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Movies

Arthur Christmas: movie review

( PG )

( Monitor Movie Guide )

How does Santa deliver all those presents in one night? The charming English animation 'Arthur Christmas' has the answer.

Aardman Animations/HONS/Sony Pictures/AP

'Arthur Christmas' is fast-paced and funny, putting an original spin on an old story.

By Peter Rainer Film critic

Dec. 02, 2011, 3:23 p.m. ET

The English-based Aardman animation studio 鈥撀爐he folks who brought us those marvelous stop-motion characters Wallace and Gromit and Shaun the Sheep 鈥撀爃ave come up with a lovely 3-D feature film, 鈥�Arthur Christmas,鈥� directed and co-written by Sarah Smith, that manages to put a new spin on old material. The question it poses is: How does Santa get all those presents out to millions (billions?) of certifiably well-behaved children in one night?聽

The answer, if this movie is to believed 鈥� and yes, Virginia, why not? 鈥� is that Santa employs a vast squadron of gift-delivering elves in what amounts to an annual global commando raid. The crisis here is that one little girl in Cornwall has been mistakenly overlooked. How to get a pink bicycle under her tree in time for Christmas morning?

Since the Santa family is somewhat dysfunctional, it falls to 136-year-old Grandsanta (voiced by Bill Nighy) and his grandson and possible Santa heir apparent Arthur (James McAvoy), to save the day. The action is swift and witty, and the 3-D effects are imaginative and not simply tacked on as with so many animated movies these days. Grade:聽A- (Rated PG for some mild rude humor.)