Arthur Christmas
Arthur Christmas is a 2011 animated Christmas comedy film directed by Sarah Smith, who co-wrote it with Peter Baynham. It was produced by Columbia Pictures, Sony Pictures Animation, and Aardman Features as the latter's second computer-animated feature film, following Flushed Away. The voice cast features James McAvoy, Hugh Laurie, Bill Nighy, Jim Broadbent, Imelda Staunton, and Ashley Jensen. The film follows Santa Claus' youngest son, Arthur, as he works to deliver a bicycle to a little girl in Trelew, England before Christmas morning.
Following the under-performance of Flushed Away, DreamWorks Animation did not renew its partnership with Aardman. In April 2007, Aardman signed a three-year deal with Sony Pictures. Originally titled Operation Rudolph, the project was first announced in 2007. Aardman spent 18 months on pre-production on the story and design in the UK before relocating to Sony's animation studio in Culver City, California, for another 18 months of production. On 27 April 2009, it was reported that production had begun with Aardman and Sony Pictures Imageworks working together on animation.
Arthur Christmas was released on 11 November 2011 in the United Kingdom, and on 23 November in the United States by Sony Pictures Releasing. The film received positive reviews from critics, and grossed $147 million against a $100 million budget.
Plot
Instead of a single individual, Santa Claus is a hereditary title, handed down from father to son since the time of Saint Nicholas. Malcolm, the 20th Santa, is heading his 70th mission, but his role has been reduced to that of a figurehead. He flies in a high-tech vessel called the S-1, operated by hundreds of elves who deliver the gifts using military precision and automated gadgets. These operations are managed by Malcolm's son Steve from a control room beneath the North Pole, while Steve's nervous but cheerful younger brother Arthur answers the letters sent to Santa. During the mission, a child almost sees Malcolm; as the elves rescue him, a wrapped bicycle falls off the S-1's conveyor belt into the shadows.After returning to the North Pole, Malcolm unexpectedly announces that he is still not ready to retire and hand over his role to Steve. Arthur and his mother Margaret try to get the rest of the family to enjoy Christmas via a board game, but tensions run high between Steve, Malcolm, and Malcolm's ancient father Grandsanta, who believes Christmas has become too modernized.
While cleaning the S-1, an elf named Bryony finds the lost present. Arthur is horrified when he recognizes the present's intended recipient as Gwen Hines, a girl from Trelew, Cornwall. Malcolm is at a loss how to deal with the situation; Arthur wants to take the S-1 out again to return the present, but Steve convinces Malcolm that one gift out of billions is an acceptable margin of error.
After the others have left, Grandsanta hears Arthur fretting and offers to take the old magic sleigh, "Evie", out from where he had secretly hidden it to keep it from being scrapped. Using magic Aurora dust and a team of untrained reindeer, Grandsanta and Arthur set out to deliver the present. Bryony stows away with them; along the way, the trio causes several mishaps, lose a few of the reindeer, and accidentally arrive in Trelew, Mexico, nearly setting off an international military incident in the process.
Rerouting to Cornwall, Arthur and Bryony learn that Grandsanta does not really care about Gwen; he just wants to prove he is still relevant. The elves suggest Steve can help Arthur deliver the present from the command center, but he refuses, calling Arthur and ordering him to return home. Arthur insists that Malcolm would want them to deliver the gift, but Steve convinces a distraught Arthur that Malcolm likely has gone to bed unfazed. Arthur's party loses the sleigh, stranding themselves on an island in Cuba. Though disappointed in his father, Arthur realizes Gwen will still believe in Santa no matter who delivers the present, and manages to retrieve the sleigh.
Distraught by Steve's actions, several of the elves wake Malcolm and Margaret, who decide to set out in the S-1 to rescue Arthur and deliver the present. Steve comes along uninvited; unable to pilot the S-1 alone, Malcolm reluctantly allows Steve to take over. Like Arthur, the S-1 also initially arrives in Trelew, Mexico. While correcting the error, Steve discovers he is not good with children.
