Simon Otto returns with a festive new project, just in time for the holiday season. As Christmas decorations go up and gifts are wrapped around the world, Otto’s latest film, That Christmas, is sure to generate excitement.
A renowned Swiss film director and animator, Otto has an impressive track record, having worked on the acclaimed How to Train Your Dragon movie trilogy. His work sets the bar high for his new movie, and fans are eagerly anticipating the result. That Christmas is now available to stream on Netflix, and in this article, you can read our review for the same!
A Visually Striking Holiday Offering
That Christmas, a children’s animated movie, boasts an impressive voice cast led by Brian Cox as Santa Claus. The prospect of Cox bringing this beloved character to life is undeniably enticing.
He is joined by an equally talented ensemble, including Bill Nighy, Fiona Shaw, Rhys Darby, Guz Khan, India Brown, and Jodie Whittaker, among others. Star-studded would be an understatement!
That Christmas boasts not only a stellar voice cast, whose talents bring the characters to vivid life – particularly Cox’s memorable portrayal of Santa (we’re still reeling from it) – but also showcases some of the most impressive animations in recent memory.
Director Simon Otto deserves high praise for his exceptional work, demonstrating once again that his talent for animation knows no bounds.
Santa finds himself stuck on his last destination to deliver all presents before Christmas, Wellington-on-Sea, but he isn’t one to give up. Meanwhile, we are introduced to Danny Williams, an awkward kid who tries his best not to be seen unless it’s his crush in question, “Anxious Sam.”
Now we have to admit, the premise and ongoing narrative of That Christmas isn’t too unique or thrilling in particular, but it gets the job done.
That Christmas has more characters than one would have expected, but of course, Danny and Santa are the show-stoppers, however, plenty of credit must go to the writers for shaping so many different characters with so many different personalities. Richard Curtis and Peter Souter have done a phenomenal job with this movie, and their writing, paired with Otto’s animation and direction, certainly delivered.
If you love a good animation and can briefly excuse a subpar storyline, then That Christmas should be at the top of your watchlist this holiday season. The animation, voice cast, and dialogues particularly stand out in this holiday movie, and of course, all the beautiful snow!
Conclusion
That Christmas has left us eager to explore more of Simon Otto’s work, thanks to its visually stunning holiday offering. We can only hope that more projects like this are on the horizon and that we’ll have the pleasure of seeing Brian Cox reprise his role as Santa Claus.