''The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special'' is an American

television special A television special (often TV special, or rarely television spectacular) is a standalone television show which may also temporarily interrupt episodic programming normally scheduled for a given time slot. Some specials provide a full range of ent ...

written and directed by

James Gunn James Francis Gunn Jr. (born August 5, 1966) is an American filmmaker and executive. He began his career as a screenwriter in the mid-1990s, starting at Troma Entertainment with ''Tromeo and Juliet'' (1997). He then began working as a director ...

for the streaming service

Disney+ The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment Entertainment is a form of activity that holds the attention and interest of an audience or gives pleasure and deligh ...

, based on

Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...

featuring the superhero team

Guardians of the Galaxy The Guardians of the Galaxy is a fictional superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. It may more specifically refer to: Comic book teams * Guardians of the Galaxy (1969 team), the original 31st-century team fr ...

. It is the second

Marvel Studios Special Presentation Marvel Studios Special Presentations are a series of television specials produced by Marvel Studios for Disney+, set within the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), sharing continuity with the franchise's films and television series. The Marvel Stu ...

in the

Marvel Cinematic Universe The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on a series of superhero films produced by Marvel Studios. The films are based on characters that appear in American comic books published by ...

(MCU), sharing continuity with the films and television series of the franchise. The special is produced by

Marvel Studios Marvel Studios, LLC (originally known as Marvel Films from 1993 to 1996) is an American film and television production company that is a subsidiary of Walt Disney Studios, a division of the Walt Disney Company. Marvel Studios produces the Mar ...

, and follows the

as they celebrate Christmas and search for a

present The present (or here'' and ''now) is the time that is associated with the events perception, perceived directly and in the first time, not as a recollection (perceived more than once) or a speculation (predicted, hypothesis, uncertain). It is ...

for their leader

Peter Quill Star-Lord (Peter Jason Quill) is a fictional character and superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character, created by Steve Englehart and Steve Gan, first appeared in ''Marvel Preview'' #4 (January 1976) ...

Chris Pratt Christopher Michael Pratt (born June 21, 1979) is an American actor. He rose to prominence for playing Andy Dwyer in the NBC sitcom '' Parks and Recreation'' (2009–2015). He also appeared in The WB drama series ''Everwood'' (2002–2006) an ...

Dave Bautista David Michael Bautista Jr. (born January 18, 1969) is an American actor and retired professional wrestler. He had several stints in WWE between 2002 and 2019. In his acting career, he is most widely known for his portrayal of Drax the Destro ...

Karen Gillan Karen Sheila Gillan (; born 28 November 1987) is a Scottish actress. She gained recognition for her work in British film and television, particularly for playing Amy Pond, a primary companion to the Eleventh Doctor in the science fiction seri ...

Pom Klementieff Pom Alexandra Klementieff (; born 3 May 1986) is a French actress and model. She was trained at the Cours Florent drama school in Paris and appeared in such French films as '' The Easy Way'' (2008) and '' Sleepless Night'' (2011), before making ...

Vin Diesel Mark Sinclair (born July 18, 1967), known professionally as Vin Diesel, is an American actor. One of the world's highest-grossing actors, he is best known for playing Dominic Toretto in the ''Fast & Furious'' franchise. Diesel began audition ...

Bradley Cooper Bradley Charles Cooper (born January 5, 1975) is an American actor and filmmaker. He is the recipient of various accolades, including a British Academy Film Award and two Grammy Awards, in addition to nominations for nine Academy Awards, si ...

Sean Gunn Sean Gunn (born May 22, 1974) is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Kirk Gleason on The WB series ''Gilmore Girls'' (2000–2007), and Kraglin Obfonteri in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In this role, he has been in the films ''Gu ...

, and

Michael Rooker Michael Rooker (born April 6, 1955) is an American actor known for his roles as Henry in '' Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer'' (1986), Chick Gandil in ''Eight Men Out'' (1988), Frank Baily in ''Mississippi Burning'' (1988), Terry Cruger in ''S ...

reprise their roles as the Guardians from previous MCU media, with the special also featuring the band

Old 97's Old 97's is an American rock band from Dallas, Texas. Formed in 1992, they have since released twelve studio albums, two full extended plays, shared split duty on another, and have one live album. Their most recent release is ''Twelfth''. They ...

and

Kevin Bacon Kevin Norwood Bacon (born July 8, 1958) is an American actor. His films include the musical-drama film '' Footloose'' (1984), the controversial historical conspiracy legal thriller '' JFK'' (1991), the legal drama '' A Few Good Men'' (1992), t ...

as a fictionalized version of himself. Gunn had worked on the concept for the special during the production of ''

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 ''Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2'' is a 2017 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics superhero team Guardians of the Galaxy, produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. It is the sequel to ' ...

