‘Dolly Parton’s Christmas Of Many Colors: Circle Of Love’ Blu-Ray Review – Holiday Sequel Captures Spirit Of The Season

Last December, just in time for Christmas, the amazing Dolly Parton delighted viewers and critics alike with her deeply heartwarming tale drawn straight from her inspiring real life and music. In an all-new holiday sequel, the Partons, a family of humble means living in the mountains of Tennessee, face a devastating event that challenges their will. But when they experience a bewildering Christmas miracle, the Partons are drawn closer together than ever – with deepened faith and love for one another.

The film delivers Christmas joy and peril as an unexpected blizzard threatens the Parton family while at the same time Dolly’s father (and his kids) make sacrifices to raise enough money to finally buy his loving wife the wedding ring he could never afford to give her. Meanwhile, an important person in little Dolly’s life begins to see that her amazing voice and musical gift might just be made for something bigger than rural Tennessee.

For thoughts on Dolly Parton’s Christmas of Many Colors: Circle of Love, please check out my thoughts on No Streaming Required:

Video Quality

Dolly Parton’s Christmas of Many Colors: Circle of Love arrived on Blu-Ray in 2016 with a fetching 1080p transfer which ideally presents this made-for-TV outing. Clarity and detail are incredible on this Blu-Ray with subtle details emerging within the fabrics of the clothes, the production design, and the vegetation. The color palette is vibrant with the holiday season adding a bit of extra razzle dazzle to the proceedings. Hues saturate the screen with pinpoint accuracy. Black levels hold up swell with no major instances of black crush present. Digital noise and banding emerge sporadically within this release, but it is far from a major issue. This is a first-rate presentation from the team at Warner Archive. 

Audio Quality

Warner Archive graces this Blu-Ray with a DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio mix that accomplishes everything it sets out to do. Songs are vital to the narrative, and each one emerges with respectable fidelity. The environmental effects allow these shooting locations to feel lived-in and three-dimensional. The surround track fleshes things out naturally. Dialogue comes through clearly with nothing getting buried in the mix. Nothing ever gets overshadowed by the music in the film or other environmental flourishes. This track is a dependable audio experience that fans will love. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided. 

Special Features

• Dolly Parton’s Christmas of Many Colors – A Story of Love, Sacrifice and Giving: A nine-minute featurette in which Dolly Parton and the creative team discuss the process of bringing another personal story to life. 

• Little Tiny Tasseltop: A nearly three-minute piece about Dolly’s first song and its depiction in the film. 

• 1955 – A Snapshot In Time: A five-minute look into the efforts to bring this period of time to the screen through intricate production design. 

• Casting Little Dolly: A minute-and-a-half-long discussion of Dolly’s help with choosing her younger counterpart. 

• Deleted Scenes: This disc provides nine minutes of unused footage. 

• Come Visit Georgia PSA: A five-minute look at the process of filming on location in Georgia. 

Final Thoughts

Dolly Parton’s Christmas of Many Colors: Circle of Love is yet another made-for-television outing that brings the childhood of one of our greatest living performers to life on screen. When judging it against other movies made for the small screen, it holds up well even with its melodrama cranked to high and the overdramatic performances from the ensemble. The shift to a more direct holiday narrative provides even more to love as you can bring this one out for festive movie-watching to enhance the season. This one is not necessarily for the cinephiles, but those who want something cozy will dig it. Warner Archive has released a Blu-Ray featuring a great A/V presentation and a surprising amount of special features. If you are a Dolly Parton fan, this is worth a watch. Recommended   

Dolly Parton’s Christmas of Many Colors: Circle of Love can be purchased directly through MovieZyng or various other online retailers. 

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Warner Archive has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.