---
title: "Arthur Christmas"
year: 2011
kind: "film"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/arthur-christmas"
fi1m_id: "arthur-christmas"
imdb_id: "tt1430607"
tmdb_id: 51052
wikidata_id: "Q711918"
fi1m_score: 82
critics_score: 77
critics_reviews: 19
published: "2026-10-01T21:26:17.730067+00:00"
updated: "2026-10-01T21:26:18.380131+00:00"
region: "ID"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Arthur Christmas (2011)

Directed by Sarah Smith · 1h 37m · Drama, Animation, Family, Comedy

## Identity

Arthur Christmas

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/arthur-christmas
- **Type:** Film
- **Fi1m ID:** arthur-christmas
- **IMDb ID:** tt1430607
- **TMDB ID:** 51052
- **Wikidata ID:** Q711918
- **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1430607/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/51052, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q711918

**Fi1m score: 82** · Critics 77 from 19 reviews

*In a sentence:* Billions of presents, and Santa still has to deal with office politics

> A warm, funny Christmas adventure whose family squabbles are better than its busiest diversions. The voice performances and dry humour earn the sentiment, though the middle could use less rushing about.

## Synopsis

Santa (Jim Broadbent) has billions of presents to deliver in a single night, with a high-tech operation built around the task. Christmas is also a family affair, bringing Arthur (James McAvoy), Steve (Hugh Laurie) and Grandsanta (Bill Nighy) into a tangle of competing priorities. Arthur is caught up in getting presents delivered while complacency and family rivalry complicate the work. Bryony (Ashley Jensen) brings a more specialised skill: gift-wrapping. Modern delivery methods sit alongside older ones in an adventure that takes in a world tour, with the family struggling to agree on what matters most.

## Review

*Arthur Christmas* is a funny, generous family film with a slightly overstuffed journey, and we recommend it with that small warning. Director Sarah Smith takes the question of how billions of presents arrive in one night seriously enough to find comedy in the work. Christmas delivery has to be organised, and the people doing the organising have opinions about their own importance. The family competition gives the adventure something adults can recognise without requiring the children to sit through a separate set of jokes.

The script by Sarah Smith and Peter Baynham gets much of its bite from complacency and competitiveness within Santa’s family. It understands how readily a discussion about doing a job becomes a discussion about who deserves the credit. That makes room for dry comedy around Jim Broadbent’s Santa and Hugh Laurie’s Steve, while James McAvoy gives Arthur the earnestness the story needs. Arthur is less interesting than several of the people around him, but his sincerity helps us care when the action starts crowding out the characters.

Bill Nighy has the more immediately rewarding part as Grandsanta, whose irreverence keeps the family squabbles from becoming too wholesome. He gives the jokes enough impatience to suggest that being old has not made this man more reasonable. Ashley Jensen’s Bryony is just as welcome, because her gift-wrapping competence is funny without making competence itself ridiculous. We laughed at how seriously Bryony takes wrapping a present; Ashley Jensen makes a narrow speciality feel like a perfectly respectable reason for pride.

Evgeni Tomov’s production design makes Santa’s high-tech delivery business a useful source of comedy. There is pleasure in seeing a familiar Christmas task treated as something requiring this much organisation, and the visual detail rewards attention even when the story is hurrying along. The animation is busy, but that busyness suits a film interested in the practicalities of an enormous delivery job. Christmas films can get away with a fairly vague assortment of lights and sparkle; this one gives us equipment to look at and work to follow.

That hurry is also the main reservation. Editors James Cooper and John Carnochan keep the jokes coming, although the middle begins to feel extended by the sheer number of things happening. We wanted a little more time with the family and a little less travelling between distractions. Harry Gregson-Williams’s music gives the adventure plenty of energy, which suits the action even when the action itself could stand to calm down.

At 97 minutes, it is hardly an ordeal, and the warmth survives the commotion. The story uses familiar Christmas lessons, but it bothers to make the people delivering them funny, fallible and sometimes irritating. That matters in a family animation: kindness becomes easier to believe when it comes from characters who have not spent the whole film behaving impeccably. The humour gives the expressions of affection enough credibility to work.

For family viewing, the main qualification is a tolerance for bustle. The U certificate does not promise a quiet evening. Give the jokes some attention, particularly when Bryony is at work. There is no obligation to point out which relative resembles Grandsanta.

*Fi1m score 82, published 1 October 2026.*

## What the critics say

Most critics greet Arthur Christmas warmly, praising its inventive account of Santa’s operation and its balance of dry humour with Christmas sentiment. The comedy earns particular approval for its densely packed jokes, visual detail and family friction. Praise for the voice cast centres on Ashley Jensen’s briskly capable Bryony and Bill Nighy’s irreverent Grandsanta, whose antics help keep the sweetness in check. Several reviews see the film becoming a regular fixture of family Christmas viewing.

