best movie i've ever seen.

It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

The joyful confection is coated in a sparkly gloss, bright enough to gleam from the darkest, most cynical corners.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

Arthur Christmas seems like it would just be a re-hash of the same old Christmas material we've seen a dozen times, but it actually brings some new stuff to the table. This movie has some clever ideas about Santa and his background and it features witty humor and enjoyable animation. It's stretched a little thin, and it's fairly predictable, but this is a fun Christmas movie for the whole family.

Arthur Christmas (2011): Dir: Sarah Smith / Voices: James McAvoy, Hugh Laurie, Jim Broadbent, Bill Nighy, Ashley Jensen: This holiday gem addresses the idea of Santa as oppose to what we view as a figure. Arthur is Santa's son who answers every letter. His older brother Steve has advanced the North Pole past sleighs and reindeer to a massive ship that he can communicate with from the North Pole. He hopes to be the next Santa since his father has just completed his 70th year on the mission. Central plot regards a gift that was accidentally not delivered. Arthur is frantic and sees every child as valuable. Steve however, sees this as petty and that mistakes sometimes occur. Arthur sets out with his grandfather who still conceals the old sleigh and reindeer, and they set off to deliver that one gift before sunrise. Director Sarah Smith is backed with an interesting concept but the structure is just one mistake after another although the landing is Africa is hilarious. The ending is to no surprise, and the whole issue of Santa's legacy goes against traditional narratives but the digital world presented is sparkling and a sight to behold. James McAvoy voices the resourceful Arthur whose Christmas spirit flourishes without restrain. Hugh Laurie voices Steve whose frustration leads to compromise until he faces facts. Jim Broadbent voices Santa who may need to hand down his duties. Bill Nighy voices grand-Santa who believes in tradition. Finally there is Ashley Jensen who plays a high spirited elf. Exciting holiday animation about our image of Santa verses his spirit of giving. Score: 7 / 10

I absolutely loved this film!It was so colourful and cheery which any Christmas film should be but i just LOVED the writing! The storyline is completely brilliant with Santa and his elves being turned into a military operation.The dynamic between Santa and his own family mirroring the actual lives of many families today. The game board scene squabbling was so reminiscent of my own family that i found it hilarious.The portrayal of Mrs Claus was ace, reminding me of our very own queen Elizabeth was particularly dry witted and the little determined elf just was the icing on the cake.Watch this movie, even as an adult, it was delightful

Arthur Christmas tells the tale of the title charcther(voiced by James Mcavoy) who's dad is (yup you guessed it)Santa Clause(voiced by that dude from Only Fools and Horses Jim Broadbent) who sends Christmas presents to all the children by using a machine that sends them to the children.But when one of the presents accidentally gets knocked off the machine,its up to Arthur and his grandfather(voiced by Love Actually's Bill Nighy)who's called Grand Santa to travel across the globe to give the present to its rightful owner.The animation in this is gorgeous and the charcthers are all likable. The ending song is by(yup im serious here) Justin Bieber and as for the rest of the film its just one magical flick to watch over the Christmas Season. The voice acting is great in fact some animated movies you can spot the actors a mile away but here their all very good in this movie.Overall Arthur Christmas gets a thumbs up.