Featured Audience Ratings

• danny d

  
  much has been made of this film as a Christmas gem, a future classic. this is a very fun movie, but a bit chaotic, a good film, but not really as good as the hype. overall this is a definitely a solid enough movie to make it a semi regular addition to our holiday watching.

• Josh L

  
  A wonderfully inventive holiday film with fantastic animation and a story that rivals Pixar in tenderness and heartfelt moments. This is another animated movie that is just as entertaining and worthwhile for adults as it is children. It's also very entertaining, even with a… More
  A wonderfully inventive holiday film with fantastic animation and a story that rivals Pixar in tenderness and heartfelt moments. This is another animated movie that is just as entertaining and worthwhile for adults as it is children. It's also very entertaining, even with a little bit of padding in the middle of the story that isn't as strong as the rest of the movie. The story takes all the mythology of previous Santa stories and gives it a 21st century twist that we have not yet seen and it is very cool. This is one Christmas film that I will delight in watching during the holidays every year. Aardman Animations knocked this one out of the park.

• Cynthia S

  
  This rather charming, and funny, little animated feature takes a little bit to get going. But, when it does, it is absolutely wonderful! This was one of the best children's movies I've seen in quite awhile. The story was very touching, and the animation top notch. This… More
  This rather charming, and funny, little animated feature takes a little bit to get going. But, when it does, it is absolutely wonderful! This was one of the best children's movies I've seen in quite awhile. The story was very touching, and the animation top notch. This definitely got my holiday spirits rolling.........

• Graham J

  
  My wife got this for my daughter and her to watch and I didn't plan on watching it. An hour and a half later, I realized that I never got off the couch. A holiday filmed with wit and charm, and amazing detail.

• ♥˩ƳИИ &

  
  "A major problem with cartoons today is that they forget that the movie is for the child. Yes the adult escorts the child to the movie and I appreciate some adult humor thrown in with the child related humor. But this movie is missing (like so many others) the simplicity… More
  "A major problem with cartoons today is that they forget that the movie is for the child. Yes the adult escorts the child to the movie and I appreciate some adult humor thrown in with the child related humor. But this movie is missing (like so many others) the simplicity cartoons use to have when I was growing up. The child is the one who's going to annoy the parent to see the movie a million times and beg for it when it's released on DVD. I didn't get the movie for me, I got it for my niece's and nephew's. They were bored. They enjoyed the opening scene and some of the crazy stunts that came from Grandsanta, but that's about it. I, like them, was expecting more."

• Scott G

  
  Definitely one of the brightest, funniest festive films of the year, with easily recognizable voices (which, might I add, I see as a good thing) with a fun plot and all around one little girl, I'm sure there are quite a few people that can relate?

• Jim C

  
  Arthur Christmas is a beautiful and fun Christmas movie that is sure to be a holiday classic. The story follows Arthur who is the son of Santa Clause, his brother Steve is a smart but at times inconsiderate role model who is second in command to Santa, and when a little girl has a… More
  Arthur Christmas is a beautiful and fun Christmas movie that is sure to be a holiday classic. The story follows Arthur who is the son of Santa Clause, his brother Steve is a smart but at times inconsiderate role model who is second in command to Santa, and when a little girl has a gift that did not get sent Arthur does everything he can to make sure this girl has a Merry Christmas. The plot of the movie is funny and a great lesson to be told about Christmas and children, and what i learned from this movie if anything is that every child needs to believe in Santa, because there is nothing better than believeing that there is somebody who loves you that whill bring you a present on Christmas day, and the characters of the film were good but i found the characters to be a little selfish at times besides Arthur who was a incredibly kind and good charcater and he saved the film in a way from being just a bunch of selfish men wanting to be a star. The voice cast was great, James McAvoy was perfect for the character, Hugh Laurie was also was a well done choice as Steve, Jim Broadbent was good as the voice as Santa, and Bill Nighy was also a great choice for his role, what else can I say for voice actors other than I liked them. The animation was incredible, I could really tell they worked hard to make a beautiful Christmas film and it really payed off big time, I loved the beauty in this film. Arthur Christmas had some few problems that kept it from being a perfect Christmas film, but those were minor compared to the things that they got right that made it a great Christmas film and that will make it remembered for years to come.

