8-Bit Christmas - Cast Interviews

Get ready to head back to Christmas time in the 80’s with a new instant classic, 8-Bit Christmas! This movie is a humorous and heartfelt look back at the adventures of childhood. Set in suburban Chicago in the late 1980s, the story centers on ten-year-old Jake Doyle’s herculean quest to get the latest and greatest video game system for Christmas.

The movie is narrated by the fabulous Neil Patrick Harris, who plays the grown up Jake Doyle sharing his Christmas shenanigans with his daughter. It is full of nostalgia, laugh out loud moments and all things Christmas. The cast delivers a heart warming and humorous performance that is fun for the whole family!

The movie was written by Kevin Jakubowski, an executive producer on the film who also penned the book on which it is based. “This story is a love letter to my childhood,” he relates. “I remember playing arcade games, just begging for a couple quarters from my folks. That’s where the story comes from—when I was eight or nine years old and a video game was the thing we all wanted. All of those memories turned into this book, which turned into this movie about an adult looking back on his childhood. Jake Doyle—grown-up Jake, that is—is a little frustrated and disappointed that he can’t really connect with his daughter. Being a kid in today’s world, she wants a phone for Christmas. But she’s too young for a phone, so now she’s disappointed. So, Jake tells her this amazing and possibly embellished story about his quest for a video game as a kid.”

Neil Patrick Harris shared ” I read ‘8-Bit Christmas‘ and I just found the script so well-written, so charming and funny, and smart. It’s a throwback to a period that I remember well, but it also honors kids today, in a nostalgic way. It kind of reminded me of ‘A Christmas Story’ in a way, and I love that movie. As a parent, I think parents really like these kinds of movies, and this one deserves to have lots of different demographics enjoy it for different reasons, and that’s always a good thing.”

Spoiler alert, there is way more to the holidays then getting the perfect gift! Cool toys are fun and all, but at the end of the day it is who surrounds the table and who you share those moments with that mean the most! I loved how this movie tied this message up with a bow towards the end.