#arthur christmas

[asshatproductions]

It’s almost time for my favorite time of year…

NEURODIVERGENT CHRISTMAS

[dailyflicks]

ARTHUR CHRISTMAS (2011) dir. Sarah Smith

[metalandmagi]

A list of underrated Christmas movies for everyone who is getting tired of watching the same things every year:

This year, I wanted to make a list of a few Christmas movies that I feel are a bit underrated and under-appreciated, because I’m tired of seeing the same things all the time. If anyone has any suggestions for their own lesser known holiday movies, please feel free to include them!

Arthur Christmas: An animated movie that should be a classic, but it was unfortunately lost to time because it had a horrible marketing campaign that made it look like complete shit. Well, I’m here to tell you that it’s not complete shit. It’s actually fucking amazing.

Arthur, the clumsy son of the current Santa Claus is known for being a lovable idiot who tends to ruin everything he touches, but when a little girl’s present is accidentally left behind one Christmas, Arthur, an elf named Bryony, and his grandfather (a previous Santa…so grandsanta) embark on a chaotic mission around the world to deliver the missing present. Every character in this movie is so fucking funny and empathetic at the same time. Arthur embodies the true meaning of Christmas in everything he does. Bryony is just…on another level entirely. Arthur’s brother Steve (a strategic genius who wants to use his new technology to ensure his place as the next Santa) is a perfect antagonist that the audience still feels sympathy for. They all just have such a fun dynamic, and it’s a crime that more people haven’t seen this.

Spirited: A fairly new addition to the Christmas movie ranks, since it came out in 2022 (but it was on AppleTV+ so no one watched it). Spirited is a modern, musical version of A Christmas Carol like you’ve never seen before (starring Will Ferrell and Ryan Reynolds, who are an amazing combination in anything). If you’re tired of seeing endless retellings of Dickens' story, just watch this. It’s hilarious, heartfelt, and it brings a whole new perspective to the story in a way that I’m not going to spoil. And the songs go so hard it’s insane.

Happiest Season: A rom-com in which a woman named Abby desperately wants to propose to her girlfriend Harper over the holidays during Harper’s family Christmas party…only to realize that Harper’s extremely rich and conservative family doesn’t know she’s gay. Fun rom-com shenanigans ensue. Did I mention Abby is played by Kristen Stewart, and Harper is played by Mackenzie Davis? Also Aubrey Plaza, Alison Brie, and that guy from Schitt’s Creek everyone loves are in it.

This could easily have been a completely different movie if the cast wasn't so funny and didn’t have such good chemistry. It starts out as a standard holiday rom-com, but I was tearing up by the end of this the first time I watched it. If you’ve ever felt like you’ve been hiding your true self from your family or if you’ve felt like you’ve never been good enough for them, I think you’ll see a lot to relate to in this. 

Violent Night: Another new addition to the ever-expanding list of Christmas movies, this aptly named action thriller also came out in 2022, and I feel like no one has spoken about it since, which is a crime because IT WAS SO MUCH FUCKING FUN!

When a grizzled, down on the world Santa (played by David Harbour) gets stuck in a rich family’s house while it’s being overrun by mercenaries, he has to Die Hard his way out and save the hostages (or at least the ones who are worth saving) before it’s too late. This was such a fun surprise, because violent action thrillers are so hit and miss for me personally. David Harbour is great. It’s just under 2 hours of watching shitty people get their comeuppance in unique ways. I’m so offended that it only has a 6.7/10 on IMDB, because this is a great movie to watch with a group of friends and some age appropriate beverages. Yeah, it’s not a masterpiece, and maybe my standards are low, but I had a great time with this.

Tokyo Godfathers: An anime Christmas classic directed by Satoshi Kon in which 3 homeless people (a former drag queen, a runaway teen, and a grumpy alcoholic) find a baby in a dumpster and try to reunite it with its family. This was the movie that tricked me into thinking Satoshi Kon’s other works would be just as comedic and wholesome as this one. It’s got humor. It’s got heart. It’s got twists and turns that will keep you guessing in the classic Satoshi Kon fashion. And the English dub is just as good as the sub, so you can’t go wrong either way.

