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Hey, remember that paroxysm of joy I went into over A Chipmunk Christmas? If in even my wildest dreams I’d imagined I’d get a chance to not just watch but actually own today’s item, I’d have saved that reaction. That’s not to take anything away from Alvin and his cronies, but A Wish for Wings That Work is just…it’s just some kind of wonderful thing, it is.

Before this year, I’d seen this cartoon—a Christmas special featuring Opus the penguin Bill the Cat from Bloom County—exactly once, on TV during some long ago December. After that I never again saw it on TV and was unable to track it down on home video. As the years went by, it grew in my mind to legendary status, my obsession deepening with each passing holiday season. It was like Moby-Dick, except the cartoon didn’t cause me to lose my leg, nor did it dwell in the ocean’s briny depths. Other than that, though, it’s exactly the same.

So imagine my shock when I saw the long out of print special at last released on DVD. My eyes bugged out with a resounding aoogah, my jaw dropped to the floor, my pants were filled with the feces of delighted surprise. Truly, it was the finest moment of my life.

The cartoon tells the story of Opus’ biggest Christmas wish: to leave behind his flightless waterfowl shell and release the soaring majesty within. He’s tired of being laughed at by the other birds, he’s tired of having to spend his days with the totally earthbound and almost totally catatonic Bill. He attends AA style meetings of a support group for flightless birds, but they’re not helping. His only hope now is a miracle, and so he writes to Santa, wishing for wings that work.

Those few sentences are the meat of the thing. It isn’t much more complicated than that. But along the way you’ll find a lot of sweetness and a whole lot of hilarity. The support group mentioned above is a particularly riotous scene, featuring a loud-mouthed kiwi whose wife left him for an albatross with a much larger…ahem…wingspan.

Just as Christmas specials ought to be, A Wish for Wings That Work is loaded with heart-warming sweetness and Santa Claus magic. As such, it’s just as appealing to children as any of the more well known power hitters on the Christmas roster. But it’s the incredible humor that made Bloom County such a long running success, and it’s that same irreverent attitude that makes this animated version the stuff of legends.

A Wish for Wings That Work is a true modern Christmas classic. Be sure to make it a part of your family’s holiday celebration.

If You Hated This, You Will Also Totally Hate:

• Frosty Returns
• Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmas
• I Hope Books Still Exist
• The Year Without a Santa Claus
• The Santa Clause 2