Arthur Christmas ★★★☆☆

The idea of running the Santa operation like a hyper-competent thriller spy agency is cute (if you don’t think about it too much). I was worried that the movie would have that as basically its only joke but it’s allowed to fade into the background without constant lampshade hanging or winking at the camera over it.

I was similarly worried that Arthur’s steadfast belief in the true spirit of Christmas would be a bit overbearing but his earnestness is cute without going totally overboard and the egos and cynicism of the other Santas have a groundedness that ties the silly antics into a plot that manages to feel real and touching despite my own inherit cynicism to stories about Christmas.