That Christmas (2024)

Directed by Simon Otto; produced by Nicole P Hearon and Adam Tandy

Santa Claus has one more stop to make on Christmas Eve. The little town of Wellington-on-Sea is by and large a happy community, but some of its residents are having problems. Young Danny Williams is infatuated with the girl down the street, Sam, while Sam’s twin sister, Charlie, can’t refrain from being naughty. Bernadette is strong and confident - when things are going well - and teacher Ms Trapper is trying hard to cover her loneliness with authority. Santa knows the best gift he can deliver is happiness, and he has a big job this Christmas Eve in Wellington-on-Sea.

This fun and entertaining animated feature is written by Richard Curtis, who adapted three of his illustrated children’s books. Curtis is more famous for adult work - such as Love Actually and Four Weddings and a Funeral - movies that reflect a concern with relationships. He carries this concern into That Christmas, and does a good job with it.

The characters are three-dimensional; those of the children are well-defined very quickly, usually in their first actions or words - as is often the case with real children. The adults are given more time to show their personalities. In most cases, they are realistic, though a few are pure comic relief, no great crime in a comedy.

The script contains no memorable lines, but is workmanlike and serviceable. The story is better. It fools the viewer about two thirds of the way through into thinking that it is over, which would have provided a pleasant but anaemic ending; it carries on to a more satisfying conclusion. It has elements that stand out, such as the fact that everyone in town seems to assume the reality of Santa Claus.

There is also a particular Englishness to it: included are a reference to Boxing Day, and a photo album featuring pictures of a young Royal Marines officer, significant for its date of 1981. On the other hand, some of the children’s dialogue might be lost initially, until one grows used to the accents.

In animated features, it is sometimes difficult to separate credit for direction from that for animation. This is specially the case here, as the movie is Otto’s first feature film as a director, though he was heavily involved in the animation for How To Train Your Dragon and Kung Fu Panda. The artistry here veers, as it frequently does in animation, from realistic to caricature, the latter used for the lesser or comical characters. The expressions and gestures of the children are particularly well-drawn, while the climactic blizzard makes one feel one is inside a snowstorm.

There are a few aspects that could have been bettered. The male parents are given the unfortunately usual treatment of being either ridiculous or uncaring: Danny’s father, for instance, is unreliable, presumably because he is pre-occupied with the 25 year old for whom he abandoned Danny’s mother. And why animated movies need to hire ‘names’ - presumably at high cost - who then make their voices unrecognisable, is beyond me. Brian Cox and Bill Nighy are two of these. These bits are compensated by others, such as the children’s exasperation at having to watch ‘old Christmas movies’ - the one showing is Love Actually.

Overall That Christmas is a welcome addition to the ever growing catalogue of Yuletide films, though this one will likely appeal to adults and older children, rather than those of a single-digit age.