DISNEY’S PREP & LANDING
(G)
MOVIE: ***1/2 (out of 5)
DVD EXPERIENCE: *** (out of 5)
BY KEVIN CARR
Another great new holiday special franchise is the Emmy award-winning “Disney’s Prep & Landing,” a computer generated short film from several years ago about the elves that prep the landing site for Santa to bring presents to the kids each year. Now the special has hit DVD with a handful of special features.
The special follows Wayne, one of the Prep & Landing elves that thinks he’s destined for bigger and better things. After getting assigned a new, overly excited partner, they go on a mission only to see it start to go awry. They must use their wits to keep the secret of Santa safe and allow Christmas to come without a hitch.
John Lasseter headed this production, and while it’s not a Pixar short, it carries that same sense of wonder and fun. With another special on its way, “Prep & Landing” is a fun, witty and high-energy spot that will get the kids ready for the Christmas spirit. It adds a level of technology to Santa’s workshop that hasn’t been done as well before, and only since in “Arthur Christmas.”
The DVD comes with two “Prep & Landing” bonus shorts: “Operation Secret Santa” and “Tiny’s Big Adventure.” There’s also some cute “Kringle Academy: Elf Training Videos” as well as “North Pole News” and “North Pole Commercials.”