Review of Arthur Christmas (2011) by Gabe G — 18 Dec 2014

I really love Aardman's storytelling style, and while "Arthur Christmas" lacks the trademark claymation approach of "Wallace and Gromit" or "Chicken Run", it's still undeniably an Aardman film.

The film is set in the North Pole, where Arthur Christmas, the second son of Santa, works at answering the letters from children. Meanwhile, his father runs a tight operation delivering presents and Arthur's brother Steve is working towards taking over the family business. When a bike for one small girl gets lost in Steve's industrial system, Arthur and his grandfather, the retired former Santa, bring the famous sleigh out of retirement for one last run to save Christmas for one girl.

The film features a fantastic (mostly British) voice cast that includes James McAvoy, Hugh Laurie, Jim Broadbent, Bill Nighy, Imelda Staunton, Ashley Jensen, Laura Linney, Eva Longoria, Michael Palin, Sanjeev Bhaskar, Robbie Coltrane, Joan Cusack, Rhys Darby, Andy Serkis and Dominic West.

This vertiable who's who lend themselves to a very British, delightfully festive family film. Even adults will find some humour in the Mission: Impossible style tropes and some joy in the naive jovial nature of the film. It may not be Aardman's best, but it's certainly better than most Christmas films.

8/10.