Arthur Christmas is a 3D-comedy from the Aardman animation team who deliveredWallace and Gromit, Chicken Run, and Flushed Away. Moving into both the Christmas and 3D markets, this film falls short of the team’s previously ultra-clever children tales, but is still a worthwhile holiday flick for the whole family.
The film takes standard Santa-mythology and turns it in charming story of family ties and self-discovery. There is a lineage to the role of Santa Clause, different figureheads throughout the generations. The current Santa operates with high-tech-Mission Impossible-like tactics – the use of magic a thing of the past.
This battle between contemporary use of technology and the true magic of Christmas make for the most interesting and poignant moments throughout the film. As Arthur and his family have their wild, Christmas-eve adventures, we are reminded that technology and image cannot replace the internal joy of making others happy.
We get some solid 3D visual gags – my favorite being floating animals of the Serengeti – and some quick one-liners that will make even the Christmas cynic chuckle. The sidekick characters are amusing and keep the pace moving, so I never got too mired in the sentimentality.
Overall, Arthur Christmas is an enjoyable viewing experience with a wonderful Christmas message, but not a film I’d urge you to run out and see.
– Perry Allen
