Arthur Christmas Reviews

Since I kept hearing some good things about this movie, I was quite eager to check it out. On top of that, I always had a weak spot for the features delivered  by Aardman. Well, eventually, to be honest, even though it was a decent watch, I thought the whole thing was rather disappointing. Basically, it was Aardman's 2nd CGI animated feature after 'Flushed Away' and, once again, I just had a really hard time to care about their tale. At least, this time,  I think they improved on the animation but they took some risks by going for yet another Christmas story and it didn’t really work out, I'm afraid. Obviously, they thought they would be clever by focusing on some parent of Santa Claus but it was actually a rather weak concept which, on top of that, had a already been used at least once before, in 'Fred Claus', arguably  one of the worst Christmas movies ever made. Furthermore, I didn’t care much about the whole modern operation behind Santa's work, it was neither cool, funny or entertaining in my opinion. Eventually, it is only when Grandsanta got involved that this story started to take off and I think the whole thing would have been more interesting if they would have focused on him going AWOL with his good old slay. To conclude, even though I didn't care much for the whole thing, I still think it is worth a look, especially if you like the genre. 

'Arthur Christmas' has a complicated but heartwarming plot. The animation (Aardman's second CGI attempt after 'Flushed Away') looks quite good, the score is absolutely beautiful. The movie is heartwarming and entertaining enough for kids and adults!

Some films are destined to be classics. And while Arthur Christmas is far from a masterpiece, it certainly feels like a movie that could quickly become a Christmas tradition among many families. It's funny, it's cute, it's warm. What more could you ask of a Christmas film?

Aardman presents a much more modern version of Santa Claus then what audiences are used to. A small army of elves are deposited into towns via the S-1; a giant spaceship of a sled that blends into the sky as to avoid suspicion. The elves, like spies break into people's houses to plant presents for all the nice children (and Santa is in charge of laying a single present under the tree of select houses).

As expected Christmas Eve goes without a hitch...until it's discovered an hour later that a child was missed. Arthur Christmas, one of Santa's two sons is determined to make sure that the gift reaches the missed child, yet Santa's other child, Steve insists that there's no way to get to child before morning. Grandsanta (the Santa preceding the current one) won't have it, and teams up with Arthur Christmas to deliver the present to the missing child on the old sled, which leads to catastrophic events.

The beginning of Arthur Christmas is quite brilliant. We see the elves at work delivering presents, and the Christmas family has great chemistry with each other. Still, after the first half-hour (incidentally, when the plot starts), Arthur Christmas loses some of it's genius. This is still an excellent film, though if the rest of the film was as immensely entertaining as the first half-hour, Arthur Christmas would've been a much better film.

Still, Arthur Christmas still stands as delightful entertainment. The characters here aren't exactly unique, but they are both developed and hilarious. The elves nearly steal the show with their quick witty lines and energetic screen presence.

And while Arthur Christmas can be wickedly funny, there are slow moments. Perhaps somewhat ironically, Arthur Christmas is less enchanting when it tries to be magical. These humorless bits provide pacing problems and also feel extremely dull when compared to the rest of the film.

Still, not all these serious bits are a bore. Parts of Arthur Christmas (specifically around the ending) are surprisingly touching. While it's unlikely to leave anyone in tears, Arthur Christmas boasts surprising emotional depth that's rarely seen in non-Pixar animated outings.

The animation is attractive, without being jaw-dropping. Though character designs are distinctly Aardman, and environments can be pretty, the quality of the animation isn't always consistent. It looks good, but not necessarily great.

Voice acting is extremely well done. James McAvoy provides a silly and clumsy voice for Arthur, while Jim Broadbent as Santa is performed to perfection. The two standouts, however, are Bill Nighy as Grandsanta and Ashley Jensen as Bryony. These two characters are the comedic highlights of the films, and they wouldn't have been the same without their voice actors.

The score by Harry Gregson-Williams is mildly disappointing. It's not quite Christmas-y enough, and it does little that's new or unique. The score's massive potential is mostly unrealized, and it lacks energy. At some points, it sounds like his scores for the Narnia films. Still, it's mostly pleasant, if generic work.

Arthur Christmas has a lot going for it. It's quite funny at times, and contains some surprisingly touching bits. Still, slow parts do occur, and the film never lives up to it's first half-hour. Flaws aside, Arthur Christmas is a delightful holiday treat that aims high and mostly hits it's target.

