ANI-MOVIES, *That Christmas

Netflix needed a new animated family flick for the holidays as it had been a few years since Klaus, so they decided to air That Christmas. Directed by How To Train Your Dragon and Prince Of Egypt animator Simon Otto, this fully-CGI movie was the second joint production between Locksmith Animation and DNEG Animation since Ron's Gone Wrong. DNEG also helped animate Nimona, The Garfield Movie, and one of the Troll sequels after Ron's Gone Wrong. The movie is based on a series of books written by Richard Curtis who most anglophiles will know as a writer for Blackadder, Mr. Bean, Four Weddings And A Funeral, Love Actually, and the Bridget Jones films, plus Curtis co-wrote the screenplay with Peter Souter. The three books that the movie is based on shows a life-changing Christmas in a small British village as it gets hit with a particularly bad blizzard during the most wonderful time of the year, all while Santa Claus makes an appearance.

Set in the seaside town of Wellington-on-Sea, there is a diverse neighborhood with some interracial families. Young Danny has just moved there with his divorced mother who acts as nurse for an elderly lady. Danny is trying to confess his feelings for local girl Sam while moping over his father never visiting for Christmas, even though his strict teacher/next door neighbor Mrs. Trapper who has trouble opening up to others since her husband died some time ago. Sam and her twin sister Charlie are polar opposites with Sam constantly worried about ending up on Santa's Naughty List while Charlie seems to be a troublemaker even though her intentions are good. Nisha is another girl going to the same school as them hoping to change Christmas tradition as her parents aren't completely listening to her, plus her younger sister Evie keeps going missing. Then, Santa Claus shows up and gives all these kids the presents they really needed to help bring their families together, especially since several of the parents get stranded on a frozen pond in an old van on Christmas Eve. Mrs. Trapper gets the parents rescued by a troublesome farmer and then rounds everyone up to search for Evie who chased after some runaway turkeys. The movie has several plotlines that all tie together in the end, even though the wide cast consisting of nearly an entire town of various ages can be a difficult to keep up with.

That Christmas works as a complete movie, but the constant shifting of one plot to another can make some a little dizzy. It might have made for a better mini-series instead of a 92-minute single feature. Locksmith Animation has come a long way since Rob's Gone Wrong despite how much easier it is to animate a story in a town filled with snow. Santa Claus himself acts as the narrator that ties all the storylines together, and Brian Cox does a grand portrayal of Father Christmas, although for some reason he's only using the singular reindeer of Dasher instead of the regular eight tiny ones. Most of the character designs are welcoming and not jarring considering the variegated cast and features an interesting roster of voice actors like Fiona Shaw, Jodie Wittaker, and Bill Nighy, plus the young ones playing the children are exceptional. It's hard to say if this will become a holiday standard like Frosty or Gremlins, but it would make for a replayable watch at least once this season.