As we’re gearing up towards the festive season, there’s no time like the present for the London Film Festival to drop an animated Christmas film in October. ‘Tis the season and all that malarkey, That Christmas is the film in question and the sophomore feature from Locksmith Animation, after their delightful debut Ron’s Gone Wrong.
In the days leading up to Christmas Day in a small British town, a series of entwined tales about love, loneliness, family and friends, and Santa making a mistake bring the town folk together in ways they wouldn’t expect.
It’s clear as day, right from the off, that this film is very much aimed at children which is absolutely fine. Based on a series of children’s books written by Richard Curtis, that would always be the case, but even this might test their patience as it doesn’t do anything new. That being said, the warm feeling the film leaves you with is something to be admired, even if it’s as sugar-coated as it gets to reach that point. There’s an array of characters here that are about as stereotypical as you can get in this day and age, who all go through the most predictable arcs – though we have a special appreciation towards Danny Williams who lives his life through post-it notes as if he’s in Memento.
Simon Otto makes his directorial debut here however, Curtis is on writing duties and it’s hard to escape that feeling he may have even ghost-directed it. It’s full of his usual schmaltzy method of filmmaking that you might find hard to sit through – though the occasional reference to Love Actually is one of the film’s funniest features. Things even reach quite a dramatic conclusion that feels a little over-the-top for the film it’s attached to.
Even the animation feels uninspired – visually flat and character designs that feel like a Disney/Pixar copy and paste. When there’s a chance to make something that could have its own distinctive look, why not just take it? It won’t matter much though as kids will most likely lap it all up and want to watch it again and again this Christmas. A new Ed Sheeran song alongside John Powell‘s score can’t even elevate the film higher, classic Christmas tracks from Kelly Clarkson and Coldplay work so much better in the grand scheme of things.
Bringing these characters to life is an array of British talent ranging from Bill Nighy to Jodie Whittaker, none of whom really delivers anything you could call noteworthy. In a very by-the-numbers film, the voice performances are exactly that. That Christmas is a cosy film to watch this festive season yet it’s destined to be forgotten rather soon as it doesn’t do enough to become a true Christmas classic. Knowing the lack of marketing we usually see from Netflix, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see no one talking about it come Christmas.
★★
Playing as part of the 2024 BFI London Film Festival / On Netflix December 4th / Brian Cox, Fiona Shaw, Jodie Whittaker, Bill Nighy, Lolly Adefope, Alex Macqueen / Dir: Simon Otto / Netflix / PG
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