Neo Yokio- Pink Christmas: Speaking of anime…I’ve talked about this one before, but I have to mention it again because it’s a staple for me every year. Pink Christmas is the Christmas special for the…anime (and I use that word in the loosest way possible) Neo Yokio…aka the one starring (and possibly made by?) Jaden Smith.

For anyone who’s never heard of it, Neo Yokio is a series on Netflix that is the closest thing to a professionally made Abridged Series we’ll ever have. The “plot” of the series revolves around Kaz, a pink haired guy who fights demons and does increasingly absurd rich people things with his robot mecha butler named Charles. The Christmas special involves Charles telling Kaz a Christmas story about the city’s Secret Santa competition for all the ultra rich people.

Look, there’s no good way to describe this one, but trust me when I say you don’t have to watch Neo Yokio to understand it, since even people who do watch Neo Yokio don’t understand it. In fact, I think it will be even funnier if you don’t watch Neo Yokio at all before watching Pink Christmas (but I encourage everyone to watch the series too, just because it’s more of the same insanity.)

Every line in it is pure comedic gold, not because it’s truly funny, but because it’s absurd and ridiculous in a way only Jaden Smith can be. I quote it incessantly while eating a Toblerone every year. 

Cabin Pressure at Christmas: Molokai: Okay, it’s not a movie or even a TV special, but I love Cabin Pressure so much that I had to include this too. Cabin Pressure is a comedy radio show (not a podcast, an actual radio show) that aired on BBC Radio 4 in the early 2000s about an airline crew for the world’s shittiest airplane. 

For anyone who watched season 2 of Good Omens, you might recognize the name John Finnemore as one of the writers. Well, Cabin Pressure is made by (and stars) the same person. The Christmas episode is one of my favorites of the series, and you 100% don’t need to listen to the entire series to enjoy it. It captures the humor and despair of being stuck with your co-workers on Christmas eve, but it keeps up the spirit regardless. This is another one I quote incessantly, and the whole show has become hardwired into my personality. PLEASE FIND A WAY TO LISTEN TO CABIN PRESSURE! I’m pretty sure the whole series is available on iTunes as an audiobook.

As honorable mentions, I want to include Rise of the Guardians and Klaus, because even though they have a fair amount of popularity, I still feel like people could appreciate them more. And sure, Rise of the Guardians might be more of an Easter movie, but it still includes Santa as a character, and he’s amazing. 

That's all for now. Sorry these are all specifically Christmas themed, but if anyone has movie suggestions for other winter holidays, please throw them in!

[pealeii]

✨ merry twinkmas ✨✨

[ironmanwithaplan]

if i had a nickel for every time james mcavoy plays a character who has a breakdown on a beach in cuba i’d have two nickels. which isn’t a lot but it’s weird that it happened twice, right?

[lookstairs]

One of my favorite Christmas movies has to be this one right here

Not only is it a fun twist on the whole Santa structure

It also explores the Claus family dynamic in a way that felt real

Steve the oldest son is the most competent Santa there’s ever been. He basically runs Christmas for his father Malcolm aka Santa. He dreams of taking over the Santa position.

Malcolm is a nice dad who just can’t let go of the Santa title (even if he’s just become a Christmas mascot rather than the actual person in charge)

Arthur is the youngest and most festive of the bunch. He spends his time reading children’s letters and wants every child to feel included.

Gran Santa Malcolm’s father and the previous Santa is a man obsessed with his glory days. He drags Arthur out just so he can prove to his son and grandson that he’s still a competent Santa.

Watching Steve stress over making everything perfect is so older sibling of him. He is on paper the “perfect” Santa. Sadly this hasn’t helped his relationship with any of the men in his family and he developed an inferiority complex from years of little to no recognition from his father.

