All right, Virginia… Whereas so many family holiday films hinge on whether kids believe in Santa Claus, Netflix charmer “That Christmas” makes the case that it’s more important for kids to believe in themselves.
Adapted from a trio of picture books by “Love Actually” scribe Richard Curtis, the feel-good animated feature is chock full of kids second-guessing their self-worth — and not just in the naughty-or-nice department, either. A handful of key characters doubt whether they’re deserving of love, on account of absentee parents or pushback from authority figures. Leave it to Curtis (and co-writer Peter Souter) to deliver some affirmational proof that each of them matters in the absence of adults — with an assist from old St. Nick, who pops in to deliver some strategically timed presents while most of the grown-ups are AWOL.
Set in the tiny English town of Wellington-on-Sea, the story zooms in on a small coastal community to observe a phenomenon that’s been happening all over the world — namely, how this most traditional of holidays is bending and flexing to reflect today’s values. That’s probably most clear in the character of Bernadette (voiced by India Brown), who rewrites the annual Christmas pageant to be more woke. She means well, but may have gone too far in the execution, inadvertently splattering the first few rows with watermelon pulp. Fine for a Gallagher concert, but less than ideal at a school play.
Kicking off with her nativity catastrophe injects “That Christmas” with a nice dose of comedic energy from the jump, while also serving to introduce practically the entire ensemble. Right away, we meet Danny (Jack Wisniewski), a quick-to-blush boy dressed as a giant chickpea — hardly your traditional Christmas costume, but a good disguise for someone so shy he’d curl up in his own cave if he could. Danny has a crush on good-girl classmate Sam (Zazie Hayhurst), but can’t muster up the courage to tell her as much, which is just as well, since Sam has her hands full trying to keep her wild twin sister Charlie (Sienna Sayer) in check.
Danny’s parents are getting divorced, which isn’t something you typically see in Christmas movies — so much the better, since it reflects the sort of real-world challenge that affects how today’s kids experience the holidays. Danny’s single mum is doing her best, expressing her love via Post-It notes (paying off with a scene not unlike the handwritten signs in “Love Actually”), even as her demanding nursing job obliges her to leave the boy unattended.
Meanwhile, on the day before Christmas, nearly all the other parents find themselves stranded in a blizzard, which puts Bernadette (who’d been desperate to modernize the festivities anyway) in charge of how to celebrate in their absence. Her storyline comes directly from the title picture book, while Danny and the twins represent the plots of companion books “Snow Day” and “The Wrong Stocking.” It all adds up to a nearly overwhelming Christmas for Wellington, but at least the weather’s not so terrible that Santa can’t get through (he’s voiced by Brian Cox here, and down to one reindeer).
While the town might be tiny, it reflects modern England in interesting ways, from the presence of non-Christian characters to the design of two girls with a Black mother and ginger-haired white father: Bernadette and her kid sister Evie sport bright red hair and freckles. Such inclusive details can feel forced in some recent toons, but here, they add dimension to a cast that’s bursting with personality (and compensate for animation that looks a little flatter than its big-studio competition). Consider the twins, who appear anything but identical, so different are their dispositions: Rosy-cheeked Sam nervously plays with her hair, while Charlie rocks a more disheveled look, befitting the kind of girl who’d unleash a barn full of turkeys, rather than see them gobbled up for Christmas dinner.
Curtis’ name will surely be the selling point for many parents, who’ll get a kick out of inside jokes taken at the expense of the writers’ other credits. Even so, it’s worth pointing out a trio of talents from DreamWorks’ “How to Train Your Dragon” who’ve reunited at Locksmith Animation (the studio behind “Ron’s Gone Wrong”): First, there’s Simon Otto, head of character animation on the “Dragon” movies, making a winsome feature directing debut with this project. Producer Bonnie Arnold is also along for the ride, bringing her upbeat instincts to the mix. And composer John Powell supplies a swirling orchestral score that gives the whole enterprise a sense of scale.
There are a lot of story threads to juggle here, and they don’t always braid neatly (the stocking mix-up is solved almost immediately, whereas the tentative friendship between Danny and the school’s most intimidating teacher takes nearly the entire film to develop). While English accents add an element of charm, the Boxing Day coda seems an odd way to wrap things, at least for those who know nothing of such sportive traditions. Every season brings dozens of new Christmas offerings, most of which prove instantly forgettable. This one’s a keeper, joining “Klaus” as a Netflix toon you could actually enjoy watching more than once.
“That Christmas” will be available for streaming on Netflix beginning Dec. 4.
