By my understanding, any Christmas movie that people enjoy seems to become “a classic.” Maybe we’re a bit lax with this designation. But if this holds true, Arthur Christmas is now a “Christmas classic.” In this tale, Santa Claus (Jim Broadbent) is essentially a military leader who runs the operation of delivering presents each year. Arthur (James Mcavoy) is Santa’s youngest son, who is a bit dim while also being very caring and enthusiastic. When it is learned that one child has been missed on Christmas, Arthur goes on a mission with his grandfather, known as Grandsanta (Bill Nighy) to get that final child her gift.
This isn’t the first time the North Pole has been presented as a military base, but I’ve never seen it on quite this scale. The animated format allows for the script to run wild with many aspects including a massive spaceship type sleigh. While it may not be terribly difficult to follow in concept, the film contains a number of details that would likely be lost on children. The concept is so well done and thorough that it is often easy to forget that this is originally intended for kids.
Arthur Christmas is heavy on the kind-hearted ideals that are associated with the holiday. It’s not surprising though that the event is viewed as religiously ambiguous and heavy on the importance of gifts. The story means well. The Arthur character is likeable, even though he isn’t very deep. If some of the focus used on creating a military of elves went into the handful of main characters, the movie would be that much more meaningful. I’m no Christmas expert, but playing Santa Claus as an uninvolved boob, whose power hungry son (Hugh Laurie) runs the show seems a bit risqué. Luckily Arthur is nice enough to cancel out the tyrannical themes. (7.8 out of 10)
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