Prancer: A Christmas Tale
Prancer: A Christmas Tale
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this movie.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Prancer: A Christmas Tale is a family drama about an aging patriarch who develops a bond with his granddaughter when they discover a reindeer living near the family home. The movie loosely revolves around grandfather Bud's (James Cromwell) attempts to stay out of a nursing home and reconcile his relationships with various members of his family. Overall it has several positive messages, while Bud and the other leads act with care and compassion toward each other. Bud's granddaughter Gloria (Darcey Ewart) is British, but the rest of the cast is American and predominantly White. Some people of color feature in minor supporting roles. Bud's grief for his late wife also prompts several discussions about mental health and well-being. There are some scuffles involving grabbing, pushing, and shoving and the main villain is a hunter who fires shots. Several insults are used during arguments, including "a--hole." Gloria regularly films things on her smartphone and uploads them to social media platforms.
What's the Story?
PRANCER: A CHRISTMAS TALE follows recently widowed Bud (James Cromwell) and his granddaughter Gloria (Darcey Ewart) as they befriend a mysterious reindeer.
Is It Any Good?
A belated threequel in the Prancer movie series, this outing is a low-stakes, feel-good family drama for the holidays that manages to spin a decent odd-couple story out of a pretty vague premise. In Prancer: A Christmas Tale, veteran Cromwell has no trouble giving everyone the short shrift as cantankerous Bud, before the persistence of his visiting 10-year-old British granddaughter, Gloria, provides him with a companion with whom he can follow the trail of the titular magical reindeer. Thankfully, Cromwell and Ewart's on-screen chemistry helps them make easy work of a lightweight script and keeps things watchable.
The story is less consistent and at times feels more like a scenic sleigh ride. Half Christmas fairy tale and half family drama. The rocky relationship between Gloria's parents and Bud's constant clashes with his two adult children comes and goes before being resolved a bit too neatly. While Bud and Gloria's pursuit of Prancer relies on a lot of exposition. A stronger villain would've made things more interesting, as would've making Gloria's uncle Gerald (Aaron McCusker) a bit more devious. But anyone looking for some throwaway fun to help the turkey go down could do worse than add this to their Christmas watch list.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about Bud and Gloria's relationship in Prancer: A Christmas Tale. How did this change over time? What helped make this change?
Discuss Bud's grief about the loss of his wife. Why did he find it difficult to talk about his loss? How did he change when he was able to open up about his feelings?
Talk about the movie's Christmas time setting. How did it compare to your favorite Christmas movies? What were its core messages?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming: November 22, 2022
- Cast: James Cromwell, Darcey Ewart, Sarah-Jane Potts
- Director: Phil Hawkins
- Studio: Sky Cinema
- Genre: Family and Kids
- Topics: Magic and Fantasy, Holidays, Wild Animals
- Run time: 102 minutes
- MPAA rating: PG
- MPAA explanation: language, some action/peril and thematic elements
- Last updated: December 1, 2022
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For kids who love the holidays
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