Hermie & Friends: A Fruitcake Christmas

This holiday addition to Texas-born minister and author Max Lucado's popular computer-animated Hermie & Friends series finds caterpillar Hermie (Tim Conway), pal Wormie (Don Knotts), and the rest of their garden-dwelling friends preparing for Christmas with presents, decorations, and sledding! The only real problem is a lack of food, thanks to greedy cockroach duo Iggy and Ziggy (voiced by nationally syndicated Birmingham radio hosts Rick Burgess and Bill “Bubba” Bussey), who Scroogishly force Freddy Flea to help them gather up every last morsel of available grub for themselves. Explaining to her daughters Hailey and Bailey that some folks are just jerks provides ladybug Lucy with the perfect opportunity to enlighten the twins as to the true meaning of Christmas, a celebration of the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem (complete with the voice of “God,” a recurring guest throughout the Hermie series). DVD extras include a Hermie-fied rendition of the “12 Days of Christmas,” a trivia game, “Christmas Memories” from cast members, a behind-the-scenes featurette, a storyboard reel, and a fruitcake recipe. Recommended. Aud: P. (J. Williams-Wood)