Marco: The Night Before

***Marco: The Night Before*** is a 2015 Marcanese American computer-animated comedy film produced by Anaya Animation, with animation provided by Hydrogen Studios. It is the fourth installment of the *Marco* film series, serving as an interquel between *Marco 2* (2013) and *Marco 3* (2015).

The film was directed by Luke Armand, creator of *The Marco Show* and *Knick The Daredevil Kid* for Anaya Animation's television arc, and produced by Joseph Gordon-Lewitt and Kyle Balda. Some members of the original cast such as Bill Hader, Will Smith, Tyler Perry, and Renee Zellweger return for this film, including Seth Rogen as the voice of Santa. It was theatrically released in Canada on November 13, 2015. On that same day, it came as a direct-to-video film in the United States, being the only *Marco* film to do so.

## Plot

During one stormy Christmas Eve, Kevin loses his pet turtles on a car accident. His best friends Marco and Pepe resolve to spend the holidays with him to relieve his short term depression. The three learn about the exclusive Festival of Lights, but were unable to find it. They continue their collective Christmas tradition until 2015, when Marco and Pepe learn the truth about this particular holiday. This leaves them unsatisfied with their gifts being handed over to younger children.

Kevin attempts to cheer them up with a remake of the Nativity scene from the first film, but fails miserably after a poor performance of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Marco and Pepe, however, thanked him for doing his best to comfort them. Meanwhile at the North Pole, a deranged Santa orders his elves to send two requested gifts Joaquin and Emiliano saw on a TV commercial. The two laugh about the hidden bombs inside them and their house explodes. This was just a dream Marco had before opening his last presents. One of them, though, is a newborn baby daughter of two parents who live in New York City. As they suggest names for her, Pepe officially calls her Stella.

Marco, Pepe, and Kevin get shocked about this and decide to take flight. Upon arriving to New York City, the three encounter Marlene at a karaoke bar where the owner hosts a Christmas drinking tournament. Marco wins the match and gets rewarded $20,000 to spend on the world's largest Christmas tree, located at the Galleria. Instead, he uses the money for a sleigh contest in which he loses half of it. Pepe and Kevin grow skeptical towards Marco's stupidity and leave him with Stella. During his lonely walk, he gets arrested while the baby girl gets sent to daycare.

Upon arriving to court, Marco confesses that he only wanted to protect Stella, so he returns the baby to her parents before leaving New York. Meeting back at the subway station, the tension between the friends explodes as Marco reveals to them that he sent Stella back home. Pepe reveals that he and Kevin think Marco was lost.

Despite their revelations, the three send Marlene home and go to the Galleria. Not long before, Santa arrives there and mocks Marco's outfit as the three entered the mall in disguise to steal the Christmas tree. Revealing their identities, Marco and his friends carry out the heist successfully on a sleigh after Santa fails to track them down by car. This leaves Santa to be exposed by Derek in front of everyone, revealing himself as Joe.

Marco, hallucinating from a mixed substance with hot cocoa, meets his family and vomits during a carol service. The next day, he feels better and

## Reception

*Marco: The Night Before* was met with generally favorable reviews from critics, who praised its animation, voice acting, and premise but criticized its plot, screenplay, and humor. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an average score of 65% based on 43 reviews with an average rating score of 6.3/10 on iMBD. The site's consensus reads,