This is a modified transcription of an episode of Dyer’s Daily podcast. Between 2018 and 2023, the podcast series featured Jamie Dyer speaking for three minutes about a chosen subject, completely off the cuff. For a list of episodes on the official podcast page, see here.
This was part of the Disney100 series of Dyer’s Daily podcasts, where Jamie picked an element of Disney to discuss in their 100th anniversary year. This time, the millennial broadcaster and writer discussed the 1986 TV film A Christmas Star. This episode was originally released in 2022.
Christmas Movies
Christmas movies are a genre of their own. There are the big-budget ones you remember, like The Santa Clause and other associated ones. But then you’ve got the low-budget made-for-TV Hallmark and Lifetime movies; I’m not even going to name some of them.
I may do it in the future, but now is not the time for that. I want to talk to you as part of this Disney 100 celebration about a made-for-television movie called The Christmas Star, which was first broadcast on the 14th of December, 1986. It starred Ed Asner as somebody serving time in prison. He escapes from prison and pretends to be Santa Claus to manipulate some children.
Thoughts on the Film
It’s a very sweet film. Ed Asner has the ability to play gruff characters, which is what this guy is. He’s a two-time felon, and he also has the ability to pull at the heartstrings, as we’ve seen in things like Up and other associated things.
He manages to mix the two perfectly. What starts as a made-for-television average movie has a very familiar vibe if you’ve seen a lot of those low-budget films. For me, Ed Asner turns this into somewhat of a Christmas classic. I’m so glad that it’s available to stream on Disney+, because otherwise, I wouldn’t have seen it.
Having lost Ed Asner recently, in the last few years, being able to revisit one of his lesser-known roles, which has been revisited more times than others because of its festive setting, this film is possibly one of the best Christmas films on Disney+. It has a very heartwarming ending.
I’m not going to ruin it, because it does have a very lovely ending that may be a tad cliché. If you can, go see The Christmas Star. It’s available to stream on Disney+. It is well worth it for some classic Christmas movie magic.
