So why am I spending so much of this December with Dave? Well, because of this, really. There have been three Prep and Landing cartoons (so far), and Dave starred in all of them as an old-hand helper elf, Wayne. The original, in 2009, got good ratings and reviews, and a handful of awards. It also introduced us to Wayne, who's been doing his job for several centuries and is a little burnt-out. Naturally, he gets an idealistic new rookie for a partner, to play off of.
We get to explore a lot of North Pole culture, with specialized jargon (all the adult language has been replaced with jolly holiday euphemisms, which makes me laugh more than it should) and a fully-developed society. The elves all have a lot of nifty spy gadgets to help them do their jobs, which lend the special a continued air of quirky technocool, even while it's all in the service of the holiday story.
Besides the performances from Dave and Sarah Chalke and an offscreen Santa played by W. Morgan Shepperd (who played The Big Guy onscreen the next year in a TV movie), the script continually surprises. I expected this to be a lot more kid-centered and, frankly, a lot less interesting. But like the best family entertainment, there's a level of jokes and story to appeal to adults too. If, like me, you avoided this for that reason, I'd recommend giving it a try.
As a Christmas special, I rate this one 10/10. It exceeds technically, artistically, and has plenty of heart and holiday spirit. It's fun and funny, and my third viewing this week was still interesting.
As a spotlight for Dave, I rate this 7/10. Wayne has a pretty big character arc for just 25 minutes, but it's ALL about his story. Dave gets to play a lot of different tones, most of which are right in his wheelhouse.
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