• Mark H

  
  When a Christmas gift - a bike - accidentally goes undelivered to a little girl, Santa's son Arthur takes the initiative to solve the problem. Arthur Christmas is a joint venture between Sony Pictures Animation and Aardman Animations, the British studio known for Wallace and… More
  When a Christmas gift - a bike - accidentally goes undelivered to a little girl, Santa's son Arthur takes the initiative to solve the problem. Arthur Christmas is a joint venture between Sony Pictures Animation and Aardman Animations, the British studio known for Wallace and Gromit. Cold, charmless Christmas movie radiates scarcely any tradition or warmth. I didn't realize the classic tale of Santa Claus needed to be re-written for contemporary audiences but that's what we're presented with here. It's about as captivating as a lump of coal. Arthur Christmas is an overly simplified tale aimed exclusively at very young children. When you get right down to it, the entire plot concerns the delivery of one package. That's hardly a story to excite the senses. There's plenty of colorful, eye popping visuals, however. It's slick and frantically paced but very little of it engenders any sort of tenderness. All of the hyperactivity actually gave me a headache. Additionally the high caliber British cast (James McAvoy, Hugh Laurie, Jim Broadbent, Bill Nighy, Imelda Staunton) have been instructed to shout all of their lines as if that would makes their voice performances funnier. That doesn't work in bad sitcoms and it doesn't work here. It's not all wretched. There's a sexually ambiguous little elf named Bryony who is a peculiar gift-wrapping obsessive. She/He/It is kind of amusing. But as for the rest of it, I found this frantic exercise extremely lacking in Christmas spirit.

• Greg S

  
  When a single gift out of several billion is left behind on Christmas Eve, Santa's affable but bumbling youngest son Arthur takes it on himself to make sure it gets delivered before sunrise. Surprisingly dense and entertaining, juggling lots of well-drawn characters and subplots… More
  When a single gift out of several billion is left behind on Christmas Eve, Santa's affable but bumbling youngest son Arthur takes it on himself to make sure it gets delivered before sunrise. Surprisingly dense and entertaining, juggling lots of well-drawn characters and subplots together with an entirely new, technology-influenced mythology of Santa Claus. Curiously, I saw it with two adults and two kids, and the adults enjoyed it much more than the youngsters.

• Liam G

  
  It may not be saying too much, but ''Arthur Christmas'' is my Christmas film since ''Elf''. If there was one animation studio that could pull of a creative, funny and heartfelt Christmas film, it was Aardman and they proved why with this film.… More
  It may not be saying too much, but ''Arthur Christmas'' is my Christmas film since ''Elf''. If there was one animation studio that could pull of a creative, funny and heartfelt Christmas film, it was Aardman and they proved why with this film. The voice acting is great, with James McAvoy, Bill Nighy, Hugh Laurie and Jim Broadbent all perfectly fitting their roles. The animation is, as expected, wonderful. But what I love about ''Arthur Christmas'' is that it is a proper family film. It's not a KIDS film. There is enough wit, heart and a well-developed depiction of a dysfunctional family to keep adults entertained, as well as the funny jokes and the way the film captures Christmas for the children. It's not been the strongest year for animation, but ''Arthur Christmas'' definitely stands out and establishes itself as a soon to be a, though probably underrated, Christmas classic.

• Everett J

  
  "Arthur Christmas" definitely scores points on originality. Taking a generic story, freshening it up, and adding enough mix of wit and charm to feel new. Arthur(James McAvoy) is the son of Santa(Jim Broadbent), and always means well but he is the misfit of the family and… More
  "Arthur Christmas" definitely scores points on originality. Taking a generic story, freshening it up, and adding enough mix of wit and charm to feel new. Arthur(James McAvoy) is the son of Santa(Jim Broadbent), and always means well but he is the misfit of the family and the joke of the North Pole. When Christmas Eve comes to an end it is discovered that one child was skipped and didn't receive their toy. Arthur then sets out on a mission to get the toy to the child before they wake up so no child is left behind on Christmas. The voice cast is perfect, as the English accents really help the movie. Bill Nighy is the funniest as Grand Santa, and provides the bulk of laughs in the middle of the movie. The best thing about the movie are all the effects of the elves(especially in night vision) working in like a military operation to have Christmas be a success. Very fun movie, the kids will enjoy. Adults will find it to be funny and run a little long, but it's just good ole fashion Christmas fun.

