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It would be no huge stretch of the imagination to say that on January 6th, when the Christmas decorations come down, I begin my countdown to the next holiday season, when I can once again open up my enormous box of Christmas movies.
Give me cheese, give me corn, give me Macauley Culkin, but I love a good (and a bad) Christmas movie. It's an obsession I inherited without shame from my dad, and which I am excited to build upon each year. Last year's top addition was Disney's Prep & Landing
Aside from the credentials of the production company, the cast list was instantly promising. James McAvoy (X-Men: First Class) and Hugh Laurie (Stuart Little) to play the Claus brothers, Bill Nighy (The Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy) as Grand Santa, with Jim Broadbent (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 and on as Horace Slughorn) and Imelda Staunton (Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and on as Dolores Umbridge) as Mr and Mrs Claus.
The story is a simple one. SPOILERS AHEAD. Santa's eldest son Steve (Laurie) is getting ready to take over the family business from his dad, who is reluctant to enter retirement. On this particular Christmas there is a sighting incident and in all the fuss, a child's present is overlooked. The only member of the Claus family determined to make the delivery is Santa's youngest son Arthur(McAvoy), who, with the help of Grand-Santa overcomes a myriad of phobias to ensure that a happy Christmas is had by EVERY child.
The history of Santa, as explained in this movie, is a wonderful tale of a hereditary position passing from father to son. Though I do so often in these tales wonder how any Claus man ever meets a woman to marry! The family history alluded to throughout the movie are something I especially enjoy, with 1816 being repeatedly referred to as a low point for Christmas. During this year Santa was seen and forced into into hiding for six years. In real life, 1816 was the year in which "Silent Night" was penned, though it was not performed until 1818. Grand Santa ran seventy missions in his sleigh while the current Santa has just completed seventy and is expected to retire. The sleigh has already been retired and replaced by a spaceship of sorts, powered by biofuel recycled from milk and cookies! The only thing I have still not managed to explain is why the portraits of Santa only show every other number, anyone?
As a Christmas music buff, I have to say that the score by Harry Gregson-Williams is marvelous, utter Christmas joy. Though I'm not a Bieb fan myself, his rendition of "Santa Claus is Coming to Town", is not as awful as I had expected it to be! As he did in Christmas flick Love Actually, Bill Nighy is also given a chance to stretch his Christmas vocal chords in "Make Someone Happy," well it makes me chuckle anyway.
Fun Facts about Arthur Christmas :
- Anonymous elves are portrayed by Hagrid, Gollum, Jesse the Yodeling Cowgirl and Murray Hewitt. See if you can pick them out.
- The code name for the project when it was in development was Operation Rudolph.
- During the opening sequence, you can see an Open Season
poster in one of the bedrooms.
- Certain shots of the S-1 look just like a red Enterprise D.
This movie is great for any age, the humor is well written and brilliantly executed, the story is simple enough and yet entrancing. It is the belief in Santa, the faith in good, that keeps Arthur going and that will keep you coming back for more.
To add to the whole experience, you can go to the official Sony Website for help writing your letter to Santa, join in the reindeer games and print some festive coloring pages. I received a copy of this movie for review purposes and have been left with another movie to pull out with glee each year, and my answer to any question this Christmas:
Arthur: There's no time for a bow.
Bryony: There's always time for a bow!
