Klaus

A Santa Claus origin story. When a postman gets sent to the north of Norway as punishment, he discovers a mysterious man living alone in the woods with a talent for making toys.

This one passed me by back in 2019 but I’m glad I caught up with it this Christmas. It’s a wonderful throwback to the glory days of 2D animation and its style alone gives a degree of depth, warmth and soul that they struggle to replicate in 3D.

It’s a heartfelt tale of love, loss and reconciliation with a positive anti-hate message that never preaches. Perhaps it tries a little hard to tug at the heart strings from time to time but Klaus mostly interests itself with storytelling rather than wacky sidekicks and gimmicks and is all the better for it.

It was bittersweet to hear Norm Macdonald’s voice in this, you can almost hear the twinkle in his eye behind the mic. Rest in peace you old chunk o’ coal.

Christmas is always a time for good cheer with friends and family, but inevitably we always think back to those we’ve lost. Klaus expresses this sentiment beautifully without being a total bummer.