• Tom M

  
  I really loved the direction this film took to a christmas movie. It steered away from the hackneyed "Christmas is about being together" moral and instead went to the slightly less hackneyed "be a good person, not just a person who does good" moral. It was… More
  I really loved the direction this film took to a christmas movie. It steered away from the hackneyed "Christmas is about being together" moral and instead went to the slightly less hackneyed "be a good person, not just a person who does good" moral. It was refreshing to see this in a christmas film, and it worked really well. I also REALLY enjoyed the lack of magic in this film. It steered away from the stupidity of Santa using inexplicable magic to fly around the world and instead gave him a (really freakin cool looking) UFO called the S-1, "fairy dust" was actually a mix of various chemicals and whatnot that reacted with the reindeer to make them fly, etc. That world is far more fun to explore instead of this world where we have to buy magic, its more fun to buy fake technology. The animation was really beautiful as well. Wonderful shots of the northern lights, great shots of the icy north pole and ariel shots around the world. This is definitely one for the kids, but i think parents will have just as much fun. It's really adorable, and even gets a bit emotional.

• KJ P

  
  This near perfect holiday film brings together a new take on how to deliver the gifts on Christmas Eve. Santa is played off as the fat man that he truly is, not doing anything, as technology has taken over and all the elves are now delivering the gifts in a timely fashion. The way it… More
  This near perfect holiday film brings together a new take on how to deliver the gifts on Christmas Eve. Santa is played off as the fat man that he truly is, not doing anything, as technology has taken over and all the elves are now delivering the gifts in a timely fashion. The way it is done make it seem very realistic, and if it weren't for the end, the whole history of Santa would have been abolished, but all around, this family christmas film is a soon-to-be classic! A child has been missed and it is up to Arthur to save the day, seeing as Santa and his older son do not seem to care about the fact that they missed one child out of the hundreds of millions. This journey is well worth the 3D ticket pricing and the voice acting is phenomenal. "Arthur Christmas" (in my opinion) is one of the best animated holiday films of the decade. This film has amazingly crafted family fun written all over it!

• Bradley W

  
  Arthur Christmas is a beautiful and fun Christmas movie that is sure to be a holiday classic. The story follows Arthur who is the son of Santa Clause, his brother Steve is a smart but at times inconsiderate role model who is second in command to Santa, and when a little girl has a… More
  Arthur Christmas is a beautiful and fun Christmas movie that is sure to be a holiday classic. The story follows Arthur who is the son of Santa Clause, his brother Steve is a smart but at times inconsiderate role model who is second in command to Santa, and when a little girl has a gift that did not get sent Arthur does everything he can to make sure this girl has a Merry Christmas. The plot of the movie is funny and a great lesson to be told about Christmas and children, and what i learned from this movie if anything is that every child needs to believe in Santa, because there is nothing better than believeing that there is somebody who loves you that whill bring you a present on Christmas day, and the characters of the film were good but i found the characters to be a little selfish at times besides Arthur who was a incredibly kind and good charcater and he saved the film in a way from being just a bunch of selfish men wanting to be a star. The voice cast was great, James McAvoy was perfect for the character, Hugh Laurie was also was a well done choice as Steve, Jim Broadbent was good as the voice as Santa, and Bill Nighy was also a great choice for his role, what else can I say for voice actors other than I liked them. The animation was incredible, I could really tell they worked hard to make a beautiful Christmas film and it really payed off big time, I loved the beauty in this film. Arthur Christmas had some few problems that kept it from being a perfect Christmas film, but those were minor compared to the things that they got right that made it a great Christmas film and that will make it remembered for years to come.

• Dann M

  
  Arthur Christmas is a surprisingly good film that's charming and fun. On its surface it seems as if we've been there and done that in other films; such as Fred Claus and Elf. But Arthur Christmas puts some new twists on familiar themes, and gives a new and interesting… More
  Arthur Christmas is a surprisingly good film that's charming and fun. On its surface it seems as if we've been there and done that in other films; such as Fred Claus and Elf. But Arthur Christmas puts some new twists on familiar themes, and gives a new and interesting perspective on the Santa Claus mythology. The CG animation is especially well done, and the 3D is amazing (giving true depth and feel to the scenes). Arthur Christmas is a fun, clever film that can be enjoyed by all ages and will undoubtedly become a Christmas classic.

• John B

  
  Arthur Christmas is the first new film that I think fits nicely into the traditional Christmas canon along with the claymation things that we love so much. The Polar Express was close but I think their use of the creepy Santa didn't help. The story is charming and unique.

