Retro fix–Netflix sneaks in two episodes of The Movies That Made Us for the holidays

Review by C.J. Bunce

Following up on The Toys That Made Us (previously reviewed here at borg), Netflix’s surprise hit documentary series leaning on viewers’ nostalgia with a look behind select high-profile toy lines of the past, last December the streaming provider added a new series based on the same formula, The Movies That Made Us. The series looked at four movies in four hour-long episodes, including the modern Christmas staples, Home Alone and Die Hard. This December, Netflix is adding two new surveys of holiday movies to the mix: Jon Favreau’s Elf (2003) and Tim Burton’s A Nightmare Before Christmas (1993). Check out a preview below.

The Movies That Made Us isn’t really about the movies and their impact so much as how the movies were created, from idea to the production, including production foibles and hurdles–a dive into the business world of pop culture. The show is trying to appeal to a broad spectrum of viewers.

One of the issues is of the first season of the series was that the producers did not tap key stars for the interviews. So the big question will be: Were they able to interview Will Farrell, Zooey Deschanel, Jon Favreau, and Tim Burton for these new episodes? (The first season showcased Dirty Dancing without star Jennifer Grey, Die Hard without Bruce Willis, Ghostbusters without Bill Murray, Sigourney Weaver, or Rick Moranis, and Home Alone without Macauley Culkin, Joe Pesci, or Catherine O’Hara).

Check out the trailer for The Movies That Made Us, the 2020 Holiday episodes: