Will there be tantrums? Will treasured toy Hoppity Voosh make an appearance? And will Bing get what he wants for Christmas? It's a resounding yes to all of the above. The award-winning CBeebies pre-school animation based on Ted Dewan's Bing Bunny books heads to the big screen for its first festive outing. It's made up of three episodes from the new series – 'Leaf Pictures', 'Face Painting' and 'Puppet Show', followed by an extended Christmas special. In between, Pico offers interactive games for children to play along with, while a concise 50-minute runtime means it doesn't outstay its welcome.

It's life as usual for bunny Bing (Rafferty Railton, taking over from Elliot Kerley) and his pint-sized carer / parent / who knows? Flop (Shameless's David Threlfall, replacing Mark Rylance) who get together with their lively community to celebrate Christmas. Toddler Bing is as giddily impatient as ever, eager to hand out his adorable handmade presents and start playing with his new sledge. He's joined by friends Sula (Eve Bentley), Coco (Jocelyn Macnab, playing her role like a marginally less spoiled Angelica from Rugrats), Pando (Noah Hicks, whose singsong voice is reminiscent of an overenthusiastic football fan), and cute newcomer Nicky (Xavi Nixon) for a day of gifts, snow and frolicking in the park.

It's the first time a real-life religious holiday has entered the world of Bing. So far the show has been wary to steer clear of anything so specific, even coming up with their own delightful post-sneeze blessing, in the form of 'aichee!' The extended episode is a sweet offering that begins with Bing's jealousy rising to the fore when he meets Nicky, and Sula kicking off at him when an accident occurs. Parents will relate and laugh along, and kids will no doubt be transfixed as the group make a snowman, eat a carroty bake and peacefully listen to 'Silent Night'.

Bing's Christmas doesn't feature anything as upsetting as the notorious 'Butterfly' episode, but equally there's nothing quite as inspiring as the Bye Bye Box. Still, it captures the seasonal spirit beautifully, with the characters learning valuable lessons about sharing and forgiveness.

General release from Fri 29 Nov.