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  • davidahallnum5
    • Dec 17, 2022
    • 9 min read

Arthur Christmas 3D Blu-ray Review

Updated: Apr 8, 2023

Arthur Christmas is a 2011 family animated Christmas movie about one of Santa's children, Arthur. In Arthur Christmas, the story of Santa's sleigh riding days are behind him. Instead, the work he does on Christmas Eve is supported by the latest state-of-the-art technology and elaborate planning. However, when an accident ends up causing one child to be missed, and no one seems enthusiastic about taking up the task of giving the kid her present, Santa's youngest son, Arthur, takes it upon himself, with the help of grandad Santa and a stowaway elf, to do so.

From the way the film was marketed back in its time, you'd probably think Arthur Christmas was just another fine kids movie. And from reading the synopsis, you're probably already thinking that. But rest assured, this is not only a very fun animated film for both children and adults, it's also one of the funniest, most creative, most well-rounded, and most severely overlooked Christmas films ever.

The studio behind the film, Aardman, has built a history of creating clever, hilarious, and uniquely British animated films, some of the most popular being Chicken Run and Wallace and Gromit. However, it seems like sometime after the film Flushed Away got released, the company went under the radar for a long while. I guess it makes sense considering Flushed Away bankrupted the company and caused them to pull from Dreamworks. But it's a real shame because ever since then, they have still continued to pour out some genuinely fun animated flicks, the likes of Shaun the Sheep the Movie and Pirates: Band of Misfits (which I still ought to do a 3D review on someday). But Arthur Christmas sticks out the most from this group not just for being an underrated animated movie, but also an underrated Christmas movie.

Just like with most all of Aardman productions, Arthur Christmas has a fun and creative premise. And the creativity seeps not only into the plot, but into all of the little details that fill the screen. Right from the beginning when the Santa and the elves hover the S-1 over the city and deliver the presents to everyone within a matter of minutes, the clever and imaginative concepts are simply all over the place, from the toy guns analyzing how naughty or nice the children have been to the many diversion tactics used to the words in the corner of the screen showing off the place, time, and the maximum load of the elf battalion to the scene where Santa accidentally places his head on a button set to trigger a toy that needs to be "defused." Everything flies by so fast that you have to give this film more than one viewing to fully catch all the creativity on display. And it doesn't stops at the beginning. The rest of the film carries this spirit continuously, adding in fun and witty plot twists and dialogue that even if won't making you laugh out loud, will still for sure have you smiling consistently throughout.

But Arthur Christmas, amidst all the fun chaos, never losing sight of how to properly develop its characters, which is very rare to see out of a non-Disney kids movie. In a film like this, it's easy to have the good guys and bad guys be painted out and defined by the decisions they make. But Arthur Christmas doesn't take on such a simplistic view. Sure, there are certain characters who make brave decisions and other who make mainly selfish decisions. But the film doesn't treat Arthur as the perfect man, going out and bringing the kid her present. It instead uses all the main characters' strengths and weaknesses to foil one another, adding layers to their personalities that make them feel like genuine people. And it builds on the film's message greatly. Yes, Arthur Christmas applauds those who do the right thing in the face of terrible odds. But it also goes deeper than that and shows how each of us, as determined or undetermined as we are, can't always do everything on our own. Sometimes, it takes the best aspects from each of us working together to accomplish something great. Arthur has the most determination and heart, but he is a bit clumsy and often pretty afraid. His brother, the next Santa in line, has the most know-hows in terms of technology and planning, but can sometimes lose his heart amidst the thinking with his brain. And the grandad Santa, who is one of the more selfish characters in the film, still has an arc to get over. This kind of thoughtful balancing of the characters is very well done and refreshing to see out of a film like this.

Arthur Christmas is overall a true one-of-a-kind film, just like Aardman is known for bringing us. Amidst the British wit and mannerisms comes a non-stop supply of creativity and well-earned laughs. But it also has heart and makes time to properly and earnestly develop its characters. With everything I've just said, it probably seems like this film is a masterpiece. Personally, I think it has maybe a couple of minor issues regarding pacing that prevent the film from being a complete five stars. But if there's ever anything that doesn't appear to work, it's made up for ten-fold with its spot-on comedy, thoughtful characters, inventive story, and Christmas spirit, with the help of Aardman's British touch. It's just such a shame that Arthur Christmas has been often overlooked by the masses. Sure, it's easy to turn to something nostalgic like A Christmas Story or Elf to watch for the holiday season, and I have nothing against that. But with as imaginative, funny, and cheerful Arthur Christmas is, it's probably right up there with the Christmas greats. If you haven't seen it already and your looking for something fresh this Christmas season, do yourself a favor and check it out. Kid or adult, you'll have a hard time resisting this refreshing and original delight of an animated film.


OVERALL FILM RATING: 4.5/5



Funny thing: up until I got Arthur Christmas 3D about a year ago, it hit me that there aren't actually very many 3D Christmas movies. I mean, we do have The Polar Express and A Christmas Carol, which if you've seen my reviews on those you'll know I'm very thankful for, but that's about it for notable 3D Christmas flicks. Arthur Christmas isn't quite as striking in 3D as those films, but the presentation throughout is still surprisingly good and well worth seeing for anyone with a 3D display.

