch and never end the topic.  

For this first list, I will be talking about my 10 Favorite Christmas-themed Movies.  I constitute a movie as being something that was released theatrically.  Anything that was direct to video or premiered on television or streaming services first will not count.  The George C. Scott version of "A Christmas Carol" will be on the next list, as it was a TV only movie.  But there are a few full-length theatrical Scrooge movies to look at, as well as plenty of others that don't involve Scrooge.  Movies that have starred some of the best comedians and actors Hollywood has to offer, including Chevy Chase, Will Ferrell, Tim Allen and even the Muppets.  The next list will feature as many of those other TV specials that I can fit, from the Rankin-Bass TV Specials, to Charlie Brown, to the Grinch and so many others.  But first comes first, and we've got to give a good look at my personal Top 10 Favorite Christmas movies that saw theatrical releases first.  So, without further ado, let's begin:

First, Some Honorable Mentions:

Miracle on 34th Street (1947)

How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)

Scrooge (1988)

Rise of the Guardians (2012)

March of the Wooden Soldiers (1934)

Ernest Saves Christmas (1988)

Bad Santa (2003)

Jingle All the Way (1996)

White Christmas (1954)

Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987)

10. The Santa Clause (1994) 

I will forever blame this movie for the reason why an entire generation of kids cannot spell the name Santa Claus.  But on it's own, this 1994 Christmas Film from my childhood still surprisingly holds up to this day.  Tim Allen makes for a surprisingly good Santa given how miserable he appeared to be in the role when his son in movie pleaded with him to take up the suit after the previous Santa fell off of their roof.  I think the biggest sell of this movie is the chemistry between it's actors.  Judge Reinhold's character isn't an outright dastardly antagonist.  He's just a concerned psychiatrist who also serves as Charlie's stepfather and has a good connection with him.  He and Tim Allen are both looking out for the best for their stepson and son respectively.  Charlie and Scott Calvin of course have the best chemistry between them on screen, with both warming up to each other as the film goes and makes the scenes later in the film of Charlie wanting to desperately follow his dad to the North Pole (after spending the first few scenes in the film pleading with his Mom to not leave him there).  Tim Allen was in fact so good in this role that Disney pumped out two sequels, neither of which held a candle to the original, but hey.  They do say that Lightning rarely strikes twice in Hollywood.  

9. National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989)

I'll never understand how Clark Griswold could ever believe that he could have the perfect Christmas Celebration considering he was three movies into his franchise at this point.  I think one of the best aspects of this film is not just the comedy, though that hits it out of the ballpark every single time I watch this movie around the holidays, but Chevy Chase in particular is sensational in his role of being not just a guy trying to have a fun family vacation, but instead trying to have just one perfect Christmas Day.  And literally everything you could possibly expect to go wrong does go wrong in this film.  The Griswolds have to uproot a tree when they realize they never brought any saws or axes to cut it.  The lights they install around the house cause a blackout.  When his boss doesn't give him the Christmas bonus he had been desperately in need of, his brother in law kidnaps him and gets SWAT teams involved.  Man, this family just cannot catch a break, can they?  But the spirit of Christmas is still so strong in this movie despite everything going wrong and is precisely why this time of year is so important to me.  The Holidays don't have to be perfect, or fancy or anything of the sort.  So long as you've got people around you that you care about and love, does it really matter if the house almost burns down?  Well, kinda...

8. Home Alone (1990)

Man, John Hughes must have been as big a Christmas fan as anyone I know.  I felt it would be very awkward to have three of his movies right off the bat in this countdown, hence why I chose The Santa Clause over Planes, Trains and Automobiles.  But this film is one I could not possibly leave off.  Like The Santa Clause after it, it had a great deal of charm and sincerity, a ton of laughs and spawned a franchise of vastly inferior films that lost the focus and heart of the original.  Kevin McCallister is unintentionally left behind as his family proceeds to embark on a lengthy vacation to France.  While he is initially happy about being the only one in his home, Kevin soon begins to realize just how important having family is around the holidays, especially when he finds himself needing to defend their home from two burglars.  As a kid, we all loved Macaulay Culkin's portrayal as Kevin and how both excitable and sincere he could be.  But as an adult, I find myself more magnetically drawn to Catherine O'Hara's portrayal as his mother, someone who goes to such incredible lengths to make it back home to her son while the rest of the family is unable to get flights back to Chicago in time.  The slapstick comedy is still excellent despite how it unfortunately changed Hughes from being a director of his time to being just another comedy movie director.  And both Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern are fantastic as Harry and Marv.  This one is one of a few Christmas movies I will put down whatever it is I'm doing to watch if I haven't seen it yet.  

