Arthur Christmas facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Arthur Christmas (film) |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Sarah Smith Barry Cook |
| Produced by | Peter Lord David Sproxton Carla Shelley Steve Pegram |
| Written by | Peter Baynham Sarah Smith |
| Starring | James McAvoy Hugh Laurie Bill Nighy Jim Broadbent Imelda Staunton Ashley Jensen |
| Music by | Harry Gregson-Williams |
| Cinematography | Jericca Cleland |
| Editing by | James Cooper John Carnochan |
| Studio | Columbia Pictures Sony Pictures Animation Aardman Animations |
| Distributed by | Sony Pictures Releasing |
| Release date(s) | 11 November 2011 (United Kingdom) 23 November 2011 (United States) |
| Running time | 97 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $100 million |
| Money made | $147 million |
Arthur Christmas is a 2011 British-American 3D computer-animated fantasy film. It was the first movie made by Sony Pictures Animation with Aardman Animations. It was also the second Aardman film made with computer animation. The first was Flushed Away in 2006.
The movie was directed by Sarah Smith and co-directed by Barry Cook. Famous actors like James McAvoy, Hugh Laurie, Bill Nighy, Jim Broadbent, Imelda Staunton, and Ashley Jensen lent their voices to the characters.
The story takes place on Christmas night. It's about Arthur Claus, who is the son of Father Christmas. Arthur is a bit clumsy but has a very kind heart. He finds out that Santa's super high-tech ship missed delivering one girl's present.
Arthur decides he must save her Christmas. He goes on a special mission with his adventurous grandfather, Grandsanta. He also teams up with Bryony, a very excited young Christmas elf who loves wrapping gifts. They are joined by a group of eight strong, magical, but untrained reindeer.
Arthur Christmas first came out in the United Kingdom on November 11, 2011. It was released in the United States on November 23, 2011. Critics really liked the movie. However, it only made $147 million at the box office. This was less than its $100 million budget, so it didn't make a big profit.
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Plot Summary
On Christmas Eve, hundreds of Christmas elves work hard. They are in the control center of Santa's huge, super modern ship, called the S-1. The current Santa, Malcolm Claus, delivers presents to every child. He uses advanced tools and works with great precision.
Malcolm's older son, Steve, manages these complex operations. He works from underneath the North Pole with his helpful elf assistant, Peter. Meanwhile, Malcolm's younger son, Arthur, is busy answering all the letters sent to Santa.
During one delivery in Poland, a toy accidentally turns on. This wakes up a child and almost reveals Santa. As they quickly escape, an elf on the S-1 accidentally presses a button. This makes a present fall out of the delivery line. No one notices it's gone.
Santa Malcolm has now completed his 70th mission. He is getting older, and his role in delivering gifts is mostly just for show. He gives a speech to the elves, saying he looks forward to his 71st mission. This makes Steve upset, as he was ready to become the next Santa.
At their family Christmas dinner, Malcolm and Steve argue. Malcolm's father, Grandsanta, is bored with being retired. He complains about all the new technology. Steve's special device alerts him, and he quickly leaves the table. Arthur follows Steve.
They learn that an elf named Bryony Shelfley found the missed present. It's a wrapped bicycle for a little girl named Gwen in Trelew, Cornwall. Arthur had personally answered Gwen's letter. Arthur tells his father, who doesn't know what to do. Steve argues that missing one present out of billions is okay. He says this Christmas was the most successful ever.
Grandsanta hears about the problem. He quickly takes Arthur to deliver the gift in EVE, his old wooden sleigh. Bryony joins them to help. But they get lost on three different continents. They lose some of their reindeer and eventually the sleigh itself. They have many close calls. People even mistake them for aliens, causing an international problem.
Arthur is disappointed to learn that Grandsanta mostly wants to feel important again. Steve also refuses to help them.
Finally, they are stuck in Cuba. Arthur manages to get the sleigh back. Meanwhile, the elves at the North Pole are worried. They hear rumors about the missed delivery and the Clauses not caring. This makes them panic. So, Malcolm, Margaret, and Steve take the S-1 to deliver a better present. But they deliver it to the wrong child.
Arthur and his team reach England but lose their last reindeer. Also, a special drone sent by Chief De Silva from UNFITA attacks the sleigh. They think it's an alien spaceship. Grandsanta bravely sacrifices EVE, his old sleigh. Arthur and Bryony parachute safely to the ground.
All four male Clauses arrive at Gwen's house before she wakes up. But they start arguing about who gets to place the gift. They notice that only Arthur truly cares about Gwen's feelings. The older Clauses realize that Arthur is the only one who deserves to be the next Santa.
Malcolm lets Arthur place the gift. Steve sees his own mistakes. He gives up his right to be Santa and agrees that Arthur should take over. Gwen briefly sees Arthur, who looks like Santa, before he disappears into the S-1.
Afterward, Malcolm happily retires with Margaret. He becomes Grandsanta's new companion, which Grandsanta always wanted. They play Arthur's board game together for many hours. Steve finds happiness as the chief operating officer of the North Pole. Bryony gets promoted to Vice-President of Wrapping for the Pacific region.
The high-tech S-1 ship is renamed EVIE, honoring Grandsanta's old sleigh. It is changed to be pulled by 5,000 reindeer, led by the original eight, who all returned home safely. Arthur happily leads everything as Santa Claus XXI.
Voice Cast
- James McAvoy as Arthur Claus, the kind but clumsy younger son of Malcolm and Margaret. He works in the mail room.
- Hugh Laurie as Steven Claus, Malcolm and Margaret's older son. He is very capable and business-focused but also a bit cynical.
- Bill Nighy as Grandsanta, the 136-year-old grandfather of Steve and Arthur. He is grumpy but loving and prefers old traditions. He was the 19th Santa.
- Jim Broadbent as Malcolm Claus, the friendly but not very effective man in charge at the North Pole. He is Grandsanta's son and the 20th Santa.
- Imelda Staunton as Margaret Claus, Malcolm's dedicated wife and the mother of Steve and Arthur.
- Ashley Jensen as Bryony Shelfley, an enthusiastic Christmas Elf from Scotland. She works in the Giftwrap Battalion and joins Arthur and Grandsanta.
- Marc Wootton as Peter, Steve's assistant Christmas Elf.
- Laura Linney as North Pole Computer
- Eva Longoria as Chief De Silva, the head of UNFITA (United Northern Federal International Treaty Alliance).
- Ramona Marquez as Gwen Hines, the girl whose present Arthur must deliver.
- Michael Palin as Ernie Clicker, an elderly elf who used to be in charge of communications for Santa.
- Jerry Lambert as N.O.R.A.D.
- Ryan Patrick Donahoe as Pedro
Video Game
An iOS video game called Arthur Christmas: Elf Run came out in the United Kingdom on November 9, 2011. You could find it on the iTunes App Store. On November 18, 2011, the game was released worldwide for iOS and Android phones.
There was a free version and a paid version of the game. Players could pretend to be delivery elves. Their job was to deliver gifts to children quickly and quietly. Another app for iOS based on the movie was Arthur Christmas Movie Storybook. It was released on November 30, 2011.
See also
In Spanish: Arthur Christmas para niños
