In episode 14 of the second season of the hit Disney show “SuperKitties,” our valiant group of four superhero kitties, Ginny, Sparks, Buddy and Bitsy, celebrate Hanukkah for the first time and give us all a great reminder about the spirit of the holiday while sharing an enchanting original song about Hanukkah lights.
It all takes place in the second segment of the episode titled “Hanukkah Rescue,” written by Yotam Tubul. The group is excited to celebrate the Jewish Festival of Lights by lighting the big golden Kittydale menorah, and town chef Carli even shares some menorah-shaped treats with them in anticipation and hands Purr’N’Play owner Amara a jelly-filled donut, or sufganiyah. Biscuit, Marci’s pet cat, tells them all about the holiday and when they ask the kitty if the menorah needs to be so big, Biscuit responds: “You can light a big or small menorah and it’s even nicer when you do it with the ones you love.”
At his family home, kitten Pickles, a long-time admirer of the SuperKitties, is also excited to celebrate Hanukkah with his family (how appropriate is it that a kitten named Pickles is Jewish?!). He is so excited, in fact, that he accidentally breaks the family menorah while jumping around the house. Pickles spots the giant Kittydale menorah out the window and assuming that no one actually owns it, decides to try to take it home so as to not ruin the holiday for his loved ones.
The SuperKitties, of course, get an alert that the town menorah is being stolen. They catch up with Pickles and explain to the tiny kitty that the menorah does in fact belong to the city, and that they can’t celebrate the holiday without it. Yet as they’re about to bring the menorah back to safety, the naughty parrot Zsa Zsa intercepts it with her Budgies and whisks it away. Pickles is heartbroken and worries that he ruined Hanukkah for everyone, but the Kitties let him know that he didn’t ruin anything. Hanukkah, after all, doesn’t need to be celebrated with a giant menorah, and when they help Pickles fix the small menorah from their home, they bring it straight to the town square, where they all light it together and sing a song titled “Hanukkah Lights,” which features a subtle and lovely klezmery beat. The song is all about how the lights of the holiday shine so bright and how they’re a reminder of hope in darkness and how you don’t need a big menorah to celebrate the holiday. It’s a sweet encapsulation of the spirit of Hanukkah, which isn’t a major holiday for Jews but shines so brightly for a lot of us. Hanukkah celebrations aren’t meant to be as big and opulent as Christmas ones — all you really need is a small menorah and to be surrounded by loved ones.
When Zsa Zsa hears the song, however, she decides to bring the menorah back to its original place. She can’t resist a good tune, and contritely offers to give back the menorah if she can participate in the singing. The people and pets of the town all sing together about Hanukkah being “almost too fun to handle,” and about the Hanukkah lights “lighting the night/reminding us that everything will be alright/even when hope grows dim/they’re such a beautiful beautiful sight.”
The episode might not go too deep into the Hanukkah story, and the only practical information it gives us about the holiday is that it is about lighting candles for eight nights. Yet it should be wonderfully validating for Jewish kids who already know all about it, and a magical and positive representation of the holiday for those who don’t. It’s also one of the cutest Hanukkah episodes ever made, in my opinion. After all, who can resist a big-eyed fluffy kitten celebrating Hanukkah?
“SuperKitties” episode “Hanukkah Rescue” is now streaming on Disney+.
