Diary of a Wimpy Kid Christmas: Cabin Fever

I have read most of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books by Jeff Kinney and enjoy reading them, but I did not like the four live action movies from 20th Century Fox; I have enjoyed the first two animated films from Disney based on the two books, which is why I prefer the animated adaptations over the live-action ones. Diary of a Wimpy Kid Christmas: Cabin Fever (2023) is as enjoyable and entertaining as the earlier two movies, with a nice Christmas look and feel to it and well-done animation; also, it has things you will recognize from the book it is based on, only if you have read the book though.

The voice acting is well done, and the characters are likable; Greg Heffley goes from having a selfish personality by doing whatever it takes to get a new video game console for Christmas, to learning how to help people and spending time with family, even though his family is weird. Greg's friend who helps him on the tough situation is Rowley Jefferson who gets dragged into the problem of accidentally breaking a snowplow and works with Greg to get rid of the evidence; the whole time he wants to do traditional Christmas things, but because Greg is his friend, he tries to help. Also, there are things involving Greg's family being snowed in at home, and Greg avoiding a creepy looking elf doll mostly because he was told it is Santa's little helper.

The animation is pretty, and the character designs are exact to the drawings in the books; the movie was had funny moments, and nice moments involving Greg Heffley learning more about what Christmas is about or just doing good things for people and for his family. I recognized a lot of moments in the movie that are from the book, because I have read the book, and the way they are executed is well done and accurate to the book; the only way you will notice certain things in the movie is if you have read the book, but I think you can enjoy the movie without needing to.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid Christmas: Cabin Fever (2023) is an enjoyable and entertaining Christmas movie that people who have read the book will like, and people who have not read the book will like; likable characters, funny scenes, nice looking animation, and a nice Christmas look and feel. If you like the books and the earlier two movies, then you will like this; if you have not read the books, this is a nice, animated Christmas movie to check out.

The best DOAWK film in my opinion. Who would have predicted that?

'Diary of a Wimpy Kid Christmas: Cabin Fever' is actually a good movie, I am surprised that that is the case. It offers solid festive vibes alongside some improved humour and a heartfelt message, one that is portrayed in a really nice manner. There is also a great pace to events onscreen, not a surprise given the 60 minute run time, I guess.

The ending almost derails when the Heffley family threaten to go rogue, though thankfully the film quickly regains traction to end pleasantly. Lisa Ann Walter does a nice job voicing her Gabby character. All in all, a pleasant addition to the franchise. Heck, it's the best film (low bar, admittedly) from the series, which is unexpected but welcome!

Going into this movie, my expectations were understandably low after the garbage that was released the previous two years. However this definitely crushed those expectations. This movie is no doubt the best animated one so far, and a pretty solid Christmas movie.

"Cabin Fever" is probably my favorite book in Jeff Kinney's series, so I was pretty happy when a movie was announced. Obviously I was still cautious due to how bad the first one and Rodrick Rules were, but this was pretty good. It has a very strong Christmas vibe which I wasn't expecting, the voice acting improved ten-fold, and it was overall really entertaining.

I also appreciate how much Greg Heffley grows as a character throughout this. He starts off still somewhat mean and selfish, but by the end he ends up as a selfless, kind-hearted teenager. The characters in this movie are just very well written all around, and somehow even Manny is pretty tolerable and actually said something that let out a weak laugh from me. I also throughly enjoyed watching the sequence where the snowstorm trapped everyone inside, as that was a huge highlight of the book and this movie portrayed it pretty dang well. The movie also portrays very wonderful messages about spending time with family, telling the truth, being on your best behavior, and enjoying the holiday season.

Obviously there are still some cons, because these movies will probably never be a 10/10 let alone a 9/10. First off, this movie has a lot more annoyingly cringe dialogue compared to the other animated movies, particularly with Susan. I've never liked Susan in the animated movies because of her annoying voice and her overly-cheery personality. Rowley is also not the greatest in this one, but definitely better than the first two movies. Second, the beginning is the weakest part and drags on about 25 minutes too long.

