Aquele Natal

Netflix offers us a very entertaining animated Christmas movie that brings all the British humor and sweetness to a family pastime with a nice message to enjoy.

Director Simon Otto brings Richard Curtis' script to life with a tenderness and lightness that allows us to enjoy a fun Christmas adventure that manages to bring out emotions and a few tears, too. It's an ensemble story that gives us fun characters with truly emotional stories that allow us to have a simple connection with several of them. Curtis' first foray into animation draws on the same authentic energies that made his previous works so beloved.

Its beautiful messages such as community, kindness, affection and pure love are reflected in a big heart and it is generous with its happy endings, which inevitably invites us to have a film full of positivity and generosity when it comes to making us feel delighted and comfortable with what we are watching.

It's a simple story. We won't find any major plot challenges within the story and you may never feel that evil is present, but even so the film manages to give us moments of tension and satisfaction in equal parts, making us experience a rather pleasant and delightful family pastime.

Netflix hits the mark again with its animated releases. Although the film may not be the most spectacular of the year in the genre, it has its British charm that makes it totally enjoyable and pleasant, allowing you to have a good time without having to try too hard, which helps to win over the little ones and the older ones in equal measure.

I must admit I found "Love Actually" to be far too saccharine-sweet for my taste and don't think of it at all when considering my favourite Christmas movies, but here Richard Curtis has a second crack at the season to be jolly with this movie, based on recent short stories he's written and published. The twist this time is that he's adapted them into an animated feature, directed by Simon Otto and featuring the voices of such prominent actors as Brian Cox, Bill Nighy and Jodie Whittaker, amongst many others.

It's pretty clear that we're back in Curtisland with the familiar use of multiple plot strands, gentle ribald humour, a touch of drama and a big heartwarming finale with a few Easter Eggs, just to mix up my festive seasons, thrown in too, with post-it messages replacing hand-held notice-boards, some more kooky dancing, a happy-ever-after (kiddie) love story and even a cheeky nod to "Love Actually" itself thrown in for good measure.

The plot or plots are simple enough to follow as a bunch of young kids are accidentally stranded at home while their parents are caught out in the wild on a road trip by a huge blizzard. While the mums and dads await rescue in their overturned Volkswagen camper van, the main focus is on the kids they left behind, who happily make hay while the snow falls, adapting Christmas to their own ends.

Bookended by a tribute to more obviously fantasy-filled Christmas fare by including the Christmas Eve mission of a hard-pressed Scots-accented Santa and reindeer, as ever Curtis seeks to cover a lot of bases with various messages of goodwill, family and love and while you can't quite escape the odd incursion of cloying sentimentality and despite the absence of a really memorable set-piece scene or even joke, I was happy to be transported to Wellington-on-Sea and safely returned to reality with a warm glow and smile on my face.

The animation was suitably colourful and inventive, the piece is well-voiced as you'd expect from the cast and there's a good mix of modern and classic Yuletide tunes on the soundtrack too.

All in all, this one makes for a good addition to the canon of entertaining Christmas movies and certainly cheered my wife and I, this approaching Christmas.

My daughter and I chose to hop into this one sporadically and it was so cute and warming. The variation of overlapping character experiences over the holidays and how they all work together to tell a larger tale of appreciation, gratitude and love during Christmas time is perfect for families and audiences of all ages. A truly heartfelt and palpable yet interestingly diverse assortment of characters across a wideset of ages makes it a movie anyone can relate to. I laughed and smiled!

It's a cute, magical and whimsical new Christmas story that is bound to be a favorite among many animated classics.

It's hard to call this a classic right away, but is it Good? Yes, it's very good.

The director has delivered other projects in live action. This film looks, feels and is written like a good holiday movie performed by capable actors.

The animation is excellent in its realistically rendered environments and caricatured personalities.

The story, or stories, also follow a more mature theme than typical cartoon fare. Parents trying too hard to manage every aspect of the children's lives, an aging single teacher allowing a little too much of her life's disappointments bleed into her teaching, a houseful of kids celebrating Christmas without parents who are unable to get home because of the weather, a shy, nervous twin trying to understand and love her disrespectful and naughty sister, and the main protagonist who ties all of this together: the new kid who's trying to fit in at school, understand his mom's challenges with being a new single parent, and get the nice girl at school to notice him.

It's all charming, funny, sad, redeeming and thoroughly enjoyable.

Highly recommend.

Santa tells the story of "that Christmas", his most difficult Christmas ever. Set in Wellington-on-Sea, England, we follow a bunch of characters whose plans are altered by a fierce snowstorm.

Danny has a crush on Sam but doesn't have the courage to tell her. Danny's Dad was supposed to visit them for the holidays, but he can't make it because of the storm. With his mom having to work on Christmas Day, Danny faces being alone on Christmas.

A Group of parents become stuck in the blizzard, while their children also face spending Christmas without them, but - undaunted - the kids plan on making it their best Christmas ever. There's the twins Sam and Charlie, of which one is nice while the other one is naughty - or is she really?

Ah, and then there's MS Trapper, who might come across as a strict and somewhat unpleasant teacher, but there's far more to this character than meets the eye! And somewhere in there is Santa, who is trying his best to spread the Christmas spirit.

'About Christmas' is a feel-good movie for the whole family. The stunning animation will appeal to young and old. The film is funny overall, but the subtle humour was by far the funniest!