The reservations concern familiarity, uneven pacing and characters who receive less attention than the comic set-pieces. Empire enjoys the comedy but finds that the middle sags and the UFO subplot falters. Total Film is more reserved, finding an amusing adventure that lacks Aardman’s characteristic charm and detail. The spread runs from enthusiastic to mixed, with no outright negative verdicts; even the less persuaded critics generally find warmth or invention to enjoy.

## Straight answers

**Is Arthur Christmas worth watching?**

*Arthur Christmas* is well worth watching for families who enjoy dry humour alongside a busy adventure, and we score it 82 out of 100. We find Santa’s family squabbles and the voice performances funny enough to earn the sentiment, though the middle spends too long rushing between distractions.

**How long is Arthur Christmas, and what is it rated?**

*Arthur Christmas* runs 1h 37m. It is a drama and animation film.

**Where can I watch Arthur Christmas in Indonesia?**

*Arthur Christmas* is available to rent from Apple TV from Rp 25,000. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service.

**How does Arthur Christmas compare to Tokyo Godfathers?**

*Arthur Christmas* is the better choice for family viewing, while we recommend [*Tokyo Godfathers*](https://film.one/film/tokyo-godfathers) to older viewers after a more moving Christmas story. Both find comedy and unexpected kindness in squabbling, but Arthur’s high-tech present delivery makes for a busier adventure; *Tokyo Godfathers* follows three homeless people and an abandoned baby through a cold city, with affection that outweighs its contrivances.

**What should I watch after Arthur Christmas?**

After *Arthur Christmas*, try [*Tokyo Godfathers*](https://film.one/film/tokyo-godfathers) (2003, Fi1m 82): For older viewers, another Christmas rescue complicated by squabbling and unexpected kindness. Then [*Klaus*](https://film.one/film/klaus) (2019, Fi1m 77): Another busy Christmas delivery service, with kindness emerging through the practical work; and [*Paddington 2*](https://film.one/film/paddington-2) (2017, Fi1m 91): Scrupulous comic detail and a decent hero whose kindness survives the commotion.

### Reviews we read (19)

- **The Hollywood Reporter**, THR Staff (90/100, inferred): The critic calls the film a delightful, inventive holiday romp that delivers the goods. They single out its lively visual detail and especially Ashley Jensen’s scene-stealing performance as Bryony. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/arthur-christmas-film-review-259491/)
- **Empire**, Olly Richards (85/100, inferred): Richards finds the film an exuberant, very funny Christmas adventure that could become a seasonal classic. He especially praises Aardman’s clever, densely packed comedy, while noting that a UFO plotline falters and the middle sags. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/arthur-christmas-review/)
- **The Guardian**, Henry Barnes (85/100, inferred): Barnes calls it a joyful, fun Christmas film with a heartfelt message. He praises the superb script for layering family conflict and themes of complacency and competitiveness into the story. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2011/nov/10/arthur-christmas-film-review)
- **Variety**, Peter Debruge (85/100, inferred): Debruge finds the film a clever, brisk adventure worthy of becoming essential holiday viewing. He praises its inventive explanations of Christmas traditions and its lively, joke-dense storytelling. [Read](https://variety.com/2011/film/reviews/arthur-christmas-1117946549/)
- **The AV Club**, Nathan Rabin (B+): Rabin finds the film charmingly balanced, though it gets a little sappy near the end. He praises its dry Aardman humor and the grandfather Santa’s irreverence, which temper the sentimentality. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/arthur-christmas-1798170610)
- **Los Angeles Times**, Michael Phillips, Tribune Newspapers critic (75/100, inferred): Phillips finds the film frantic but ultimately tender, upbeat, and enjoyable. He singles out Bryony, whose gift-wrapping exploits make a one-joke character work. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-xpm-2011-nov-23-la-et-arthur-christmas-20111123-29-story.html)
- **Slant Magazine**, Nick Schager (3/4): The review finds the film delightful, despite its underdeveloped protagonist and familiar story. It especially praises Grandsanta’s comic antics and Aardman’s lively animation. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/arthur-christmas/)
- **The New York Times**, A. O. Scott (65/100, inferred): The article text is inaccessible, so its verdict cannot be confirmed. No specific praise or complaint can be reliably identified. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/23/movies/arthur-christmas-voiced-by-james-mcavoy-and-hugh-laurie.html)
- **Screen Daily**, Mark Adams, chief film critic (64/100, inferred): The page identifies this as a review, but its verdict is unavailable in the accessible text. The review’s specific praise or complaint is likewise unavailable. [Read](https://www.screendaily.com/arthur-christmas/5034530.article)
- **Radio Times**, Karen Krizanovich (3/5): Krizanovich presents the film as a likely perennial festive favourite. She praises its terrific characters and the warmth of its old-fashioned gift-delivery adventure. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-syigpq/arthur-christmas/)
- **Time Out**, Derek Adams (3/5): The review describes the film as smart and very British. It praises the inventive premise of explaining how Santa visits so many homes so quickly. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/arthur-christmas-1)
- **Total Film**, Neil Smith (3/5): The review finds the film lively and amusing but too familiar and unlike Aardman at its best. It particularly praises the world tour while criticizing the film’s lack of the studio’s characteristic charm and detail. [Read](https://www.gamesradar.com/arthur-christmas-review/)
- **HeyUGuys**, Adam Lowes (4.5/5): The review calls the film a rousing, cynicism-free festive treat that successfully blends Aardman charm with Hollywood spectacle. It especially praises the inventive set-pieces, visual detail, and Bill Nighy’s performance as Grandsanta. [Read](https://www.heyuguys.com/arthur-christmas-review/)
- **The Wrap** (90/100, inferred): The critic gives Arthur Christmas an enthusiastic recommendation and predicts it could become a holiday classic. They praise its clever, family-friendly humor and how it balances wit with earned Christmas sentiment. [Read](https://www.thewrap.com/arthur-christmas-deserves-become-annual-tradition-32981/)
- **Eye for Film**, Amber Wilkinson (85/100, inferred): Wilkinson gives the film a warmly positive verdict, calling it a future family-viewing staple. She especially praises the fresh comedy, excellent voice cast and lively Christmas action, while noting a minor quibble with the UFO-sleigh plot. [Read](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/arthur-christmas-film-review-by-amber-wilkinson)
- **The Playlist** (85/100, inferred): The headline indicates a strongly positive verdict. It singles out the film’s visual dazzle and emotional richness. [Read](https://theplaylist.net/review-arthur-christmas-is-a-visually-dazzling-emotionally-rich-holiday-treat-20111122/)
- **Collider**, Matt Goldberg (B+): Goldberg finds the film uplifting, funny, and warmly sincere, despite some underdeveloped supporting characters. He especially praises its clever visual details and the balance between heartfelt Christmas spirit and irreverent humor. [Read](https://collider.com/arthur-christmas-review/)
- **Paste**, Maryann Koopman Kelly (8.2): The review calls the film a stylish, heartwarming family success, though it finds the second half could be tighter. It especially praises the colorful, richly detailed animation and the charmingly clever vision of Santa’s high-tech operation. [Read](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/christmas/arthur-christmas)
- **/Film**, Angie Han (7.0/10): Han finds the film warmly funny and moving, though its familiar holiday themes and weak 3D keep it from classic status. She especially praises Bryony’s cheerful competence and comic gift-wrapping gag. [Read](https://www.slashfilm.com/518621/arthur-christmas-review/)

