Review of Arthur Christmas (2011) by Halfwelshman — 23 Nov 2011

Arthur Christmas does just what a really good Christmas film should - it keeps you absolutely glued to the screen and makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. It's expertly animated, slightly satirical, with strong morals and a great voice cast.

While everyone gives their all in their vocal performances, of particular note are Hugh Laurie's efficient and coldly business-minded Steve Claus, Bill Nigh's ancient, senile and mischievous Grand Santa and Ashley Jensen's energetic and confident gift-wrapping elf Bryony.

The story carries you along nicely, providing a fair amount of visual pizazz, action and humour along the way. Where Arthur Christmas really shines is in the festive message it promotes. The importance of unconditional family love is a common one in Yuletide movies, but somehow it comes across all the more effectively when the film's subjects, the Clauses are an undeniably dysfunctional, fantastic, yet strangely relatable family.

Grand Santa is well past his sell-by date, but is not willing to give up the joys of life, or pass up an opportunity to show the younger generation how a job should be done. The current Santa (Jim Broadbent) is good-natured, but a little incompetent, and has never found the time to engage in any real way with his sons.

Steve is desperate to do the best job possible and prove himself to be worthy of taking over the family business. Arthur, on the other hand, while inept, clumsy and generally being quite odd, is the only one in the family who seems to still understand, and truly care about the festive season, and what Father Christmas means to children all over the world.

The real question is whether he's wise beyond his years or simply naive. The internal struggle within the family is essentially a battle between idealism (Arthur) and pragmatism (Grand Santa, Santa and Steve), and as a result, the film questions what modern Christmas is.

Is it simply soulless commercialism, or is it something more? With these deep messages, as well as the simpler joys it provides, Arthur Christmas is certainly something special. It's just a lovely experience that will warm you to your very core, like a mince pie and a glass of mulled wine in front of the fire.