7. It's A Wonderful Life (1946)

I tried my darnedest to put this film higher on the list than where it is, but one flaw has kept me from enjoying this film whenever I see it's on.  I won't get too deep into that now, as it's a major plot point that's revealed in the film later down the line, but the movie on it's own without that scene is incredible.  For those of you who haven't seen it, it follows a distraught man named George Bailey (Jimmy Stewart) who contemplates suicide following a string of disastrous turns in his life from losing his life savings in a run on the bank, to losing hearing in one ear and even having a falling out with his own brother.  A guardian angel ultimately prevents him from doing the unthinkable while also showing to him just how important he is to so many people in the world.  This one is tremendously popular to play around the holidays for it's belief in the ideals of charity, good will and brotherhood that Christmas does try to bring out in so many people.  And I can definitely see why, as George tries to equate the misery in his world to how he feels the world would be better off without him.  Having been someone on the cusp of suicide myself, I can see how he feels and how the pressures of life make it seem like an inevitability to die instead of living and loving life as best as possible.  But one thing this movie teaches us is that the good we can instill in others not only through our hard work, but our sacrifices can impact far more than we realize.  Just what would have happened to all of the people George helped in his life if he never existed?  Or any of us for that matter?  

6. The Polar Express (2004)

If you could ever ask me what a perfect adaptation of a children's book would be to a theatrical level, my choice would be this film.  Why?  Well, the original Polar Express book does not directly imply much about the main character, whom we as the reader is supposed to think of as ourselves.  It doesn't have any filler or over the top nonsense in it's story.  Instead, it takes on a lesson and moral that really is the backbone of the book and has us question all that is on screen, from the train itself, to the idea of whether or not Santa was real or a figment of imagination.  Add to that some surprisingly good Mo-Cap technology for it's time (that would oddly enough get worse and worse by the movie, hence why I left the Jim Carrey Christmas Carol off this list) and solid acting performances from actual children and as usual from Tom Hanks and you get a movie that has had an excellent impact on children and adults of all ages.  This is, strangely enough, my father's favorite Christmas movie, considering he was a kid around the time movies like the ones mentioned above were coming out and already available.  I thoroughly enjoy this one, but I cannot bear to listen to that Josh Groban song anymore, because it always makes me cry.  It's a film high on imagination, belief and creativity that I always enjoy revisiting year after year.  

5. The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992)

I think what always gets me emotionally about this film is just how seriously Michael Caine takes this role.  He isn't overly comedic or not taking this seriously.  From the moment he takes up the screen as Ebenezer Scrooge, he is giving his heart to this role for both the menacingly cruel and selfish Scrooge in the beginning, all the way to the emotionally broken yet optimistic man he becomes by the end.  And, with the Muppets at the helm in this one, it has all of the comedy and heartfelt moments down to a science.  And of course, this movie is not without it's own controversy from one Jeffrey Katzenberg, who elected to and succeeded in cutting the film's emotional core, the song "When Love is Gone" from the film.  This song is only visible in certain releases of this film, including the 1993 VHS and Laserdisc, and I'm not 100% sure if Disney brought it back into the film's airings on Disney+.  If they have, this film becomes even better.  But the film's heart comes from Michael Caine's acting and just how seriously the film takes itself.  All of the best aspects of Charles Dickens' classic novel are here, just with a lot more weirdos like Gonzo and Rizzo.  