'' (2017) before it was announced in December 2020. Filming occurred from February to late April 2022 in

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

and

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, during the production of '' Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3'' (2023). ''The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special'' was released on Disney+ on November 25, 2022, serving as the conclusion of Phase Four of the MCU. The special received positive reviews from critics for its humor, Gunn's direction, and the cast's performances.

Plot

The

have purchased

Knowhere Knowhere (pronounced "no where") is a fictional location appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, and related media. It is depicted as the enormous severed head of an ancient celestial being, which serves as an interdimension ...

from the Collector and taken in

Cosmo the Spacedog Cosmo the Spacedog (russian: Космо, Kosmo) is a fictional character, appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Cosmo, a telepathic Soviet space dog, is the security chief of the space station Knowhere and a member of th ...

as a new member. As Christmas approaches, Kraglin tells the Guardians a childhood story of how

Yondu Yondu Udonta, or simply Yondu (), is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The original version of the character is depicted as the last survivor of his species in the 31st century, and is a founding ...

ruined Christmas for

Mantis Mantises are an order (Mantodea) of insects that contains over 2,400 species in about 460 genera in 33 families. The largest family is the Mantidae ("mantids"). Mantises are distributed worldwide in temperate and tropical habitats. They ha ...

discusses with Drax about finding a perfect

Christmas present A Christmas gift or Christmas present is a gift given in celebration of Christmas. Christmas gifts are often exchanged on Christmas Eve (December 24), Christmas Day itself (December 25) or on the last day of the twelve-day Christmas season, Twel ...

for Quill, as the latter is still depressed following the loss of

Gamora Gamora is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer/artist Jim Starlin, the character first appeared in ''Strange Tales'' #180 (June 1975). Gamora is the adopted daughter of Thanos, and ...

. After brainstorming for ideas, they decide to go to Earth and retrieve Quill's childhood hero, actor

. Mantis and Drax arrive in

Hollywood, Los Angeles Hollywood is a neighborhood in the Central Los Angeles, central region of Los Angeles, California. Its name has come to be a metonymy, shorthand reference for the Cinema of the United States, U.S. film industry and the people associated with i ...

, where they search for Bacon. After spending time at

Grauman's Chinese Theater Grauman's Chinese Theatre (branded as TCL Chinese Theatre for naming rights reasons) is a movie palace on the historic Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6925 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, United States. The original Chinese T ...

, the

Hollywood Walk of Fame The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a historic landmark which consists of more than 2,700 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, Californ ...

and a bar, they acquire a map of celebrities' residences and locate Bacon's home in

Beverly Hills Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California. A notable and historic suburb of Greater Los Angeles, it is in a wealthy area immediately southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Bev ...

. Bacon, who is waiting for his family to come home, is terrified by the appearance of Mantis and Drax and tries to escape. Police arrive to help, but Mantis places them and Bacon in a trance before taking Bacon with them. As they return to Knowhere, Mantis and Drax are disappointed to learn that Bacon is an actor and not a real-life hero. Later, the Guardians surprise Quill with a Christmas celebration, but Quill is horrified to learn that Bacon had been kidnapped, demanding that he be returned home. On the Guardians' new spaceship, the ''Bowie'', Bacon learns from Kraglin how he inspired Quill's heroism, and decides to celebrate Christmas with the Guardians before returning home. After the celebration, Quill reveals to Mantis that Yondu eventually changed his mind about Christmas and gifted him a pair of blasters which now serve as his primary weapons. Mantis confides in him that she is Quill's half-sister, after years of refusing to tell him the truth out of fear of reminding him of his father Ego's misdeeds, to Quill's surprise and elation.

Cast

as Peter Quill / Star-Lord:
The half-human, half-

Celestial Celestial may refer to: Science * Objects or events seen in the sky and the following astronomical terms: ** Astronomical object, a naturally occurring physical entity, association, or structure that exists in the observable universe ** Celes ...

leader of the

who was abducted from Earth as a child and raised by a group of alien thieves and smugglers called the Ravagers. Luke Klein portrays a young Quill during the animated flashback scenes, after the role was previously portrayed by

Wyatt Oleff Wyatt Jess Oleff (born July 13, 2003) is an American actor, known for portraying the role of Stanley Uris in the 2017 supernatural horror film '' It'' and its 2019 sequel, as well as the role of Stanley Barber in the coming-of-age comedy-drama ...

in ''

'' (2014) and ''

'' (2017). *

Drax the Destroyer Drax the Destroyer (Arthur Douglas) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Jim Starlin, the character first appeared in '' The Invincible Iron Man'' #55 (February 1973). The character's ...