For decades, films based upon the magical and enchanting tradition of Christmas have melted the hearts and inspired a countless number of people from the likes of hilarious disaster-comedies, live-action family heart-warmers and visually stunning animations. However, making critically and financially successful Christmas films within this current generation is often a rather difficult task due to the fact that the overloaded budget and effects usually take over the meaning and message of the story it’s trying to tell its audiences (The Polar Express for example). As far as Arthur Christmas is concerned, it not only provides dazzling effects but it amazingly establishes the Christmas spirit for both kids and adults.


Arthur Christmas ultimately fulfils a question that is always on a child’s mind when it comes to Christmas: how does Santa get round to every single house around the world and deliver all of the presents in one single night considering the world population is growing? Plus, as children we have questioned about the appearance and the outlook of Santa’s grotto and his home in the North Pole and of what we witness in the film, our imaginative knowledge of Santa is tested as the backgrounds come pretty close to what we would like to imagine within the North Pole. The most charming concepts about Arthur Christmas are that the story is just very simple although there are a few particular moments where the film has its occasionally slow segments, but that didn’t jeopardise the Christmas spirit that the film beholds.


Throughout the past 20 years, Aardman Animations have given us some of the most creative, hilarious and beautifully crafted feature films, but Arthur Christmas becomes only their fourth animated feature after Chicken Run, Wallace And Gromit In The Curse Of The Were-Rabbit and Flushed Away where they collaborated with Dreamworks Animation. However, for Arthur Christmas, they cooperated with Sony Pictures Entertainment in their first feature together. Like Pixar Animation Studios in the USA, Aardman Animations in the UK have always made their films where they have made the characters; story and script their number one priority if they are to succeed, which is why both have succeeded admirably almost every time. Aardman have mixed all kinds of verbal jokes from the likes of wacky slapstick and physical humour as we have seen in the pats that is efficient for kids and adults alike.


Aside from the effects and story, a strong and energetic ensemble cast is a huge priority the majority of the time as it can often be the key to a successful film for the family. After previously leading an ensemble cast in other 2011 animated film Gnomeo And Juliet, James McAvoy leads the pack once again but even better this time as he brings forth a very sweet, funny and heart-melting character with a big heart and shows a tremendous amount of courage. A funny key part of the characters is that most of the main characters names are associated and are linked in some way with Christmas, but the heir next in line to be Santa is called Steve with Santa’s original name in the film being Malcolm. These could be almost like humourous gags within the characters but it’s funny and adds more reality to the characters and makes them more human.


Hugh Laurie was very good as Steve as he provides the well-spoken and attractive English accent with the cool yet rather arrogant personality. Although personally finding Jim Broadbent a favoured candidate to possibly portray Santa in a live-action film one day, he provides his voice in a role that almost completely defines Santa. In most of his roles, Broadbent has portrayed characters with a genuinely soft and easy-going nature and provides a very good performance. Santa’s true nature in this film is tested and it goes into great depth about and becomes a story of self-discovery. Bill Nighy, Imelda Staunton and Ashley Jensen make supporting appearances in their respective roles while Laura Linney, Michael Palin, Joan Cusack and Robbie Coltrane make their voices heard in cameo appearances.


Overall, Arthur Christmas is a dazzling and exhilarating adventure that takes you beyond what you imagined as it takes you to the imaginative and enchanting world of Christmas on the North Pole and is sure to build-up the Christmas spirit to an even higher level. It miraculously isn’t ruined due to the big budget but small brains and heart like we have seen many times over the years and it will be an adorable family film to watch anytime including the Christmas season. It is a strong contender for Best Animated Picture 2011 and will hopefully become a Christmas and family classic in years to come.

"A child's been missed!"

Making a genuinely good, original Christmas movie is a difficult task in this day and age. Added to this, after Fred Claus, The Polar Express, The Santa Clause and other such motion pictures, it seems impossible to put another fresh spin on Santa Claus and his North Pole universe. Enter the British animation studio Aardman (best known for Wallace and Gromit), whose CG-animated Arthur Christmas presents another unique interpretation of Santa's behind-the-scenes operations. Directed and co-written by Sarah Smith, this is a movie which eschews typical Christmas movie values to focus on a story concerning the obligation to provide gifts for all the boys and girls of the world. Added to this, its deconstruction of the Santa myth is genuinely original, as the annual present run is shown to be result of militaristic, Mission: Impossible-style tactics courtesy of jolly Saint Nick and his elite team of elves. Arthur Christmas definitely should have been tighter, but the elements which count were done well: there's charm, visual wit, heart, and even some valuable messages.

