Aardman Animations, Sony Pictures Animation,
James McAvoy, Hugh Laurie, Bill Nighy, Jim Broadbent, Imelda Staunton, Ashley Jensen, Ramona Marquez, Marc Wootton, Laura Linney, Eva Longoria, Michael Palin, Joan Cusack, Andy Serkis
This animated film explains about a super top secret toy making facility under the North Pole. Over the years, the technology has gotten very sophisticated. But somehow Santa manages to miss one gift, which means somewhere out in the world, one child was forgotten. Everyone says no one is perfect, and it’s no big deal, but Santa’s son Arthur believes that it’s important that no child is ever forgotten on Christmas, so he grabs his grandfather (the ex-Santa), an elf, and sets off on an impossible journey to make sure the gift is somehow delivered. The primary rule is that Santa must not be seen, but in the end there may be FOUR Santa’s
There is a lot of discussion about this film which was released in theaters last year. Somehow I missed it, so I’m happy it’s out on DVD this year. This was a good DVD feature. It’s done with CGI animation, but in the look and feel of the classic Claymation films from yesteryear which I think works very good here, even though the characters look a little odd, like they stepped out of a Dr. Seuss book. Well, maybe not that bad. This film was obviously inspired by the “Prep and Landing” short Christmas specials that have come out over the past few years. It features a super duper highly organized arm of elves who do all the real work, while the “Santa’s” seem to do nothing but screw things up. But it is a rather unique story and one that captures your attention.
There’s also a huge family dynamic as the Claus family is downright dysfunctional. Grandpa Santa like Arthur Claus, the younger son of the reigning Santa, but Dad like the older boy better, it’s pretty obvious. So there’s naturally a lot of competition between the brothers (Think Fred Claus for example). But it’s funny, and exciting, and certainly a hit with the younger folks. For those old folks like us, it’s nice to see something new.
Certainly it’s not sappy or syrupy sweet, like it could have been. In fact, it’s a little bit cutting edge and somewhat intense sometimes. But it’s certainly different, and quite unique in its own way, and well worth the trip to the video store (does anyone still do that?) to see.
EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog
