Happy Holidays everybody! Welcome to a brand new review of a recent Christmas movie that matches with the holiday spirit and has become very popular, and influential in the world of animation in recent times which is of course Klaus! Now for those who aren’t familiar with this movie it was the long gestating project from Disney Animation veteran, Sergio Pablos, who also worked on many notable animated features such as Despicable Me. It was noteworthy for being a traditional animated feature though as enticing as that may be to animation fans it was hard to find a distributor since most studios found it to be too risky of a venture. Though eventually things worked out as Netflix was able to pick up the feature and it premiered on the service (and had a limited theatrical run) last November and it eventually ended up gaining a huge following, and being nominated/winning many awards (it ended up sweeping the Annie Awards). So now since we’re in the holiday season it would be an appropriate time to look at it and if it’s deserving of all the wild recognition. Spoiler alert but I have do agree with much of the praise. Now let’s dive into the untold story concerning the legend of Santa Claus and see what makes this one stand out from the rest!
The film tells the story of one Jesper Johansson, a spoiled, and lazy man whose father is the Royal Postmaster General. He’s constantly trying to flunk his way out of being apart of the postman academy, and his father is getting tired of this nonsense as it leaves him no choice but to send his son to the town of Smeerensburg where within a year’s time Jasper must post 6,000 letter or else he’ll be cut out from the family fortune. When Jasper arrives he soon realizes what a daunting task this actually is as the town itself is very bleak, and miserable due to the warring families that reside there the Krums, and the Ellingboes. Of course he struggles in getting any letters at first, but things begin to change when he tries to mail a young boy’s drawing and ends up running into a reclusive woodsman named Klaus, and his home discovering a whole bunch of handmade toys. Klaus forces Jasper to take him to the boy’s house so he can deliver a toy, and soon after word begins to spread about this and the children of the town start writing letters to this mysterious person. Seeing this as an opportunity Jasper convinces Klaus to continue doing this so he can get the letters he needs. But what starts as a clever scheme to achieve a goal soon becomes something much bigger, and inspiring that could help change Smeerensburg for the better.
There have been so many stories involving the Santa Claus mythos that it’s hard to keep track of them all which makes it all the more impressive that this particular movie is able to stand out from the pack and tell it’s own unique take on the character. One of the stand out elements is how this movie is able to cleverly put it’s own spin on the origins of how Christmas came to be and all of the aspects that Santa Claus is known for (the milk and cookies, flying reindeer, giving presents to nice kids, and coal to naughty kids, etc.) and it’s all done in a way that’s really fun and makes this a memorable interpretation of the classic tale. But while all of that is fun and the movie can be really funny at times with it’s fair share of over the top slapstick, witty dialogue, and a couple of hilariously dark jokes here and there all of it is in service of a heartwarming story that is brimming with hope, and optimism and is really about how one true act of kindness can help start something special and make things better (a message repeated a lot here but still important nonetheless). Especially in a year like this it’s always nice to have a movie like this and the film does have a number of moments that do hit hard in terms of emotion and are handled effectively yet it also has plenty of scenes that focus on the joy that the people around the town start to feel when Klaus, and Jasper do their thing that are just pleasant to watch. Another thing I really like about this movie is how it takes it’s time without ever feeling too frenetic or in a hurry and knows when to settle down and let the audience take things in and keep the investment which is not an easy feat to accomplish. This is also a benefit when it comes to the atmosphere which is actually one of the stand out aspects of the feature since every place we visit feels very lived in where the settings feel like characters themselves (more on that in a bit). Now the movie does have it’s fair share of clichés, and tropes that we’ve seen many times before like the snobby jerk who gradually changes for the better over time, a family that has had a feud for a long time, a scene where the main character’s secret is revealed, and so on and so forth and that’s not necessarily a bad thing as long as those tropes are well executed and most of them are for the most part but there are some (like the liar reveal even if it does lead to a very nice moment that I won’t give away) that could’ve been resolved better or handled a little differently. Still it all leads to a very satisfying conclusion that tugs on the heartstrings and this was just a very well told story that worked on many levels.
