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James McAvoy, Hugh Laurie, Jim Broadbent, Bill Nighy, Imelda Staunton ... see more see more... , Ashley Jensen , Marc Wootton , Laura Linney , Eva Longoria , Ramona Marquez , Michael Palin , Sanjeev Bhaskar , Robbie Coltrane , Joan Cusack , Rhys Darby , Jane Horrocks , Iain McKee , Andy Serkis , Dominic West , Peter Baynham , Cody Cameron , Kevin Cecil , Kevin Eldon , Rich Fulcher , Bronagh Gallagher , Pete Jack , Danny John-Jules , Emma Kennedy , Stewart Lee , Seamus Malone , Kris Pearn , Alan Short , Sarah Smith , Adam Tandy , Miggie Donahoe , Finlay Duff , Rich Hall , Clint Dyer , Donnie Long , Jerry Lambert , Deborah Findlay , David Schneider , Ian Ashpitel , Julia Davis , Kerry Shale , Tamsin Greig , Alistair McGowan

The 3D, CG-animated family comedy Arthur Christmas, an Aardman production for Sony Pictures Animation, at last reveals the incredible, never-before seen answer to every child's question: 'So how does ... read more read more...Santa deliver all those presents in one night?' The answer: Santa's exhilarating, ultra-high-tech operation hidden beneath the North Pole. But at the heart of the film is a story with the ingredients of a Christmas classic - a family in a state of comic dysfunction and an unlikely hero, Arthur, with an urgent mission that must be completed before Christmas morning dawns. -- (C) Sony Pictures

Flixster Users

79% liked it

22,858 ratings

Critics

92% liked it

137 critics

PG, 1 hr. 37 min.

Directed by: Sarah Smith

Release Date: November 23, 2011

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Flixster Reviews (1,404)

  • scottgreen96
    March 30, 2012
    scottgreen96
    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?
  • DreamExtractor
    December 30, 2011
    DreamExtractor
    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... read more 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.
  • hobster1
    December 20, 2011
    hobster1
    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 Grom... read moreit. 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.
  • 366weirdmovies
    December 20, 2011
    366weirdmovies
    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... read more 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.
  • fb100001050230219
    December 20, 2011
    fb100001050230219
    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 Jame... read mores 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.
  • fb100000145236770
    December 19, 2011
    fb100000145236770
    "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 j... read moreoke 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.
  • fb510944557
    December 5, 2011
    fb510944557
    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 ... read morein 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.
  • fb733768972
    November 25, 2011
    fb733768972
    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 wa... read morey 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!
  • fb1526363679
    December 18, 2011
    fb1526363679
    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... read more 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.
  • fb100000440772572
    November 30, 2011
    fb100000440772572
    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 perspecti... read moreve 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.

View All Arthur Christmas Reviews

Critic Reviews

Amy Biancolli
December 5, 2011
Amy Biancolli, San Francisco Chronicle

It's as bright and twinkling as a Christmas tree, decked with warmth and humor. Full Review

Bruce Diones
December 5, 2011
Bruce Diones, New Yorker

It's busy but buoyant, and it honors the tradition of giving with wit and style. Full Review

Peter Rainer
December 2, 2011
Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor

The action is swift and witty, and the 3-D effects are imaginative and not simply tacked on as with so many animated movies these days. Full Review

James Berardinelli
November 24, 2011
James Berardinelli, ReelViews

With a clever script that successfully updates many Christmas myths and dialogue that crackles with sophisticated wit, this movie offers the kind of pre-holiday experience that parents and children al... Full Review

Kathleen Murphy
November 23, 2011
Kathleen Murphy, MSN Movies

Everything you see in Arthur Christmas is fashioned in the service of telling a story ... brilliantly Full Review

John Anderson
November 23, 2011
John Anderson, Newsday

The results are not only funny and fresh, but represent a new way of tackling the whole yuletide paradigm: Santa as a high-tech hereditary monarchy. Full Review

Rick Groen
November 23, 2011
Rick Groen, Globe and Mail

For the kids, the action is always lively and, for the rest of us, the dialogue has a witty and even caustic edge. Full Review

Trey Graham
November 23, 2011
Trey Graham, NPR

The surprise gift of the season: a sharp, savvy holiday comedy that doesn't get its laughs at the expense of those who start to glow in the early days of December. It's a most entertaining package ind... Full Review

Tom Long
November 23, 2011
Tom Long, Detroit News

Good for the kids, good for the parents, and good for Christmas. Full Review

J. R. Jones
November 23, 2011
J. R. Jones, Chicago Reader

The premise recalls those sophisticated lies parents cook up when their kids start asking logical questions about Santa. Full Review

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

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    • Grandsanta: I'll never forget the look on your dads face. Couldnt look me in the eye. 'Dad' he says. 'Steve thinks it's best if you don't fly anymore. Were scrapping the old slay'.
    • Arthur: Dad would rather die than spoil it for him.
    • Elf: Straighten that teddy bear soldier.
    • North Pole Computer: Are you sure you want to delete Christmas?
    • Bryony: Mission complete! And we have a new Santa!
    • Elf: Grandsanta and Arthur can be the hero's of the night.
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