Review of Arthur Christmas (2011) by Jesse O — 10 Nov 2012

I am fan of Aardman Studios, they have a unique style that is different than any other animation studios out there. This may be due to the fact that they're British so their humor has that kind of air about them.

So it pains me to say, it really does because Aardman is full of very talented artists, that I didn't really like this movie that much. It's not bad by any means, in fact, it's quite good.

The animation is gorgeous and there are some really witty lines, mostly background stuff. The problem is that this film, in trying to appeal to a larger audience, loses some of what made Aardman unique in the first place.

I think the film's humor maintain that sort of Aardman charm, but the story itself is pretty much every Christmas film ever made. The story did absolutely nothing for me, I wasn't invested in the story as, I'm sure, they expected you to be.

There's something here with Christmas becoming more like a business for the Claus family instead of a happy and joyous occasion, and Arthur sort of bringing that joy back to the family business while at the same time growing closer to his family.

But, somehow, I just never invested emotionally in the film. There was something missing that would've simply given the film more emotional depth it sorely needed, at least in my opinion. Again the film is not bad, the comedy is excellent, typical Aardman, the story is what's lacking to me.

The voice acting is good, Bill Nighy's Grandsanta being the comedic highlight of the film. The movie is sweet, perhaps too much so, but that makes it appropriate for kids and their families and I'm sure that was the purpose, so even though I didn't like it that much, if the target audience enjoys it then my opinion is really irrelevant.

Still, it's quite good even if it lacks great emotional depth with funny moments and great animation but a story that borrows heavily from other films.