: A member of the Guardians and a highly skilled warrior whose family was slaughtered by Ronan. *

Nebula A nebula ('cloud' or 'fog' in Latin; pl. nebulae, nebulæ or nebulas) is a distinct luminescent part of interstellar medium, which can consist of ionized, neutral or molecular hydrogen and also cosmic dust. Nebulae are often star-forming regio ...

: A member of the Guardians and former

Avenger Avenger, Avengers, The Avenger, or The Avengers may refer to: Arts and entertainment In the Marvel Comics universe * Avengers (comics), a team of superheroes ** Avengers (Marvel Cinematic Universe), a central team of protagonist superheroes o ...

who is an orphan from an alien world, and was trained by

Thanos Thanos is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He was created by writer-artist Jim Starlin, and first appeared in '' The Invincible Iron Man'' #55 ( cover date February 1973). An Eternal– Deviant w ...

to be his personal assassin. She takes on more of a leadership role within the Guardians. *

: A member of the Guardians with

empathic Empathy is the capacity to understand or feel what another person is experiencing from within their frame of reference, that is, the capacity to place oneself in another's position. Definitions of empathy encompass a broad range of social, cog ...

powers and Quill's half-sister. *

Groot Groot () is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee, Larry Lieber and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in ''Tales to Astonish'' #13 (Nov. 1960). An extraterrestrial, sentien ...

: A member of the Guardians who is a tree-like humanoid and the accomplice of Rocket. *

Rocket A rocket (from it, rocchetto, , bobbin/spool) is a vehicle that uses jet propulsion to accelerate without using the surrounding air. A rocket engine produces thrust by reaction to exhaust expelled at high speed. Rocket engines work entirely fr ...

: A member of the Guardians and former Avenger who is a genetically modified

raccoon The raccoon ( or , ''Procyon lotor''), sometimes called the common raccoon to distinguish it from other species, is a mammal native to North America. It is the largest of the procyonid family, having a body length of , and a body weight of ...

bounty hunter and a master of weapons and

military tactics Military tactics encompasses the art of organizing and employing fighting forces on or near the battlefield. They involve the application of four battlefield functions which are closely related – kinetic or firepower, Mobility (military), mobil ...

. *

Kraglin Obfonteri Kraglin is a fictional alien appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by plotter Stan Lee, writer Ernie Hart and artist Don Heck, he first appeared in ''Tales to Astonish'' #46 (August 1963). He is a member of the Rava ...

: A member of the Guardians and Yondu Udonta's former second-in-command in the Ravagers. He has become more integrated within the Guardians and "part of that family", being "a major part of

heir Inheritance is the practice of receiving private property, titles, debts, entitlements, privileges, rights, and obligations upon the death of an individual. The rules of inheritance differ among societies and have changed over time. Officiall ...

support system". * The

as Bzermikitokolok and the Knowheremen:
An alien band on

. Lead singer Rhett Miller portrays Bzermikitokolok, while Miller's bandmates Murry Hammond, Ken Bethea, and Philip Peeples portray band members Kortolbookalia, Sliyavastojoo, and Phloko, respectively. It took the band approximately three-and-a-half hours to have their prosthetic makeup applied. *

Yondu Udonta Yondu Udonta, or simply Yondu (), is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The original version of the character is depicted as the last survivor of his species in the 31st century, and is a founding ...

:
A blue-skinned buccaneer of the Ravagers and former member of the Guardians, who was a fatherly figure to Quill and died in ''Vol. 2''. Rooker portrays Yondu during the animated flashback scenes. *

as a fictionalized version of himself, an actor and Quill's childhood hero who is kidnapped by Mantis and Drax.

Maria Bakalova Maria Valcheva Bakalova, . ( ; born 4 June 1996) is a Bulgarian actress. She is the recipient of various accolades, including a Critics' Choice Award, in addition to nominations for an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, a Golden Gl ...

provides the voice and additional

motion capture Motion capture (sometimes referred as mo-cap or mocap, for short) is the process of recording the movement of objects or people. It is used in military, entertainment, sports, medical applications, and for validation of computer vision and robo ...

for

, a member of the Guardians who is a sapient dog that developed

psionic In American science fiction of the 1950s and 1960s, psionics was a proposed discipline that applied principles of engineering (especially electronics) to the study (and employment) of paranormal or psychic phenomena, such as telepathy and psychok ...

abilities after being sent into space by the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...

