The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special

 Yes, this happened.

 And let's give thanks on this after Thanksgiving Day that it did. 

The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special dethrones Werewolf by Night as the shortest film I'll cover at a whopping 42 minutes. That's within the boundaries of what the Motion Picture Academy defines as a feature film (40 minutes). So, I'm good.

The Guardians of the Galaxy now have their own planet, Knowhere (long story?). But Star-Lord (Chris Pratt) is miserable considering Gamora is dead and her time-displaced past self is somewhere in space (long story). It's also getting to look a lot like Christmas in Knowhere. So, Drax (Dave Bautista) and Mantis (Pom Klementieff) decide to get Star-Lord the perfect Christmas gift. Who or what could it be?

Why, it's movie star Kevin Bacon as himself! Drax and Mantis stroll through Los Angeles to find the star of Star-Lord's favorite movie, Footloose. Their Christmas surprise is threatened when they discover he's an actor. But Kevin Bacon is a good sport and decides to help them "save" Christmas. There's also a familial secret Mantis is hiding.

James Gunn returns to the MCU by writing and directing this special. It's nothing but a loony odyssey and that's OK. There's plenty of fun in Drax and Mantis's adventure and only one bit was bewildering. That would be when Drax assaults a man cosplaying Cy-Kill from Go-Bots. Huh? But them getting to Bacon and their indignation over his profession was hilarious. Drax is delightfully goofy, as usual, while Mantis seems loopier than usual. That's still OK. Star-Lord learning the truth is a surprisingly strong moment. 

We get some flashbacks of one particular Christmas with Yondu (Michael Rooker). They're animated in the style of Marvel's What-If? show and they look good. It's especially nice when we see the-then Grinchy Yondu lighten up. Other highlights include a surprisingly buff Groot and the newly promoted bit character Cosmo the Dog, who now speaks with the voice of Maria Bakalova. The Knowhere set doesn't seem as elaborate as the films, but it looks great when decorated. There's a cool soundtrack consisting of Kevin Murphy's score and a few funny Christmas songs.

This should satisfy plenty of fans' time as they wait for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Don't expect too much drama in this special. It's a silly holiday film with a few endearing moments. It's ready for you to watch on Disney Plus as of today. But this isn't the surprise I promised you last time. The next film is.