Director REGINALD HUDLIN talks about making the cinematic magic of Christmas and bringing it to life in CANDY CANE LANE.
A sweet holiday treat for the whole family! With something for everyone, CANDY CANE LANE is filled with heart, holiday madness, mania & fun, themes about family, goodness, and individuality, great laughs, terrific film and pop culture references, impeccable and creative production values, marching bands, flying geese, swimming swans, Santa, and thanks to scribe Kelly Younger settles the decades-old debate – “Die Hard” IS a Christmas movie.
SYNOPSIS: Eddie Murphy stars as Chris Carver in this holiday comedy adventure about a man on a mission to win his neighborhood’s annual Christmas home decoration contest. After Chris inadvertently makes a deal with a mischievous elf named Pepper (Jillian Bell) to better his chances of winning, she casts a magic spell that brings the 12 Days of Christmas to life and wreaks havoc on the whole town. At the risk of ruining the holidays for his family, Chris, his wife Carol (Tracee Ellis Ross), and their three children must race against the clock to break Pepper’s spell, battle deviously magical characters, and save Christmas for everyone.
Directed by Reginald Hudlin with script by Kelly Younger, CANDY CANE LANE stars Eddie Murphy, Tracee Ellis Ross, Jillian Bell, Thaddeus J. Mixson, Ken Marino, Nick Offerman, Robin Thede, Chris Redd, Genneya Walton, Madison Thomas, Anjelah Johnson-Reyes, Lombardo Boyar, D.C. Young Fly, Danielle Pinnock, Timothy Simons, Riki Lindhome, and Stephen Tobolowsky.
Boasting an incredible cast, beyond the talents of Eddie Murphy and Tracee Ellis Ross as heads of the Carver clan, comedy ensues at every turn starting with a scene-stealing Jillian Bell as Pepper, a slightly pissed-off elf with a bad attitude and an ulterior motive. Bell is hilarious as she goes from an overdose sugar rush Christmas high to an elf guaranteed not to make Santa’s Nice List. David Alan Grier is a delight as Santa with sing-song vocal inflections that reminded me of what he brought to the character of “Bunson Jude” in an episode of “Bones”. Such a joy!! But dare I say that Madison Thomas as the youngest Carver, Holly, and Nick Offerman as Pip, a bone china Dickensian figurine come to life, just steal your heart.
But what makes CANDY CANE LANE as magical and Christmasy as can be are the first-rate production values and impeccable attention to detail that make this as shiny and sparkling as a new Christmas bell. The fine bone china Dickensian miniatures are breathtaking examples of the VFX work at play. Capturing that shiny glaze finish while retaining the delicacy of fine china is not only a challenge in real-world ceramics but especially with VFX. Piggybacking the VFX work is the sound design and mix, with some impeccable Foley work, as squawking geese, marching bands, pipers piping, fire engines, screaming and cheering neighbors, dialogue, delicate china footsteps, and score are all brought together for an eclectic and beautiful holiday soundscape.
Capturing your attention from the start are the visuals that really bring the 12 Days of Christmas to life. Thanks to the light and bright work of cinematographer Newton Thomas Sigel and production designer Aaron Osborne, the imagination takes flight as our most memorable Christmas memories from books, photos, and toys become three-dimensional and alive. Christmas magic meets movie magic.
The icing on the cake (or new fallen snow on Christmas morning), comes courtesy of composer Marcus Miller who reteams with Hudlin for CANDY CANE LANE. Highlighting Miller’s immersive and innovative approach to traditional Christmas music, we are treated to a wonderful score that weaves the traditional motifs with the new and does so with beautiful orchestration and instrumentation, punctuating it all with the percussive energy of the drumline, brass, and tubas. But it’s the string instrumentation that is a real musical holiday delight.
Christmas comes early with CANDY CANE LANE!
In this exclusive interview, director REGINALD HUDLIN and I focus on the technical aspects and production values of CANDY CANE LANE, including not limited to:
- his CANDY CANE LANE filmmaking directive of “more than more”
- a lighthearted and polished Christmas movie with room for improvisation and creativity
- sound design and Foley
- VFX
- music
- and more!
TAKE A LISTEN. . .
by debbie elias, exclusive interview 11/16/2023
CANDY CANE LANE is streaming on Prime Video on December 1st!
