Arthur Christmas (2011)

Arthur Christmas (2011)

A hilarious, underseen holiday gem that's sweet and smart enough for adults and kids

The Very Best

8.0

Movie

UK, United Kingdom
English, Spanish
Adventure, Animation, Comedy, Drama
2011
BARRY COOK, FEMALE DIRECTOR
Adam Tandy, Alistair McGowan, Andy Serkis
97 min

What it's about

Each Christmas, Santa and his vast army of highly trained elves produce gifts and distribute them around the world in one night. However, when one of 600 million children to receive a gift from Santa on Christmas Eve is missed, it is deemed ‘acceptable’ to all but one—Arthur. Arthur Claus is Santa’s misfit son who executes an unauthorised rookie mission to get the last present half way around the globe before dawn on Christmas morning.

The take

A recent holiday classic you likely haven't seen, Arthur Christmas uses its premise of the North Pole as a massive spy organization to touch on how commercialization tears people apart. It's a surprisingly smart film with a fascinating dynamic among its family of Santas, with an incredibly funny script full of dry, British wit. And while the animation may already look dated at first glance, Arthur Christmas more than makes up for its looks with truly imaginative art direction and director Sarah Smith's fast-paced set pieces. This is that rare Chirstmas movie that doesn't just surrender to schmaltz; the lessons learned by the characters here are unique, complex, and timeless.

Comments

Add a comment

UP NEXT 

UP NEXT 

UP NEXT 

The Guilty (2018)

A minimalist, razor-sharp thriller that will have you gasping for air.

9.0

Breaking the Waves (1996)

Lars von Trier breaks his rules in the tearjerking first film of the Golden Heart trilogy

8.1

Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World (2023)

A cynical, but terribly honest portrait of the indignity of modern life

7.9

Forgotten Love (2023)

The stunning third take of the classic Polish pre-war melodrama

7.7

Leave the World Behind (2023)

Shyamalan meets Black Mirror in this hugely entertaining, visually inventive apocalyptic thriller with a killer ending

8.2

I Lost My Body (2019)

The Oscar-nominated unconventional animation

8.2

Turtles All the Way Down (2024)

A sweet and relatable coming-of-age drama that brings mental health and economic realities to the fore

7.1

Problemista (2024)

Dark, weird, poignant, and funny, this debut feature by Los Espookys star Julio Torres is a modern parable of the American Dream

8.6

Cleaners (2019)

A weird and wonderful coming-of-age anthology featuring classic moments in 2000’s Philippine high schools

8.4

Unfrosted (2024)

A fun but ultimately too-childish romp about the discovery of the Pop-Tart

6.8

Curated by humans, not algorithms.

agmtw logo

© 2024 agoodmovietowatch, all rights reserved.