5-Word 365 #358 – Arthur Christmas

Oh Christmas tree, oh Christmas tree, oh Christmas tree, oh Christmas tree. I really should avoid trying to write these while Modern Family is on TV in front of me, since Sofia Vergara’s cleavage in 42inch HD is a mighty distracting distraction.

Arthur Christmas

I wanna watch it again.

It is Christmas Eve. Santa is leading his crew of elves in the mile-wide S-1 super sleigh as they deliver all the presents to the children of the world. But as with all high-tech operations, the more moving parts you have, the greater the chance of something going wrong. When a single present fails to reach its destination, only Santa’s younger son Arthur and rebel elf Bryony have the intestinal fortitude and enough Christmas spirit to see the mission through. Will they succeed?

After dipping their toes into the pool of full CG with Flushed Away, Aardman Animation dive right in with Arthur Christmas, managing to maintain their high standard of story and originality, not to mention their unique take on traditional British eccentricity that has been a part of everything they have produced since the Creature Comforts days. This new toy lets them expand the scale in plenty of fun new ways that would be kinda tricky with Plasticine.

That’s an oddly specific denial…

One major plus of Arthur Christmas is the conceit that “Santa” is just a title, passed on to members of the Claus family. The current Santa, Malcolm (Jim Broadbent) is completing his 70th mission and is basically a figurehead at this point. He’s the General in charge of the troops, while his firstborn son and presumptive heir Steve (Hugh Laurie) is the Colonel on the field, and the elves are the ones doing all the real work. And James McAvoy’s Arthur? He’s back at the North Pole, replying to all the letters that come in for his old man. It’s the moments between the Claus family that are among the funniest and most relatable bits of the whole film, though the whole thing is a joy.

Not sure about the 3D though…

While a lot of this might sail the heads of the very youngest, there is plenty to enjoy for the whole lot of you. Great fun, action and comedy family frustrations show up the true meaning of Christmas: getting from Mexico to Cornwall in twenty minutes without being shot down by the US Air Force!