Merry Christmas, Book Squad Family! We’re on to our 5th day of Christmas movies. Yes, I know that everyone’s favorite DC comic book hero already had a Christmas movie with Batman Returns. But we’re heading back to the Christmas well with Batman in this new animated feature film, Merry Little Batman. In this movie, Bruce Wayne has a kid! Little Damian Wayne may be young, but he’s ready to be a superhero in his own right. And when Batman (Luke Wilson) has to leave home to help the Justice League on Christmas Eve, Damian (Yonas Kibreab) sees his chance!
But how will it work out for Damian and Bruce (and their cat Selina)? And does this movie pass the Christmas test? Let’s find out!
Romance: 5/10. Not a lot of romance in this movie at first glance. But… if you look at this as a love affair between a boy and his utility belt? Suddenly a love story comes into focus. At the beginning of the movie, Bruce gifts his son Damian with his very own superhero utility belt. Almost immediately, Bruce is worried that Damian is not mature enough for the belt, and it might be too soon. How will Damian be able to prove to his dad that he’s truly earned the belt?
Then, after Bruce leaves to help the Justice League, burglars show up at the Wayne mansion and steal the belt! Damian knows he can’t lose it, so he goes on a mission to find it and prove himself worthy. Rather than a journey to get the love interest, Damian’s is a journey to get the belt. Okay, is this a stretch? Maybe. But he does really love that belt, ok?
Tale as old as time
Morality: 6/10. Morality in Batman movies has always been a little iffy to me. Batman’s whole deal is that he’s on a perpetual revenge mission for his parents, right? Which seems like a selfish reason to want to fight crime. And sure, he does help the city and everything, but he does a lot of violent things to get there. That’s fine, I guess, but morally sound? I don’t know. Damian’s motives are equally selfish. He doesn’t have an innate desire to help others. He just thinks being a super hero looks cool and he wants the glory and fame that comes along with that.
But like a lot of Christmas movies, the film’s true moral center is the family. At the beginning of the movie, Bruce and Damian are at odds. But by the end? After they fight bad guys together, they learn how to respect each other more and have a better relationship by the end of the movie.
Music: 10/10. The Christmas music in this movie was ON POINT. And most importantly, it featured one of my favorite Christmas songs of all time, “All I Really Want for Christmas” by Lil Jon featuring the Kool-Aid Man.
Christmas Spirit: 10/10. No complaints here. You got Christmas trees. You got presents. You got holiday decorations. You got Santa hats. You got Christmas music. On top of all of that, we get some nice nods to the holiday movie classic Home Alone, which was really fun to see. This movie knocked the Christmas Spirit out of the park. Not a lot to say here. This one was pretty straightforward.
Warmth: 10/10. I hit on the family element of this movie already, but just to reiterate, the relationship between Bruce and Damian was very cute. Rounding out the warm family vibes are Alfred (James Cromwell) and most importantly, their cat Selina. Unsurprisingly, Selina was my favorite part of the movie, and I loved that she was in it so much. I do wonder why Batman would name his cat after Selina Kyle/Catwoman, but I guess we can just let that go for now. Even though… yeah, that’s just kind of weird on a lot of levels. Either way, WE LOVE A CHRISTMAS CAT! More cats in movies, please!
So how did this movie fare?
41/50 = 82/B-. Our highest score of the season! Merry Little Batman was a fun Christmas movie that I will remember especially for the A+ soundtrack, the Home Alone vibes, and Selina the cat. This one is definitely worth a watch! Merry Little Batman is currently available to stream on Prime Video.