 If you're in the mood for something animated to boost the childhood Christmas spirit but a little fresher than 'Arthur Christmas,' one can find this wonderfully warm title on Netflix. This one is a bit more of a fictional historical account of how Santa became the traditional jolly gift-giver who visits us once a year. Just to say it straight up, though, this is no modern adaptation of the Rankin Bass classic, 'Santa Claus is Comin' to Town', so if you're looking for that, I'm afraid you're stuck with something I'd consider much better.
The story behind this one's conception is kind of interesting. It comes to us from Sergio Pablos, a former Disney animator who worked on Renaissance titles like 'Hunchback', 'Hercules' and 'Tarzan.' His ideas for the animation in this had to do with exploring the medium of animation and how it may have evolved without such a heavy use of computers. The resulting animation, without going into a lot of the technical details, is actually something to be admired. There's a certain beauty to it with the use of lighting effects and details that actually separates it from typical modern computer animated films. Our story starts, somewhat unexpectedly, with a guy named Jesper (Jason Schwartzman) who purposefully fails at following in the footsteps of the family business of being a postman. His Dad and Postmaster General (Sam McMurray), in an attempt to make him turn things around, sends him to the almost impossibly secluded town of Smeerensburg, which has become known as a sort of mild war zone as two families (the Ellingbows and the Krums) have been feuding for generations. There, he must post 6,000 letters in a year, or he's cut from all of his fancy privileges as Postmaster's son. As a result of the feuding families, the mail flows like frozen molasses, making Jesper's job damn near impossible. Just as he's about to give up, he discovers that there's actually a very secluded place nearby that's home to a hulking, toy-making hermit named Klaus (J.K. Simmons). He goes to check it out, but upon seeing Klaus for the first time, imagining him to be some sort of axe murderer, Jesper flees, dropping a drawing he got from one of the Krum kids that portrays an unhappy child. Klaus, picking up the drawing to have a look at it, is the beginning of everything. Klaus enlists the help of Jesper to deliver a toy to the child portrayed in the drawing. Jesper then takes the idea of Klaus delivering toys to the children of the town, and opens a post office for kids to deliver their letters to Klaus, requesting toys. As the film unfolds, we get a really cool depiction of where the legend all started, leaning a bit more towards the plausible, and the magical parts of the legend of Santa becomes word of mouth from kids. Things like fitting down the chimney, reindeer flying, etc. Everything actually has a decent explanation behind it, and the way it ends really tops it all off, filling the viewer's heart with a certain joy. There were a few nitpicks I considered when I first reviewed this a few years ago. Some of the character design was almost just straight up weird, including two children who outsize Santa's sleigh. There was also a soundtrack to it that I thought felt off, being more modern than the time the film takes place in. But I would take those nitpicks with a huge grain of salt, because the more I see this, the more I enjoy it. It's definitely a solid film for being Netflix's actual first stab at animation. For me, it's not as much as a traditional animated Christmas film as 'Arthur Christmas', but I'd still highly recommend it as something "new & different" for a Christmas movie. The film is an easy hour and a half to get through, contains some good laughs, and even a few somewhat dark moments for the grown-ups (nothing I'd call particularly "scary" for the kids watching), and a great voice cast that also includes Will Sasso, Rashida Jones, and Joan Cusack among others. I've only watched this a few times now, but I always have a pretty good time with it. It's another Christmas flick that certainly has the potential to grow on me. It's a lot of fun, and it's a high recommendation from yours truly. 4/5
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 Released around Christmas of 2011, this title has become one of my highest personal recommendations for a more modern Christmas movie. Not only is it as funny and cute as it looks on the surface, but there's a certain charm to it that I hadn't felt in a Christmas movie before it since maybe 'Elf,' released eight years prior. It stands as proof that every once in a while, despite how many similar things are released each year, one comes along every now and again, which allows you to feel that whimsical spirit you felt as a kid.
One thing, in particular, I try to look for in a movie involving how Santa Claus manages to do his thing is some sort of plausibility in his tactics. Show me how he gets around the world in one night and delivers all those presents in some creative way, but try not to take away from tradition as well, i.e. going down chimneys, consuming milk & cookies, presents under the tree, etc. This movie's entire opening scene does so in a humorous but, in all honesty, pretty awesome way, in that it's more of a tactical mission for the elves who travel around in an almost city-sized ship they call his "sleigh." Keeping in mind that there is no perfect explanation for Santa's tactics, this hit me very positively, and I have to credit the filmmakers for the creativity behind the idea. But beyond all that, they bring in a generational concept of Santas going down a family line. This year is Santa's aka Malcolm's (Jim Broadbent) 70th year, and it goes incredibly well with the help of his elves and his sergeant-like son, Steve (Hugh Laurie), back at the command center. But after all that, an elf named Bryony (Ashley Jenson) finds that one single gift for one little girl was not delivered. Upon learning of this error, Santa's other son, Arthur (James McAvoy), worries about the girl's disappointment upon waking up to find nothing under her tree. The rest of the family suggests delivering it in a few days, and we also find that 100% Christmas runs are difficult to pull off. While most of the world would probably lean towards the majority's opinion, Arthur's need to deliver the gift in time doesn't mean just delivering a material possession. It means delivering Christmas magic to this girl's life when she sees her gift on Christmas morning and knows in her heart that Santa has come and gone. Luckily, Arthur's "Grandsanta" (Bill Nighy) sympathizes with him and decides to help him, using old-school methods. Bryony also joins them and can often be seen using her incredible gift-wrapping skills to get them out of a bind, often getting pretty creative with it. While these three are racing against time, Malcolm remains indifferent about the present, and Steve doesn't wanna help due to his selfishness in wanting to be Malcolm's eventual replacement in the long line of Santas. But what both are missing that Arthur holds close to his heart is the spirit of giving - so much so that he's willing to go completely out of his way for one child. There's a lot to appreciate about this film as a more modern Christmas movie. The aforementioned near plausibility of how Santa works on Christmas Eve is a lot of fun to watch, and I have to give the writers credit for those ideas. I further enjoy the idea of Santa's existence being not just one person but a long line of them and whether the passing of the torch will be based on either how much Arthur cares with all his heart or how incredibly good Steve is at his home base job. To top it all off, Grandsanta is a crack-up and a solid contrast to Arthur on their big adventure. But they also take the time to deliver some real heart and spirit to the writing. Over a decade ago, when I originally reviewed this, I considered it an "instant Christmas classic." I still stand by that statement, not changing my mind about it one bit over the years. It's 100% family-friendly, with jokes for adults and kids; it has a lot of heart and delivers the Christmas magic I remember feeling when I was a kid. When I first saw this in theatres, I was 29 and felt the same way. Here, we have something timeless, which I'd highly recommend to anyone who hasn't seen it and is also seeking a touch of that Christmas spirit. This one allows you to find that wondrous magic all over again. 5/5 |
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