Malcolm in his defense is not a bad person just very clueless to how his actions effect those around him. He wants to hold on to the Santa title so much that he doesn’t realize he’s hurting his own son

Not to mention being busy as Santa for years made him a pretty absent parent to both Steve and Arthur.

Grand Santa holds a deep resentment to the new way of doing things. So much so that he recklessly drags his grandson out just to prove he’s still got it. His actions endanger everyone around him and almost got them killed multiple times.

Arthur is a clumsy but determined guy. He faces ridicule from everyone around him especially when compared to his big brother Steve. He knows what others say and think about him yet he keeps a positive attitude no matter what.

This movie is sweet and entertaining the whole way through. All the main characters are flawed in their own way but they’re still good at heart.

This movie is so special to me and hope it gets the recognition it deserves

[the-great-kraken]

why arthur christmas is the best christmas movie of all time:

- treating christmas as a military operation undertaken by battalions of elves risking their lives

- it nails the family dynamic: a vaguely offensive grandpa constantly talking about the good old days, an older man determined he's still young and a brilliant father, the coolest woman you've ever met brushed off as "Wife", an eldest child desperate for respect and acknowledgement, and a younger child beginning to notice the family's intense dysfunction. what could be more christmassy.

- a lot of dark humour for a kids movie and completely unafraid to drop references to the cuban missile crisis or vietnam war

- "is it true children aren't real and they're just antimatter?"

- at one point they hypnotise lions with a pair of novelty slippers and singing silent night

- moving on from the old ways but recognising that the technological age brings with it intense depersonalisation and in order to welcome it in we need to make changes to the way we view consumption to prevent everything falling to a corporate mindset

- the homoerotic energy between Steve and his elf and the blatant lesbianism of bryoney

- grandsanta says "at least finish us off with a rock" and arthur literally stops to consider it

- arthur's autistic swag

- "all around the streets, children on new bicycles pointing "THAT'S THE GIRL SANTA HATES!" she runs away, alcoholic by the age of nine, DEAD BEFORE SHE'S EVEN-"

- the US military shoots down santa after mistaking him for a ufo

- arthur running solely on weaponised anxiety for a good chunk of the movie

arthur christmas suffered from a terrible marketing campaign and i won't let it keep going on without the recognition it deserves

[dinguspoint5]

Nobody wants to talk about how Arthur Christmas (2011) is the best Christmas movie ever made. Nobody is ready to have the conversation. I’m still gonna say it though so that when y’all are ready to wake up to this good ass movie I can say I told you so.

[americassoldierboy]

Silver Fox Santa

[101flavoursofweird]

Me: We’re going to watch the most action-packed, intense, emotional, dramatic, character-driven, relatable Christmas movie of all time. 

BF: What, Die Hard? Batman Returns? Home Alone—?

Me: Arthur Christmas

[iiep-wop]

Right but the film Arthur Christmas is probably one of my absolute favourite Christmas films, it's so insanely British and also just so hilarious, I love it

[hisirdouxcasperan]

Arthur Christmas (2011), dir. Sarah Smith

[the-ghost-bracket]

Arthur Christmas propaganda:

"Arthur spends the entire movie just trying to make Christmas good for everyone amd cares about the little things so deeply "

"He wasn't the Santa heir, but his spirit of Christmas was so strong he convinced the whole family he was the best Santa, without even trying to be Santa"

"He's so sweet! 💕💕💕💕 He literally went to the ends of the earth in a shitty old sleigh with a small ass team just to get the last gift delivered to ONE girl who's gift was forgotten when everybody else at Santa's workshop let her gift be forgotten. 😭"

[imnotgrimimjustagrumpyreaper]

MERRY CHRISTMAS 2023

Three year running tradition

[sspiderj]

can’t believe this autistic twink saved Christmas

[popcornoncemore]

Arthur Christmas is about a neurodivergent guy who's special interest is Christmas