Arthur Christmas 3D

I totally had fun seeing Arthur Christmas, a 3D computer animated movie from Aardman & Sony. The plot re-imagines Christmas Eve as a high-tech paramilitary operation staffed by fanatical, ethnically diverse elves & run from a vast mission control that resembles an overseas call center. For all its computerized efficiency, one gift goes undelivered, & it is all up to Santa's misfit son to make it a perfect Christmas. I enjoyed the movie's goofy & distinctly English characters as well as it's silly humor & just-in-the-nick-of-time action sequences. In a particularly irreverent moment, a "Mission Accomplished" banner greets Santa at the end of his gift run. I also liked the script's play between human skill & technology. For some reason a scene where thousands of elves confront an unconcerned Santa outside his bedroom made me think of the Arab uprisings. It's definitely a kids' movie, though, & the small children & preteens seated around me were clearly entertained. It certainly left me in a good mood.

I arrived late for the show, but the movie didn't start until a good 20 minutes after the scheduled time, after half a dozen previews plus a Justin Bieber music video in which the singer commands us to "Shake, shake, shake" to the tune of "Santa Claus is Coming to Town."

§ Arthur Christmas (2011)
UK & USA, 97 min
Director: Sarah Smith