There are times when family and holidays do not mix well.
Then there are those families whose business is the holidays, specifically Santa’s family. Santa and his family live at the North Pole, and in the new film “Arthur Christmas,” we learn how they deliver 2 billion presents in one night.
Arthur (James McAvoy) is involved in the family business, though not in the traditional sense. Arthur is in the mailroom, where he opens and responds to the letters Santa gets from children everywhere. He is there because he cannot stand to go very fast in any vehicle, and he is a little on the clumsy side.
This year he reads a letter from a child named Gwen who wants to receive a very special bike.
Steve (Hugh Laurie) is Arthur's brother and is in charge of the whole Santa operation. He has designed many gadgets to streamline the gift delivery process, including building the S-1; a super-fast craft that can cover a whole city at once and travels faster than the speed of light. Steve runs the whole operation from a master control that puts NASA to shame.
Steve may be in charge, but he still isn’t Santa, at least not yet. This year’s mission marks the 70th time his father has gone out to make deliveries to the children of the world. It is expected that Santa will retire and Steve will take his place, but Dad says he will be there next year.
This year’s operation is deemed a success by Steve. As everyone is winding down and some of the elves are cleaning up, they find a bike — Gwen’s bike. It was not delivered to her. A child was missed.
Steve, though, looks at this as an allowable percentage since just one was missed. Plus, it’s too late to get the bike to Gwen in time. Arthur thinks differently, though. He feels every child matters. Arthur’s pleas fall on deaf ears until Grandsanta (Bill Nighy) steps in with a plan, although his reasons for going are not at all like Arthur’s.
There is so much in this film that is hard to convey in a short space. The filmmakers come from the same animation studio that made “Wallace and Gromit” and “Chicken Run," and they have done a fabulous job with "Arthur Christmas." The animation is great, the characters are fun and there is something for everyone. Adults and kids will love this film, which has the potential to become a family tradition.
"Arthur Christmas" contains comedic violence and some mild rude humor. You will also hear a reference to placing whiskey on a child’s lips to help induce sleep. Also, Gransdsanta does have a cart full of booze near him in one scene, although he is not drinking.
If you have a tradition of going out to a movie after Thanksgiving dinner, this is the one to see. You may not like visiting your own family each holiday season, but you’ll want to visit Arthur Christmas and his family each and every year.
Shawn O'Neill is the Family Man Movie Reviewer on BYU Radio. His reviews can be heard on BYURadio.org and on SiriusXM Channel 143.