There is a pantheon of Christmas classics that seem canonical, with few if any titles able to penetrate its hallowed borders. There are the Rankin/Bass specials, the classic black-and-white dramas, the brightly colored musicals, The Grinch, Charlie Brown, Mickey Mouse, etc. Not many modern titles infiltrate the canon, but Disney and the great filmmaker Alfonso Cuarn (Children of Men, Gravity) are changing that with a series of beautiful Christmas shorts. Cuarn produces and works with different directors on each; the first was the Oscar-nominated Le Pupille in 2022, followed by 2023’s The Shepherd. Now comes 2024’s An Almost Christmas Story, the first animated title of the bunch, directed by the kind auteur David Lowery (Pete’s Dragon, A Ghost Story, The Green Knight).
The director of Pete’s Dragon and The Green Knight details An Almost Christmas Story, his Disney+ short made with the director of Children of Men. Read More