David y los elfos

Well long time I haven't seen such a funny and beautiful Christmas movie , I'm not looking for flaws in the details, the important thing is that it was watched by the whole family with a lot of laughter. Congratulations.

This production screams quality. The sets, costume, acting, and direction down to camera movements and an overall directorial vision that is cohesive and deliberate. These are a few of the excellent qualities of Michal Rogalski's "Dawid i Elfy" (David and the Elves).

I was enthralled right up until someone spoke. This has nothing to do with any the voice actors' ability or talent, it is the fault of whoever chose to overdub this film rather than to just have subtitles. It is likely no worse than any other film's overdubbing, however, with a film of this quality, it comes across as cheap, rushed and performed by actors that seeming didn't have enough time to prepare for their roles and who just ended up reading lines (often in isolation and not interacting with other actors) into a microphone in a studio. I very well could be wrong but that is my major gripe with this otherwise great little film.

According to Wikipedia, Poland has only made a total of 4 Christmas films as of the time of writing: The Nutcracker (1967), Letters to Santa (1&2), and David and the Elves. It is clear that as a country, Poland has for the most part been very private with its Christmas traditions and lore, and I would like to start by saying thank you so much for opening yourselves up so that we of the rest of the world can have such a glimpse of your Holiday Season. The acting is well done and the fact that it has an English dubbed version on Netflix is even better. I especially loved the clever little references to other Christmas films, such as The Santa Clause with the beard scene. The cinematography was excellent, on par with other traditional films such as The Christmas Chronicles, however low-budget it may have been. The story is wonderful and heartwarming and an absolute joy to watch. Thank you, Poland, for sharing such a unique and charming Christmas tale with us. I would love a sequel.

Obvious, I love it. Because it preserves all flavors of my childhood . Because it is that kind of Christmas films proposing self rediscover. An elf looking for know the people. A Santa having not the most charming experiences with humans. A boy and his father, exploring, together, a fantastic world. A skeptical mother. The grandparends reminding, in some measure, the grandpa of Heidi. And a lot of adventures.

I do not know what can propose/ suggest this film to a Western / American public. For me, it was a fine resurrection of memories about Arabella, Polish animation, Soviet fairy tales adaptations.

Sure, a lot of unrealistic situations ( the turn of mother can be the first ) and flaws. But it is a profound charming film. This is its basic trait, most important fact and the feelings after final credits are the best. And the young Dawid propose a great role, reminding, in fair way, the unique maturity and wisdome of children.

I wasn't expecting much but it is one of the best Christmas movies I have seen. The main character is eleven, and the movie should land well with that demographic, and their parents. It was uneven at times but the kids probably won't notice because there is the right mix of action, humour and emotion throughout. It would be easy to experience this story with the characters for anybody with imagination. Acting is much better than I was expecting. The songs are underwhelming but sincere. Note: I watched this in Polish with subtitles, not the dubbed version. Definitely worth the time to invest seeing with your grandkids and some hot cocoa :)