Fast-paced, funny holiday movie about the Christmas spirit.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 6+?
Any Positive Content?
Violence & Scariness
some
In one scene, a homeowner gets out of his house and fires a gun at Arthur, Grandsanta, and Bryony, mistaking them for aliens; in another, the military fires missiles at Grandsanta's sleigh, and it bursts into flames. Encounters with animals could frighten younger viewers; the lions look especially ready to pounce. A dart is shot at a parrot, an elf gets their foot stuck in a mouse trap, and sleigh rides are sometimes perilous. Mentions of being shot at during WWII and losing reindeer, an intention to roast a reindeer alive, a polar bear attack, the idea of killing Santa ("knock him off"), a heart attack, knocking somebody out.
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Grandsanta looks tipsy and recalls when he gave an elf a "double whiskey" to forget about something. In another scene, he's in his room near lots of alcohol and pill bottles (doesn't drink or take any pills). Passing mention of putting whiskey on a child's lips to aid sleep. A champagne cork pops (no one drinks).
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Language includes "hell," "ruddy," and "buttocks." Name-calling such as "bag of fleas," "ninny," "big girl's blouse," "mental," "moron," "stupid," "cretin," "idiot," and "fatty."
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One person can really make a difference. Compassion, integrity, and perseverance are important qualities, and teamwork can help save the day. Technology and tradition can be balanced in a healthy way. Every child, and every person, matters. Sometimes women do the work behind the scenes while men get the credit.
Positive Role Models
some
Arthur always rises to the occasion, using integrity and perseverance to overcome his fears and fight for what he believes in. He's generous, kind, and compassionate and believes every child deserves to feel special and loved for Christmas. Grandsanta is initially gruff and selfish, mocking others and keeping to himself. Santa is jovial but portrayed as clueless. Arthur's older brother, Steve, is organized and great with technology but struggles to empathize or connect with those around him. All three learn something from Arthur during the film. Mrs. Claus is kind and maternal, as well as highly resourceful, taking online courses and arranging international treaties behind the scenes -- though this is overlooked by the men in the family. Santa, Grandsanta and Steve are all dismissive of the female characters on occasions, including Mrs. Claus, failing to recognize the work they do -- particularly industrious Bryony the elf.
Educational Value
very little
Kids will briefly see how Christmas is celebrated around the world. They'll also learn the importance of compassion, integrity, perseverance, and the "true spirit of Christmas."
Diverse Representations
very little
The main Santa family is White. There's ethnic diversity among the elves, but they're sometimes spoken to harshly and not treated with respect. Characters make sexist comments, though the film implies they're incorrect to do so -- for example, Santa references "all that stuff that women do while their husbands are at work" about his wife. Mrs. Claus takes on traditional tasks like cooking and sewing, but actually works on international treaties and takes many training courses behind the scenes, such as when she casually reports surviving a polar bear attack because she's taken an online survival course. The only other female character with a presence is Bryony the elf, who works hard, has an impressive talent for wrapping, and helps save the day -- though the male characters often belittle and dismiss her. Grandsanta makes a passing comment: "They used to say it was impossible to teach women to read," which could be seen as a cheap shot but ties into the narrative that these opinions are ridiculous and outdated. However, some younger children may take comments like that at face value, which parents can discuss with them. References to other regions are often highly stereotypical: Africa is represented via a plain in Tanzania full of lions; a home in Mexico has images of wrestlers, a sombrero, and a chihuahua; and a Scottish elf wears a kilt. Fatphobic moments include a visual gag in which Arthur has trouble squeezing past a fat elf; in another scene, Santa is referred to as "fatty."
Parents need to know that Arthur Christmas is a heartwarming animated holiday adventure. Arthur (voiced by James McAvoy) is a likable character who displays integrity, perseverance, and compassion. Brief scenes of startled wild animals and an angry homeowner shooting a gun may frighten young kids, and there's peril involving dangerous sleigh rides. A few jokes target parents, like when Grandsanta (Bill Nighy) explains that "in the old days," he once gave a double whiskey to an elf. There are also sexist comments, which are mainly shown to be outdated and untrue but could be taken at face value by young viewers. Regions around the world, including Africa, Mexico, and Scotland, are referenced in stereotypical ways, and there's casual fatphobia. But this movie from the British animators behind Chicken Run and Wallace & Gromit does provide a good reminder of the holiday spirit, family unity, and being generous. Families that don't celebrate Christmas should know that the story doesn't have overtly religious overtones; the emphasis remains on Santa (Jim Broadbent) and his family. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails.
First scene questions all things Santa!!! For little kiddos, they don’t need to hear questions of if Santa is real & all the logistics issues!!!
Not for ages under 10-11.
