Summary
Plenty of Christmas content has arrived on streaming services this year, but nothing quite touches the heart as much as Angela’s Christmas Wish.
This review of Netflix film Angela’s Christmas Wish contains no spoilers. The holiday film was released on the platform on December 1, 2020.
When I reviewed Angela’s Christmas in 2018, I remarked how sweet and heartwarming the experience was for a short film. It really managed to bring a child’s perspective of Christmas — there was no silliness — it was joy and innocence that engrained the story and brought Frank McCourt’s novel to light. Flash forward two years, and Netflix has given us the sequel we never expected, but it may put a smile on many faces — welcome, Angela’s Christmas Wish.
Like its predecessor, Angela’s Christmas Wish gives a short, sweet story; it manages to encapsulate the warmth and stillness of the holidays. It has a specific way of making the child’s perspective feel obvious, with the adults in the story merely a supporting act. It has the same warmth you expect to feel at the annual Christmas markets, wrapped up and ready for a sweet mulled wine.
But there is a message contained in Angela’s Christmas Wish that feels more relevant this year due to the circumstances. The plot is based on wishes, and Angela has one wish — for her father to return for the holidays. The message is clear — seeing loved ones at the most festive time of the year bears plenty of importance and one that will be sorely missed in 2020 for compliant, law-abiding families. So with that notion, the Netflix film brings a sense of nostalgia; it made me miss my younger days when the family was together, rather than spread across the country and unable to group for the special time of the year.
This reminder is significant for Angela’s Christmas Wish. It does not stray the story to any extremes and keeps it on a beat to the theme. Of course, the animation and the voice cast (Ruth Negga and Jared Harris are present) bring added value, but capturing the child’s imagination and heart is the unique selling point.
Plenty of Christmas content has arrived on streaming services this year, but nothing quite touches the heart as much as Angela’s Christmas Wish.
