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Arthur Christmas
| Released |
11 November 2011 |
| Director(s) |
Sarah Smith, Barry Cook |
Starring
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James McAvoy, Hugh Laurie, Jim Broadbent, Bill Nighy, Imaelda Staunton, Ashley Jensen |
| Writer(s) |
Peter Baynham, Sarah Smith |
| Producer(s) |
Steve Pegram |
| Origin |
United Kingdom, United States |
| Running Time |
110 minutes |
| Genre |
Animation |
| Rating |
G |
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A Christmas cracker!
Christmas movies are tricky. No matter how good or bad they are, you know they’re going to be put on TV every festive season. That’s why it’s such a shame that so many of them are absolute stinkers. For every Elf or Scrooged, there are loads of examples of rubbish like Santa Claus: The Movie, Surviving Christmas, Jingle All the Way, and Christmas with the Kranks. So when a good Christmas movie comes along, it’s a genuine cause for celebration for children and parents alike.
Arthur (James McAvoy) is the son of Santa (Jim Broadbent). Arthur is a well-meaning but somewhat clumsy and hapless fellow and in Lapland he’s kept safely out of the way in the letters department. His brother Steve (Hugh Laurie) does the real work. Steve is a cool and organised executive type who has used cutting-edge technology to revolutionise the present-delivery process.
The opening sequence is a masterclass in animation. Arthur receives a letter from a little girl in England wondering how it is possible for Santa to deliver all the presents on one night. Then we’re shown exactly how they do it as a massive Santa spaceship hovers over a city and thousands of commando-style elves drop down delivering the presents with military precision. Steve coordinates everything from command control while Santa just goes along for the ride, more a figurehead than anything. However, after some disruption, one present is left behind.
Santa returns and after what is seen as a successful mission completed, he is expected to retire with Steve taking over as the new Santa. However, Santa decides to stay on for another year, which causes a rift with the ambitious Steve. At a tense Christmas dinner, Mrs Santa (Imelda Staunton) tries to keep the peace while GrandSanta (Bill Nighy) berates Steve for his modern ways. Meanwhile Briony (Ashley Jensen), an elf from the Giftwrap division, finds the missing present.
When the present is shown to Steve, he refuses to take the blame and says it’s an acceptable error and it’s ‘only one child’. However Arthur is an idealist and is horrified by the prospect of even one child waking up without a present. So he and GrandSanta defy Steve and set off to deliver the present on time using the old Santa sleigh and reindeers. Meanwhile back in Lapland the news of a child being missed has the elves on the verge of revolt.
This is one of the best and most spectacular animated films of the year, one that finally makes putting on the 3D glasses worthwhile. After some botched earlier efforts like Chicken Run and Flushed Away, Aardman Animation have finally made a feature film that captures the charm and gentle humour of their earlier work.
Featuring excellent voice performances from James McAvoy, Hugh Laurie, Ashley Jensen, Bill Nighy and especially Jim Broadbent, this is a sweet, warm film. There are plenty of laughs but crucially it avoids the cloying sentimentality that you get in some American Christmas films. A welcome diversion from the Christmas shopping, this is a film that adults and children should both equally enjoy.
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Jim O’Connor |