; Cosmo is physically portrayed by

dog actor Following is a list of animal actors. Those listed should have either a substantial number of performances or, in rare cases, a high-profile role. , c. 1907–? , * '' The Kid Brother'' (1927) (uncredited) * ''The Cameraman'' (1928) (uncredited ...

Slate, replacing Fred from the first two ''Guardians'' films. Bacon's wife

Kyra Sedgwick Kyra Minturn Sedgwick (; born August 19, 1965) is an American actress, producer and director. For her starring role as Deputy Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson on the TNT crime drama ''The Closer'', she won a Golden Globe Award in 2007 and an Emmy Awa ...

has a voice-only role as a fictionalized version of herself.

Flula Borg Flula Borg (; born 28 March 1982) is a German actor, comedian, musician, DJ, and internet personality who is also known simply as Flula (sometimes stylized as f, u, a) or DJ Flula. He lives in Los Angeles. Borg's acting career includes roles in f ...

appears as a bartender at the bar that Mantis and Drax visit in

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood, ...

Production

Development

In December 2020,

President

Kevin Feige Kevin Feige ( ; born June 2, 1973) is an American film and television producer who has been the president of Marvel Studios and the primary producer of the Marvel Cinematic Universe franchise since 2007. The films he has produced have a combin ...

announced ''The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special'', a

featuring the

to be written and directed by

, the writer and director of the ''Guardians of the Galaxy'' films. The ''Holiday Special'' was the first piece of content Marvel Studios planned to create for

, and was originally conceived by Gunn during the production of ''

'' (2017); at that time, it was being developed for

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

following ''Vol. 2'' release. Gunn stated that the special would be live-action and canon to the

(MCU), and noted that he had been a fan of the ''

Star Wars Holiday Special The ''Star Wars Holiday Special'' is a 1978 American television special that originally aired on November 17, 1978, on CBS. It is set in the universe of the sci-fi-based ''Star Wars'' media franchise. Directed by Steve Binder, it was the first ' ...

'' (1978) and animated Christmas specials such as ''

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is a fictional reindeer created by Robert L. May. Rudolph is usually depicted as the ninth and youngest of Santa Claus's reindeer, using his luminous red nose to lead the reindeer team and guide Santa's sleigh on ...

'' (1964) and ''

How the Grinch Stole Christmas! ''How the Grinch Stole Christmas!'' is a Christmas children's story by Theodor "Dr. Seuss" Geisel written in rhymed verse with illustrations by the author. It follows the Grinch, a grouchy, solitary creature who tries to cancel Christmas by st ...

'' (1966) as a child. ''The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special'' is 44 minutes long, and is the second

in the MCU. Marvel Studios' Feige,

Louis D'Esposito Marvel Studios, LLC (originally known as Marvel Films from 1993 to 1996) is an American film and television production company that is a subsidiary of Walt Disney Studios, a division of the Walt Disney Company. Marvel Studios produces the Mar ...

Victoria Alonso Victoria Alonso (born 22 December 1965) is an Argentine film producer and President of Physical, Post Production, VFX and Animation at Marvel Studios. Early life and career Alonso was born in La Plata, Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. She mov ...

, and Brad Winderbaum, Sara Smith, and Simon Hatt serve as executive producers, alongside Gunn.

Writing

Gunn called the ''Holiday Special'' "one of my favorite stories ever", with a story "as crazy and fun as can be" that he had "bugged eigeendlessly about over the years". Gunn finished the script in April 2021, after initially writing the treatment "years ago". It took Gunn a few hours to write the script, and he noted featuring

was a quick inclusion once he had figured out the story for the special. The main cast members of the ''Guardians'' films are featured, focusing on

and

. Gunn decided to focus on the Drax and Mantis relationship in the special because he felt those characters had been "sidelined" in their appearances outside of the ''Guardians of the Galaxy'' films between ''Vol. 2'' and '' Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3'' (2023). He described the two of them as "kind of like

Abbott and Costello Abbott may refer to: People *Abbott (surname) *Abbott Handerson Thayer (1849–1921), American painter and naturalist * Abbott and Costello, famous American vaudeville act Places Argentina * Abbott, Buenos Aires United States * Abbott, Arkansas ...

, but both are Costellos", adding, "They do not have any of the values that human beings normally have, so they don't have the same boundaries that we have. They're like following an unattended fire hose around." Mantis actress

called the ''Holiday Special'' "very goofy and very funny and cute" while "also very rooted in something much, much deeper and more beautiful and heartfelt". ''The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special'' is set between '' Thor: Love and Thunder'' (2022) and ''Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3''. Gunn noted there were parts of the special that would help set up material in ''Vol. 3'', calling the ''Holiday Special'' a "

Trojan Horse The Trojan Horse was a wooden horse said to have been used by the Greeks during the Trojan War to enter the city of Troy and win the war. The Trojan Horse is not mentioned in Homer's ''Iliad'', with the poem ending before the war is concluded, ...