4. Elf (2003)

I do not understand as to why this movie airs at random times throughout the year on TV, which is probably why so many people think it's overplayed.  But I have adored this movie ever since I saw it for my cousin's 10th birthday back in 2003 in theaters.  While I can't say I knew much of Will Ferrell from his SNL days (considering I was 8 or 9 when this film came out), I can safely say this movie won me over to him as a comedic genius and star actor.  He has the childish mentality down to a science in this film and his chemistry with the likes of Ed Asner, Bob Newhart, James Caan and especially Zooey Deschanel is where this film has all of the Christmas spirit that a film like this needs.  Combine that with some of the best comedy a Christmas film has ever had and you get a movie that not only stands up with the best that Christmas has to offer, but also surpasses some of the things that came before it.  Sheer holiday brilliance is this film, and I always enjoy it whenever I watch it.  It's got a lot in common with The Muppet Christmas Carol, in that this movie did not need to go as hard as it did to make this film work, but the actors took it all seriously and didn't let the childishness of the premise or tone of the movie change them.  

3. Die Hard (1988)

Yes, this movie counts as a Christmas movie.  Yes, this movie can play at any time of the year.  And Yes, I have no intention of changing my mind on this.  When it came to choosing between this film and it's sequel, I chose Die Hard because of a few reasons.  Chiefly, I'd say 50% because of the memes and another 50% because the film is such an enjoyable action flick that really had no reason being as good as it needed to be.  Both Bruce Willis and Alan Rickman are at their peak in this film from a performance aspect, with them having the best amount of chemistry a hero and villain have ever had despite only interacting one or two times the entire movie in person.  For those of you who don't know, this movie follows NYC cop John McClane as he tries to rescue his wife and her associates during a hostage crisis led by German terrorist Hans Gruber.  The rest of the film is a thrilling action packed spectacle that not only launched the careers of both Rickman and Willis, but also a franchise that went almost 35 years and is probably still going to keep going.  What else can I say but: "Yippee Ki-Yay Mother Effer"...

2. The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

Ah, the 1990s.  Back before Tim Burton became a hollow sellout and simply made all of the movies that existed to inspire an entire generation of otherwise scorned children.  Not only have I adored The Nightmare Before Christmas ever since I first saw it as a three year old back in 1997, but this film is also one of my all time favorite films, period.  The film follows the Pumpkin King Jack Skellington as he becomes mesmerized by the idea of Christmas and attempts to take the place of Santa Claus by spreading the joy as best as he knows, not realizing that there's a reason that both Halloween and Christmas are separated.  The film fits in safely with the other contemporary Disney Films of it's time as a musical as well as being among the finest and most beloved Christmas and Halloween films out there.  The film's horror-themed aesthetics, combined with the wonder and delight both worlds portray to us and you get a film that is just about as perfect as it can be.  If you've been putting off seeing this film because of some random internet turd saying it's overrated, please don't.  This film is a classic in every sense of the word and cannot be outdone by any other Christmas film apart from one...

1. A Christmas Story (1983) 

There is a reason this film plays on repeat for twenty four consecutive hours on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.  This film captures basically all of what makes Christmas what it is to our country as a whole.  The commercialism, the childlike wonder and tomfoolery and of course the magic of the season.  The film follows Ralphie as he eagerly anticipates getting the greatest gift of them all for Christmas in an airsoft gun, despite everyone around him telling him he'd just shoot his eye out.  Add into that the best comedic writing in any Christmas film and some great acting performances all around and there's a reason this movie is as beloved as it is by millions here in the US.  I think my favorite part of this movie isn't exactly a part of the film itself, but the mass appeal it has.  My stepfather had the infamous leg lamp from this movie despite having only seen the film once or twice in his whole life.  My Mom and Dad used to quote this movie for years to me before I had even seen it for the first time when I was about 9 or 10.  Even the filmmakers have tried too hard to cash in with the TV version starring Matthew Broderick and the lousy sequel we've put into the back of our heads.  But no matter how much people try to hate on it, duplicate it or cash in on it, you cannot change the original film from being considered anything less than a Christmas classic, even with some casual 1950s racism thrown in there...

My Five Biggest Personal Issues with Kingdom Hearts III

 

Having recently completed my 4th or 5th playthrough of Kingdom Hearts III since it's release in January 2019, I have to say my opinion on the game is very heavily mixed.  It doesn't hit the same dramatic tones the first two games or even 358/2 Days or Birth By Sleep did.  The story line is all over the map and character motivations and actions turn on a dime instead of being calculated or smooth throughout.  The gameplay is fluid and solid, if not slightly aggravating with the annoying as all hell Attractions Gimmicks you can only turn off if you're playing Critical Mode.  The set pieces and look of the game is absolutely breathtaking, if not being totally wasted on a game with this cast of characters being largely uneven.  

