Arthur Christmas Review
Posted by Shawn S. Lealos on 11.23.2011
Can Aardman Studios bring the magic back to Christmas?
Directed by Sarah Smith
Written by Peter Baynham and Sarah Smith
Cinematography by Jericca Cleland
Music Composed by Harry Gregson-Williams
Cast
James McAvoy ... Arthur (voice)
Hugh Laurie ... Steve (voice)
Bill Nighy ... Grandsanta (voice)
Jim Broadbent ... Santa (voice)
Imelda Staunton ... Mrs. Santa (voice)
Ashley Jensen ... Bryony (voice)
Marc Wootton ... Peter (voice)
Laura Linney ... North Pole Computer (voice)
Eva Longoria ... Chief De Silva (voice)
Ramona Marquez ... Gwen (voice)
Michael Palin ... Ernie Clicker (voice)
Robbie Coltrane ... Lead Elf (voice)
Joan Cusack ... Lead Elf (voice)
Andy Serkis ... Lead Elf (voice)
Dominic West ... Lead Elf (voice)
Runtime: 97 min
MPAA: Rated PG for some mild rude humor Official Website
For some reason, it seems like family movies have recently been trying to push the envelope and add more humor for the adults than the kids. At the same time, I see more Christmas holiday movies trying to be a little more risqué, whether it is through fart jokes or adult situations. I sometimes wonder where family Christmas movies the entire family can enjoy, while also providing an innocent message for the young ones, have gone.
Arthur Christmas has brought that rare breed of Christmas movie back to life. I should have never expected otherwise from Aardman Studios, the company that brought the world Wallace and Gromit and the Case of the Were-Rabbit. I have always argued that Aardman is right up there with Pixar when it comes to intelligent, creative, original animated work. Whether it is Wallace and Gromit and their various adventures, the meta-humor escapades of Creature Comforts or the prisoner of war epic Chicken Run, Aardman rarely disappoints.
Arthur Christmas starts out with a bang. In one of the trailers, the narrator tells us we will learn how Santa Claus delivers all his presents in one evening. That begins the minute the movie starts. Through an elaborate and amazing montage, we see Santa and his team of highly trained elves delivering all the presents to a specific town in Europe. They arrive in a giant aircraft with a starry night cloaking device under it and the entire operation ends up a high tech invasion-styled sequence where every toy is delivered before the team races back to the aircraft and takes off for the next town. It is inspiring and one of the best animated sequences I have seen this year.
Once that is over, the story begins. Santa (Jim Broadbent) is one of a long line of men who have carried on the tradition over the years. His dad, Grand Santa (Bill Nighy), is now a grumpy old timer who doesn’t understand why they don’t just go down the chimney anymore. Finally, we get Steve and Arthur, Santa’s sons. Steve (Hugh Laurie) is the go-getter, the man with the plan, and the engineer that organizes and carries out the entire Christmas Eve mission from a control room. Arthur (James McAvoy) is clumsy, neurotic and charged with answering children’s letters. One of these men is destined to take over as Santa, and it is clear who is ear-marked for that job.
The movie kicks into motion when they learn that they somehow missed a child. While Santa is distressed, Steve tells him there is nothing they can do, so they resign themselves to a job well done, except the one slip up. However, Arthur can’t get this child out of his mind. No child should ever wake up and believe Santa Claus doesn’t care about her, so Arthur, Grand Santa and a package wrapping elf named Bryony (Ashley Jensen) take out the old sleigh, led by the descendents of the original reindeer, to make sure the missed child gets her present.
The movie is an innocent tale with a positive message. Arthur is the forgotten child, much like the little skipped girl, and that parallel carries the story. It is also a smart movie. It would have been easy to paint the meticulous Steve as the bad guy. Surely, he has very bad traits and is not anything like Santa Claus should be, but at the end, that is just the way he is. He is not a bad person inside. Through the entire movie, there are no bad guys. This is a situation movie, where something bad happens, on accident, and someone is brave enough to stand up and do something about it.
This movie is geared towards kids and isn’t something that a group of college students would want to head out to watch on a Friday night. However, it is a perfect movie for families to watch during the holidays. There is a great message: if you do what is right, you will achieve great rewards. There is also no vulgar humor or adult situations that might be too much for younger audiences. Plus, the animation is great. I saw this in 3D and it looked fantastic but I am sure it will be just as great in 2D as well. And, it is funny. The situations get dire and things look bad, but there is a lot of good, solid humor in here, but that is expected from Aardman.
Finally, the movie is magical. Arthur is someone who believes in Christmas. He believes in the spirit and meaning of the holiday. Forget about consumerism because Arthur believes that the purpose of a gift is to show someone that you care. He also believes in the spirit of Santa Claus, the fact that someone cares about you enough to fly around the world in one night to make sure that you get your wish on Christmas morning. Plus, he believes in family. He loves his brother and believes his father is the greatest person in the world. By the end of the movie, Arthur Christmas has you believing in magic. All it takes is faith and love to bring the magical meaning of Christmas to the world and only the hardest of hearts will leave this movie without a smile.
** NOTE: Columbia, who is distributing the movie, added a Justin Bieber video to the front of Arthur Christmas. Please don’t let cruel act get in your way of enjoying the movie that follows.
The 411: Arthur Christmas is a new addition to a lost art form: the family Christmas movie that speaks to the entire family. Aardman Studios releases another smart, entertaining animated effort that is as funny as anything you will see this Christmas. The animation is great, the story is touching and the movie showcases the true meaning of Christmas in an otherwise cynical world. There are a lot of movies crowding the multiplex this holiday season but Arthur Christmas is well worth your time.
