Merry Christmas, my good friends.

This is your friendly Man Undercover here with his very first thread for this group.

Today, I'm gonna give you guys my first take on an installment of the VeggieTales franchise: "The Toy That Saved Christmas".

Here's the rundown of this Christmas tale:

Buzz-Saw Louie is a new toy that was created by company owner Mr. Nezzer. By making a new commercial to promote the toy, Nezzer deceives the children of the world by claiming that it knows the true meaning of Christmas, the claim in question being that it's about getting things and buying for more toys.

In a stunning turn of events, though, one of the Buzz-Saw Louies' comes to life! And unlike Mr. Nezzer, Louie believes that the true meaning of Christmas is something else entirely, so he decides to leave the factory in order to find out what it is.

With the help of Bob the Tomato, Larry the Cucumber, and Junior Asparagus, can Buzz-Saw Louie find out what Christmas is truly about?

Before I reveal to you guys my thoughts on this special, I'd like to tell you guys a little something interesting:

VeggieTales is a franchise that I grew up with since childhood. When I was a kid, my family and I had a VCR and I'd frequently put in whatever VHS tape of a VeggieTales special we had to pass the time. I loved watching VeggieTales because of the characters and songs, and even today...I find that I still have quite a soft spot for the series.

Back when I first started reviewing, I had "The Toy That Saved Christmas" in mind to analyze as part of the Christmas season since it was among the specials I grew up with the most. Like many other things I analyzed in the past, though, I put off doing so due to other commitments and time slipping past me. But, once my interest for "The Toy that Saved Christmas" came at an all-time high this year, I decided that I wouldn't waste any time in reviewing it.

So, what do I think of this VeggieTales Christmas special after all these years?

I really can't lie, "The Toy That Saved Christmas" was as pleasant as I remembered it being.

For instance, the direction by Phil Vischer and Chris Olsen, and the story by Vischer, were amazing!

Despite the special being only around 30 minutes at the most, Vischer and Olsen created a VeggieTales installment that was so charming and meaningful that they provided the best half-hour possible. The story is relatively simple, yet the developments in its concept helped it be something people would want to keep watching. Its themes on commercialism conflicting with the actual Christmas meaning is an element that was previously done in "A Charlie Brown Christmas", but Visher and Olsen's approach to those themes managed to successfully differentiate the storyline from the former. The special as a whole also had a great sense of humor that could appeal to all ages, and it certainly wasn't without heart, emotion, and morals.

The animation was astonishing, if I may add.

For a holiday special made from a small budget, the directors and animators managed to make great use of their budget. Everything about the computer-animation carried little in the ways of a cheapness sort of vibe, and the crew was clearly putting in as much care and attention as possible to make sure everything was perfect. The settings and environments were appealing to the eye, the character movements were far from jolty or slow, and the expressions and lip movements matched the vocal performances to a tee.

Finally, the voice acting, characters, and character development were marvelous.

Despite the special not featuring any top vocal talent, the people who voiced the characters portrayed their parts flawlessly. They provided their characters with terrific texture through their voices alone, and the characters themselves had personalities and qualities that helped them be distinct in the best way. Plus, not only did the characters have developments that helped them be instantly three-dimensional, their growths fit the themes and morals of the special splendidly. An example of this comes from Mr. Nezzer, whose sudden change of heart fit the story's message about giving and how giving as a whole is truly better than getting.

In conclusion, "The Toy That Saved Christmas" is an element from my childhood that I'm happy to have revisited. It's a Christmas special capable of appealing to all ages, and it's one that does what many Christmas specials of programs rarely do nowadays: It addresses that Christmas is about the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

So, I rate "The Toy That Saved Christmas" a solid five out of five stars.