Elliot the Littlest Reindeer

There are worse Yuletide kidpics, but "Elliot" has that particular by-committee quality which can suck the goodwill right out of the room.

New evidence for the case that computer animation is homogenizing children's movies, robbing them of visual interest, this harmless, charmless movie plods along well-trodden turf.

Elliot: The Littlest Reindeer is strictly for the most undiscriminating small fry.

It's the toothbrush at the bottom of your stocking: It's well-intentioned, and you might get some use out of it, but let's just pray it's not the highlight of your holiday season.

Undistinguished CGI animation, wan humor and uninspired dialogue further undermine this middling, if nicely-voiced journey.

The film makes a sincere effort to ease the suffering that parents are expected to endure on behalf of their young children's holiday cheer.

A children's tale through and through, there are just enough sparks of originality to make an adult smile.

Samantha Bee's performance as a hungry goat turned sidekick is enough to make this otherwise uneven story enjoyable to kids and adults alike

Animated reindeer tale has nice messages but nasty bite.

Never more than an X-mas cartoon also-ran.

There are enough small touches -- Hazel's encounter with a tin can, for instance -- to ensure this isn't as by-the-numbers as it might have been.