A somewhat recent Christmas movie favorite is Arthur Christmas, released in 2011. As soon as I saw the Aardman Entertainment logo on the screen during the first teaser, I knew I was going to see it. (My wife was less impressed, which is understandable, considering it’s not a particularly engaging teaser. Once she saw the first full trailer, however, she was on board.)
(Spoilers, and that first trailer, after the jump.)
Arthur Christmas is the son of Santa Claus. Or, more accurately, the son of Malcolm, the latest Santa Claus, a job and title passed down from father to son throughout the centuries. However, Arthur isn’t Malcolm’s only son; there’s also Steve.
Steve is a ruthlessly efficient businessman, who has turned the task of delivering presents to children around the world into a high-tech operation. Arthur is kind of a klutz, whose job it is to read and reply to children’s letters to Santa. However, one Christmas night, when a technical glitch results in an undelivered present, Steve’s efficiency and technical know-how come up against Arthur’s genuine heart.
This is one of Aardman’s CGI cartoons, rather than stop-motion animation. But it’s still a film that delivers all the feels. When Arthur learns about the undelivered present, and that Steve and Santa consider this an acceptable margin of error, and that she will receive her present within 7-10 business days, Arthur can only see a heartbroken child waking up on Christmas morning to find nothing under the tree. Goaded into action by his grandfather (eager to prove that he was a better Santa than his son, even without the jet-powered, sleigh-shaped giant aircraft Steve has designed), Arthur, Grandsanta Claus, and a wrapping elf named Bryony (who can wrap anything using only three pieces of sticky tape) head off to deliver the bike to young Gwen.
Of course, it’s not a smooth journey, but through their adventures, everyone learns an important Christmas lesson, even Steve. The final moments always bring a tear to my eye. The jokes are genuinely funny, the voice work—by people like Jim Broadbent, James McAvoy, Hugh Laurie, Jim Broadbent, Ashley Jenson, and others—is really good, and the animation is fantastic. I particularly love the design of all the high-tech Christmas equipment, but my favorite bit is Steve’s goatee, cut into the shape of a Christmas tree.
Earlier today, I read about Donald Trump proclaiming that it’s finally okay to say “Christmas” again. I’m sorry; if you live in the US and go out shopping any time after Halloween, and come away believing that Christmas is somehow being stifled, you are a bigot and an idiot.
Thinking about it this morning as I write this (on December 24), this movie kind of sums up the whole “War on Christmas” nonsense. On the one hand, you’ve got people who need to be all in your face, insisting on saying “Merry Christmas” instead of being willing to acknowledge that not everyone celebrates that holiday, and that some people celebrate different holidays. (Believe me; I get that Christmas is the big deal; I don’t have today and tomorrow off to celebrate Hanukkah.) That’s like Steve, for whom it’s more important that everything be delivered quickly and efficiently, and that there is an acceptable margin of error, as long as he’s seen to mostly get the job done.
Then there’s Arthur, who knows that the important thing about Christmas is making people happy. It’s not enough that every other kid in the world will find a present under the tree for them; it’s important that Gwen’s heart not be broken by Santa. To me, that’s like the difference between not worrying about whether someone says Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays, because the sentiment is the same—because Christmas is a goddamn holiday too, you whiners—versus insisting that people acknowledge your holiday and your holiday alone by saying Merry Christmas. One is selfless, the other is selfish, and given that I can’t get away from Christmas even if I wanted to, I know which I would prefer.
I feel that Arthur Christmas is an overlooked Christmas movie; I haven’t met anyone else who has seen it. But it oozes holiday charm and sentiment in the best possible way, and I highly recommend it.
What Christmas treat will tomorrow bring? Come back to find out!
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