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Father Christmas
Sony Pictures // G // October 24, 2006
List Price: $9.95 [Buy now and save at Amazon]
During the holiday season, two different kinds of Christmas songs adorn households that celebrate the holiday: songs to listen to for the context, and songs played in the background for that holiday spirit effect. Apparently, the same goes for holiday movies as well. Films like A Christmas Story, It's a Wonderful Life, and Miracle of 34th Street possess such an addictively sweet charm that they beg attention. On the other hand, the animated short Father Christmas, adapted from Raymond Briggs' story, should be played on the screen during a Christmas party just for atmosphere.
The Film:
A few hours after his long night of Christmas hopping, Santa Claus fumbles through his regular routine of preparing dinner, warming up to the fire and catching some shut-eye. Santa's life, as he reassures through narration, is not a once-a-year easy gig that's a breeze in the winter wind. The wear and tear of Christmastime has worn out St. Nick this year. The day after, he decides it's time for a vacation. From there, Father Christmas catalogues what exactly Santa Claus does with his free time throughout the year during his continent-hopping romp of a escape. Sounds interesting, right?
The premise seems charming. However, throughout its short 25 minute runtime, not a whole lot exciting happens. Santa travels across the world and engages in some mild typical activity here and there. He does experience some mildly entertaining speed bumps along the way, such as his lack of style in the French countryside and treacherous monsters in the Scottish ponds. Abruptly, he disappears from these locales once a young boy or girl recognizes him. Once he gets done (or runs out of funds), he returns home to prepare for the next year's Christmas Eve. Then, the events of Christmas Eve unfold as he finds way through chimneys and holes, forgets to deliver packages, and tries to make it all work before the sun rises. And that's about it.
Now, this reviewer claimed Father Christmas is good for holiday atmosphere. It's because the animation is very attractive and fun to watch. The colors are bright and the character drawings are interesting. Even Santa Claus seems to have some definite spunk. The only problem is a meager, uninteresting series of events and a lack of relationship between the film's beginning and its subsequent scenes at the end. Also, there are a few haphazard jokes and events tossed in that don't seem cohesive with the tone of the film. It all seems like Father Christmas doesn't know what direction to go, whether it be a no holds barred romp with Santa during his vacation or the average Christmas family fare.
With cute visuals and very simple dialogue, Father Christmas might be nice to watch for younger kids, if it weren't for the inclusion of a crude joke here and there. It would also work playing in the background of a Christmas party to grab some of the visual grandeur of the season. However, as a cohesive production that grabs the holiday spirit, Father Christmas offers appealing images atop a mild, unexciting storyline.
The DVD:
Sony has presented Father Christmas with attractive, colorful coverart in a white DVD keepcase.
The Video:
Father Christmas is presented in fullscreen which, as was told through the blackened screen, is formatted to fit the TV. As stated before, the colors do pop from the print. Santa and his romp across the world comes out through a very nice pastel presentation. Dusts and specs do pop up on a frequent basis that was mildly distracting, however. All in all, the presentation isn't half bad.
The Audio:
A Dolby Surround track is included, which sounds fine through my setup. The voices seemed a bit muffled and a little hard to hear at times, but overall the audio presentation works. English and French subtitles are included.
The Extras:
All that's included are a few previews for other Sony family programs.
Final Thoughts:
Father Christmas is a simple, quick guide through Santa Claus' life when he decides to take a holiday after Christmas. The animation is pleasing to the eyes, but the plot is ice thin and probably won't support the family's interest for very long. I'd Rent It as a peaceful, quick holiday diversion or as an intermission during a long Christmas movie marathon.
Thomas Spurlin, Staff Reviewer -- DVDTalk Reviews | Personal Blog/Site
The Film:
A few hours after his long night of Christmas hopping, Santa Claus fumbles through his regular routine of preparing dinner, warming up to the fire and catching some shut-eye. Santa's life, as he reassures through narration, is not a once-a-year easy gig that's a breeze in the winter wind. The wear and tear of Christmastime has worn out St. Nick this year. The day after, he decides it's time for a vacation. From there, Father Christmas catalogues what exactly Santa Claus does with his free time throughout the year during his continent-hopping romp of a escape. Sounds interesting, right?
The premise seems charming. However, throughout its short 25 minute runtime, not a whole lot exciting happens. Santa travels across the world and engages in some mild typical activity here and there. He does experience some mildly entertaining speed bumps along the way, such as his lack of style in the French countryside and treacherous monsters in the Scottish ponds. Abruptly, he disappears from these locales once a young boy or girl recognizes him. Once he gets done (or runs out of funds), he returns home to prepare for the next year's Christmas Eve. Then, the events of Christmas Eve unfold as he finds way through chimneys and holes, forgets to deliver packages, and tries to make it all work before the sun rises. And that's about it.
Now, this reviewer claimed Father Christmas is good for holiday atmosphere. It's because the animation is very attractive and fun to watch. The colors are bright and the character drawings are interesting. Even Santa Claus seems to have some definite spunk. The only problem is a meager, uninteresting series of events and a lack of relationship between the film's beginning and its subsequent scenes at the end. Also, there are a few haphazard jokes and events tossed in that don't seem cohesive with the tone of the film. It all seems like Father Christmas doesn't know what direction to go, whether it be a no holds barred romp with Santa during his vacation or the average Christmas family fare.
With cute visuals and very simple dialogue, Father Christmas might be nice to watch for younger kids, if it weren't for the inclusion of a crude joke here and there. It would also work playing in the background of a Christmas party to grab some of the visual grandeur of the season. However, as a cohesive production that grabs the holiday spirit, Father Christmas offers appealing images atop a mild, unexciting storyline.
The DVD:
Sony has presented Father Christmas with attractive, colorful coverart in a white DVD keepcase.
The Video:
Father Christmas is presented in fullscreen which, as was told through the blackened screen, is formatted to fit the TV. As stated before, the colors do pop from the print. Santa and his romp across the world comes out through a very nice pastel presentation. Dusts and specs do pop up on a frequent basis that was mildly distracting, however. All in all, the presentation isn't half bad.
The Audio:
A Dolby Surround track is included, which sounds fine through my setup. The voices seemed a bit muffled and a little hard to hear at times, but overall the audio presentation works. English and French subtitles are included.
The Extras:
All that's included are a few previews for other Sony family programs.
Final Thoughts:
Father Christmas is a simple, quick guide through Santa Claus' life when he decides to take a holiday after Christmas. The animation is pleasing to the eyes, but the plot is ice thin and probably won't support the family's interest for very long. I'd Rent It as a peaceful, quick holiday diversion or as an intermission during a long Christmas movie marathon.
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