Animated films have always been a good fit for 3D due to the surreal world they live in and the ability for the directors to place the camera wherever they want. Arthur Christmas might not have been directed by Robert Zemeckis, but it still serves as a good example of why 3D has always so well with these types of films. Obviously, the main draw here is the depth, to which although it can be a bit soft at times, still delivers some pretty striking images when it needs to. At the beginning, cityscapes and neighborhoods all carry proper amounts of space, whether you're in them or simply looking at them from above. The shapes, sizes, and distances between buildings is made apparent during the wide shots. Add in a giant hovering vehicle blending in with the sky, and you have fun 3D at hand. And even indoors, everything retains proper space, which makes for a pretty mesmerizing watch during the fast-paced action with the elves delivering presents. Sure, one could make the argument that your eyes just get used to it after a while, especially during the moments where the 3D gets dialed down a bit. But even still, the animated style and shapes given to the characters still are plenty of fun to witness in the third dimension.

In mission control, the depth remains solid throughout. Overhead views and wide shots contain the right amount of space between objects and walls in the giant room, even if it feels a little flat sometimes. The shots that are closer to the ground carry more depth, and while they aren't the most mesmerizing shots ever, they still make for a certainly good watch. Scenes with giant rooms are obviously prime for the 3D to be used to its advantage, and so are a couple of parts involving long hallways. But even ones such as inside of a mailroom or a stable still maintain good depth and proper space. Shots that involve crowds of elves are some of the most fun to watch, as the heads taking up their own 3D space going in and out of the screen in well-composed ways.

When the film has action, though, that's when the 3D gets taken up a notch. That present delivery scene at the beginning I mentioned earlier displays some of this. We get views of the city with lights shining in the sky from the S-1, elves sliding down ropes into the living room, and even a couple good shots of snow. But the film really stuns in 3D when grandad Santa and Arthur take off in their sleigh, making the motions, the depth between them, the sky, the ground, and the composition of the reindeer and sleigh, and the magic dust, work to make the experience all the more immersive. In a way, it almost reminds me of the flight scenes from How to Train Your Dragon. They may not be quite as good, but they're still pretty effective. Any scene that involves heights and long distances really pops in 3D. And there's even a good shot of a slew of African animals floating in midair after being exposed to magic dust.

Arthur Christmas might not too big on pop outs, but a few do exist, and they can be pretty fun. The most effective one I can think of from the top of my head is a scene where one of the characters is looking into the sky and a bicycle falls right into the camera, and thus onto the viewer. There's another one in which Arthur is rowing a boat and every time he pushes forward, he and the ores come right out of the screen (Oh yeah, I forgot to mention there's a scene involving the ocean that uses the 3D nicely, in a way that reminds me of Jaws (1975) 3D.). The majority of pop outs throughout the film consists of people's heads and/or bodies leaving the screen. It's nothing terribly special, but it can be quite interesting at times, such as when Arthur's brother at one point takes out his phone and sticks it out of the screen in an important story moment. However, one pop out in particular stood out to me as something special. It occurs at the end of the movie and involves a bit of spoilers. SPOILERS: When all the Santas are gathered together in the young girl's house figuring out who should lay down the present, Arthur at first gives the few big Santas the bicycle, handing it outside the screen. But then when those Santas make the decision to let Arthur lay down the present, they hand it back to him, once again handing it right outside the screen. I don't know if it was intentional or not, but that stick out stuck out to me none the less as an interesting piece of storytelling. END SPOILERS.

So yeah, Arthur Christmas definitely has plenty going for it in the 3D department. I personally don't know whether or not it was directed with 3D in mind, but the results come out very good none the less. I have seen some sources calling the movie's 3D perfectly serviceable, and to a degree, I can understand that. There are some moments that fall a bit flat for me, some scenes where you can just get used to the 3D and barely notice it, and even the best parts don't really measure up to the bombastic 3D moments we get from something like The Polar Express and A Christmas Carol. But for what it is, I still think Arthur Christmas's 3D still has plenty of merit. The depth is definitely there, the animated shapes and styles bring great use to the 3D, and the added space makes the action more mesmerizing to watch in the third dimension than in its 2D counterpart. And compared to something like the 3D coming out from most Marvel movies nowadays, like Spider-Man: No Way Home, I say that's something to be satisfied with. Is it a must-buy, no. But for anyone looking for more 3D Christmas movies to dish out on, Arthur Christmas does deliver the goods.


3D RATING: GREAT


Other sources that review this movie's 3D:




Real Future Picture's Review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fiXuvv9aCC8



FINAL THOUGHTS:


Arthur Christmas is a thoroughly fun animated Christmas movie for the family. And to call it that would be an understatement. What we have here is a very funny, very clever made, and highly underrated piece of work. I've probably already said enough about how people have overlooked this film when looking for something to check out for the Christmas season. But regardless of what the marketing would have you believe, there's something here for everyone. Children can enjoy the colorful visuals and have their imagination provoked, and the adults can enjoy the creative storyline and the constant witty humor. What more can I say? If you haven't seen this underrated gem yet this Christmas season, you don't know what you're missing out on. And if you have a 3D display, I recommend you to check out the 3D Blu-ray edition while you're at it. Is Arthur Christmas a film that's ruined if you watch it in 2D? No. But if you like films with plenty of fun 3D action and depth, or are just looking for something 3D to watch this Christmas that Robert Zemeckis had nothing to do with, Arthur Christmas might just be the stocking stuffer you're looking for. 3D or 2D, this is still well-worth watching. And if you haven't seen it yet, what are you waiting for? You know what to do.




DID YOU LIKE "ARTHUR CHRISTMAS" IN 3D

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