Spunky's First Christmas

Based on the book, Spunky's Diary, by Janette Oke, this animated Christmas story spins a yarn about a lovable little canine named Spunky and his new young owner Mark. During a family Christmas outing Spunky gets lost in the big city, stumbles into a junkyard where mean dogs live, and eventually goes into a church where -- happy ending please -- Mark finds him. Big hugs abound. Though the Christian morality offered up here is borderline subservient (there are numerous references to "serving our master") the real problem with this video is--the bane of most Saturday morning secular fare--a lazy script and pedestrian storyline. Very optional. (N. Plympton)