Monday, December 05, 2011

Movie Review: Arthur Christmas



I believed in Santa Claus when I was a little girl. Every Christmas morning, my sister and I would eagerly check the socks we left near the big window leading to our roof and find goodies inside them. It was devastating when a show on TV showed a mommy and a daddy furtively leaving gifts for their kids with tags that say, "From Santa." I was around seven or eight when that happened and the magic I used to feel on Christmas mornings disappeared.

Still, even before I found out the truth, I did wonder how Santa gets to go around the world in just a sleigh and nine reindeer and deliver gifts to millions of children like me.

When I watched Arthur Christmas the other day, I smiled at how the movie portrayed the gift delivery activity. Parents, who have kids who still believe in Santa Claus, won't have to worry about spoiling their innocence. In fact, little kids would most likely be in awe at the high-tech way Santa is delivering presents nowadays.


I watched the movie in 3D with my youngest son and we thoroughly enjoyed it. Arthur is actually Santa's youngest son who's in charge of answering all letters to Santa from the North Pole. When Santa missed leaving a gift to one child out of millions, Arthur decides to deliver the gift himself in a race against the clock with the goal to make sure that one child would have a happy Christmas. What follows are a series of funny misadventures that will have you laughing while cheering on the determined young man to succeed in his mission.

Arthur Christmas is a very nice film for all ages. It's about caring for one's family and for other people you don't even personally know. It's about having a passion that would push you to pursue something until you reach your goal. It's about thinking of other people's happiness especially that of little children.

I highly recommend parents to watch this with their kids this Christmas season. It's a timely movie that will bring out the spirit of the holidays in all of you, as it did in us.

* Read an interview with James McAvoy here about giving voice to Arthur and an interview with Hugh Laurie (a.k.a. Dr. House) here. He provided the voice for Steve, Arthur's brother.


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