Film review: Arthur Christmas - spirit of christmas indeed

Arthur Christmas celebrates old-fashioned values and makes one wish we had more movies like this.

Arthur Christmas is one of those treasures that make you feel like a child all over again, taking you back to when winter would mean watching classics like How The Grinch Stole Christmas and Home Alone on a wonderfully snuggly afternoon.

The film stars James McAvoy as the voice of Arthur, the black sheep of the Claus family, who is shelved in a small room to read and answer letters by little children to Santa. Hugh Laurie voices Steve, Santa’s older son, who is in charge of the whole operation. Steve believes he deserves to be the next Santa and even has a Versace Santa suit prepared to prove it. Jim Broadbent voices Santa, the jovial but incompetent guy in charge at the North Pole. The whole process of delivering gifts to all the children in the world goes smoothly, until one elf discovers that a child was left out by mistake. Steve quickly dismisses it as an error but Arthur makes it his mission to deliver the present to the child, one way or the other. Assisted by the somewhat cranky Grand Santa (voiced by Bill Nighy) he embarks on a journey which takes him to almost every corner of the globe without actually getting to his destination.

Wonderfully animated, the film really draws you in and has you cheering for Arthur as he races to get the present to the little girl who wants nothing more than a little pink bicycle for Christmas. Each actor is perfect for the part, and voices their role brilliantly, giving the characters a realistic personality to match.

Like all holiday films, Arthur Christmas celebrates old-fashioned values and it really made me wish we had more movies like this. There’s nothing groundbreaking here, but the results are surprisingly touching and funny.

Published in The Express Tribune, Sunday Magazine, February 19^th, 2012.