NBC’s ‘Happy Elf’ lacks magical touch
‘Tis the season for classic holiday specials and new attempts to break into the pantheon of beloved favorites. Tonight, ABC plays it safe with “Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town” (8 p.m., ABC), a cartoon evergreen animated by the voice of Fred Astaire.
NBC tries something new, and the results are not pretty. Add “The Happy Elf” (8 p.m., NBC) to the discard pile of mistletoe misfires.
Let’s start with the special’s computer-generated animation. The characters have a cold, hard edge that makes them resemble a bunch of renegade creatures from “The Sims.”
The story concerns an irrepressible elf named Eubie, who is not so much happy as overcaffeinated. And to emphasize his chirpy nature, his fellow elves, and even Santa himself, behave in a businesslike if not downright cranky manner as the big night of reindeer and deliveries approaches.
Has the North Pole gone bipolar?
“The Happy Elf” is also an hour long, an eternity as these things go. In its long and convoluted story, Eubie happens upon a town named Bluesville, with a population of depressed children whose social environment makes them more naughty than nice.
He defies Santa and the Elf hierarchy and departs for the glum burg to cheer up the kids and get them back on the nice side of the ledger.
“The Happy Elf” is not truly rotten, but merely misbegotten, an awkward collection of disjointed concepts glued together by an uninspired script apparently written by committee. It’s completely harmless, utterly charmless and best forgotten.
For truly inspired animation, don’t miss “Creature Comforts” (8 p.m., BBC America). A brilliant collection of film shorts from the creators of “Wallace & Gromit,” “Comforts” consists of brief documentary-style interviews with zoo creatures.
Vain zebras, self-effacing hyenas, world-weary she-pigs and even a gossipy group of cliff-clinging clams discuss the advantages and confinements of zoo life as well as random topics including romantic attraction, aging, neighbors and plastic surgery.
While the cartoon characters are hilarious, the real humor emerges from the spot-on use of halting speech patterns, British understatement and overlapping dialogue. It’s no wonder the original “Creature Comforts” short won an Oscar in 1990.
The series will edit together 26 films into nine 30-minute episodes.
Michele Lee, Donna Mills, Joan Van Ark, William Devane, Kevin Dobson and Ted Shackelford reconvene for “Knots Landing Reunion: Together Again” (9 p.m., CBS).
A homicidal grab-bag gift forces the defective detective into deep cover as a department-store Santa on a memorable holiday episode of “Monk” (10 p.m., USA).
Other highlights
The year in pop on “Top 40 Videos of 2005” (6 p.m., VH1).
A deceased soldier needs help on the repeat pilot episode of “Ghost Whisperer” (8 p.m., CBS).
A church retreat becomes a rout on “Bernie Mac” (8 p.m., Fox).
“Bullets Over Hollywood” (8 p.m., Encore) glances back at a century of gangster movies.
Lois seeks sole support on “Malcolm in the Middle” (8:30 p.m., Fox).
“Three Wishes” (9 p.m., NBC) plays secret Santa in several cities.
Minor celebrities, Bravo stalwarts and folks you’ve never heard of count down “Great Things About the Holidays” (9 p.m., Bravo).
Scheduled on “20/20” (10 p.m., ABC): the new rich and what we can learn from them.
“Movies that Shook the World” (10 p.m., AMC) recalls the 1993 drama “Philadelphia.”
Cult choice
A ballerina’s (Moira Shearer) inspiration proves fatal in director Michael Powell’s magnificent 1948 Technicolor fantasy “The Red Shoes” (7 p.m., TCM).
Series notes
Wrestling on “WWE Friday Night SmackDown!” (8 p.m., UPN) … A lover’s spat on “What I Like About You” (8 p.m., WB) … On back-to-back episodes of “Reba” (WB), charity (8:30 p.m.) and Halloween (9 p.m.) … Earthquakes can be murder on “Killer Instinct” (9 p.m., Fox) … Tom Bergeron hosts “America’s Funniest Home Videos” (9 p.m., ABC) … The sisters assume control on “Twins” 9:30 p.m., WB).