Father Christmas

This version of Raymond Brigg's Father Christmas is a Butchered Americanized version. Narrated by an American actor, this version looses all the charm of the English version voiced by Mel Smith, the Original Father Christmas! This is NOT that version! This is a censored chopped version that just doesn't translate well over to American audiences.

In Father Christmas, Santa is not the Politically Correct Santa that prudish Americans would like you to see. He is a cantankerous Santa whom complains, and grumbles all the while that he is doing things. So much so, that he takes a vacation to Scotland, where he drinks at a Pub/bar. Vegas, were he gambles and smokes around bikini clad women. This Santa is shown as a normal person. At a couple times, they even show his butt, to which my God daughters think is the most hilarious thing. It gives a very strong impression that he is a real person. The American version is trying for that rankin/bass whimsical Christmas thing, but it just doesn't work with English Humor. Even the Finally song sung by the American actor shows a more benevolent, Richard Attenburough figure. The Elf-boss (Rudolph, the Red Nosed Reindeer) is more cantankerous than the actor in this one. The original is more like an annoyed Bob Hoskins.

If you can, look for the F.H.E version of this movie online on Ebay. It's well worth it and extremely entertaining for both children and adults. It's no worse than the Grinch (Jim Carey version). Children won't notice some of the slightly more adult scenes that show only long enough for adults to register it. English humor abounds in this version.

To aid you in the search for the original are two ASIN numbers below:

English version number: ASIN: B000006672 Great Version!!!

Americanized Version Number: ASIN: 0767800400 Butchered!!!

One of the very best of all Christmas films, notwithstanding, if I may say so under IMDb guidelines, a misjudged return to SNOWMANland and some sovereign-directed sycophancy. The whole idea of Santa Claus - one man delivering presents to all the millions of children in one night; flying reindeers; fat man fitting through chimney - is so full of magic, fantasy, and the sublime: this is a typically English vision, deliberately secular and iconoclastic, that makes the great man understandable and recognisable, a grumbling, narrow-minded worker like the rest of us, a little suburban man, and yet manages to still evoke a considerable sense of wonder.

The film begins rather startlingly, as Father Christmas, voiced by the similarly statured ex-comedian Mel Smith, breaks the air of gentle fantasy conjured up by the title and opening credits, to attack the viewer. He is on the defensive, assuming we judge him a workshy fop who only has to work one night in the year. His life, he assures us, is one of high, banal, dudgeon, and the one time he tried to take a break ended in failure.

This sequence is a brilliantly satiric portrait of the English abroad, parochial, suspicious but essentially up-for-it. First he goes to France, where, to fit in with the locals, he dresses in stereotypical garb (beret, striped pullover etc), and eats to bowel-troubling excess. In permanently lashing Scotland, where the locals are friendly, and the drink flows as freely as the rain, he is attacked by a shark in an isolated tarn. In Las Vegas, a vulgar neo-Roman travesty, Father seems most at home, breakfast in bed, afternoons and cocktails in the pool, until he loses all his money gambling. On each occasion he is forced to leave, not just because of touristy zeal, but because he is recognised as Father Christmas, one stereotype (Father Christmas) displacing the pleasure of another (the Englishman abroad).

The portrait of Father Christmas here is extremely winning, a gruff, whining man in his pleasant terraced house, with his cat and frisky dog, with earthy views and a frank way of expressing himself. You would think that the demythologising of Father Christmas would be complete when we see him deshabille in the bath, running to the toilet after overeating (in a brilliant, disturbing sequence, he passes his own self in the rushes to and fro from camper to lavatory), or shouting 'blooming' all the time.

And when Christmas finally arrives, with the millions of letters blocking up his doorstep, the sled a bit creaky, and weighed down by the amount of presents, the grumbling continues. But the real Father Christmas cannot escape the magic of his calling, and the animation, which had been as smartly inventive and sassily ironic as an American short, takes on a shimmering, ethereal quality, juxtaposed with our hero's very real difficulties with chimnies, and you find yourself gasping at how they achieved such a smooth change of tone.

Watching Father Christmas is a tradition for my brother and I, we also watch it before Christmas Day, ever since we were young kids. It is a sweet natured cartoon based on a illustrated book by Raymond Briggs.

This version of Father Christmas lives in an English suburb, in a ordinary terrace house with his pet dog and cat, and of course his reindeers. He is kind hearted, but grumpy, who moans about the image his has. He has to focus on daily chorus that are related to Christmas. He decides to spend his time for once on holiday, going to France, Scotland and Las Vegas, before having to get everything ready for Christmas.

The animation is simple, and old fashioned and wonderful to watch. There is good designs and art direction throughout and the style is very close to the book. The plot is different to the traditional Father Christmas story where he is a not a jolly man living at the North Pole with a lot of elves, but a old man living a normal live, except on Christmas Eve. The story itself is simple and sweet natured, perfect for children, young and old. There is good comedy, some physical, but mostly based on Father Christmas' attitude and view of live. Mel Smith voice was perfect for this version of the legend.

One of the best Christmas based films.

Endearing little spin off to the snowman. Father Christmas is a comedic modern spin on Santa Claus. Instead of showing some powerful magical being who lives away from everyone, it instead shows an ordinary guy with lots of chores a somewhat negative attitude and desperate for a break from work. It's a really fun spin on Santa and I love how despite his negative attitude he's shown to still be deeply caring, heartwarming and friendly. I can definitely recommend it but it can be a bit adult with Santa going to a casino and also drinking with Scottish man, he also blooming in almost every sentence. It's a cute movie Father Christmas is one of the most charismatic characters I've ever seen in this and the ties to the snowman are cute.

A well written and voiced over rendition of this story! Enjoy!

Much better than another voice over that I saw...the voice over makes this soooooo good!

The actors added so much flavour to this edition of the story...one must compare to hear precisely how much better this version is!

An incomparable story for the Christmas season; I watch it every year!

I really do not know how to make this version better. It has human - andimal relationships. Santa butt shots. Irreverent homour related to an old story.

Bloomin' genius!