The rare sequel that's better than the original. And while the visual effects in AVATAR still hold up, these are on another level. Oh, did I mention Cameron knows how to direct an action sequence?

The visuals are gorgeous, and James Cameron knows how to direct action scenes, but the dialog is only a couple steps above the George Lucas school of writing, and not subtle in its pro-environmental anti-military anti-corporatization stance. It also has a bit of a white savior complex happening. James Cameron, I see you.

I was going to give this a better rating -- even though there are better adaptations of A Christmas Carol -- but then they just kept singing.

While there's only so much of a 2 1/2 hour opera you can cram in a 45-minute children's program, there's enough here that charmed me, including reworked lyrics to some of the arias from the opera and a plot that takes out the Masonic references but still contains a trial for Tamino. A good introduction to Mozart.