Angela's Christmas is a 2017 Irish-Canadian animation film directed by Damien O'Connor, written by Will Collins and Damien O'Connor and starring the Oscar nominees Ruth Negga in the role of Angela’s mother, and Lucy O'Connell as Angela. The plot is based on the children's story from Pulitzer Prize winning Irish author Frank McCourt, and is set in Limerick, Ireland in the 1910s. The story revolves around Angela's (Lucy O'Connell) desire to make sure everyone is having a great Christmas.[2][3][4][5] The film's cast and production team received three nominations at the 46th Daytime Creative Arts Emmy Awards and three at the 2018 Emile Awards.[6][7][8][9]
| Angela's Christmas | |
|---|---|
 Film poster | |
| Directed by | Damien O'Connor |
| Written by | Will Collins Damien O'Connor[1] |
| Based on | Angela and the Baby Jesus by Frank McCourt |
| Produced by | Ellen McCourt |
| Starring | Malachy McCourt Ruth Negga Lucy O'Connell |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Netflix |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 30 minutes |
| Countries | Ireland Canada |
| Language | English |
Plot
editIn Limerick 1914, Angela and her two older brothers Pat and Tom and younger sister Aggie, along with Mother, head to mass in a local church. During this, Angela spots Baby Jesus in the crib, and shows sympathy for him by believing he is cold. After mass, she convinces her mother to let her go back and light a candle; She agrees, but Angela instead takes Baby Jesus, and hides him from other people during her journey home.
After getting Baby Jesus into the backyard, she is spotted by Pat and he goes to tell the rest of the family, while Angela goes to her bedroom upstairs and lies down with Baby Jesus on her bed and sings him a lullaby.
After Pat's constant protests to make the family believe it is true, they go upstairs to find Angela with Baby Jesus and take both of them downstairs. Pat starts arguing with Angela as to how it happened. Mother breaks them up and tells them a story about what happened on New Year's Eve, when shortly after Angela was born, their father was arrested for taking coal out of the back off a fuel cart, despite just trying to make the house warm for the baby, and explains how saddened she was.
After the story, Angela decides to return Baby Jesus. While attempting to put him back in the crib, they are caught by the priest along with a guard who threatens to arrest them. Angela explains that she was just trying to keep Baby Jesus warm, and the guard takes them home.
While back home, Angela looks out the window and smiles before being called for dinner. In the church, Baby Jesus is shown wearing a Christmas sweater that Angela put on him.
Cast
edit- Malachy McCourt as Narrator[7]
- Ruth Negga as Mother[6]
- Vivian Drew as Tom
- Anya O'Connor as Aggie
- Brendan Mullins as Pat
- Lucy O'Connell as Angela[7]
- Brian Gleeson as Guard[10]
- Pat Kinevane as Father Creagh / Mr. King[10]
- Don Wycherley as Accordion Player
Production
editAngela's Christmas was executive produced by Frank McCourt's widow Ellen McCourt.[7] This was Frank McCourt's only children's story, from a story his mother Angela told him and his brother Malachy McCourt, as a child.[9] Malachy McCourt provides the narration.[3] Dolores O'Riordan contributed to the soundtrack.[11]
The film was produced by the Irish production studio Brown Bag Films, with distribution rights help by the Canadian company 9 Story Distribution International.[12]
Release
editThe film was released on 30 November 2018 on Netflix streaming.[13]
In October 2020, it was announced that a sequel titled Angela's Christmas Wish would be released on Netflix on 1 December 2020.[14]
References
edit- ^ "'Octonauts' Studio Making Adaptation of Frank McCourt Kids Story". variety.com. Variety. 12 June 2017. Retrieved 2 August 2019.
- ^ "Stream It or Skip It: 'Angela's Christmas' on Netflix, Frank McCourt's Ode to Christmas in Ireland". Decider. Retrieved 12 July 2019.
- ^ a b "Frank McCourt's Angela's Christmas is Now on Netflix". hotpress.com. Hot Press. 30 November 2018. Retrieved 2 August 2019.
- ^ "Behind-the-Scenes with Angela's Christmas Director Damien O'Connor". brownbagfilms.com. Brown Bag Films. Retrieved 2 August 2019.
- ^ "A Charming, Well Written Animated Short". The Review Geek. 28 November 2018. Retrieved 2 August 2019.
- ^ a b "Ruth Negga nominated for Daytime Emmy award". thetimes.co.uk. The Times. 22 March 2019. Retrieved 2 August 2019.
- ^ a b c d "Brown Bag Films' Angela's Christmas Nominated for Three Daytime Emmy Awards". iftn.ie. Irish Film and Television Network. 21 March 2019. Retrieved 2 August 2019.
- ^ "Catherine Fulvio and Irish animation Angela's Christmas among Daytime Emmy Awards nominees 2019". independent.ie. Independent News & Media. 21 March 2019. Retrieved 2 August 2019.
- ^ a b "The Breadwinner and Angela's Christmas Lead Irish Nominations at 2018 Emile Awards". screenireland.ie. Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland. 9 November 2018. Retrieved 2 August 2019.
- ^ a b "Angela's Christmas". screenireland.ie. Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland. Retrieved 10 August 2019.
- ^ "Song by Dolores O'Riordan featured in Netflix's 'Angela's Christmas'". irishcentral.com. Irish Studio LLC. 21 December 2018. Retrieved 2 August 2019.
- ^ "Brown Bag Films' Animated Holiday Special, Angela's Christmas, to Premiere in Ireland this Christmas on RTÉ One". screenireland.ie. 13 December 2017. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
- ^ Angela's Christmas. Netflix.
- ^ "Have Yourself an Animated Xmas with New Netflix Specials!". 7 October 2020.