• Bradley J

  
  A delightful festive treat with something for everyone. Aardman does it again; Arthur Christmas is fun, bright, and humorous with great voice-acting from the cast. It also has one very emotional moment at the end that might make you choke up in the throat. A vibrant and fast paced… More
  A delightful festive treat with something for everyone. Aardman does it again; Arthur Christmas is fun, bright, and humorous with great voice-acting from the cast. It also has one very emotional moment at the end that might make you choke up in the throat. A vibrant and fast paced film that might make an appearance every holiday season. Overall Rating: 88

• Alyssa M

  
  Who doesn't love Christmas? ( I know I do) If Arthur Christmas doesn't get you in the Christmas spirit then I don't know what will. Arthur is Santa's younger son, the clumsy, uncoordinated, rejected, you can't help but feel sorry for son but he means well. He… More
  Who doesn't love Christmas? ( I know I do) If Arthur Christmas doesn't get you in the Christmas spirit then I don't know what will. Arthur is Santa's younger son, the clumsy, uncoordinated, rejected, you can't help but feel sorry for son but he means well. He is loving, kind, and has the true heart for the spirit of Christmas. Just like in real society the North Pole has also succumbed to the advancements in technology with high flying spaceship like sleigh and a state of the art children tracking and present delivery system. Santa is retiring soon and Arthur's older brother Steve who's been in charge of operating the latest and greatest systems is a shoe in for the job, but this Christmas through a small margin of error a child's present does not get delivered which causes a string of events that reveal the right man for the job and remind us of the true joys of Christmas. Arthur Christmas was also nominated for the Golden Globe Best Animated Feature Film this year. www.thatdarnalyssa.blogspot.com