## Details

- **Director:** Sarah Smith
- **Director:** Sarah Smith
- **Writer:** Sarah Smith, Peter Baynham
- **Editor:** John Carnochan, James Cooper
- **Music:** Harry Gregson-Williams
- **Production design:** Evgeni Tomov
- **Costume design:** Yves Barre
- **Producer:** Peter Lord, Steve Pegram, David Sproxton
- **Cast:** James McAvoy as Arthur (voice); Hugh Laurie as Steve (voice); Bill Nighy as Grandsanta (voice); Jim Broadbent as Santa (voice); Imelda Staunton as Mrs Santa (voice); Ashley Jensen as Bryony (voice); Marc Wootton as Peter (voice); Laura Linney as North Pole Computer (voice)
- **Runtime:** 1h 37m
- **First release (the UK):** 10 November 2011
- **Genres:** Drama, Animation, Family, Comedy
- **Budget:** $10 million
- **Box office:** $151 million
- **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tk-WZSqIGQ

## Where to watch in Indonesia

- Apple TV: rent Rp 25,000, hd
- Apple TV: buy Rp 99,000, hd

*Checked 2026-10-01.*

Also available in: AE, AR, AT, AU, BE, BG, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, CZ, DE, DK, EE, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, HK, HR, HU, ID, IE, IL, IN, IT, JP, KR, LT, MX, MY, NL, NO, NZ, PA, PH, PL, PT, RO, RS, SE, SG, TH, TR, UA, US, VN, ZA. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## Awards

- BAFTA Film Awards 2012: BAFTA's Children & Young People Award - Feature Film (nominated)
- Annie Award for Best Animated Feature 2011: Annie Award for Best Animated Feature (nominated)
- Critics' Choice Awards 2011: Best Animated Feature (nominated)

## If you liked this

- *The Snowman* (1982): A quieter Christmas outing, trusting drawings and music to do the talking.
- *Tokyo Godfathers* (2003), Fi1m 82: For older viewers, another Christmas rescue complicated by squabbling and unexpected kindness. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/tokyo-godfathers.md)
- *Klaus* (2019), Fi1m 77: Another busy Christmas delivery service, with kindness emerging through the practical work. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/klaus.md)
- *Paddington 2* (2017), Fi1m 91: Scrupulous comic detail and a decent hero whose kindness survives the commotion. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/paddington-2.md)
- *The Shop Around the Corner* (1940): Christmas workplace friction for adults, with affection hiding behind beautifully sustained irritation.

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/arthur-christmas