Image courtesy of Sony Pictures Animation. All rights reserved. Used with permission.
Film Description
In AFFIRM Films and Sony Pictures Animation’s The Star, a small but brave donkey named Bo yearns for a life beyond his daily grind at the village mill. One day Bo finds the courage to break free and ends up befriending newlyweds Joseph and Mary. Mary’s kindness soon sets Bo on the adventure of his dreams. On his journey, he teams up with Ruth, a loveable sheep who has lost her flock, and Dave, a dove with lofty aspirations. Along with three wisecracking camels and some eccentric stable animals, Bo and his new friends follow the Star and become unlikely heroes in the greatest story ever told – the first Christmas.
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My Review
The Star is a delightful, funny, and inspiring animated film about the first Christmas told from the point of view of a lowly donkey named Bo, who dreams of joining the royal caravan and escaping his boring and tedious job at the village mill. He has high ambitions for himself and wants to make it big in the world. Instead, he becomes the companion of the pregnant Mary and her husband Joseph on their trek to Bethlehem.
The Star is a wonderful film that the whole family will enjoy. The film contains many classic Christmas songs performed by well-known artists like Pentatonix, Fifth Harmony, Mariah Carey, and Kirk Franklin that will have the family singing Christmas carols.
The talented voice artists in this movie include a full-star cast: Steven Yeun (Bo the donkey), Gina Rodriguez (Mary), Zachary Levi (Joseph), Keegan-Michael Key (Dave the dove), Kelly Clarkson (Leah the horse), Anthony Anderson (Zach the goat), Aidy Bryant (Ruth the sheep), Ving Rhames (Thaddeus the dog), Gabriel Iglesias (Rufus the dog), Patricia Heaton (Edith the cow), Kristin Chenoweth (Abby the Mouse), Christopher Plummer (King Herod), and Tracy Morgan (Felix) and Tyler Perry (Cyrus) and Oprah Winfrey (Deborah) as the three camels. They interacted so well together, creating great chemisty, resulting in an incredible movie.
The animal characters in The Star are hilarious and the story revolves around their relationship with the Holy Family. Their idiosyncrasies, wisecracks and very “human” personalities will keep both the children and adults laughing. At the same time, the story is very reverent, conveying the true meaning of Christmas. While it may use modern language to deliver its message, The Star presents the story of the birth of Christ in a beautiful and authentic way, portraying Christ as the Messiah, the Son of God, whom we adore. The Star is a must-see Christmas classic that I predict will be popular for many years to come.
~copyright Jean M. Heimann 2017
The Star has been rated PG by the Motion Picture Association of America for some thematic elements. The film will be released in theaters nationwide on November 17, 2017.
NOTE: The National Catholic Conference for Catechetical Leadership is a strong supporter of The Star and has created a wonderful Catholic curriculum for it.
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