Arthur, Grandsanta and Bryony lose the remaining reindeer. A Predator jet opens fire on them over England, destroying the sleigh as its occupants bail out. All four of the male Clauses arrive at Gwen's house before she wakes up, only for Malcolm, Grandsanta, and Steve to argue over who gets to deliver the gift. Noticing that only Arthur truly cares about Gwen, Malcolm allows him to do it. The Claus family watches from a nearby closet as Gwen delightedly opens the gift; prompted by Malcolm, Steve acknowledges that Arthur is the true worthy Santa, and forfeits his birthright to his brother.
One year later, Malcolm retires to spend time with Grandsanta and Margaret, Steve becomes Arthur's Chief Operating Officer, Bryony is promoted to vice-president of Packing, Grandsanta's lost reindeer eventually find their way home, and Arthur renames the S-1 "EVIE" in honor of Grandsanta's sleigh, refitting it to be pulled by five thousand reindeer.
Cast
Claus family
- James McAvoy as Arthur Claus, Malcolm and Margaret's clumsy, eccentric, nervous and good-natured younger son who works in the mailroom and believes all children are special. He is Steve's younger brother and Grandsanta's younger grandson.
- Hugh Laurie as Steven "Steve" Claus, Malcolm and Margaret's older son who runs mission control and is very serious and technologically minded; he is largely responsible for the modernization of the gift-giving process. He is Arthur's older brother and Grandsanta's older grandson.
- Bill Nighy as Grandsanta, a 136 year old, stubborn, reckless, staunchly traditional former Santa unfamiliar with the modern world. A post-retirement joyriding incident during the Cuban Missile Crisis caused the Claus family to ban him from flying and attempt to scrap the sleigh, so he hides it and his trained reindeer in a secret vault. He is Malcolm's father, Margaret's father-in-law, and Arthur and Steve's grandfather.
- Jim Broadbent as Malcolm Claus / Santa Claus, the affable and ineffective man in charge at the North Pole. He is Grandsanta's son, Margaret's husband and Steve and Arthur's father.
- Imelda Staunton as Margaret Claus / Mrs. Claus, Malcolm's wife and Steve and Arthur's mother. She handles diplomatic relations and keeps things running smoothly at home while her husband is working.
Christmas elves
- Ashley Jensen as Bryony Shelfley, a Christmas elf with a Scottish accent who ends up tagging along with Arthur and Grandsanta on a mission to deliver the present for Gwen Hines.
- Marc Wootton as Peter, a Christmas elf and Steve's obsequious assistant.
- Michael Palin as Ernie Clicker, a Christmas elf and the former head of the Polar communications. He is brought out of retirement to help Steve find Grandsanta's old-fashioned sleigh.
The other Christmas elves are voiced by Peter Baynham, Kevin Cecil, Cody Cameron, Kevin Eldon, Rich Fulcher, Bronagh Gallagher, Pete Jack, Danny John-Jules, Emma Kennedy, Stewart Lee, Seamus Malone, Kris Pearn, Alan Short, Sarah Smith, and Adam Tandy.
Other characters
- Ramona Marquez as Gwen Hines, a little girl who lives in Trelew, Cornwall, England and requests a pink bicycle for Christmas.
- Laura Linney as the voice of the North Pole computer
- Eva Longoria as Chief De Silva, the head of UNFITA.
- Jerry Lambert as N.O.R.A.D.
- Miggie Donahoe as Pedro, a little boy whom Steve mistakes for Gwen when in Trelew, Mexico.
- Finlay Duff as French Boy
- Rich Hall as Idaho Man
- Clint Dyer and Donnie Long as the two reporters
- Deborah Findlay and David Schneider as the two generals
- Ian Ashpitel, Julia Davis and Kerry Shale as the three UNFITA employees
Production
Arthur Christmas was first announced in 2007, under the name Operation Rudolph. It was the first film made by Aardman Animations in partnership with Sony Pictures Entertainment and its subsidiaries, after they parted ways with DreamWorks Animation.Aardman spent 18 months on pre-production on the story and design in the UK before relocating to Sony's Culver City, US, for another 18 months of production. On 27 April 2009, it was reported that production had begun with Aardman and Sony Pictures Imageworks working together on animation.