While Santa Claus (Broadbent) is busy delivering presents around the globe, his eldest son Steve (Laurie) oversees Christmas operations from a control room, assisting the holiday routine with 21st Century technology as he prepares for his impending Santa debut. Meanwhile, Santa's other son Arthur (McAvoy) spends his time in the mail room reading and answering letters from the children around the world. Unfortunately, amidst the frantic Christmas Eve procedures, a glitch leaves one sole present undelivered. Arthur is mortified at the notion of a child being left without a gift, but Steve is oddly comfortable about the loss. Hence, Arthur recruits the elderly, cynical Grandsanta (Nighy) and a plucky elf named Bryony (Jensen) to deliver the item and preserve Santa's integrity. Grandsanta unearths his retired sleigh and reindeer (these days a huge spacecraft is used), and they set out for England with a scant two hours left until sunrise and only a hazy idea of how to achieve their goal...

Aardman is predominantly recognised for their claymation techniques, most notably for Wallace and Gromit. But Arthur Christmas is a computer-animated feature, denoting the studio's second digital outing after 2006's Flushed Away. Retaining the plasticine charm of their earlier efforts, the animation here is somewhat of a hybrid of the old and the new. The backgrounds are remarkably detailed (the water effects are photorealistic), and the cinematography is far more dynamic than a stop motion animation feature would permit. But the design of the characters, while CGI, possess a clay figurine appearance, and wouldn't look out of place in a Wallace and Gromit adventure. There's a surplus of visual creativity to behold here, too, with sly background details that take multiple viewings to fully absorb. Additionally, several set-pieces throughout Arthur Christmas are excellent, including the hilariously enjoyable Christmas Eve operations and the nail-biting climax.

Unfortunately, despite its technical strengths, Arthur Christmas falters when it comes to the story's familial dynamics. The flick gets stuck in a serious rut during its midsection, and it meanders terribly; losing wit, ingenuity, and momentum as it sluggishly scrambles to deal with the laboured family dramatics and find a solution to its conventional plot obstacles. With Arthur's adventure having hit a serious hindrance, the focus is pulled away from him in order to concentrate on dramas within the house of Claus, but none of this stuff is engaging enough to sustain the portion of the runtime that it was allotted. As a result, there's an uncomfortable section of at least 20 minutes when you can happily take a bathroom break and not miss anything important. It takes a while for Arthur Christmas to recover from this, but it thankfully hits the finish line on a satisfying note, bringing the story to an end with warmth and heart before leaving us with a side-splitting epilogue. Still, the flick as a whole doesn't quite gel. It wanted to be a heartfelt family saga rather than just a disposable Christmas adventure, but the dramatic elements are simply not as interesting as Arthur's idealism.

Fortunately, the buoyant vocal cast help bring life to the screenplay even at its drabbest. James McAvoy is ideal as the titular Arthur Christmas, giving the role tremendous charm and believably making the character a lovable doofus. Well-known actors Jim Broadbent and Hugh Laurie also lend their voice talents to the ensemble, with Broadbent a perfect fit for Santa and Laurie almost unrecognisable as Steve (a role oddly reminiscent of Avatar's Colonel Quatrich). The show-stealers, though, are Billy Nighy and Ashley Jensen as Grandsanta and Bryony the elf (respectively). Nighy is especially fantastic; he clearly had an absolutely ball voicing the elderly curmudgeon who's dissatisfied with the technological overload of today's world. Jensen, meanwhile, is chipper and hasty, delivering her dialogue in an adorable Scottish brogue that makes her an utter joy whenever she's onscreen.

While Arthur Christmas lacks the emotion and maturity of a Pixar production, the story is underlined by a timely message: technology may be useful and fun, but it's pointless and vapid without a human touch. At the end of the day, though, Arthur Christmas is disappointingly scattershot, and it's not the instant Christmas classic it should have been. The picture's second act is a laboured, tedious bore, though this material is bookended by two acts brimming with heart, charm, excitement and imagination.

5.8/10