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Reviewing films aimed at children is a tricky job. As an unsuitably seasoned and overly cynical adult, putting myself in a kid’s shoes isn’t so straightforward – and I’m often left with more questions than answers. There are occasional moments in Netflix’s new animated festive feature, That Christmas, that made adult me smile. However, there are many others – not in the least banal observations spoken by overly-aware child characters (i.e. “I forgot the only thing that matters”) that I can’t help but think would make any 10-year-old cringe.
Of course, as someone without children, I can only cast my mind back to what I think I was like at that age – and I’m not always the best judge of myself, especially at such a distance. One part of me nearly believes I might’ve tutted at an overly trite piece of exposition before reaching for It’s a Wonderful Life on VHS. But the other part recalls eating the business end of a biro and thinking my mum’s Justin Timberlake concert T-shirt was a good idea for a school mufti day. All this is to say that, if you’re reading this review with children in mind, please take my opinions with a snowball-worthy handful of salt.
Courtesy of Netflix © 2024
When I first heard the news that Richard Curtis was teaming up with Netflix for this animated feature, my immediate reaction was excitement – as excited as you can be about anything Christmas-related in the bleak throes of March.
I haven’t seen last year’s tepidly-received supernatural stocking filler Genie starring Melissa McCarthy, for which Curtis penned the script. However, like many, I’m an annual Love Actually viewer and I firmly believe Notting Hill, About Time, and The Boat That Rocked are all forces for good in the world. The Kiwi writer-director’s quintessentially British comedies – boasting the unique ability to make gluttonous dollops of sentimentality cosy instead of corny – have a sort of healing factor, whether you’re outrageously hungover on a Sunday morning or simply need some time away from everyday life which, unfortunately, doesn’t always feel like a Richard Curtis film.
This time around, Curtis has teamed up with Locksmith Animation and first-time feature film director Simon Otto to bring his trilogy of children’s books (The Empty Stocking, Snow Day, and That Christmas) to life. The setting is a delightfully refreshing one: a fictional Suffolk coastal town called Wellington-on-Sea, which is gloriously rendered – especially the scenes at dusk and dawn, with the burnished marsh reeds standing out against the indigo sky and the morning sunlight diffused in the falling snow.
Courtesy of Netflix © 2024
As is favoured by Curtis, That Christmas is an entwining ensemble, and we follow three main storylines, which correspond to the three separate books over a particularly snowy Yuletide period.
Danny, the new boy at school, makes an unlikely connection with the stern but formidable headteacher Ms Trapper when he accidentally shows up for school on a snow day. His classmate and romantic infatuation, Sam, worries about her mischievous twin sister’s festive fortunes. And, finally, a group of children are left to their own devices on Christmas Day after their parents get stuck on their way home from a weirdly-timed wedding. Narrating the tale, and appearing (very) intermittently, is Brian Cox’s Santa Claus, whom the Scotsman brings to life in his rich native accent.
That Christmas is a decidedly modern tale that still manages to capture the timeless charm of a festive fable. But while some of its digital-age references are used thoughtfully – I’m sure every parent can relate to the blockade of phones and iPads that arises the minute the children’s nativity starts – others are thrown around with needless abandon. Of these painful attempts to make That Christmas relevant to the TikTok generation, the most egregious is when, during a particularly bumpy sleigh ride, Santa cries out, ‘Elf on the shelf!’
Courtesy of Netflix © 2024
However, many of the film’s problems stem from its three distinct source materials. With a meagre run time of an hour and a half (which, normally, I’d be in full favour of), too little attention is given to any one storyline. It can be especially exhausting when we’re whisked away from the stronger thread (undoubtedly Danny’s, whose evolving relationships with his mother and teacher pack a heartfelt punch) to one of the two weaker ones. It’s easy to see the simple children’s book origins in each arc but, though not quite paper thin, each could certainly benefit from some additional narrative work to beef them up for the big screen.
Unfortunately, (adult content aside) That Christmas has that same rushed, overly simplistic quality of that strangely misogynistic and utterly forgetful storyline in Love Actually – the one about the irritating bloke who goes to America to find women willing to sleep with him. Those expecting the same emotional heights as Emma Thompson breaking down to Joni Mitchell’s ‘Both Sides Now’ or Bill Nighy enjoying one final day at the beach with his son in About Time will probably be disappointed. Apart from a little slapstick, it’s rather slim pickings on the jokes front, too.
Courtesy of Netflix © 2024
Speaking of Bill Nighy, I’d liked to have heard more of him in the practically non-speaking role of Bill the Lighthouse Keeper, but otherwise, the voice cast is commendable – especially veterans Brian Cox and Fiona Shaw as Ms Trapper. The animation is also gorgeously detailed – from Danny’s ruddy cheeks to the intricate snowflakes flurrying in the beam of his quadbike headlight – and John Powell’s score sounds like a jiggle-belled riff on his How to Train Your Dragon arrangement – which is by no means a bad thing.
Of course, because a film is animated doesn’t mean it’s exclusively for children, but this is the case here – and young ones at that. That isn’t to say that That Christmas isn’t a perfectly cheerful and charming way to feel festive and keep children preoccupied for the better part of an hour on Christmas day. However, it’s probably unlikely to become a perennial holiday classic and you won’t be too disappointed if you slip off into a turkey-bellied stupor on the sofa. If you’re surfing Netflix for a family-friendly festive film that’ll entertain every generation, you’re better off with Martínez López and Sergio Pablos Carlos’ 2019 hand-drawn masterpiece Klaus.
Have you watched That Christmas? If so, what do you think? We’d love to hear from you in the comments below.