Enjoyable movie for older children (disagree with general 6+ rating)
Nothing I can add that hasn’t already been covered in depth by other reviewers.
One reviewer makes a good case about how the inappropriately awkward depiction of Santa and Grandsanta are trying to demonstrate how outdated these characters are, but imho these concepts are too complex for 6yos to grasp. Instead they’re more likely to think “haha, women do random stuff while their husbands are at work” (according to Santa) or “haha, it was hard to teach women to read” (according to Grandsanta). Or maybe these comments will completely go over their head (hopefully!) in which case, why are they in the movie? Maybe adults or older children will get them and appreciate them which again is why I say the age rating here is wrong then.
Beyond that another thing I didn’t much like is the constant state of stress and peril. Inevitable I suppose given there’s a literal timer that comes up on screen as the protagonists set off on their journey to deliver the missed toy, but i feel the urgency this is presented in through the movie creates a feeling that’s too hectic for young children. My 7yo and 6yo boys didn’t laugh ones as it was either too fast or too confusing for them. And the supposedly funny characters like Grandsanta were really not as funny as the creators might think and definitely not very likeable (which is a shame when you consider this is meant to be Santa, or at least A Santa... I mean it’s meant to be a kids movie not “Bad Santa” with Billy Bob Thornton).
Lastly there were more unnecessary scenes like the guy with the shotgun shooting at Arthur, the fighter jet shooting down Grandsanta’s sleigh (while he jumps off with no parachute leaving kids momentarily wondering if he falls to his death) and the Africa scene which I’m surprised some reviewers brush off as “very mild peril”. I’m guessing because the movie was presented in 3d in cinemas this is presented with a lot of gratuitous “in your face growling/roaring” which again very unnecessary.
There are many fans of Aardman in this family, but this particular film was a bit disappointing, if nothing else because it felt like it wasted the nice ideas and concepts. Arthur himself is definitely a saving grace (and James McAvoy’s performance is excellent, as is everyone else’s to be fair), but he feels a bit lost in a movie which mostly seems to be about... Santa’s dysfunctional family?
In closing I think maybe it’s my expectations going into this thinking it’d be ok for 6+ that marred my experience, I think if we watched this a few years down the line with older kids who might be better equipped to understand what the movie was trying to do with its depiction of the Santa family, maybe it would have been better.
What's the Story?
In ARTHUR CHRISTMAS, Santa (voiced by Jim Broadbent) is executing a state-of-the-art gift drop around the world, with his son/heir apparent, Steve (Hugh Laurie), leading elves on a stealth house-to-house mission. As Christmas Eve draws to a close, Santa returns to the North Pole on his spacecraft thinking it's "Mission Accomplished." But when the cleaning elves discover an undelivered gift, kindly younger son Arthur (James McAvoy) joins a covert rescue mission with his Grandsanta (Bill Nighy) and gift-wrapping elf Bryony (Ashley Jensen) to show that every child matters at Christmas.
This is one of those family movies that's equally entertaining for adults and children. Aardman -- the English studio responsible for Wallace & Gromit, Chicken Run, and Flushed Away -- returns to the big screen with another winning animated comedy in Arthur Christmas that combines brilliant visuals, a well-developed story, and clever humor that's mature in places and risks being taken at face value by younger children but shows a sophistication adults will enjoy. McAvoy is adorable as the voice of Arthur, who's so genuinely kind and caught up in his father's magical gift-giving that he's willing to risk everything to make sure one little girl doesn't wake up Christmas morning and think Santa doesn't care about her.
The relationship between Arthur and his Grandsanta is hilarious. Arthur is earnest, compassionate, and full of hope, while Grandsanta is snarky and set in his ways -- bitter because his son and grandson no longer think he's capable. As the two Christmas men and their stowaway elf trek around the globe with a decreasing number of able-bodied reindeer, viewers realize that the trip itself is a gift for each member of the wacky trio. All three learn something about themselves and find the spirit of Christmas within to carry out their seemingly doomed adventure. Like the characters, it's likely many viewers could do with a reminder about the importance of family and selflessness each holiday season.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how Arthur Christmas fits into the genre of holiday movies. How is this story different from other Santa-based movies?
What are the movie's messages about family and the holidays? What do the characters learn over the course of the movie?
Some of the movie's jokes are aimed directly at adults; do you think too much of the humor is "grown up," or will kids enjoy it, too? Why do you think filmmakers might include jokes that will go over kids' head in movies that are made for them?
Some of the things characters say in the film are sexist. Do you think the movie does enough to make it clear what its stance is on these? Does it do enough to debunk sexist opinions? Discuss with your children how you understood some of the references.
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
suggesting a diversity update.
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
By Sandie Angulo Chen
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
