Papá Noel se va de vacaciones

A very different kind of mood from its companion piece, THE SNOWMAN, FATHER Christmas is a comic story about the real life of Santa Claus and what he gets up to on the 364 days of the year when he's not at work. Mel Smith has a ball voicing somebody who turns out to be completely irascible and bad tempered, yet endearing at the same time.

The same qualities that apply to the other Raymond Briggs classics are present here; namely, fine animation and a dual appeal to both children and adult viewers alike. Yet the subject matter isn't as sentimental as THE BEAR or THE SNOWMAN and that stops it from being a heartwarming classic like those productions; nevertheless it still makes for an entirely watchable little half hour.

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!

I absolutely loved Father Christmas when I was a kid, and I still love it now. It is something I watch as a tradition every Christmas, along with the Snowman and the Tailor of Gloucester. I do not it is quite as good as the Snowman, which is for me a genuine Christmas treasure. And let me tell you, this is just superb. The animation is very fine, smooth and sophisticated-looking, and the music is beautiful. What I loved most though about Father Christmas was its humour. A vast majority of it is uproariously funny, namely anything Father Christmas says. Not only that, but kids and adults can understand it. Another winner was the portrayal of Father Christmas himself, voiced with real enthusiasm by comedian Mel Smith. While he is in some ways benevolent, Father Christmas is also gruff and rather humorous, particularly the use of "bloomin'" before every word or so he says. There are some truly memorable parts to this Christmas masterpiece, namely the Snowman party where the two main characters from the Snowman make an appearance, the running to and fro from the lavatory and when Father Christmas is delivering the presents. The parts where he is taking a vacation are pretty funny as well. The story is clever and original, and I think interesting as well. In short, Father Christmas is magical. If you love the Snowman, you will absolutely love this. It should be part of your Christmas tradition if not so already. 10/10 Bethany Cox

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.

This is another animated film from Raymond Briggs, showing the life of 'Father Christmas'. It is almost as full of magic as 'The Snowman' (another classic), but not quite.

There are some people (my sister included) who do not like this film, as it shows Santa to be a fairly normal man, a grumpy man. But to me, it is this that makes the film even more fun. It's nice to think of Santa in this way, and I for one, love it.

The film also ties in well with 'The Snowman' and features the snowman party, where the young boy meets Father Christmas. Overall I would recommend this film to anyone, although it may not be quite to everyone's taste, I give it 9/10.