It’s no secret that kids love watching superhero flicks loaded with jaw-dropping actions. Also, note that the Rotten Tomatoes ratings are given in the Tomatometer and Audience Score formats. Note: While all the movies included in this roundup are available in the USA, some of them aren’t available for streaming in other countries like India, the UK, Canada, Australia, etc. Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (2009).Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005).John Mulaney & The Sack Lunch Bunch (2019).*This article was adapted from a YouTube video essay created by the author. And in his name, may we continue to manifest his light and chase away the darkness, by our own acts of love inspired by a childlike faith. This Christmas, may we continue to pray for the mysteries and the power of Christ’s Nativity to be revealed to us. The Christ Child beneath the star-this great image of a union of opposites-also draws all to come and bow a humble knee, from lowly local shepherds to powerful foreign magi. Likewise, the seemingly insignificant event of Christ’s birth was the spark for the growing brightness that the Light of the World would usher in. RELATED: 5 Tips for a More Spiritual Advent And just as I felt strangely awed by this simple act, even these representative authorities of the church and the state are drawn together and humbled by the startling power of this little girl’s nurturing act. They arrive at the church, with the baby Jesus now adorned in a bright red sweater, and the priest and a local police officer are ready to confront an unknown thief. She carries the statue with her family to return him to their church, and the foreboding darkness of the night recedes before them. As she cradles and sings to the baby Jesus in her bed, the previously cold setting is overcome by love and warmth. These questions also reminded me of the many light-in-darkness paradoxes of Christmas. How could a child, born in such a humble setting, be the son of the Creator God? Why is this baby, born in the midst of human chaos, so beautiful and inviting to so many? Chasing away the darknessĪngela’s kindness is signified, quite literally, by light in the film. How is it that such innocence and goodness can exist in this harsh world? Why is her nurturing light so powerful to us, despite all the darkness around her? The first time I saw this film sitting with my young children, I was struck not only by the sweetness of this gesture, but also by how it stands in paradoxical contrast to the established setting. RELATED: Spiritual Streaming: 5 Catholic-Themed Films for Your Next Movie Night In this grim setting, the family is welcomed in by the warm lights of their church, where Angela, in her gentle compassion, sees a figure that is not illumined by this warmth. In an interview, Frank McCourt explained that this charming childhood story of little Angela taking the baby Jesus in an effort to keep him warm signified his mother’s already powerful maternal instinct. “Kindness was her umbrella virtue,” McCourt said. As I consider our increasingly disconnected and disillusioned world in which my children will grow up, I admit it is often difficult to see any light among the darkness. This is reminiscent of the beginning of Advent, as Christians link ourselves to the people of Israel longing for the coming Messiah, and meditate on our world’s continued brokenness. Many of the earliest depictions of Christ’s Nativity place Christ, after all, not in a quaint stable but within the darkness of a craggy cave. This is not unlike the world into which Christ was born. The foreboding night, their obvious poverty, and images like a blind beggar and a speeding prison wagon establish a sense of darkness that pervades the beginning of the film. The children bicker harmlessly, but their innocence is overshadowed by the harsh world around them. The film opens with Angela’s mother caring for four young children on her own, preparing their family for an evening church service in the bleak Irish cold. Both center on poor, struggling families in early 20 th century Limerick, Ireland.
“Angela’s Christmas” and “Angela’s Ashes” share similar settings and moods.
I find that it actually highlights some of the most profound aspects of Christmas itself. It’s become a favorite of my 5-year-old, who calls it simply, “the one about the girl who steals the baby Jesus.” This description really does encapsulate the plot, which was inspired by a children’s book by Frank McCourt, author of the famous memoir “Angela’s Ashes.” Like my daughter, I’ve also come to love this little children’s film, and not just because of its beautiful animation and the innocent kindness of the warmhearted Angela. “ Angela’s Christmas ,” a 2017 children’s film on Netflix, is unassuming to say the least.