No one will ever convince me that Arthur Christmas is not the greatest Christmas movie ever made.
Released in 2011, this animated film addresses the question of how Santa is able to deliver presents to all the boys and girls of the world in just one night–and what it means when even just one child gets overlooked.
The story revolves around Santa’s youngest son Arthur, and it follows Kenn Adams’ story spine structure:
Once upon a time…there was a klutzy but well-intentioned boy named Arthur whose father was about to retire as Santa Claus, the current figurehead of a family-run organization that delivers presents to every child on Christmas Eve.
Every day…Arthur answered letters to Santa from children around the world and did his best to share the magic of what makes Christmas special.
But one day…he discovered that Santa’s high-tech gift-delivery operation somehow missed a child, and the folks who ran the show said it was an unfortunate error that couldn’t be rectified.
Because of that…he snuck out on a time-critical mission to personally deliver the gift.
Because of that…he overcame many setbacks and obstacles to get to the child’s home before she woke on Christmas morning.
Until finally…Arthur delivered the gift just in time.
And ever since then…Arthur’s genuine devotion to the Christmas spirit made the other Clauses realize that clumsy, lovable Arthur deserved to take over the role of Santa.
I first saw the film with my young kids, and I was so taken with the story that I made watching it an annual tradition (even though my kids are teenagers now and so sick of the movie that they roll their eyes when I suggest it.)
Why was this particular movie so memorable? For starters, the premise was intriguing. In a modern world where we can track anything through smartphones and GPS, how does the concept of Santa in a sleigh fit in? It was an interesting update of an old storyline, which was enough to pique my interest.
I stayed hooked because I could totally identify with the main character, a good-hearted soul who means well but inadvertently causes problems everywhere he goes. You can’t get made at someone who is so nice and tries so hard, but you still want to throttle them sometimes because of the havoc they wreak.
Arthur’s noble struggle to overcome his shortcomings, defy expectations, and do the right thing had me rooting for him every step of the way. And as Pixar storyboard artist Emma Coats reminds us, we admire a character for trying more than for their successes.
What really stands out about the film for me is the way it jokes about things you would never expect to hear mentioned in a traditional Christmas movie. The funniest character is crotchety old Grandsanta, who has lines like:
- “The elf fell out of the sleigh over Lake Geneva. Never saw him again.”
- “Dasher! Dancer! Prancer! What are the others called? I could never ruddy remember. Bambi?”
- “I didn’t know it was the Cuban Missile Crisis! I nearly started World War III!”
The ending is never really in doubt (of course Arthur delivers the gift and saves Christmas) but there’s enough charm, humour, and originality along the way that it leaves me with a smile on my face.
Every single time.
EXSM 3989 - Digital Storytelling Class Blog 