Disney's Prep And Landing DVD Is Fun For The Entire Family

11/28/2011 3:58:01 AM EST

More:  prep and landing, review

Tweet

For many people, Christmas specials are a big part of my holiday traditions. Some of my favorite memories from childhood involve Christmas specials that I enjoyed with my family as we celebrated the holiday. However when I think about it, impossible as it may seem at first, few of my favorite Christmas specials were produced by Disney. Sure, there was 1983’s Mickey’s Christmas Carol and there were certainly some good Winnie the Pooh Christmas specials, but none that made as much of a mark on my childhood as Rudolph the Red-Nose Reindeer, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and A Charlie Brown Christmas.

Prep & Landing tells the modern-day story of what goes on behind the scenes before Santa Claus arrives at a child’s house. Our hero in the story is an elf named Wayne (Codename “Little Drummer Boy”) who is just one of many members of the Prep and Landing team. Their mission: Get In. Get Out. NEVER Be Noticed. Wayne narrates the story of how he has done the job for a long time and that he is looking forward to the day he is promoted to his dream job – Director of Naughty List Intelligence. Unfortunately for Wayne, his partner ends up being promoted to the position instead.

This leaves Wayne upset as he sets out on yet another Christmas Eve filled with Prep and Landing missions with his new partner – a young upstart named Lanny (Codename “Tree Skirt”). When they arrive at their targeted house, Wayne, discouraged by his situation, lets Lanny take over while he sits on the couch, watching television (no Christmas specials), and eating a Santa-shaped Christmas cookie. Everything seems to be going well until the child of the house, a boy named Timmy, wakes up and surprises the elf by taking his picture.

Meanwhile, back at the North Pole Christmas Eve Command Center (NPCECC), an elf named Magee is getting everything ready to launch Santa’s Sleigh (Codename “Rosebud”). Everyone is tense while the Big Guy (Codename “Big Red”) is getting ready for his mission. Magee’s main worry comes from a huge snowstorm in Sector 7 where Wayne is located at Timmy’s house, which just happens to be Santa’s first destination. Back at the house, the two elves have managed to put Timmy back to sleep and they then scramble to get the kid back into bed. This is when Magee calls in about the storm and realizes that the landing strip is not ready. Realizing that things are not going to be ready on time, Magee pulls the plug (Operation “Figgy Pudding”) on delivery of presents to Timmy’s house. This causes Wayne to snap back into shape as he remembers the importance of his work and how much it means to the kids patiently sleeping in bed while he preps their house. He then jumps into action to save Christmas for Timmy by urgently preparing the landing zone for Santa’s arrival. When even that does not go as planned, Wayne must improvise a landing strip using Christmas decorations pulled from a neighboring house.

Aside from the writing and story, Prep & Landing also features superior animation and visual style. Directors Kevin Deters and Stevie Wermers-Skelton have created a CG animated film that feels warm and dark at the same time. Much of the story takes place at night in Timmy’s house or outside during a snowstorm. The technical achievements are impressive and gone are the days of distracting CGI special snow effects. Also impressive was the musical score by Michael Giacchino (of Incredibles fame) which complements the adventure sequences and fits harmoniously into the film. Rounding up the excellent visuals and music is the voice cast with comedian Dave Foley as Wayne, Derek Richardson as Lanny, and Sarah Chalke as Magee. Foley shines here, but Richardson and Chalke both demonstrate excellent comedic timing with their lines.

For those who long for a multiple viewing they can worry no longer because it is now on DVD. Compiled on one disc are a few fun features like some bonus shorts, a feature on the “elf training academy” with a number of wonderful lessons as well as some hilarious fictional news shows and commercials all geared towards life in the North Pole.

If you are a fan of classic Christmas films that evoke a sense of wonder about childhood and the magic it holds then you would be remiss not to pick a copy of Prep & Landing, your kids will thank you when they are older. 

-- Chris Rebholz

Purchase your copy of Prep and Landing from Amazon.com today!

Tweet

© 2007-2012 Magical Mountain, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Shandy The Sugar Glider is © Magical Mountain, LLC. Magical Definition™ is trademark of Magical Mountain, LLC. Magical Mountain, LLC is not affiliated with, authorized or endorsed by, or in any way officially connected with, The Walt Disney Company, Disney Enterprises, Inc., or any of their affiliates. Some images are © The Walt Disney Company. Audio clips are © their respective owners. No part of this site may be reproduced or aired without permission.