• Cameron J

  
  Wow, this is absolutely amazing! Seriously, I can't believe how great of a job Hugh Laurie did at that British accent; I mean, it's as if he really is British. Man, he and Christian Bale are some anti-English sons of Brits - whether they like that or not - and meanwhile,… More
  Wow, this is absolutely amazing! Seriously, I can't believe how great of a job Hugh Laurie did at that British accent; I mean, it's as if he really is British. Man, he and Christian Bale are some anti-English sons of Brits - whether they like that or not - and meanwhile, Hugh Laurie's movie brother, the twenty-years younger (Jeez, Santa, don't you think it's too soon for another kid?), James McAvoy is heading from the other side of the UK, trying to get to England and away from Scotland. To cap it all off, their movie father, Jim Broadbent, can't seem to escape that British accent, and their movie gandfather, Bill Nighy "The British Gighy" (Ha, Bill Nye reference), never wants to leave England. Well, I don't know if he so much wants to stay English, as much as he wants to stay a slithering freak after he played Davey Jones, because the next thing you know, he's playing an evil, hellspawn snake in "Rango", and now, even nastier, he's playing old Santa. Yeah, I know that everyone loves good ol' jolly Saint Nick (Except Muslims), but if there's something that you can say that's great about this film, it's the great realism, because even if you're Santa Claus, once you retire and reach about 90, let alone 136, you're going to crust up awful fast. Of course, that disturbing authenticity certainly isn't the only thing that's really good about this film, but much like Christmas itself, this film has more than enough stuff that kills the fun on its feet, so let us now dive into this film's "Akward Christmas Family Dinners"... which I haven't faced - because I'm white and don't have much to worry about (Just wait, Obama's not out of the office yet) -, but I hear stink. For those who saw the trailer and feared some old "Planet 51" slapstick cornball bull, this film doesn't waste a second in showing you that it's more than that by opening up with a clever and mesmerizingly sweet moment that perfectly establishes our lead, as well as the tone of the film. Of course, after that, the film doesn't waste any time in contradicting the much smarter tone, when that sweet, hypnotic fusion of style and substance turns into a SWAT team joke that, I must admit was pretty darn awesome and fun, but gets to be overwhelming in its being so overstylized. A situation like that comes in every now and then following that scene, yet every time you do get something like that, you do still rather enjoy it, because it is so much fun, overstylized though, those moments may be; yet something that you might not have as much fun with as commonly is the slapstick humor. Now, the slapstick humor works more than it should and works more often than it should, but when it doesn't work, it's fairly annoying, even more so when you consider that this film should be above that. Of course, what seems to be the biggest problem in this film isn't the overstylizing, or the occasional contradiction of the clever uniqueness, but, believe it or not, editing that's all over the place, with some moments feeling a bit rushed or tacked on, or sequences that seem to go on forever. The film is not without its tropes in animated movies, but really, on the whole, this is one of the most unique animated numbers in quite a while, and certainly one of the best animated films of the year. ...Okay, now that's not saying too much, but it is definately worth saying, because through all of its missteps, contradictions and, well, my watching it well after Christmas, this is some good ol' fashion holiday magic, and very well-put together magic at that. I don't know if it's the messy editing or just generally decent storytelling by Sarah Smith, but eitherway, the pacing on this boy is tight, with everything moving at a not always balanced, but generally slick speed, yet everything is still pulled back enough for you to really absorb everything, and boy, is there plenty of take in, particularly - nay - "especially" the animation, because this is some top-notch stuff. Very early on in the film, we get a pan-out shot that unveils Steve Claus' operation headquarters, and that massive, sweeping, startlingly well-detailed shot - topped off with Harry Gregson-Williams' excellent score - is absolutely awe-inspiring, and that's just the beginning of all of the magnificently-animated shots in this film, for every moment in this film is pumped with such life and energy in the animation, and with Ardmond Animation's claymation sensibilities having a clear influence on that, you're left with some very unique animation, all complimented by some mostly unique writing. Now, as I said, the film doesn't get too far without falling into the occasional trope, but more often than not, the film delivers on snap and wit in both dialogue and set pieces, with most of the jokes having such a cleverness that's not over anyone's heads, but sharp enough to hit for you wittier croud, which isn't to say that the humor is the only thing to enjoy about the way things are staged and directed, as you even get some well-handled emotion, especially towards the end, where you would find yourself hard pressed to not be genuinely touched by how sharply they manage to summon the familiar sensations reenacted at the resolution, but that doesn't mean that the attention to detail is all in the ending, because there's so much focus on all sorts of aspects throughout the film, particularly when it comes to characters. There's so much attention put into the family and mythology aspects, and it really gives you a very intimate look into the imagination that goes into creating this world so tightly, and while this interpretation of Santa is highly distinctive, few interpretations have been this detailed and, well, fascinating. All of that is certainly supported by the electric chemistry and colorful voice work between our leads, with everyone showing up for work, whether it be Hugh Laurie - who really gets that kind of "I Want What's Mine" sensibility - or Jim Broadbent - who really nails that classic Santa Claus charm -; but really, it's out leads that bring the most to the table, as far as voice acting goes. I've said it one... too many times and I'll say it again: James McAvoy is among today's great actors, and while he's certainly nothing to really inspire the creation of a "Best Voice Actor" category at the Oscars, he brings that classic charm that we've all come to know and love about him, and while a lot of the slapstick jokes are with the goofy Arthur Claus lead, the character would have been absolutely humiliating (Like that Arthur Chrismas knockoff in the Denny's Cookie Pancakes commercials), but with McAvoy coming in and effortlessly winning you over with his classic charm, you're attached to everything; and the same can be said about Bill Nighy, who's certainly not as unrecognizable as he was when he went Rattlesnake Jake in "Rango" (Okay, you can at least have a "Best Supporting Voice Actor" category for that one), but still embodies this cranky old has-been in such a funny and charismatic fashion, that you're every bit as drawn to him as McAvoy. Wow, I'm making this sound like it kicks the heck out of "Rango", when really, the most mind-blowing things about this film have to be James McAvoy hanging out with another character named Bryony (Only the one from "Atonement" had an "i" in the place of that first "y") and this Santa Claus being named...*snicker*... Malcom, but in the end, it's hard not to still be won over by this fun, charming Christmas experience... in about 11 months. At the end of that special day - even though it happened last month -, the magic of the film is sometimes halted by the occasional family trope, as well as a deal of messily-edited moments, but you're quickly thrown back into the spirit by the colorful voice performances and spectacular animation that really compliments the generally witty, unique and sometimes touching writing and direction that leaves "Arthur Christmas" to stand as a delightful charmer, whatever the season. 3/5 - Good

• Matthew Y

  
  A zany Christmas romp from Aardman pictures is an oddball holiday delight. The film, like most Aardman pictures, is rich with social commentary and eccentric characters. For Arthur Christmas we have a three way generation gap between three different Santa's and the challenges… More
  A zany Christmas romp from Aardman pictures is an oddball holiday delight. The film, like most Aardman pictures, is rich with social commentary and eccentric characters. For Arthur Christmas we have a three way generation gap between three different Santa's and the challenges of technology and new age thinking against tried and true old school methods. Should please fans of Aardman's past exploits and general fans of holiday pictures too.

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