" that allowed him to introduce important elements to ''Vol. 3'' that he then would not need to explain at the beginning of that film. Some of this material includes filling in the Guardians recent history, such as how they now operate out of

, have a new ship called the ''Bowie'',

is now a member of the Guardians, and "a couple of bigger pieces of spoiler-y lore". The special has been described by Gunn as the epilogue of Phase Four of the MCU.

Casting

''The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special'' sees

, and

all reprising their MCU roles as Guardians of the Galaxy members Peter Quill / Star-Lord,

, and

, respectively, along with

. Kevin Bacon was revealed to be starring in the special as a fictionalized version of himself in October 2022, along with

voicing Cosmo the Spacedog ahead of her role in ''Vol. 3''. Bakalova also provides additional motion capture for Cosmo, who is physically portrayed by

Slate, replacing dog actor Fred from ''

'' (2014) and ''Vol. 2''. The band the

also appear in the special as the alien band Bzermikitokolok and the Knowheremen, while Bacon's wife

has a voice cameo.

Filming

Filming for the special had begun by February 2022, at

Trilith Studios Trilith Studios is an American film and television production studio located south of Atlanta in Fayette County, Georgia. Originally known as Pinewood Atlanta Studios, the studio has been used to produce many films and television programs, particu ...

, under the

working title A working title, which may be abbreviated and styled in trade publications after a putative title as (wt), also called a production title or a tentative title, is the temporary title of a product or project used during its development, usually ...

''Pop Tart''. It occurred during the later portion of production of ''Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3'', which lasted from November 2021 until May 2022, and used the same sets as that film.

Henry Braham Henry Braham (born 30 October 1965 in England) is a British cinematographer, best known for his work on ''Nanny McPhee'', '' The Legend of Tarzan'', ''Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2'' and '' The Suicide Squad''. Early life and career Braham’s c ...

served as cinematographer, after doing so for ''Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2'' and ''Vol. 3''. Gunn enjoyed being able to switch to filming the special after doing scenes for ''Vol. 3'', given the tonal difference between the two with ''Vol. 3'' being more "emotional", and called the ''Holiday Special'' shoot easier than ''Vol. 3''. The special was originally supposed to be shot during ''Vol. 3'' initial production time in 2019, before several production delays. A day of filming in

for the special had been expected by early January 2022, but did not occur due to the

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...

Omicron variant Omicron (B.1.1.529) is a variant of SARS-CoV-2 first reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) by the Network for Genomics Surveillance in South Africa on 24 November 2021. It was first detected in Botswana and has spread to become the ...

. The Old 97's filmed their roles in March 2022. Filming occurred around the

Atlanta Country Club Atlanta Country Club is a private golf club in the southeastern United States, located in the Chattahoochee Plantation section of East Cobb, Georgia, a suburb northwest of Atlanta. The club was founded in 1964 and opened two years later. Histor ...

in late March, with various Christmas-themed decorations being used, and at the

TCL Chinese Theatre Grauman's Chinese Theatre (branded as TCL Chinese Theatre for naming rights reasons) is a movie palace on the historic Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6925 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, United States. The original Chinese ...

on April 28, with Bautista and Klementieff. The set featured various Christmas-themed decorations and posters of

Kumail Nanjiani Kumail Ali Nanjiani (; ur, کمیل علی ننجیانی, ; born May 2, 1978) is a Pakistani-American actor, comedian and screenwriter. He is known for his role as Dinesh in the HBO comedy series ''Silicon Valley'' (2014–2019) and for co-wri ...

's character Kingo from the MCU film '' Eternals'' (2021). Rooker and Luke Klein filmed the material for the flashback sequences, which was animated by

Stoopid Buddy Stoodios Stoopid Buddy Stoodios (formerly known as Stoopid Monkey and stylized as Stoop!d Monkey) is an American production company and animation studio, formed by Seth Green, Matthew Senreich, John Harvatine IV, and Eric Towner. It was established in 201 ...

through

rotoscoping Rotoscoping is an animation technique that animators use to trace over motion picture footage, frame by frame, to produce realistic action. Originally, animators projected photographed live-action movie images onto a glass panel and traced ov ...

in the style of

Ralph Bakshi Ralph Bakshi (born October 29, 1938) is an American animator and filmmaker. In the 1970s, he established an alternative to mainstream animation through independent and adult-oriented productions. Between 1972 and 1992, he directed nine theatric ...

to emulate the Christmas specials from

Rankin/Bass Animated Entertainment Rankin/Bass Animated Entertainment (founded and formerly known as Videocraft International, Ltd. and Rankin/Bass Productions, Inc.) was an American production company located in New York City, and known for its seasonal television specials, usual ...

