katikat | Arthur Christmas

I received the Arthur Christmas DVD today and immediately decided to watch it because of the wonderful voice cast, James McAvoy, Hugh Laurie and Bill Nighy among others. And it's a really funny and sweet family story.

Grandsanta, Arthur, the elf Bryony and an old, molting reindeer saving Christmas. Right, like that could go without a hitch. Especially since the last time Grandsanta took the sleigh out, it was during the Cuban Missile Crisis and he almost caused WWIII! So, of course, hijinks ensue. And it's hilarious, especially when they're mistaken for aliens!

But what really made the movie for me was the family story. Grandsanta who felt that everybody had forgotten about him. Mother Santa who did and managed everything without her husband realizing it and who kept Santa in the dark about just how much of a doofus he really was. Santa himself who was getting out of touch with time. Bryony, the elf who just wanted to wrap up presents and wrap and wrap and wrap. And Santa's sons: the always efficient Steve who managed the whole operation but didn't care about Christmas or kids at all - and Arthur, the clumsy boy with a big heart who brought everyone together in the end. Wonderful. The perfect movie for the upcoming Christmas :)

The most hilarious thing? Arthur's blinking Christmas slippers. From China!