The Star (2017)

The Star has a disarming little magic trick: it takes a story many people think they already know and lets you experience it again through the wide, worried, hopeful eyes of a runaway donkey who just wants his life to mean something. It’s bright, gentle, and genuinely funny in that family-movie way, with lively voice work and an adventurous, feel-good momentum that keeps even the quieter, reverent moments from feeling heavy. The film’s sincerity is its superpower—it isn’t winking at the Nativity so much as warmly inviting kids (and the adults with them) to feel the wonder and kindness at its center. It does flirt with mild peril and a few tense chases, so very sensitive viewers may want a heads-up, but if you’re looking for a sweet, earnest Christmas watch that remembers what the season is about, this one earns its place in the rotation.

The Star is clearly aiming to be a kid-friendly, faith-adjacent Christmas adventure by retelling the Nativity through the animals’ eyes, and it’s an easy sell in concept. The problem is the execution: the story feels thin and oddly padded with chase scenes and pop-song montages, the jokes are pretty bland, and the animation often looks more “straight-to-streaming” than theatrical. It also leans into a glossy, commercial tone that can make the sacred elements feel simplified rather than moving, with mild peril (including a villain threat and a death) that may surprise very young viewers. If you want a gentle seasonal watch for small kids or a light, non-demanding holiday background movie, it can do the job—but if you’re hoping for sharp comedy, standout animation, or a genuinely stirring Nativity film, this probably isn’t it.