Olive, the Other Reindeer

Olive is a plucky little dog who wants to be a reindeer. When one of Santa’s flock breaks a leg, she sets out on a little-runt-that-could journey to replace him and save the day. Though Olive, the Other Reindeer sounds like your average true-meaning-of-Christmas flick, this gem is saved by flawless animation (Matt Groening is an exec producer) bolstered by an offbeat cast. Forgiving her wobbly musical numbers, Barrymore is winning as Olive, and Michael Stipe cameos as a rough-hewn reindeer-barfly. A-