Klaus

Every film feels like they need to elaborate on the works of the past. “Klaus,” released in 2019, tries to re-interpret the magical origins of Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas, a universal figure in winter’s holiday celebrations. Wesley Lovell said in his review, “The film takes the audience to places it hasn’t been, but is that enough for persnickety moviegoers who sometimes reject creativity re-engineering.”

Lovell continued, “Once a dark horse for the Best Animated Feature at the Oscars, Klaus has become something more than that and if you’ve seen the film, you can understand why. Klaus is the story of a young dilettante who is forced into being a mail man in his father’s postal organization and is wholly reluctant to live up to his potential.” His father sends him to a remote winter city to use the skills that he should have learned to revive the town’s postal services.

Voiced by Jason Schwartzman, Jesper wants nothing more than to get out of the purgatory and return to his comfortable life of privilege, but if he quits, he will be disowned and forced to live on the street. When coincidence results in a letter he was holding for a small child reaching a mysterious woodsman who makes toys, the story of Santa Claus finds a new origin. Or does it? As expected, everything starts falling around him in the most predictable way possible and whether he can save himself or those in this community, you’ll have to see for yourself.

The greatest vocal work in the film is by Joan Cusack as the leader of one of the village’s two parties who have been fighting like Hatfields & McCoys for as long as they can remember. Lovell noted, “Schwartzman’s lack of emotional detail and clarity to his performance make him an incomplete hero, one that the story must forcefully push forward.” J.K. Simmons voices the huntsman, Rashida Jones the school teacher saving up to move out of town, SNL alum Will Sasso as Cusack’s main enemy, Sam McMurray as Jesper’s father, and the late Norm MacDonald as the criticizing ferry boat captain who gets on Jesper all give generally solid performances.

The art work is stylized for the most part and sometimes very inventive, but the overall look of buildings and the town’s bad attitudes feel exactly like a reflection of “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” and a lot more predictable. This sweet and charming film tells a solid, if predicable story and audiences of all ages could bring this into their homes as a regular holiday tradition.

“Klaus” is a film that’s both magical and ordinary, a great concept that succeeds, but does so with some cautions. Lovell ended his review by saying, “While the vocal work is sometimes uneven and the writing can be hackneyed in parts, there’s no question that younger audiences and their parents will be delighted with this creative exploration of the secret origins of Santa Claus.”

This is one of those feel-good Christmas movies that everyone should check out. I found out about this film a few years back when I saw one of my siblings watching this on Netflix that I decided to check it out a few days ago. See this if you have a Netflix because you will love this. This is a great way to celebrate Christmas and everyone will love this, I promise you.

Happy Holidays everyone. Hopefully everyone had a great day and got some great presents. Stay tuned tomorrow when I review Studio Ghibli’s latest film in “Disney Month 2024.”