. Stoopid Buddy added Yondu's fin and adjusted Klein's features to more resemble young Quill during animation. Studio Moshi worked on additional animations. Filming of the special wrapped by the end of April.

Post-production

Greg D'Auria serves as the editor for the special, while

Stephane Ceretti Stéphane Ceretti (born 24 September 1973) is a French visual effects supervisor. Career He began his career first as an animator then as a VFX supervisor at BUF Compagnie in Paris. He moved to London, UK in 2008 where he worked at Moving P ...

serves as the visual effects supervisor. Visual effects for the special were created by

Framestore Framestore is a British animation, visual effects company and creative studio based on Chancery Lane in London. Formed in 1986, it acquired (and subsequently merged with) the Computer Film Company in 1997. It works on feature films and telev ...

Rodeo FX Rodeo FX is a visual effects company involved in projects in the film, television and advertising industry. The company currently has studios in Montreal, Quebec City, Munich and Los Angeles. History Rodeo FX was founded in 2006 in Montreal, Ca ...

, Crafty Apes,

Sony Pictures Imageworks Sony Pictures Imageworks Inc. is a Canadian visual effects and computer animation studio headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia, with an additional office on the Sony Pictures Studios lot in Culver City, California. SPI is a unit of Sony Pi ...

Industrial Light & Magic Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) is an American motion picture visual effects company that was founded on May 26, 1975 by George Lucas. It is a division of the film production company Lucasfilm, which Lucas founded, and was created when he began pro ...

, Wētā FX, Gradient / Secret Lab, and

Perception Perception () is the organization, identification, and interpretation of sensory information in order to represent and understand the presented information or environment. All perception involves signals that go through the nervous system ...

Music

John Murphy, the composer of ''Vol. 3'', was confirmed to score the ''Holiday Special'' in January 2022. The special's soundtrack, consisting of Murphy's score and two original songs, was released digitally by

Hollywood Records Hollywood Records is an American record label of the Disney Music Group. The label focuses in pop, rock, alternative, hip hop, and country genres, as well as specializing in mature recordings not suitable for the flagship Walt Disney Records l ...

and Marvel Music on November 23, 2022. Gunn chose the music for the ''Holiday Special'' "very early". He wrote the lyrics to the opening song, "I Don't Know What Christmas Is (But Christmastime Is Here)", and approached Rhett Miller from the group the Old 97's to help him compose it. "Here It Is Christmastime", an existing song of the Old 97's, was also used and rerecorded with Bacon for the end of the special. In addition to "I Don't Know What Christmas Is (But Christmastime Is Here)" and "Here It Is Christmastime", other songs featured in the special include: "

Fairytale of New York "Fairytale of New York" is a song written by Jem Finer and Shane MacGowan and recorded by their London-based band the Pogues, featuring singer-songwriter Kirsty MacColl on vocals. The song is an Irish folk-style ballad and was written as a du ...

" by

the Pogues The Pogues were an English or Anglo-Irish Celtic punk band fronted by Shane MacGowan and others, founded in Kings Cross, London in 1982, as "Pogue Mahone" – the anglicisation of the Irish Gaelic ''póg mo thóin'', meaning "kiss my arse". T ...

featuring

Kirsty MacColl Kirsty Anna MacColl (10 October 1959 – 18 December 2000) was a British singer and songwriter, daughter of folk singer Ewan MacColl. She recorded several pop hits in the 1980s and 1990s, including " There's a Guy Works Down the Chip Shop Swears ...

, " Dead by X-Mas" by

Hanoi Rocks Hanoi Rocks was a Finnish rock band formed in 1979. They were the first Finnish band to chart in the UK and they were also popular in Japan. The band broke up in June 1985 after drummer Nicholas "Razzle" Dingley died in a drunk driving acciden ...

, "Christmas Treat" by

Julian Casablancas Julian Fernando Casablancas (born August 23, 1978) is an American singer, musician and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist and primary songwriter of Rock music, rock band The Strokes, with whom he has released six studio albums since the ...

, "Is This Christmas?" by

the Wombats The Wombats are an English indie rock band formed in Liverpool in 2003, consisting of Matthew Murphy (lead vocals, guitar, keyboards), Tord Øverland Knudsen (bass, backing vocals, keyboards), and Dan Haggis (drums, backing vocals, keyboards). ...

