An Avonlea Christmas (1998)
An Avonlea Christmas pays tribute to the indomitable and sometimes intolerable matriarch of the King family, Hetty King. When she suddenly collapses during the holidays, Hetty is hospitalized. Feeling homesick and alone, she begins to re-evaluate her relationships and her accomplishments in life. The story takes place against the backdrop of World War I as the King family prepares for its traditional Christmas dinner. The reunion is marred by the fact that one of its youngest members, Felix, is missing in action; making differences of opinion about the war effort glaringly obvious. This wonderful and accomplished cast comes together in an uplifting drama that illustrates the frailty of life and the importance of strength of family in turbulent times. (from DVD liner notes)
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Reviews
hyped garbage
Excellent but underrated film
Best movie ever!
It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.
I adored the series so much! I was so sad when it ended. Although it finished with a few loose ends I was more then satisfied and didn't feel more was necessary. Of course when I heard a reunion movie was in the works, I was excited. I looked forward to seeing all the cast back together again and revisiting the beautiful town of Avonlea. I had such high expectations and hoped that the movie would provide all the same delightfulness the series offered. Sadly, that wasn't the case. The first thing that I was terribly upset about was that 2 key characters were missing, no Gus Pike or Jasper Dale. They were such a huge staple in the series especially towards the end. What were the creators thinking not including them. At least 10+ characters were missing and some without any explanation. The pettibone's were not included. No Muriel Stacey, and not even a mention of Davey and Dora. The most disappointing was that Sara Stanley's whereabouts wasn't mentioned at all either. She was the biggest part of the series in the first 4 seasons, how could they not include her in this reunion. Another thing I enjoyed most about the series was the beautiful scenery and exterior and interior sets. They were such a big part of the series. The rolling hills, the roads, the bridge, the pond frozen over for skating, lighthouse and mostly the village. None of which were present in this reunion, not even the king farm or rose cottage. The worse was that the movie was filmed in summer and fake snow was added to give the illusion that it was actually winter. All the interior sets were different expect for the king farm interior. This film did not capture the world of Avonlea at all. The story telling was lacklustre at best, very dark and depressing. If you enjoyed the series and was satisfied with the end, please avoid this mess. Yes, it was nice to see some of the cast back together again, but not worth tarnishing the magic and greatness the series provided.
This episode of Avonlea gives me goose bumps every time I turn it on. When the seventh season finished it was left rather wide open. I suppose that's the way it should be. I was so glad to see "Happy Christmas Miss King". I cried from the opening scene, all the way to the closing. It's amazing now nine years later we have loved ones back at the war front, and the emotions are the same as they were for those who had family in the First World War. The parallels of yesterday and today ring through soundly in this special. I have read some comments that say not worth the wait... well, I guess you just have to get it. If you love the life and times of Avonlea and dream there was still such a place, you will not be disappointed.
About 20 characters from RTA vanished without even the slightest attempt to explain their whereabouts (including half the siblings in one family),and plot twists totally contrary to what RTA had explained. While it had a few good moments (and good perfomances by Jackie Burroughs as Hetty King and a shining cameo by Zachary Bennett as Felix King) to help it towards the end, they were not enough to offset the dreary tone throughout (with a disappointingly lackluster performance by Gema Zamprogna as Felicity Pike- who had done far better on the series) and overall, it wasn't worth the anticipation! Strictly for RTA fans willing to check their memory cells and logical reasoning at the door!
Road To Avonlea ended a while ago and a reunion would be agreat idea. When I found this was actully happening I was excited and for the most part I was not disappointed, though it is predictable this is a wonderful family and Christmas movie.