Thursday, December 01, 2011

Winter wunderkind

Some incredible truths about Santa Claus’ yearly gift-giving trips are revealed in Columbia’s warm and endearing “Arthur Christmas,” a modern and inventive take on the beloved mythical figure. Santa’s miraculous Christmas Eve feats and the people (and elves) behind them work like clockwork, but one unexpected mistake may ruin it for one nice child.

Standing between a happy Christmas morning and certain disaster is Arthur Claus (voiced by James McAvoy), clumsy grownup son of the current Santa, Morgan (Jim Broadbent). Arthur, however, is a kind-hearted believer in his father’s mission, helping out by responding to kids’ letters in the mailroom. His brother Steve (Hugh Laurie) has been running operations efficiently for years, while Santa Morgan has become an old figurehead unfamiliar with the new system. It’s revealed that the Santa Claus identity and responsibilities are given to worthy successors, immortalizing the much-revered character.

Vibrant, solidly told, and often visually busy, “Arthur Christmas” just might be the most heart-warming animated feature of the season. Its story is simple but smart; it tugs at the heartstrings during anticipated and unexpected moments, and has enough lovable and lively characters amid all the glittery tinsel and flashy colors.

One glitch during the preview screening was the uneven audio; sometimes the voices are loud enough, but there are times when the volume of the voices lowers, overpowered by the background music and sound effects. Hopefully, that’s just a problem exclusive to that screening.

“Arthur Christmas” opens Dec. 7 in Metro Manila.

No comments: