Story: The holiday season is filled with ornaments of all kinds, as people decorate their homes and of course, their Christmas trees to celebrate. Out of the millions of ornaments in the world however, none are quite like Noel, who was infused with tears of joy when he was crafted. He soon finds himself in the home of a family that places him on their tree, a true honor and while there, he meets the other decorations and learns about the holidays. As the years pass, Noel is happy to be part of the lives of the family and the other ornaments, but eventually, the ornaments are all boxed up and placed in storage. Is this the end of Noel or will a new family discover this happy little ornament?

Entertainment Value: This animated short from the 90s runs just over twenty minutes, but it loaded with wackiness, not to mention some dark, ominous moments. The animation is fine for the time and suspected budget of the project, but is simple and resembles a basic cartoon. The designs and such are passable, but it is the narrative that is likely to stand out to most viewers, as this has some odd choices. The tone is rather dark throughout to me, especially for an uplifting holiday animated special, with topics like aging, losing friends, and even death explored, not to mention a bizarre finale that ties the entire experience together with a surreal religious sendoff. You even have Charlton Heston as narrator, as well as Lee Meredith and Roscoe Lee Browne on the voice cast. I had no idea what to expect when I watched this, but I didn’t expect this kind of wild ride, so for those curious, Noel: The Happy Christmas Ornament is worth a look.