The beginning of December kicks off the holiday season, and Zoey’s Extraordinary Christmas is finally here! The conclusion movie to the cancelled NBC musical dramedy has premiered on The Roku Channel, free for all, and it’s enough to get anyone into the holiday mood. However, it’s not all holiday music that Zoey will be hearing through heart songs, and creator Austin Winsberg explains why.
Zoey’s Extraordinary Christmas is indeed a Christmas movie, but when the plot revolves around a girl hearing heart songs from those around her, it’s a little tough to hear just Christmas music, even if it is the holiday season. Austin Winsberg talked all things Zoey’s with Variety and explained why it’s not all holiday music in the new movie:
I started off thinking it should maybe only holiday songs — and then I listened to a lot of holiday songs. The songs in the show are what we call heart songs and I have rules with those heart songs: They’re revealing what’s going on inside of somebody’s mind; they need to advance plot, reveal character or be funny or surprising in some way. Not many holiday songs fit; it was a bit limiting to get inside somebody’s head [with only them].
It does make sense that not every song in the movie is a holiday song. They are called “heart” songs for a reason, and even the holiday season doesn't everybody has Christmas in their heart at all times. If anyone is worried about a lack of Christmas in this movie, however, Roku released a sneak peek at the movie weeks ago that featured Zoey and Mo doing some shopping and getting very much into the holiday mood.
While on the subject of Christmas music, star Jane Levy, who portrays the titular Zoey Clarke, admitted in the same interview just what her favorite musical numbers from the series are and coincidentally, they’re very much on-theme:
Two of my favorite musical numbers that I’ve gotten to do throughout the whole show’s life were both Christmas songs. I make jokes to Austin like, ‘You see that there’s some something in me where zany Christmas music is my truth. There’s this deranged-slash-earnest Christmas elf inside of me.'
Christmas songs can put anyone in a good mood, so I don’t really blame Jane Levy for picking them as some of her favorite musical numbers from the show. But now I kind of need her to release a full-length Christmas album. Or at least a single!
Now, could Zoey’s Extraordinary Christmas be it for Zoey’s or could there be more in store? Ahead of the movie’s release, Austin Winsberg was hopeful for the future, whether that’d be with more episodes or movies, depending on the reception the movie receives. Fingers crossed this isn’t the last time we get Zoey’s, or I will be singing all the heart songs. You can do your part in supporting Zoey's Extraordinary Christmas by watching on The Roku Channel!
