Bottom line: Disney Prep & Landing is crafted in quality Disney style with fun characters, clever humor, and fantastic animation. While kids and families will likely enjoy the special, it is disappointingly short, leaving little time for story or character development.
Rating: TV-GGenre: Animated/Holiday
Runtime: 30 minutes
Disney Prep & Landing - Overview
When Wayne, one of Santa's top notch prep and landing elves, gets passed over for a promotion, his Christmas Spirit is squelched. On Christmas Eve, instead of guiding his new rookie Lanny through the steps of prepping a young boy's house for Santa's arrival, Wayne kicks back with a snack and a bad attitude. Unfortunately, an unforeseen storm puts a kink in Santa's smoothly running operation, and thanks to Wyane's sloppiness, it looks like one little boy won't get a visit from Santa this year.
As the weighty consequences of his actions come to rest upon Wayne's tiny elf shoulders, he kicks it into gear and does what he does best -- prep and landing under stressful circumstances. Working together, Wayne and Lanny resolve to get things back on schedule, but if they fail, one deserving little boy's Christmas dreams will not come true.
Photo © Disney
Disney Prep & Landing - Guide Review
Disney Prep & Landing provides clever, fun entertainment that is appropriate for the whole family. Quality animation supports a simple story about an elite elf unit in Santa's grand operation. The delightful elves incorporate Christmasy code words and holiday puns as they go about their high-tech jobs supporting the big guy. But at only 30 minutes long, there just isn't enough time to develop a great story or the characters it it. Disney Prep & Landing is short and sweet, and there's not much more to say about it.
* Check local listings to find Disney Prep & Landing air times, or watch clips on the Disney website.Disney Prep & Landing - DVD
Now that Prep & Landing is available on DVD, your family can enjoy the show anytime you want. In addition, the DVD contains bonus shorts: "Operation Secret Santa" and "Tiny's Big Adventure." The bonus shorts add a little runtime to the entertainment, and additional bonus features which are of the "fun to watch once" variety, like Kringle Academy Videos and North Pole News and Commercials, add even more.
Not many new Christmas specials are worthy to sit up there with the classics we have loved for years, but Prep & Landing earns the distinction. Although, as I've said several times, it's extremely short, the movie and new bonus shorts are clever and fun for the whole family.
