Viewed in
2011
Formats
Movie theater
Premise
On Christmas night at the North Pole, Santa's youngest son looks to use his father's high-tech operation for an urgent mission.
Loved
Christmas spirit.
Liked
Creative premise, comedy.
Disliked
Justin Beiber.
Thoughts
The marketing did not do this film any favors, but it turned out to be a very good holiday family flick.
I enjoyed the funny premise of a family of Clauses of different generations, each member well-fleshed out with agendas and conflicts. In addition, the writing made me laugh a lot. It had a strong blend of slapstick and British humor, and contained inventive twists on Santa cliches and myths.
When the credits rolled, I was surprised to see so many recognizable British names. Kudos to the casting and directing for assembling such a talented voice cast who breathed life into these characters without distracting me as recognizable voices.
The undercurrent driving the film was the themes and spirit of St. Nick and (non-religious aspects of) Christmas. Beneath the computer graphics and sharp comedy was a story full of heart.
While watching it in regular 2D, I thought to myself that it might have been pretty good in 3D. The film had a plethora of epic, sweeping shots of the Claus head quarters in the North Pole and energetic reindeer flying scenes.
Despite its dopey look, I definitely recommend Arthur Christmas as a fun choice for the Christmas season, with its sharp writing and spirited story. Although I could've done away with the sloppily put-together Justin Beiber music video at the beginning.
