My younger daughter and I went to a sneak peek of the new animated, 3-D, family Christmas movie Arthur Christmas.
Arthur Christmas is about the sweetly incompetent younger son of Santa. We learn the Santa gig is a dynasty stretching back to the original Saint Nick. The job passes down from father to son every seventy years or so.
The current Santa, (Malcolm. Santa’s name is Malcolm.) has been Santa-ing since 1941 and now he’s pretty much phoning it in. The early scenes of the present delivery done from the flashy “sleigh”, the S-1, is amusing. Less magic and more like a military strike force.
There’s a Hurt Locker situation when Santa activates a noisy toy, risking a “waker”, or an awake child.
The real man behind the elves is Santa’s older son and apparent successor, Steve. Hugh Laurie is the voice of Steve, a modern military man with a goatee shaped like a Christmas tree and a commando jumpsuit.
Steve is all about efficiency and is willing to accept a present delivery success rate of 0.0000000000082 percent.
Even Santa is just too tired to make sure an undelivered present makes its way to little Gwen in Trelew.
Sweetly bumbling younger son Arthur (voice of James McAvoy) is relegated to the letter-answering department. He’s the one who promised Gwen in Trelew that Santa is real.
The movie is a little slow to start, but really gets going when Arthur and Grandsanta (voice of Bill Nighy and my favorite character) get together the old steampunk sleigh, Eve, and descendants of the original reindeer: “Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Bambi, Dave, you with the white ear, you and you.”
Arthur, Grandsanta and efficient wrapping elf Bryony have an unintentional around the world adventure wreaking havoc on the way to Trelew.
Trelew, Cornwall, England. Not just the first Trelew that pops up on the GPS.
The movie is in 3-D. Usually I find 3-D movies too dark and the glasses give me a headache, but I had no trouble with this movie. The worst part (or best, depending if you’ve been through puberty) was a pre-movie music video in 3-D of Justin Bieber singing “Santa Claus Is Coming To Town”.
If you are a fan of Aardman Animation studios and their brilliant Wallace and Gromit and Shaun the Sheep, I think you’ll like this movie. Keep an eye out for a hat-tip to Shaun the Sheep.
Arthur Christmas has that classic dry British wit. It never talks down to the children and never has the winky-nudge adult irony that Hollywood animation has.
The rating is PG for “some mild rude humor” but I couldn’t tell you what that was. I noticed no bad language, sexiness or scary situations. And it was blessedly free of toilet humor that is in so many kids’ movies these day.
While I laugh as much as anybody at toots in real life, I’m reluctant to pay $13 a ticket for the privilege. Fortunately, Arthur Christmas is a toot-free movie. And so much more. I thought it had a rather sophisticated plot about family dynamics and the disappointment of one person not being minimized by the satisfaction of many. Still, it’s not so complex that children can’t understand and enjoy it.
I asked my daughter her favorite part and she quickly answered the narwhal and the old reindeer in the cone. Priorities!
I think you may have found a new calling. This was a spectacular movie review, Anne. No lie, no empty praise.
Great job!
Thanks, buddy. This is why I keep you around.
This, and the cheesecake.
I’ll even give you an Arthur Christmas movie spoiler–there’s a happy ending!
Great review! Thanks! Happy holidays!
😛
Colleen
Happy Thanksgiving, Colleen!
I agree! Excellent review! It makes me want to see it, and I generally don’t like 3D or Santa movies!
For me, I’d still go see the Muppets first, but I’m a Muppet lover.
You know what I mean.
Totally agreeing with Susan!!!
Thanks, buddy!
Great review!! Loving the toot-free movie! 🙂
My kids know if there is a toot in the commercial, I won’t see it.
I can stay home and get all of that for free.
Hi Ann,
We went to see Arthur Christmas rather than fight the crowds on Black Friday. In my opinion seeing a family Christmas movie is the way to kick off the holiday season – NOT shopping at the crack of dawn.
Anyway, your review was spot on! We all loved the movie, including the trailer for another Ardman film “Pirates” that will come out next year. And yes, the Justin Bieber video (can’t even the insipid song he covered) was horrible.
Just curious, how did you you get started on reviewing films? Now that is something I’d love to do in the future.
I’m glad you liked it! I always worry when I recommend something, that someone will see it and HATE it. Taste and enjoyment is so subjective.
I started reviewing films because I love movies so much and always want to read what other moms think before I spend the money to take my kids to see it.
There are lots of sites on the internet that list times for free advance movie screenings. (Just google “advance movie screenings” and the name of the nearest big city.) It helps if you live in a big city. Richmond doesn’t get the advance screenings they get in Washington, D.C., or in the big beach towns like Newport News. Passes are first-come-first-served, and even then they give out more than there are seats in the theater. We missed out on Muppet passes that way. I really want to see the Muppets!
You must see the Muppets. It is equally sweet and as endearing as Arthur. Truth be told, I got a little teary-eyed at the end of the picture and felt a fool, till my husband admitted that he did too.
One of our favorite Christmas movies of ALL TIME is the Muppet Christmas Carol. We have to watch it every year. And of course “Love Actually” as well.
This Wednesday we are going to take Kinsey to see the original White Christmas with Bing Crosby & Rosemary Clooney at the Paramount Theater in downtown Austin. It is the last old great picture houses in the city. And there will be free wine too!
Also, your Torani post inspired me to buy some Peppermint syrup for my afternoon coffee break. Yum!