Bah, Humduck! A Looney Tunes Christmas - NR
Common Sense Note
Parents need to know that this movie is an updated Christmas Carol story for the younger set. It's full of exaggerated cartoon violence, but in the end it presents a positive message about the true meaning of Christmas. Commercialism, greed, and selfishness are all presented in a negative light. A child in an orphanage waiting for adoption is rejected and has to spend the holiday alone; other characters decide that Scrooge hates Christmas because he doesn't have a family.
Families can talk about how commercialism affects their own holiday celebrations, and what steps they might take to celebrate more simply. Are there things we can do for Christmas to make it more meaningful without spending more money? How is Daffy greedy? How does he learn his lesson from his past? Present? Future? Kids can also discuss ways to reach out to people who may be alone during the holidays.
Common Sense Review
Reviewed By: Nancy Davis Kho
In an update of the tale of Scrooge learning the true meaning of Christmas, BAH, HUMDUCK! A LOONEY TUNES CHRISTMAS includes so much fast-paced cartoon violence that its message of love and family seems a bit incongruous. But it's still a reminder that Christmas isn't supposed to be about commercialism.
Daffy Duck stars as the owner of the Lucky Duck Superstore, where employees are working almost nonstop to make sure that customers spend as much as possible on their holiday shopping. Employees are homesick, asleep on their feet, and begging for time off to spend Christmas Day with their families, but Daffy will have none of it. All he cares about is adding to his vast piles of money.
After sending his employees home at midnight on Christmas Eve (and reminding them to be back to work at 5 the next morning), Daffy is visited by Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Yet to Come. The visits he takes with these spirits help him change his attitude.
It seems like almost every scene in Bah, Humduck involves a character being hit, flipped, shot, or boomeranged in some fashion, but no one is ever hurt for more than a frame or two. Kids older than 9 might find the movie's theme a bit too obvious to interest them.
Fans might also enjoy watching the 1938 A Christmas Carol for a live-action version of the story (with gentle ghosts), or A Charlie Brown Christmas, which also discusses commercialism and the spirit of the season.
Rate It!
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Sexual ContentA skunk and a cat flirt and kiss under the mistletoe. |
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ViolenceThe over-the-top cartoon violence hardly lets up, but no one is ever hurt for long. The main character subjects his employees to physical abuse and is himself shot, electrocuted, slapped, de-beaked, and beaten down by a candy-cane wielding granny, to name just a few incidents. |
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Social BehaviorThe main character embodies a deplorable combination of greed, meanness, and commercialism, but he gets his comeuppance. One character speaks in an exaggerated Mexican accent, which some may find offensive. A sweet father-daughter relationship is depicted, and love and family are emphasized as the true meanings of Christmas. |
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CommercialismThe idea of holiday commercialism is presented negatively. The characters work at the Lucky Duck Superstore, which is open almost 'round the clock to compel shoppers to spend, spend, spend for Christmas. |
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