''TWAS' A LONG NIGHT OF HOLIDAY MEDIOCRITY.Byline: David Kronke TV Critic `` 'Twas the Night'' - not to be confused with the recent cynical Disney Channel holiday film of the same name - is a special that doesn't let its precious political correctness undercut a few genuinely charming moments. Conceived and directed by Amy Schatz, it's an ecumenical holiday special: Christmas, Kwanzaa and Hanukkah are all celebrated here. The highlights are animated sequences interpreting classic holiday songs. Among the best are a heartfelt tale of a rabbit adrift at sea alone, to Judy Garland's version of ``Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,'' as well as interpretations of Louis Armstrong's ``What a Wonderful World,'' Nat King Cole's ``Christmas Song,'' Los Lobos' ``Feliz Navidad'' and Macy Gray tackling ``Winter Wonderland.'' Alas, there's also too-cute and shamelessly manipulative interstitial material featuring wholesome kids jabbering about their favorite holidays. One child exults that Christmas is about ``eating''; another precociously observes, ``My mom's kind of Christian and my dad's kind of Jewish and I'm sort of all over the place.'' Yet another speaks of holiday anxiety: ``I need to let out anger and so I punch cushions to let it out.'' Huh? Who did these sequences, Art Linkletter? My 8-year-old liked the lone intrepid rabbit's travails and ``A Visit From St. Nicholas,'' read by Armstrong with visuals inspired by Grandma Moses Grandma Moses: see Moses, Grandma. paintings, but her overall opinion was ``just OK.'' I have to agree, and not just because I think I'll weasel (jargon, abuse) weasel - (Cambridge) A naive user, one who deliberately or accidentally does things that are stupid or ill-advised. Roughly synonymous with loser. a better gift out of her by saying that. ``'TWAS TWAS - Third World Academy of Sciences THE NIGHT'' What: Animated holiday songs, with precocious kids thrown in for precious counterbalance. The stars: Featuring the music of Louis Armstrong, Nat King Cole, Los Lobos, Macy Gray, Bing Crosby, Judy Garland, Bette Midler, Frank Sinatra. Where: HBO. When: 7:30 tonight; also Dec. 24 and 25. Our rating: Two and one half stars CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Santa and his reindeer may have a very ho-ho-ho-hum time watching `` 'Twas the Night.'' |
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