Arthur Christmas product reviews

I love Christmas and one of the best things about that time of year is the traditional Christmas movie. These have been released in a few and far between manner in recent years. Off the top of my head, Elf and Bad Santa come to mind. Personally, it's not Christmas to me without a special trip to the movies to see the latest Santa offering from Hollywood.

Arthur Christmas came out last Christmas and was hotly awaited by my daughter and I. We had been watching the trailer for a few months before it turned up. I was trying not to be excited, but come on - SANTA! So off we went to sit in a theatre, eat popcorn and giggle at the magic on the screen.

This film was really good. Its always a gamble reinventing Santa and his stories year after year. He is a beloved icon, so you can't do too much to remove that magic without ruining him. Here Santa is elderly and looking to hang up his Santa hat. There are two choices as far as inheriting the role. The first, is highly efficient and orderly. The second, a clumsy oaf. But one is gleaming with Christmas spirit and the other is all quality control reports and almost corporate visions of "success".

The film is epic in terms of the journey taken. The characters are flawed but wonderful. This gave us plenty of comedy. I think Arthur and his grandfather especially were my favourite characters. I loved the pulling out of the old sled too. Some great voice talent here as well. Overall, a fun family Christmas romp.

I think one of the hardest scripts to write would have to be for a Christmas movie, so much to juggle, especially if you want it to be a family movie, something that will delight everyone and still be a great movie.

Meet Arthur, one of Santa's sons. No-one takes him seriously, he has a kind hard but can be a clutz and no one sees him fit to take over the reins when time comes for Santa to retire. His older brother is very 21st century when it comes to the running of Christmas Eve and when a child is forgotten Arthur goes on the race of a lifetime to ensure that no child is left behind.

This really is a delightful movie, and now one of my favourite Christmas movies, one that I know will be played every year as this is a great film. It shows the magic of Christmas (updated by todays technology) yet still shows that the most important fact at Christmas is to make sure no one is forgotten.

If you haven't seen this yet, then I highly suggest that this Christmas (regardless of what age you are or if you have children) that you watch this. A great dose of heart-warming at Christmas can never go amiss.