Klaus (2019)

Klaus (Dir: Sergio Pablos, 2019)

Just when you think you have seen all the Santa origin stories you care to, along comes Klaus. Netflix’s first original animated feature film, Klaus made its debut on the streaming service in November 2019; an early gift for the festive season. Produced by Sergio Pablos Animation Studios, it is the directorial debut of studio head Pablos, the co-creator of Universal's highly lucrative Despicable Me franchise.

Incompetent postman Jesper (Jason Schwartzman) is sent by his Postmaster General father to establish a post office in the remote northern isle of Smeerensburg. On arrival he finds a divided community, engaged in a bitter feud, who barely speak to each other, let alone send mail. Determined to succeed he seeks out each town member to extol the virtues of the postal service, including Klaus (J K Simmons), a mysterious, solitary figure with a workshop full of toys. The pair team up to distribute the toys to the unhappy Smeerensburg children, creating some new Christmas traditions along the way.

Klaus is as warm and heartfelt as you would expect a Christmas movie to be. Sure, it is sentimental, but never slushy and with genuine pathos in Klaus' backstory. Its distinctive visual style and expressionistic use of colour help make it one of the most visually pleasing animated features in recent years; the 2D animation combines the slickness that audiences would expect of a modern animated feature with a cartoony style reminiscent of the Mid Century Modern stylings of the UPA animation studios. 

While Klaus does cover some similar ground to the Rankin/Bass TV favourite Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town (Arthur Rankin Jr & Jules Bass, 1970), in all other respects it is easily the most imaginative take on St Nick's early years for sometime. 

In a year where cinema release schedules have been dominated by animated sequels, first time director Sergio Pablos has crafted a movie which feels fresh and original, yet reassuringly tradition. It is arguably the most satisfying Christmas movie of the decade and seems destined to become a holiday classic. 

A Flintstones Christmas Carol (1994)

A Flintstones Christmas Carol (Dir: Joanna Romersa, 1994).

Geological puns abound, as Fred Flintstone stars as Ebonezer Scrooge against Barney Rubble’s Bob Cragic in this modern Stone Age retelling of Charles Dickens’ Christmas classic. 

The Flintstones is, of course the enormously successful animated TV sitcom from Hanna-Barbera which, prior to The Simpsons (1989 - present) was television’s longest running prime time cartoon series, originally airing for 6 seasons between 1960 and 1966. That this movie was made 30 years after the heyday of the show demonstrates the continued enduring popularity of the franchise. 

Rather than a straight adaptation of Dickens’ familiar tale of festive redemption, A Flintstones Christmas Carol takes a tip from Mr Magoo’s Christmas Carol (Abe Leviton, 1962) and presents the story as a play within a story. So, running parallel to the events of the Bedrock Community Players performance of A Christmas Carol, we have the story of Fred, so engrossed in his role of Scrooge that he neglects his family duties until the lines between he and Ebonezer begin to blur. If you can buy that a group of cavemen are celebrating Christmas a few millions years before the birth of Christ, than you will have no trouble accepting them performing in a version of a story first published in 1843. 

Casting The Flintstones in the roles of Dickens’ characters is a nice idea. Not a particularly original idea, but I can see the appeal. The backstage story which runs alongside it is less engaging and the two strands work against each other to make for a somewhat choppy narrative. It isn’t a bad movie; made for US TV, the standard of animation is a shade better than normal Saturday morning fare and there is undeniable nostalgic value for those of a certain age. Familiar vocal work from Henry Corden (Fred) Jean Vanderpyl (Wilma) and Hanna-Barbera stalwart Don Messick (Bamm Bamm) adds to the fun. 

Yet what is appealing in a 25 minute TV show is not quite as fun when stretched to nearly three times that length. While I enjoy The Flintstones on TV, I found A Flintstone Christmas Carol a little bit of a chore to watch come the halfway mark. Still, while it is a little disappointing in the story department, its colourful animation is above average and it does provides some mild chuckles. However, I think a straight version of the tale would have been better and can’t help but feel this somewhat of an opportunity missed. Longtime fans will probably get a kick out of the movie, but it’s not quite the ‘gay old time’ it might have been. 

Beyond Tomorrow aka Beyond Christmas (1940)

Beyond Tomorrow aka Beyond Christmas (Dir: A Edward Sutherland, 1940)

My quest for obscure vintage Christmas movies has arrived at Beyond Tomorrow, a curious little movie with a somewhat convoluted plot.

