Nickelodeon has a new holiday hit on its hands (or, I should say, branches) with “Albert” – a fun and highly entertaining one-hour special – the network’s first-ever original, made-for-TV animated movie.
Albert is a small, indoor pine tree. He and his fellow potted friends come to life when there are no humans around (“The Secret Life of Plants”). Albert LOVES Christmastime and has a dream of becoming, not only a magnificent, full-sized Christmas tree, but the most important Christmas tree in the world. “Saturday Night Live”‘s Bobby Moynihan voices the title character.
When an opportunity arises for Albert to chase that dream, he and his totally supportive best friend Maisie (a mini palm tree voiced by fellow “SNL” member Sasheer Zamata), head-off on a quest in hopes of having Albert chosen as the Empire City Christmas Tree (think Rockefeller Center). But their journey is tough, made even more so when they encounter Cactus Pete (the Winter Warlock of the story). Pete, for personal reasons, HATES Christmas. Rob Riggle is perfectly cast as the voice of the prickly, yet mostly misunderstood, villain.
Director Max Lang is no stranger to great animated storytelling, having earned Oscar nominations for the shorts, “The Gruffalo” and “Room on the Broom”. This is a delightful addition to his resume. Brothers Aaron and Will Eisenberg wrote the script, along with Joe Stallman, who penned the first two “Shrek” films. At times, “Albert” has that same, edgy feel. This isn’t strictly for Nickelodeon’s target 2-11 demo. The sharp dialogue, impressive CG animation and cleverly constructed action scenes make “Albert” a must-see for all ages. A sequence involving “killer” bunnies (they do eat plants, after all) is simply one of a kind. And there are two original songs that will make even The Grinch smile.
Entering the Holiday TV Specials competition was a gutsy move for Nickelodeon. But, by following the lead of their undersized hero, the network’s gamble has paid-off. “Albert” is a worthy addition to the traditional line-up of Christmas classics, and should become annual viewing for kids and families for years to come.
Yes, this story of a little pine tree with a dream is “evergreen”.
LCJ Rating: B+
“Albert” premieres this Friday, December 9th, at 7pmET on Nickelodeon. It airs again twice over its debut weekend: Sat. Dec. 10 at 8:30pmET and Sun. Dec. 11 at 2pmET.
Check-out my “All About ‘Albert'” interview with two of the Senior VPs at NICK, Chris Viscardi and David J. Steinberg, on Animation Scoop.