Gummibar: The Yummy Gummy Search for Santa (2012)

APPARENTLY I’M NOT HIP to what’s, uh, hip in the world of online videos.

Turns out there’s this dancing fella from Germany called Gummibar, who’s racked up tens of millions of hits on YouTube with his infectious series of techno, Autotuned dance songs like this:

After dozens of videos with song topics ranging from soccer to love to bubble baths, Gummibar’s next step was obvious: his own Christmas movie.

In Gummibar: The Yummy Gummy Search for Santa, after Santa is kidnapped by Allen the alien, Gummy and his friends – Harry the chameleon, Vampiro the bat, and Calla the cat – jump into action to rescue him to keep Christmas on schedule. (They take the group’s jet plane, because of course they have one.)

 

Look, anyone who willingly watches this movie isn’t looking for high art. Taking that into consideration, Gummibar: The Yummy Gummy Search for Santa is a harmless, entertaining way to pass an hour with your kids if you’re snowed in or they’re warming up from playing outside. It has good-enough animation (Harry the chameleon’s independent eye movements are a nice touch) and eye-rolling punchlines your kids will eat up. It also has a sense of self-awareness (someone calls Gummy a “famous dancing green confectionary from the Internet”) and passing references to Die Hard 2, The Wizard of Oz, Jerry Maguire, Chinatown, Titanic, and Top Gun.

Gummibar: TYGSS also features several musical numbers (yes, Gummy does his signature tune), including songs as part of a dance-off between Gummy and Allen for possession of Santa – though someone should have told directors Jurgen Korduletsch and Bernie Denk that when it comes to Gummy’s song “Nuki Nuki” (German for “pacifier”), the term “nookie” means something entirely different in America. Lyrics like “How I love my nuki” and “My nuki never leaves my mouth” take on a whole new unintended meaning…

At times it may feel like a glorified TV special, but Gummibar: The Yummy Gummy Search for Santa is passable fun for your family Christmas viewing – though it may take a team of specialists to remove the green guy’s songs from your head.

Rating:

What did FilmBoy and Jack-Jack think?

FilmBoy liked Gummibar: The Yummy Gummy Search for Santa, but it was Jack-Jack who loved it. He laughed out loud at many jokes, and could barely stay in his seat during much of the action.

Is it suitable for your kids?

Gummibar: The Yummy Gummy Search for Santa is unrated, but features some mild rude humor: Santa lets out a quick fart squeezing into a chimney, says “my butt hurts” after landing on his rear, then shows a little “plumber’s crack” while bending over to pick up presents. In other areas: Alan the alien does kidnap Santa, but it’s never shown as malevolent; Calla gives Vampiro a quick kiss under a mistletoe.

Will your FilmMother want to watch it?

Depending on her mindset going in, she’ll most likely feel that Gummibar: The Yummy Gummy Search for Santa is either very disposable or somewhat annoying. She could probably find better ways to spend her time…and worse ones, to be fair.

Hey family, Santa here.
Y'know, there's this service called a chimney sweep?!

Gummibar: The Yummy Gummy Search for Santa
* Directors: Jurgen Korduletsch, Bernie Denk
* Screenwriters: Jurgen Korduletsch, Bernie Denk
* Stars: Sonja Ball, Rick Jones, Bruce Dinsmore, Mike Paterson
* MPAA Rating: N/A


Rent Gummibar: The Yummy Gummy Search for Santa from Netflix >>