Overall, this movie really really surprised me since Disney has released some real stinkers this year and the first two animated Wimpy Kid movies were less than mediocre. The Christmas spirit is strong, there's a ton of character development, and is a great movie in general. 8/10, would recommend to Wimpy Kid fans and Christmas lovers alike.

Ah, "Diary of a Wimpy Kid Christmas: Cabin Fever", the latest holiday romp that surprisingly hit a bit closer to home than expected. First off, the premise is classic Wimpy Kid - Greg Heffley, eyeing the tantalizing Mega Station 9000, embarks on a comedic quest to maintain his spot on Santa's nice list. Mix in a creepy elf doll, a lawn-destroying snowball, and a snowplow lady named Gabby, and you've got the recipe for a festive disaster.

But the real kicker is the snowed-in lockdown. As the Heffleys huddle together, battling cabin fever and dwindling supplies, I couldn't help but reminisce about my own COVID lockdown days. The film captures that stir-crazy, family-dynamics-on-edge atmosphere with a comedic twist that's both relatable and absurd.

The heart of the film, however, lies in its unexpected turn towards empathy and generosity. Greg's journey from self-interest to selflessness, especially his interaction with Gabby and her son, adds a layer of depth to the narrative. The movie wraps up with a feel-good resolution, reminding us that sometimes, the best gifts aren't things, but acts of kindness and understanding.

"Diary of a Wimpy Kid Christmas: Cabin Fever" might not be a holiday classic, but it's a genuinely funny, heartwarming tale that offers a few laughs, a bit of nostalgia, and a gentle reminder of the spirit of the season. Plus, Elfrendo's creepy, unblinking gaze is sure to haunt your Christmas dreams, in a fun way, of course!

So originally, I wasn't planning on writing a review on this since I didn't really have much to say but looking back, there is quite a bit I'd like to say about this film and it somehow managed to exceed my expectations. So, what do I think of this film? Well, surprisingly, I ended up really enjoying it. I thought it was just going to be like the other films and just be okay, but no, it was actually pretty good. Let's discuss it.

So first off, let's talk about the animation. These models still take time getting used to, but they feel slightly better in this film in terms of the facial expressions. They still aren't as expressive as other stylized animated films out there, but it looks fine in my opinion. Everything else looks good though, the lighting and shading looks better and there's a cool shots thrown here and there.

Next off, the story. So the story is pretty similar to the books as to be expected, with some minor changes, like how in the book, Greg gets in trouble for hanging posters on the school wall, with the dye ending up getting into the wall, and in the movie, Greg ends up destroying a snowplow, but there are also some pretty big changes. The film takes on a more campy-Holliday special vibe where it basically becomes a "Spend time with your family, presents are about giving not receiving" type of mumbo jumbo, but it's still fun to watch even though it might not have the same cynical nature of the books.

Next up, the characters. First off Greg. Greg is still portrayed as a lot more likeable in this, nothing more to say. He is still a bit mean to Rowley, but not nearly as bad as book Greg. I don't really mind this change compared to most people, especially since in the original cabin fever book Greg's jerk-ish nature was also toned down compared to other books. Next up Rodrick. Rodrick is still fun to watch in this. He is a lot more funnier moments in this compared to his appearance in the other movies, and I like how they kept his character growth from Rodrick Rules where he's still there for his brother when things get really down for him, but he's still going to mess with him whenever he gets the chance. Next up is Hank, who I feel like has reverted a bit back to his live action movie personality with how crazy and overreactive he gets to certain things, like how he is constantly monitoring his family during the snow storm, which was funny and I really enjoyed watching. I don't really have much to say about Susan and Manny, they haven't really changed much since the other 2 films.

In conclusion, Diary of a Wimpy Kid Christmas: Cabin Fever is a fun little christmas movie. It's a solid adaptation with the books with barely any major changes, the characters feel more fun to watch, and the animation even got a bit of an upgrade. Overall, I'd give this film a 6.5/10. Thanks for reading!