Put simply, I loved Arthur Christmas.
Now I’m happy to admit that deep down I’m a big kid. I still love going into toyshops and I’m almost 40, I was even a little disappointed the first time my son turned down the opportunity to visit one, I no longer had an excuse to go, but soon got over that. So it was with much excitement that I went to a screening of Arthur Christmas in 3D, I’d seen too many serious films and needed a little bit of light relief, so who better then the folks from Aardman.
As you may have guessed Arthur Christmas is indeed a Christmas movie, what you may not realise is that it’s Aardmans first venture into the world of 3D Computer Generated Animation. To be honest I was a little concerned when I first heard that Aardman were doing a 3D CG film. What I love about Aardman is the hands-on (literally) approach that goes into their work. Their work with claymation is the best in the world and the attention to detail in every frame is as good as Pixar any day. I was worried that this would be lost in the world of the “wiz-bang we can do anything” 3D film. I should have known better, with the assistance of Sony Pictures Animation and the CG artists and technology at Sony Pictures Imageworks all things wonderful about Aardman have been transferred to the digital world.
Arthur Christmas reveals the answer to the question that every kid asks: “So how does Santa deliver all those presents in one night?” That’s right, from here on in when that question is asked, don’t panic, simply pop-in the Blu-ray turn up the 5.1, sit back and relax, it’s job done.
Arthur Christmas stars the voice talent of James McAvoy as Arthur, the youngest son of Santa, who despite living in a world where it’s Christmas everyday still LOVES everything about the festive season. Unfortunately for Arthur he is allergic to snow, suffers from a fear of heights, reindeer, and high-speed travel, not exactly helpful when you are a Claus. However, this does’t bother Arthur, he is happy working in the Letters Department where he answers each and every letter that Santa receives. Steve (voiced by Hugh Laurie) is Arthurs older brother, next in line to be Santa Claus when his father Santa (Jim Broadbent) steps down, he also runs “Mission Control” the state-of-the-art centre of technology that makes delivering billions of presents across the world possible in one night. If Santa is the heart of Christmas, Steve is the brains.
When Santa returns from his 70th mission, Christmas is yet again a success, presents have been delivered to all and Santa is ready for a well earned rest with Mrs Santa (Imelda Staunton). Until that is Bryony (Ashley Jenson), a Wrapping Operative Grade Three Elf from Santa’s Giftwrap Battalion finds a single present lost in the debris of a hectic night. When Steve is informed, he persuades Santa that the tiny margin of error is acceptable and convinces Santa that they can deliver the present late. This however isn’t acceptable to Arthur, who can’t bring himself to allow a single child to be without a present on Christmas Day. So, with the help of Grandsanta (Bill Nighy), Santa’s 136 year old father and his traditional red sleigh pulled by eight reindeer Arthur sets out on an adventure to deliver the final missing present.
Now earlier I stated “I loved Arthur Christmas”, let me tell you why. For years Aardman have been creating amazing animation that isn’t just beautiful to look at, they carry a story that has warmth and heart at it’s core. Arthur Christmas is no different, the underlying story is a simple, yet classic one. It’s about people, it’s about loving and caring for those around us, even those we don’t know, if time and technology separate us, remember we are all the same inside. Aardman have remembered the one thing that is so very often forgotten in CG films, a strong storyline.
But is it funny? Of course it is. There is plenty of humour throughout the whole film, but by far the funniest lines are those of Grandsanta, who seems to steal every scene he is in. I found myself laughing out loud several times in a small theatre with about 20 people in, so I can imagine in full house with a large screen this will certainly be infectious. Also not to be overlooked are the elves, much like the Minion’s in Despicable Me, they are everywhere and inject fun into every scene, with some great standout characters that just popup, like Robbie Coltrane as Old Doom-Laden Scottish Elf. I can see a few short films spinning of for the Christmas elves.
The animation is gorgeous, it’s beautiful rich Christmas palette of Reds, Blues and Greens sparkle on screen. The frozen landscapes of the North Pole to Cityscapes across the world and everything in between have been painstakingly detailed, but what is truly amazing is how every aspect of the Claus’s world has been considered, down to the tiniest detail. The film not only tells us how Santa delivers all those presents, it shows us the technology behind it all. We see The S-1, a huge mile-wide sleigh with stealth cloaking device and a million elves working in teams of three, with sophisticated handheld gadgets that disable alarms, open doors and enables the elves to enter and exit the home without a trace, we even have “Night-Cut X1226 Laser-Guided Scissors”.
As you would expect it has those legendary Aardman full scale, all out, amazing set pieces that take Arthur and Grandsanta on the ride of a lifetime. Beautifully animated and for once the 3D enhanced the film, it was subtle enough to draw you in without the obvious “look out it’s coming straight at you” – the last time I felt this way was watching Avatar.
One thing that really stood out for me were the facial characteristic of all the characters, if you look closely you’ll notice that they have such attention to detail, for example the faces are beautifully asymmetric, a throwback to the claymation style of Aardmans hands-on work which although clearly not supposed to be lifelike – with the exaggerated noses – have a human quality so often overlooked in CG.
Arthur Christmas is the full package, a magical, funny, loveable, adorable film full of heart, that will no doubt gain the status of a “Classic Christmas Movie” that it so rightly deserves, thus enjoyed by young & old for many a Christmas’ to come.
A real “Christmas Cracker”. Sorry! I’ll get my coat.
Arthur Christmas is in cinemas from tomorrow (UK: November 11th & US: November 23rd).
