The Star Parent Guide

It a story that’s ages old, but is still worth retelling. The Star portrays the events leading up to the birth of Jesus Christ through colorful animation with a good dose of artistic flexibility… meaning the tale starts with a talking rodent.

Abby (voice of Kristin Chenoweth) is our “mouse on the wall” that allows us to meet young Mary (voice of Gina Rodriguez) when she is visited by an angel. When the young woman is told she will give birth to the Son of God, Mary is more than willing to accept the assignment… but there’s one small catch. How will she break the news to her husband-to-be Joseph (voice of Zachary Levi)?

Fortunately, within the context of this movie, everyone demonstrates great faith in Mary’s announcement, including her chosen man. His biggest concern is the capacity to live up to the responsibilities of being the father of Jesus. That’s when the next heavenly communication takes place, giving Joseph the assurance he’s up to the task.

Enough about the people. What about the animals? Definitely created to keep the attention of children, The Star‘s main attraction is Bo the donkey (voice of Steven Yeun). Desperate to escape his servitude for a miller, which means walking in circles to grind grain, Bo’s greatest desire is to provide transportation to a king. (Yes… you likely already know where this donkey is headed.) With help from his dove buddy Dave (voice of Keegan-Michael Key), he makes his way out of bondage and inadvertently ends up seeking refuge in Mary and Joseph’s backyard.

Of course, this adventure needs a bad guy and while King Herod (voice of Christopher Plummer) does make an appearance, his scriptural directive to eliminate the possibility of any baby surviving is toned down significantly. Instead, Herod’s violent intent is represented by a huge, bad looking dude dressed in armor who leads two viscous dogs, Thaddeus and Rufus (voices of Ving Rhames and Gabriel Iglesias). Thanks to the canines’ ability to communicate with the other animals (this is one of those setups where the animals and humans speak, but they can’t understand each other), an interrogation with that little mouse provides a lead for them to follow.

Although the biblical story’s sequence of events is somewhat shuffled and the Good Book’s narrative didn’t include three “wise” cracking camels (voices of Tracy Morgan, Tyler Perry and Oprah Winfrey) or other supportive farm animals (voice of Kelly Clarkson playing Leah the horse and Patricia Heaton giving voice to Edith the cow), the spirit of the occasion still shines through. And that may make this movie a worthwhile reminder of the “reason for the season”.

About author

Rod Gustafson

Rod Gustafson has worked in various media industries since 1977. He founded Parent Previews in 1993, and today continues to write and broadcast the reviews in newspapers, on radio and (of course) on the Internet. His efforts also include writing and researching media in all its forms and observing how it effects society and culture. He and his wife Donna have four children.