"When Nessie gives up hope and is about to cry, you really want to feel her pain," Deters continues. He also says that hearing composer Michael Giacchino's theme was very fulfilling. "Originally, Michael had written this particular piece of music a long time ago, and never really found a home for it, much like the Nessie short itself, which sat in a drawer. Then when he saw it, he realized it was the perfect venue for it."

Meanwhile, Wermers and Deters are prepping the Prep & Landing sequel, Naughty vs. Nice, which will air this holiday season. Lanny and Wayne discover that old elf technology has fallen into the hands of a naughty child; and they need to retrieve it because the kid is a proficient computer hacker and is wreaking havoc in the North Pole right before Christmas.

Just another nod to the past intended for a new generation of viewers.

Bill Desowitz is former senior editor of AWN and editor of VFXWorld. He has a new blog, Immersed in Movies (www.billdesowitz.com), and is currently writing a book about the evolution of James Bond from Connery to Craig, scheduled for publication next year, which is the 50th anniversary of the franchise.