Arthur Christmas | Film review

 

So just how does Santa deliver all those presents in one night? This thrilling new computer-animated offering provides an answer for precocious kids like little Gwen, whose letter to Santa asks tough questions like, “If you live in the North Pole, how come I can’t see you when I look on Google Earth?”

It turns out today’s Santa manages Earth’s increasing population with a high-tech operation overseen by his elder son, Steve (in a uniform of red-and-green camo), and an elf battalion that operates with Mission: Impossible–like precision. But when a near-disaster causes Gwen’s present to go undelivered, Santa’s clumsy younger son, Arthur, aided by his grizzled grandpa and an old-school sleigh, must look beyond the bickering of his comically dysfunctional family to save the day.

Aside from the lackluster title, which conjures up images of PBS’s flatly drawn aardvark character (the producers should’ve stuck with the original name, Operation Rudolph), this flick flies splendidly. (Well, there’s also the matter of a crassly gratuitous video by the Biebs that precedes the film. Linger in the popcorn line to avoid his nasal vocals doing an unnecessary cover of "Santa Claus is Comin' to Town.")

The animation is smooth, the 3-D not overdone, and while the madcap action will keep the kids entertained for every one of the 97 minutes, the film packs plenty of little surprises for its grown-up audience. (Prime example: a quick glimpse of two elves celebrating their team's successful Christmas Eve mission with a tight clinch that homages the famous V-J Day smooch.) But the heart of the movie is the joyful, clever screenplay by director Sarah Smith and Peter Baynham. The quality comes as no surprise, given that the film is coproduced by Aardman (of Wallace and Gromit fame). That wacky inventor and his heroic dog are nowhere in sight, but this British team of animators hasn't ever let us down.