The Christmas Toy (1986) – Rewatch

Years before the release of Toy Story comes this Jim Henson-produced Christmas tale of toys who talk and move, but only when humans aren’t around. As last year’s celebrated new toy, Rugby the tiger is looking forward to this year’s holiday until he discovers that there is a new space toy waiting under the tree. The characters here are a bit creepy looking, particularly when they are humanoid, and the incredibly sad plot line that mobile toys discovered by humans become frozen forever makes this not a regular watch for me. It does work as a shorter and more heartfelt version of Toy Story, so it’s a good stand-in for that film especially at Christmas time.