For those who play these games strictly for the gameplay, you'll like this game fine.  For those of you like me who have been invested in this series since 2002, it can feel like a plodding and meandering mess for more than half of it's run time and the other half is a storyline that makes minimal logical sense.  Personally, while I've played every Kingdom Hearts game that I can (with the exception of the Melody of Memory game because I refuse to play it for a few minutes of added cutscenes), I feel like this game has jumped the shark in terms of what the franchise will be doing going forward.  Look, I get that using the same formula of Sora, Donald and Goofy traveling from various world to world was an untenable concept that would get old after a while, but if Disney and Square Enix going to be doing what I think they'll be doing by essentially ditching the classic formula going forward (as there is officially no reason to visit the vast majority of Disney Worlds going forward), I think the series is going to lose it's core audience.  There aren't many like me who will pick it up for reasons beyond Sora and Hercules teaming up to fight Hades.  And the distinct lack of Final Fantasy characters in anything but the DLC released a year after the original game came out also rubbed people the wrong way.  Kingdom Hearts is going to have an identity crisis going forward and I don't think they'll be able to recover from it.  

So, my opinion on the game is somewhere between subpar and above average.  It doesn't come close to dethroning Kingdom Hearts II as my all time favorite game or the original game in my heart.  What does that mean for this game?  What were my biggest issues with the game?  Well, let's delve into a couple of them right here.  Please note that these aren't in any particular order, as each have angered me to different degrees based on playthroughs.  

1. "The New Seven Lights" 

One of the key components of the original game was the mysterious and untapped powers that lied within the hearts of several maidens in the universe, known as the Princesses of Heart.  While these maidens did not technically have to be royalty or even come from worlds where they would be considered as such, they would all possess pure and unbridled hearts that could see the good in all people and spread their lights to not only safeguard their own worlds, but to also be the keys to opening the door to Kingdom Hearts itself and finding the light within.  As many of you know, the Princesses of Heart were all abducted from their worlds by the likes of Maleficent and her council of evil Disney Villains (Hades, Oogie Boogie, Ursula, Captain Hook and Jafar) and used to open the door to Kingdom Hearts by Ansem, Seeker of Darkness.  After this purpose, the Princesses remained in Hollow Bastion to ward off the darkness until Sora and co. defeated Ansem and closed Kingdom Hearts.  Then, though the need to find Kingdom Hearts in it's purest form was gone, there was still some power within these women, hence why it was so important to keep them safe in future and later Kingdom Hearts games, especially Belle and Jasmine in Kingdom Hearts II.  

Somewhere along the line, in a sense of revisionist history, Square and Disney up and took this power of unlocking Kingdom Hearts away from most of these Princesses and bestowed it upon a new generation of them.  Chiefly, in Kingdom Hearts III, we encounter both Elsa and Anna in Arendelle as well as Rapunzel in The Kingdom of Corona.  But, as Sora pointed out, Kairi never gave up her power.  So, why do these other six have to surrender their power, but not her?  And why would we only be introduced to these three and not the remaining three?  Are we supposed to assume that by proxy, one of Megara, Boo, Elizabeth Swann, Gogo or Honey Lemon were the other ones?  Why have Marluxia and Larxene make these threats to Sora about potentially abducting these new Princesses when we're not even sure who all seven of them would be?  It's unfortunately another one of those continuity errors that the series is enveloped in, like with Ansem the Wise somehow surviving being blown up in The World That Never Was in KH II.  

2. Glorified Cameos

One of the best aspects of Kingdom Hearts is that the threats imposed on the worlds aren't just coming from the Heartless, the Nobodies, the Unversed or Organization XIII.  It can also come from the Disney Villains and their ambitions.  Villains who are lured into power by the darkness in their hearts like Frollo, Clayton and Shan Yu or those directly or indirectly tied to Maleficent and Pete (Barbossa, Ursula, Jafar, Hades, Scar, Oogie Boogie, etc.) all pose major threats to their worlds as Sora and co. travel to them.  Beginning in Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance, the import of the Disney Villain has gradually declined to the point where in that game, only three mandatory bosses in the game were Disney Villains (Rinzler, The Beagle Boys and Chernabog).  In this game, it's almost worse depending on whether or not you count the Heartless Baymax as a Disney boss or not.  The Titans, Davy Jones and Marshmallow are the only three Disney Bosses in the entire game.  No match with Hades, Randall, or Hans as the main threats in the Disney Worlds in this game come directly from the Heartless and Organization XIII.  