, " Just Like Christmas" by Low, "I Want an Alien for Christmas" by

Fountains of Wayne Fountains of Wayne was an American rock band that formed in New York City in 1995. The band included founding members Chris Collingwood, Adam Schlesinger, Jody Porter, and Brian Young. They released five albums from 1996 to 2011 before effec ...

, " Christmastime" by

the Smashing Pumpkins The Smashing Pumpkins (also referred to as simply Smashing Pumpkins) are an American alternative rock band from Chicago. Formed in 1988 by frontman and guitarist Billy Corgan, bassist D'arcy Wretzky, guitarist James Iha and drummer Jimmy Chamb ...

, "

Christmas Wrapping "Christmas Wrapping" is a Christmas song by the American new wave band the Waitresses. First released on ZE Records' 1981 compilation album '' A Christmas Record,'' it later appeared on the band's 1982 EP '' I Could Rule the World If I Could ...

" by

the Waitresses The Waitresses were an American new wave band from Akron, Ohio, best known for their singles " I Know What Boys Like" and " Christmas Wrapping." They released two albums, ''Wasn't Tomorrow Wonderful?'' and '' Bruiseology'', and two EPs, '' I Co ...

, and "Mrs. Claus" by

Little Jackie Little Jackie is an American musical duo consisting of Imani Coppola and Adam Pallin. Little Jackie, which derives its name from the 1989 hit song "Little Jackie Wants to Be a Star" by Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam, released a hit single in 2008 called " ...

Marketing

In August 2022, a

Lego Lego ( , ; stylized as LEGO) is a line of plastic construction toys that are manufactured by The Lego Group, a privately held company based in Billund, Denmark. The company's flagship product, Lego, consists of variously colored interlocking ...

advent calendar An Advent calendar is used to count the days of Advent in anticipation of Christmas. Since the date of the First Sunday of Advent varies, falling between November 27 and December 3 inclusive, many reusable Advent calendars made of paper or wood b ...

set for ''The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special'' was revealed, which was released on September 1. The official trailer for the special was released on October 25, 2022. Amanda Lamadrid at ''

Screen Rant ''Screen Rant'' is an entertainment website that offers news in the fields of television, films, video games, and film theories. ''Screen Rant'' was launched by Vic Holtreman in 2003, and originally had its primary office in Ogden, Utah. ''Scr ...

'' felt the trailer offered "a wild and heartwarming romp" and "more insight as to the wild storyline". Lamadrid noted how it depicted "one of the series' classic jokes in charming fashion", particularly Peter Quill referring to Kevin Bacon as "the greatest hero on Earth" in ''

'' (2014). By November 2022,

smart home Smart or SMART may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Smart'' (Hey! Say! JUMP album), 2014 * Smart (Hotels.com), former mascot of Hotels.com * ''Smart'' (Sleeper album), 1995 debut album by Sleeper * ''SMart'', a children's television seri ...

company

Vivint Vivint is a public smart home company in the United States and Canada. It was founded by Keith Nellesen and Todd Pedersen in 1999. In 2012, The Blackstone Group acquired Vivint for more than $2 billion. In January 2020, the company completed ...

released a commercial promoting the special and their products. Two episodes of the series '' Marvel Studios: Legends'' were released on November 23, 2022 on Disney+, exploring Mantis and Drax using footage from their previous MCU appearances; the episodes were removed shortly after as they revealed plot details relevant to the special.

Release

''The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special'' was released on

on November 25, 2022. A special screening occurred on November 18, 2022, at

NeueHouse NeueHouse is a company that provides collaborative workspace, private offices, event and meeting space and a social scene for culture in New York and Los Angeles. History NeueHouse was founded in 2011 in New York by Joshua Abram, Alan Murray an ...

in Hollywood. It is the conclusion of Phase Four of the MCU.

Reception

Audience viewership

According to

Whip Media Whip Media Group is a private American company selling enterprise software for content distribution, as well as TV- and film-related user data. It operates physical offices in the US, the UK, and the EU. Background Whip Media Group is the result ...

TV Time Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, e ...

, ''The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special'' was the most streamed film in the United States for the week ending November 27, 2022.

Critical response

The

review aggregator A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews of products and services (such as films, books, video games, software, hardware, and cars). This system stores the reviews and uses them for purposes such as supporting a website where users ...

website

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...

reported a 93% approval rating, with an average score of 7.8/10, based on 54 reviews. The site's critic's consensus states: "More of a stocking stuffer than a fully-rounded parcel, this yuletide excursion is a delightful showcase for Drax, Mantis, and a very game Kevin Bacon."

