Father Christmas

One of films keeping the spirit of Christmas in high manner. Beautiful, amusing, seductive and..perfect. Because it is more than an inspired adaptation but a pure and generous lovely gem of animation.

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.

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.

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!

"Father Christmas" is an unconventional Christmas cartoon. Why? Because it shows Santa in many ways you wouldn't expect...plus there is no Mrs. Claus, no elves and only two reindeer! But despite this, it is charming and well worth seeing.

The story begins just after Christmas and Santa is in need of a vacation...so he heads to France, Scotland and, finally, Las Vegas. But someone always recognizes him, so he returns home to prepare for the upcoming Christmas.

The artwork in this film is simply lovely...which isn't surprising since it was made by some of the same folks who made "The Snowman"...a gorgeously animated film from 1982. In fact, this same snowman makes an appearance near the end!

As for the story, it's odd to see a VERY folksy British version of Santa...but it's still sweet and cute and well worth seeing. I tend to be a tad cynical about Christmas films, but I thought this one and "The Snowman" are just lovely family films.