Noel
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 Having a dark Christmas movie is refreshing but not everyone likes dark.
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Noel is an animated 1992 Christmas film created and written by Romeo Muller.
Synopsis
The story of Noel, a cheerful Christmas ornament with a certain "happiness" that rubs off on the families he lives with.
Bad Qualities
- The animation can get uncanny at times, especially with some of Noel's facial expressions.
- Noel can get very annoying because 80% of his dialogue is him introducing himself to everyone by saying "I am Noel and I am the happiness!". As a result, the dialogue became repetitive.
- Noel's voice is even ear-grating too.
- Plot holes:
- How do the other Christmas ornaments know about the world when they were seemingly created the same time Noel was? Who is asking about how the world works?
- Noel never addresses people properly, even after learning what they're really called?
- Noel never hit puberty after being around for what appears to be decades.
- How did the tear inside not become a big blotch of mold after Noel breaks?
- The film gets dark as it progresses, which bothers some viewers. As the film starts with the creation of Noel and the other ornaments. They get purchased, the family ages and moves out and dies. A new family moves into Noel's house and decide that the ornaments are too old. Noel breaks and becomes a spirit.
- The fact that Noel got to know all the Christmas trees, the fact that they're chopped up after Christmas and Noel shows no remorse for them is unbelievable.
- At the end, Noel becomes a glowing ghost-like entity and it makes no sense.
Good Qualities
- This film is a very unexpected Christmas film because it's not a light-hearted film like most Christmas films are, it's actually takes a dark turn.
- Noel may still be likable character despite being annoying.
- The film is also realistic as it shows how the passage of time to bring changes.
- There are also religious undertones as the plot sort of revolves around Noel learning about the birth of Jesus Christ and how He came to Earth to bring salvation. This is a message many Christmas films stray away from.
- Really great voice acting.
Reception
Noel got mixed reception. A couple YouTube critics, such as Phelous gave the film a negative review because he found Noel annoying, the dialogue repetitive, the animation becoming uncanny and jarring at times, and the dark story threw them off.
The film also currently sits at a rating of 6.9/10 on IMDb. Since it's debut, the film has fallen into obscurity and is not as remember as more well-known Christmas movies such as Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Frosty the Snowman, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Elf, etc. However, the film can be viewed on YouTube in it's entirety for free for those who are curious.