LogFAQs > #969854114

#100: Festival Of Lights
https://i.imgur.com/ncUqikx.jpg

Show: The Ghost And Molly McGee
Original airdate: November 27, 2021

"When I think of that story, deep down I know that no matter the battles we fight as we go, inside of us all, a Hanukiah glows. And look still lit."

There have been some solid Hannukah animated specials over the years (Rugrats had a really good one), but Molly McGee's Hannukah special captures not only the spirit of the holiday it commemorates, but the essence of the series itself, focusing on its core group of characters and giving them each time to shine. The 11 minute segment, which flew by even shorter than that despite being chock-full of hilarious and heartfelt moments, focused on the McGee family spending a cold winter's night at Libby's mom's bookstore to celebrate the last night of Hannukah. They participate in holiday themed activities, eat lots of fried food (which Scratch is particularly pleased about, and expresses this sentiment in a funny song), and become closer than ever, while outside, a miracle takes place as one hour's worth of generator fuel manages to power the store's electricity for eight hours, a fun little metaphor for the original Hannukah miracle. The episode even manages to communicate a poignant look at Libby's family history, with her ancestors having to flee their homelands after an event implied either to be Russian pogroms or the Holocaust, in a scene I was surprised managed to make it onto the screen in a Disney animated series. While this episode is inconsequential in the overall arc of the series itself, it's a sweet little slice of life story about friendship, family, and overcoming adversity, and my personal favorite of the first season of a show that has proven to be one of Disney's best cartoons in recent memory.