Missed Christmas movies: Disney’s ‘One Magic Christmas’

Like most of the planet (or at least the 12 people I’ve talked to), I count National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation as one of the best (and certainly funniest) Christmas movies in cinema history. I also greatly enjoy Home Alone, Elf, A Charlie Brown Christmas, The Santa Clause and Noel (yes, Noel.  I know, Paul Walker lacks a little, um, well, acting talent, but it’s still a good movie).  And right up there with my favorite December 25th-themed flicks is Disney’s One Magic Christmas starring Harry Dean Stanton and Mary Steenburgen and released in 1985.  Sadly I feel this movie has been left in the dust in popularity, but it is not a film to forget.  It’s family-friendly (for kids 10 and up) and possesses depth and heart-felt emotion.

The story revolves around a woman named Ginny Grainger (Steenburgen) who seems to lack all joy in life.  Her love for her husband, son and daughter is evident, but she often is short-tempered with them, as she is emotionally breaking apart.  She doesn’t like her job working in a grocery store, and she and her husband are struggling financially.  She also doesn’t like Christmas or anything that revolves around it.  From here the story could have easily become another Scrooge-turned-into-Christmas-lover movie, but the beauty of the flick is that all normal family-friendly clichés are avoided.

Without giving the entire plot away, a tragedy strikes the Grainger family right before Christmas, leaving Ginny in a state of utter hopelessness.  I love how reality plays such a huge part in the movie (though there is obviously some magic too. Hence, Once Magic Christmas).  Disney often goes for «feel-good» moments, which do happen at different times in the film, but the fact that a very sad situation occurs at all is refreshing in the sense that it is outside the norm for this genre.

As Ginny tries to come to grips with the tragedy, she befriends Gideon (Stanton) one night in her neighborhood.  She doesn’t know why, but there is most certainly something different about him.  She discovers later just who (or should I say what) he is.

Again, I don’t want to give too much away.  But throughout the film different scenes simply grip a viewer’s heart, and the theme of remembering to treasure every moment we have with our loved ones is important and dramatically emphasized.  Overall the movie is touching, unique and definitely one not to miss.