But to add insult to injury, I genuinely think Maleficent and Pete are only in about 5 minutes of screen time combined in the entire game, a far cry from their appearances in Kingdom Hearts II.  They are traveling from world to world in search of a "black box" which contains within it the ancient Book of Prophecies.  But they do not pose any serious challenge to Sora and co., nor does Xehanort see them as anything other than a speed bump.  It's a horrific slide downward for the alleged Mistress of All Evil, who not only makes it to the end of this game, but also seems to have discovered where the Book is after all this time at the end of the Secret Ending.  If this book was truly important, you would think the game would have elaborated for us a bit on what it can do or why everyone should be seeking this box.  But it seemed that of all the people in Kingdom Hearts III, only Xigbar, Maleficent and Luxord seem to be keen on finding it.  No one else.  So it makes Maleficent even appearing in this game utterly pointless as she chooses to remain neutral in the Keyblade War and thus vanishes from the game completely in the Third Act.  

3. The Lack of Stakes 

Apart from Sora, who fades out of existence by the end of the game, there isn't a single character in Kingdom Hearts III who has anything at stake in this game.  The Guardians of Light are essentially all powered up and completely incapable of being hurt or killed at this point in the series (despite the fake out at the start of the Keyblade War in Act III).  Aqua has spent a decade in the Realm of Darkness with it eating away are her heart and power, only to be able to fight both Vanitas and Terranort almost too easily.  Ventus has been asleep for just as long and is able to fight immediately.  Riku and Mickey were shown to be struggling to make it through the Realm of Darkness in search of Aqua, but seem to come out of it just fine.  Kairi and Axel both had all of the time in the world to train, but they are still extreme novices with the Keyblade.  Sora always seems to have a Deus Ex Machina around that saves him from certain death in all of these games, including this one.  

In essence, there was nothing for us to worry about these characters with.  Even though we know where Sora ends up at the end of this game, it doesn't change the fact that aside from him, everyone on the Guardians of Light side ended up okay.  Riku was fine, Kairi was fine, Axel, Terra, Aqua, Ventus, Roxas, Mickey, Xion, Namine, even bad guys like Xehanort and Saix got the endings they wanted without any consequences for their actions.  No one sacrificed anything besides Sora.  When there is literally nothing else to do with Riku's character or most of them by this point, why do we keep them around of not just for fan service?  Personally, I've always felt that the Third Act was told out of order.  Instead of Terranort and the Heartless wiping out the Guardians of Light until Sora used he Power of Waking to revive them, it should have been that the heroes begin to fall during the War itself, with their hearts becoming a part of Xehanort's X-Blade itself.  It would make Sora's quest to rescue them make more sense than him jumping through time to go back and forth and save them like he does in the real story.  Sora could have teamed up with the likes of Roxas, Xion or Terra to face off against the remaining Xehanort clones instead of just randomly having Mickey and Riku ignore the rest of the battling and let Kairi get kidnapped again.  With no stakes involved for anyone besides Sora, why even have these characters there?  

4. Kairi...

Sigh...what am I going to do with you?  Actually, I shouldn't have to answer that.  What is Square Enix going to do with you?  

Kairi might actually be the most underutilized and most insulting character in the entirety of Kingdom Hearts.  She is the de facto Damsel in Distress character for both Sora and Riku's journeys, first losing her heart in the attack on Destiny Islands in Kingdom Hearts I and then being kidnapped by Organization XIII to be used to force Sora to take part in their plans in Kingdom Hearts II.  She gets to wield a Keyblade during Kingdom Hearts II and becomes a full fledged wielder by the time Kingdom Hearts III is reaching it's climax.  She promises Sora that she would be the one to protect him this time around, and she fulfills this role by keeping Sora's heart from fading into the darkness.  The two share a GD Paopu Fruit for goodness sake.  She seems like this will finally be the time that Kairi can blossom into a character that will show just how capable she is.  