A trio of wealthy businessmen (Harry Carey, C Aubrey Smith and Charles Winninger) play matchmaker to a teacher (Jean Parker) and a misplaced cowboy (Richard Carlson). When the three are tragically killed in a plane crash they return as ghosts to watch over the couple whom they have left a significant inheritance.

Beyond Tomorrow is one of a handful of Hollywood movies of the era to deal with themes of spirituality and guardian angels; notable examples include Here Comes Mr Jordan (Alexander Hall, 1941) and It's a Wonderful Life (Frank Capra, 1946). Unfortunately this movie is nowhere near the caliber of those classics.

Although relatively short, at roughly 80 minutes, I found it a chore to watch. It's early scenes, centered around the holiday season are easily its best. However the film soon descends into hollow sentimentality and mawkishness, with Adele Comandini's screenplay lacking the dramatic strength to overcome the corny and frankly odd premise. The 'B' movie is also lacking star talent, although Richard Carlson later would make an impression in Universal's late period monster flick Creature from the Black Lagoon (Jack Arnold, 1954). A bigger name would certainly have lent the movie a little more cache but, to be honest, I think it would do little to help either the pedestrian script or A Edward Sutherland's workmanlike direction. 

I also feel this movie was slightly miss sold, as only its first third is festive. In a shameless yuletide cash grab the movie has latterly been marketed as Beyond Christmas. Cynical though this may be, the title is actually more accurate as much of the feature does, indeed, take place after Christmas!

I am a sucker for a decent Christmas film and Golden Age Hollywood is my favourite era of filmmaking, but this turkey of a movie did nothing for me. By all means worth a watch for the curious. Just don't expect it to fill you with Christmas joy. 

Turkey Hollow (2015)

Turkey Hollow (Dir: Kirk R Thatcher, 2015).

Jim Henson’s Turkey Hollow, to give the movie its full on-screen title, is based upon a Henson project unrealised during the Muppet master’s lifetime. 

As originally co-written by Henson and Jerry Juhl, The Musical Monsters of Turkey Hollow, would presumably have taken the form of a holiday special along the lines of Emmet Otter’s Jugband Christmas (Jim Henson, 1977) and the Easter special The Tale of the Bunny Picnic (Jim Henson & David G Hiller, 1986).  Instead Turkey Hollow is a feature length TV movie combining puppets and humans, produced by The Jim Henson Company for the Lifetime Network.

Following their parents divorce, teenagers Tim (Graham Verchere) and Annie (Genevieve Buechner) are forced to spend the Thanksgiving holiday with their Aunt Cly (Mary Steenburgen) in the rustic town of Turkey Hollow. Learning of a local 10 foot mythical monster The Howling Hoodoo, Tim sets out to find the beast. Instead he encounters the friendly forest monsters Squonk, Zorp, Burble and Thring as well as uncovering the illegal activities of a neighbouring turkey farmer, who poses a threat to his Aunt's farm. 

As dictated by its made-for-TV budget, Turkey Hollow is not as lavish as Henson's fantasy epics The Dark Crystal (J Henson & Frank Oz, 1982) or Labyrinth (J. Henson, 1986). Neither is it the Muppet-fest you may have hoped for. The puppets are used fairly sporadically and serve the otherwise human led story. However, when they do appear, the puppets, as you would expect, are excellent. Their time on screen is the undoubted highlight of the low key movie and the foursome are as appealing as any other monsters to emerge from the Henson stable. The humans almost take a backseat whenever the puppets appear, although performances are solid throughout, especially the always dependable Mary Steenburgen. 

The plot of Turkey Hollow is simple and not particularly original; the movie equivalent of a light snack rather than a Thanksgiving feast, with an unnecessary narration by Chris 'Ludacris' Bridges as the stuffing. Nothing against Mr Bridges; he is personable enough in his role of narrator and wears some lovely knitwear. However, these breaks in the narrative are merely exposition where none is needed. Presumably the lead in and outs for commercial breaks during TV airings, these segments seem intrusive when the feature is viewed on DVD without intermissions. A romantic subplot between Aunt Cly and local Sheriff Grover (Reese Alexander) feels both under developed and slightly out of place and the one dimensional bad guys will only seem like a genuine threat to the youngest audience members. Otherwise the movie is a mostly endearing tale which, while not approaching the genius high standards of his best work, does nothing to tarnish the legacy of Mr Henson.

The Thanksgiving special is a far less common beast than the Christmas or Easter special. As such, this movie is a nice addition to that fairly exclusive club and, due to scarcity, is ultimately one the better examples of the genre. Turkey Hollow may not quite rank as a holiday classic, but it is a sweetly old fashioned treat and one you should find merits re-visiting during the festive season.