\n<\/p>\n
Watch it on Disney+.<\/a><\/p>\n The latest release in Jeff Kinney\u2019s mega-successful \u201cDiary of a Wimpy Kid\u201d franchise of books, movies and merchandise (Tote bags! Board games! Stress balls!) is this animated holiday tale in which a middle schooler, Greg Heffley (voiced by Wesley Kimmel from \u201cThe Mandalorian\u201d), gets trapped in his house with his family when a blizzard blows into town. Just before he got snowed in, Greg and his BFF, Rowley (Spencer Howell), accidentally damaged a snowplow after sending a giant snowball rolling down a hill. Greg and Rowley flee the scene, and Greg spends his time cooped up worrying that he\u2019ll be caught by the authorities and won\u2019t get the video game he covets for Christmas. Luke Cormican (\u201cTeen Titans Go!\u201d) directed this animated film, and Kinney wrote the screenplay. There\u2019s enough humor, tension and relatable family dynamics to keep both longtime \u201cWimpy Kid\u201d fans and little ones who are new to the series entertained.<\/p>\n Watch it on Amazon Prime.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n The director Mike Roth (\u201cRegular Show\u201d) brings a slight punk rock aesthetic to this animated tale of a young Damian Wayne (voiced by Yonas Kibreab), the 8-year-old son of Batman and Talia al Ghul, who longs to become a superhero like his father. In this iteration of the DC legend, Batman\/Bruce Wayne (Luke Wilson) is a bearded, flannel-wearing, overprotective hipster dad who rid Gotham of all crime before his son was born. When Batman gets a mysterious call about an emergency on Christmas Eve, his trusty aide, Alfred (James Cromwell), helps him suit up, and little Damian is all alone at home (yes, there are plenty of nods to \u201cHome Alone\u201d). Soon it\u2019s time for Damian to stop goofing around, so he puts on his golden utility belt and goes out to fight crime like his father taught him to. He meets villains like the Joker (David Hornsby) and Bane (Chris Sullivan), and learns that, as his dad tells him, being a superhero takes \u201cfocus, responsibility and sacrifice.\u201d The rollicking energy and comedy make this film, produced by Warner Bros. Animation, a superhero holiday movie that kids \u2014 and their bearded hipster parents \u2014 should have fun watching.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n This one may not go down in history as a holiday classic, but it has enough over-the-top goofiness to entertain school-age kids while you bake a pie or do some work over the winter break. Eddie Garrick (Chris Bridges, known as Ludacris) is a Scrooge of a dad. He can\u2019t stand carolers, and he\u2019d much rather celebrate Juneteenth or Arbor Day than Christmas, a.k.a. \u201cthe chicken wing of holidays.\u201d Eddie is a social worker in Atlanta whose family was burgled by a mall Santa when he was a kid \u2014 hence his hatred for the holiday. He\u2019s now reluctantly separated from his wife, Allison (Teyonah Parris, \u201cThe Marvels\u201d and \u201cCandyman\u201d), so he\u2019s spending Christmas Eve with his adorable daughter, Charlotte (Madison Skye Validum), who just loves <\/em>Santa. This being a pretty silly, predictable tale, you will not be on pins and needles waiting to see if Garrick comes to embrace the holiday spirit, but Bridges is compelling enough to hold your attention. The comedian Lil Rel Howery is Nick\/Santa, a character who may be another burglar or derelict but who also may be the real St. Nick. Oscar Nu\u00f1ez plays a villainous politician, and Mary Lynn Rajskub, Marcus Lewis and Ravi Patel are his goons. Tim Story (\u201cBarbershop,\u201d \u201cThink Like a Man\u201d) directs this film from a script by Scott Rosenberg (\u201cVenom\u201d).<\/p>\n\u2018Merry Little Batman\u2019<\/h2>\n
\u2018The Velveteen Rabbit\u2019<\/h2>\n