This movie reveals the incredible, never-before seen answer to every child's question: "So how does Santa deliver all those presents in one night?" The answer: Santa's (Jim Broadbent's) exhilarating, ultra-high-tech operation hidden beneath the North Pole. But at the center of this movie is a story about a family in a state of comic dysfunction and an unlikely hero, Arthur (James McAvoy), with an urgent mission that must be completed before Christmas morning dawns.Written by
Sony Pictures Animation
Even though Gwen only asked for one gift which was the bike and seeing how Gwen is an only child, there appears to be tonnes of Christmas presents under the tree, and surely her Parents couldn't have asked for that much. See more »
Quotes
Santa:
[in front of the enraptured elves who start cheering]
MISSION ACCOMPLISHED! Tonight we delivered two billion presents, on this, my 70th Mission!
[Steve taps the microphone to make sure it is working]
Santa:
Oh, thank you! I think that sometimes I could not possibly do it all without you! And my splendid Margaret,
[Camera points to Margaret]
Santa:
who stood by me for all these years, being very able, doing all that stuff that women do while their husbands are at work, and Arthur doing all that vital work in ...
[...] See more »
Crazy Credits
After the end of the credits, there is a seven second scene, all in black silhouette on a blue background. One of the elf-lowering-cables descends, pauses, then lifts up an elf, who proceeds to throw snowballs at the screen until it's all black. See more »
Bringing an unconventional twist to the 2011 holiday season is Aardman's 'Arthur Christmas', re-imagining Santa's Christmas operation as a high-tech mission, his wife and two sons employed in delivering the festive season successfully. While his eldest, Steve, handles the reigns in the North Pole headquarters, young Arthur is left responding to the many letters received from children around the world; that is, until a present is mistakenly undelivered.
'Arthur Christmas' has visual, slapstick, adult humour - you name it, they've got it - from start to finish, relentless throughout save for moments of dialogue which Aardman were wise to have cherished (as opposed to a shoehorned joke in their place). The visuals may not be a technical marvel, but the images they depict are; the opening sequence alone manages to evoke the classic 'twist on a world' that is a staple of the standard Pixar feature.
The emotion is pitch-perfect, a subplot detailing the family rivalries that threaten to draw attention away from their annual responsibilities. The film itself is never distressing or upsetting; the character conflicts and their resolution are purely organic, resulting in story progression that truly does feel like the natural course for these characters to take.
Arthur Christmas is more than just pedestrian Christmas fare; it will, in future, become a wonderful companion to classics such as 'Muppets Christmas Carol'.
9/10
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Bringing an unconventional twist to the 2011 holiday season is Aardman's 'Arthur Christmas', re-imagining Santa's Christmas operation as a high-tech mission, his wife and two sons employed in delivering the festive season successfully. While his eldest, Steve, handles the reigns in the North Pole headquarters, young Arthur is left responding to the many letters received from children around the world; that is, until a present is mistakenly undelivered.
'Arthur Christmas' has visual, slapstick, adult humour - you name it, they've got it - from start to finish, relentless throughout save for moments of dialogue which Aardman were wise to have cherished (as opposed to a shoehorned joke in their place). The visuals may not be a technical marvel, but the images they depict are; the opening sequence alone manages to evoke the classic 'twist on a world' that is a staple of the standard Pixar feature.
The emotion is pitch-perfect, a subplot detailing the family rivalries that threaten to draw attention away from their annual responsibilities. The film itself is never distressing or upsetting; the character conflicts and their resolution are purely organic, resulting in story progression that truly does feel like the natural course for these characters to take.
Arthur Christmas is more than just pedestrian Christmas fare; it will, in future, become a wonderful companion to classics such as 'Muppets Christmas Carol'.
9/10