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...

, which uses a weighted average, assigned the special a score of 82 out of 100 based on eight critics, indicating "universal acclaim". Jordan Moreau of ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' felt the special was "stuffed with funny, feel-good Christmas joy, and it's one of the best pieces of content Marvel Studios has released in years." Moreau praised James Gunn's delivery of his "signature, laugh-out-loud, zany" style in the special with a short runtime, how it "pays homage to the nostalgic tropes of Christmas specials", the depiction of Drax and Mantis, and its soundtracks and songs. Angie Han of ''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...

'' felt that the special was "funny enough to provoke out-loud laughter and poignant enough to elicit that telltale sting behind the eyes, if not quite enough to draw full-on tears. Maybe it lacks the heft of a true ''Guardians'' feature or series, but it's exactly the holiday confection you'd want from this motley crew: shiny, fluffy and just odd enough to feel personal" and lauded the "delightfully eclectic" soundtrack. Han also felt that the special became the first Marvel Cinematic Universe entry to have a Christmas-themed story instead of setting it in December to coincide with the holiday, such as ''

Iron Man 3 ''Iron Man 3'' (titled onscreen as ''Iron Man Three'') is a 2013 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character Iron Man, produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. It is the sequel to ''Ir ...

'' (2013) and '' Hawkeye'' (2021). However, Han noted the special being "as slick a bit of marketing as they come... to remind audiences how much we love these characters, who haven't headlined a big-screen adventure in five years [since ''

'' (2017)]", and how it had a script "sprinkled with crumbs of awkward exposition" and was "underwritten by the kind of studio clout and money that can get a Kevin Bacon to show up and hang out with aliens for a few days." Chris Hewitt gave the special 3 out of 5 stars for ''

Empire Online ''Empire'' is a British film magazine published monthly by Bauer Consumer Media. The first issue was published in May 1989. History David Hepworth of Emap, the publisher of British music magazines '' Q'' and ''Smash Hits'', among other titles ...

'', feeling that it was "so frothy, and fun, and so clearly not intended to be taken seriously." Hewitt described the special as ''Guardians 2.5'' "with a little Christmas riffing on the soundtrack", a "variety show with the Guardians at its centre", and a "ballsy nod" to ''

'' (1978). Hewitt praised Bautista and Klementieff's performances but criticized the scenes involving Bacon "disappointingly toothless". Chris Evangelista of ''

/Film ''/Film'', also spelled ''Slashfilm'', is a blog that covers movie news, reviews, interviews, and trailers. It was founded by Peter Sciretta in August 2005. Podcasts Six podcasts have run on the site. ''The /Filmcast'', hosted by David Chen, De ...

'' felt the special was "mighty silly and mighty light. In fact, it's so light that it's a wonder it even exists", adding that "writer-director James Gunn didn't really have enough to fill out an entire special, which means we're treated to multiple musical numbers and multiple montages to pad the runtime. At the same time, Gunn and his cast manage to slip in one final emotional beat that genuinely works." Evangelista noted that majority of the Guardians only did quick cameos, particularly Peter Quill, Rocket, and Groot, but saw Klementieff and Bautista's characters "an unlikely but very amusing pair". Evangelista also felt that Bacon was "fine, and clearly game to have fun here. But the concept of bringing imback for Quill is never as funny as the special seems to think it is" while criticizing the special's "predictable humor and not one but two different lengthy musical numbers that play more like time-fillers than anything else."

Notes

References

External links

* at

Marvel.com Marvel Entertainment, LLC (formerly Marvel Enterprises) is an American entertainment company founded in June 1998 and based in New York City, New York, formed by the merger of Marvel Entertainment Group and Toy Biz. The company is a wholly own ...

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, The 2020s American television specials 2020s English-language films 2020s superhero comedy films 2020s superhero films 2022 action comedy films 2022 adventure films 2022 science fiction films 2022 television films 2022 television specials Alien abduction films American action comedy films American films with live action and animation American science fiction action films American science fiction comedy films American superhero comedy films Christmas television specials Disney+ original films Fiction about intergalactic travel Films about extraterrestrial life Films directed by James Gunn Films scored by John Murphy (composer) Films set in Los Angeles Films with screenplays by James Gunn Guardians of the Galaxy (film series) Marvel Cinematic Universe: Phase Four mass media Marvel Studios Special Presentations Science fiction television specials Television shows filmed at Trilith Studios Television shows filmed in Atlanta Television shows filmed in Georgia (U.S. state) Television shows filmed in Los Angeles