Then, because they couldn't think of what to do to add a fake sense of tension to the climax, for the third time in the series, Kairi is kidnapped, this time by Xemnas in order to force Sora into continuing the fight against the Thirteen Seekers of Darkness.  Which, by all means, they would have had to do to eliminate the bad guys anyway.  I mean, isn't that why Mickey and Riku went after Xemnas (good work as usual, Michael Rat) and Ansem in the first place?  Why kidnap Kairi when you knew Master Xehanort was too dangerous to be allowed to live and you know the good guys were going to fight him regardless.  

And then, to add insult to injury, Xehanort kills Kairi right in front of Sora for no reason other than to emphasize how evil he was (MAKE A NOTE OF THIS FOR LATER!).  This of course prompts Sora, Riku and Michael Rat to attack Xehanort in different intervals, only for Xehanort to repel them all and open the pathway to Kingdom Hearts.  Sora then, after giving Xehanort a taste of his size fifteens, goes on a journey to save Kairi and bring her back to life, only for him to give out his own heart in the process.  And they really didn't do much for Kairi in Melody of Memory, as she needed to be saved by a phantom spirit of Sora's even when fighting a shadow of Master Xehanort.  This does not bode well for Kairi in the next legitimate game in the series.  Let's hope Riku is ready to stand up for the challenge of being the protagonist for a bit with Sora MIA.  

5. Xehanort

Master Xehanort has done some truly reprehensible things in his quest to become the most powerful Keyblade wielder in the world.  He murdered his best friend and prodigal brother in Eraqus.  He ruined the lives of Terra, Ventus and Aqua, including possessing Terra's body and using his strength to further his goals.  As the Heartless Ansem, he terrorized countless worlds, forced the true Ansem into exile, destroyed Hollow Bastion, brought about the rise of Maleficent and tore apart Sora, Riku and Kairi while on their first journey.  As his Nobody Xemnas, he brought about great suffering to countless worlds, lied to his friends about them not having hearts, nearly murdered Riku and Sora and put a nearly insurmountable wedge between Roxas, Axel and Xion.  His younger self nearly killed Riku and Mickey and cast Sora's heart into the deepest abyss for his own goals.  Once his body was recompleted, he orchestrated the Keyblade War and murdered Kairi to force Sora to comply.  He is about as far from being a good guy as one could get.  So, when Sora, Donald and Goofy finally take him down and reduce him to being nothing but an exhausted and broken old man, you expect Sora and the others to give him the down-dressing he deserves.  To reduce this fiend who has murdered, lied, cheated and schemed his way to wipe out countless lives in the pursuit of curiosity.  

But good old Square Enix has one more trick up it's sleeve: to try and make Xehanort sympathetic.  Wait, what?  Why?  How can you make a man who in game time about ten minutes before his ultimate defeat was responsible for murdering one of the main characters into a sympathetic character?  How can you try to make us see that he fears that the worlds as they are are not strong enough to repel the dark forces lurking in the shadows, when he himself is responsible for the growth of those shadows in the world?  Remember, Maleficent knowing about the worlds beyond her own and her capture of the Princesses of Heart was because of him.  All of the dark and horrible things that have transpired in this entire series (apart from the Mobile game, but I'm not in the mood to talk about that clusterfuck just yet) are because of him.  He murdered Eraqus and sent Terra down a path of seeking darkness.  He caused most of the worlds to blink out with his Heartless hordes.  He ruined the lives of all of those involved in Organization XIII one way or another.  Why does Square want us to empathize with him?  Well, there is a reason for it, and it's explained in the Mobile Game.  But it's not only a cop out reason, it's also a frustrating one, so I don't accept it.  Square gets into this habit of adding things into later games and pretending that was all a part of the plan, when it clearly couldn't have been as there was no set up or payoff for it.  It'd be like a Star Wars movie introducing a new kind of Jedi or Sith that existed completely separately from the ones we know, but claims it had an influence over both Yoda and the Emperor.  This one still grinds me to my effing core with this game.  Just have Xehanort remain as cold and evil as he always was until he finally accepts defeat and dies.  No need to try and make him a better person that he never truly was.