Television Review: Yes, Virginia
What Parents Should Know
Parents need to know that this family-friendly holiday tale
has excellent messages about generosity, respect, and one
person's power to inspire change. Virginia and Scraggly Santa
epitomize the meaning of Christmas with their unselfish
responses to strangers in need, and Virginia’s idealistic
excitement over the holiday is sure to get you in a festive
mood. With no iffy content whatsoever, this is a great story
for the entire family to enjoy together.
In YES, VIRGINIA, eight-year-old Virginia O’Hanlon’s (voiced by Beatrice Miller) fervent faith in Santa’s existence is shaken when a playground bully named Charlotte (Julian Franco) tells her that it’s “infantile” to believe in him. Determined to find out the truth, Virginia and her friend Ollie (Kieran Patrick Campbell) enlist the help of everyone from her quirky father (Neil Patrick Harris) to the local sidewalk Santa (Michael Buscemi) -- a.k.a. “Scraggly Santa. But when Virginia can’t find a reliable answer, she turns to the most trustworthy information source she knows: The New York Sun newspaper. At first her plea for a final answer falls on deaf ears, but with a little encouragement from Scraggly Santa, the paper’s grumpy editor (Alfred Molina) takes a fresh look at Virginia’s pressing question.
This delightful CGI special is based on the real-life story that inspired one of the most famous editorials in journalistic history -- “Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus.” Set in the late 1800s, the sweet, simple tale is unencumbered by modern holiday trappings like shopping, presents, and hustle and bustle.
Virginia’s fear over Santa’s potential nonexistence isn’t that there won’t be gifts for her on Christmas morning, but that his absence means he won’t inspire the spirit of giving in others. The show’s heartwarming messages about generosity, unselfishness, and respect will inspire viewers of all ages and remind them that small acts of kindness really can change the world.
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