In December 2014, I worked at a tutoring center catering to a bunch of young kids. Not surprisingly, they didn’t want to work on math or science during the holidays, and I felt terrible forcing them to do it, so every once in a while, I would prop up my laptop and throw on a movie for them. The search criteria for these movies were “Is it free on youtube” and “is it age-appropriate.” It was real “Teacher of the Year” stuff.

“Arthur Christmas” was a movie they selected, and within twenty seconds of hitting play, they were completely ensorcelled. They reacted similarly while watching “Free Birds,” so I didn’t think much of their fascination. Then I started paying attention to the plot and found myself resisting the urge to shove them aside and hog my laptop to myself because “Arthur Christmas” is that good.

“Arthur Christmas” is a new take on the Santa legacy. In this world, “Santa” isn’t a person so much as a position down from son to son. The current Santa, Malcolm Claus (voiced by Jim Broadbent), has held the title since 1941 after inheriting it from Grandsanta (Bill Nighy), and even though it’s well past time for him to retire, he still enjoys the glory of being Santa just a little too much. Meanwhile, Steven Claus (Hugh Laurie) is running the whole show at this point and is waiting for his dad to step down so he can rightfully assume the role of Santa. Steven’s brother, