There are no supervillains to fight in this special. The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special is a bit of holiday fluff and frippery, a superhero folderol that's closer kin to the Star Wars Holiday Special than it is to any of the more dramatic MCU films.

But damn it, it's fun, it's cute and it's heartwarming. It has a neat little message about friendship and family and Christmas time. And, although it mostly focuses on Drax (Dave Bautista) and Mantis (Pom Klementieff) and, to a lesser extent, Peter Quill (Chris Pratt), it still brings the whole Guardians gang together for a 40-minute frolic ... except of course for Gamora (Zoe Saldana), who is still MIA after the events of Avengers: Endgame.

Christmas is fast approaching, and Peter and his fellow Guardians are helping to rebuild Knowhere, an outpost in space built in the severed head of a long-dead Celestial. Peter is feeling melancholy about the holiday, which has never been a big part of his life since he was kidnapped from Earth at a young age. (Two flashback scenes of his youth are included as brief animations, featuring the voice work of Michael Rooker as his ill-tempered surrogate father figure, Yondu.)

Mantis, who we learn early on is secretly Peter's half-sister, and Drax decide the best present to lift Peter's spirits is Kevin Bacon. Yes, the actor, whom Peter has idolized ever since his starring role in Footloose. So the comically mismatched Guardians fly to Earth, specifically Los Angeles, to find and kidnap Bacon. Hijinks ensue, and misunderstandings with tourists and the LAPD abound.

Christmas on Knowhere is saved.

Bacon is a pretty good sport and plays along with the movie's wacky tone. Besides Peter, Mantis and Drax, we have the rest of the Guardians onboard for the holiday special: Karen Gillan as Nebula, Bradley Cooper as the voice of Rocket, Vin Diesel as the voice of Groot, Sean Gunn as Kraglin and, new to the team, Maria Bakalova as the voice of Cosmo the Space Dog. Rhett Miller is Bzermikitokolok, a budding Knowhere musician who performs an entirely incorrect song about Christmas.

The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special is funny without being hilarious, but it's also touching and a little bit sweet. This is nice, light fare for the holidays from the Marvel team.