Now what made people really excited about this movie was how finally after a such a long time there was going to finally be another mainstream 2D animated feature and how many were hoping that this would revitalize that medium (even though if you look around the rest of the world they have plenty of those). While I’m someone who loves all types of animation and doesn’t see one as superior to the other it was really neat seeing a traditional hand drawn animated movie like this and may I say that from the first frame all the way to the end that this movie is absolutely gorgeous. The animators actually incorporates both 2D, and 3D elements and for the most part everything looked seamless as I felt both were used properly and it’s really cool what they were able to accomplish here. There is a lot to admire when it comes to the animation here like the backgrounds because as I mentioned before the town of Smeerensburg feels like a character in and of itself with how it looks and all the little details sprinkled around to make it feel as such even more and it makes it all the more memorable a setting. Really the way the environments in general were handled was very well done so gotta give props to the animators who worked on that. As for the designs that’s also a highlight as I really like them every single one looks distinct from one to the other and not just the ones who are the focus but also the large amount of background character present as well which makes this doubly impressive that they all look unique and memorable while the movements are appropriately expressive, and energetic when needed. This energy brings us back to the physical comedy which is one the things I’m sure the animators had a ton of fun doing as it is very entertaining to watch and it even lends to some excitement at certain points like in the climactic sleigh chase and yes Pablos does do a really great job behind the camera and does being make good use of his experience in the field of animation from the past. Then there’s the music of the feature and while I do like Alfonso Gonzalez Aguilar’s composition as it does fit the movie well I wasn’t too big on some of the music cues that involved more modern music. Sure “Invisible” (the original song for the movie sung by Zara Larsson) is fine but that’s sung during a scene where it fit in well, and the credits, whereas in other instances the songs don’t really mesh well what’s going on very well and it can be really jarring at times (don’t even get me started on that scene involving the postman rap). But still luckily it doesn’t happen too much so as to distract from what’s going on entirely especially sine the movie is so darn pretty to look at anyway.
Just as I was talking about there being familiar elements mostly done correctly in the story this can also apply to the characters as well. First there’s Jasper who is the typical snobbish rich guy who finds himself in a situation, and unfamiliar environment and starts with selfish intentions but gradually begins to become a better person as the movie goes on. While he may not be the most likable at first at the beginning and can be a little annoying at times I still found him to be solid protagonist as his journey is very well realized, and even at the beginning his intentions are never harmful, and he’s not a complete jerk as well which is smart in getting the audience invested in him. Plus Jason Schwartzman is fun in the role and does a really nice job with the material given, and I really like the relationships he develops with many of the different characters in particular a little somi girl he comes to befriend (who may I add is just the cutest) which is one of the stand out elements of the whole thing for just how fleshed out it is. Oh and of course there’s the friendship he forms over time with the man himself, Klaus, who is voiced by none other than J.K. Simmons who is always a welcome presence and he is great in this role playing the stern, mostly silent man who eventually starts to warm up to Jasper and shows a kind, and caring personality with aces. He’s probably my favorite character in the movie as he serves as an effective foil to Jasper making the two a memorable pairing and he has a surprisingly dark, and tragic backstory involving his wife made for one of the more emotional parts of the movie and I love the way in which it’s told and plays into the story. Jasper also gets a love interest in the form of Rashida Jones’s Alva, a former teacher turned fishmonger, who is enjoyable and gets some fun lines, has a strong personality, has nice chemistry with Jasper, and does go through a nice arc as the film goes on even if it does feel like there are times where she doesn’t get a whole lot to do. As for the villains well those roles are filled by the heads of the family, Mr. Aksel Ellingboe (Will Sasso), and Mrs. Tammy Krum (Joan Cusack) and they are pretty standard for the most part as two typical warring families where it’s never explained why they fight exactly. Still the performances given by Sasso, and Cusack are fun (as are their two big kids who get some fun little moments), and I like how the movie is saying something about how pointless petty grievances can be and how it’s better to move on from them. Oh and almost forgot to mention one of the stand outs of the cast which is Norm Macdonald as the seaboat captain, Mogens, who is just hilarious as he just seems so intent to give Jasper a hard time and his sarcasm really does lead to a lot of great laughs. Overall these are all fun characters who serve the movie wonderfully and manage to leave an impression.
Klaus is a movie that I definitely see becoming an annual Christmas time watch for me as it hits a lot of the right notes that make it so rewatchable. It may not reach perfection as it does have a lot of familiar element with some that could’ve been handled better, some music cues feel out of place, and the villains aren’t the most compelling but it more than makes up for that with it’s execution of those familiar tropes, a creative take on the Santa Claus mythos, lots of powerful moments, innovative, and beautiful animation, and some really well developed characters. This is a movie whose success I hope opens the doors to more experimental animated films like it and if you have Netflix, and are an animation fan or someone who wants something nice to watch for the holidays this is a great choice that I highly recommend. Who knows you may find it to be a brand new new movie for annual viewing just like me? Just a darn great movie that absolutely deserves the praise it has gotten and I can see why it has such a large fanbase. Can’t wait to see what other animated ventures the streamer has up it’s sleeve in the future that’s for sure!
Rating: A-
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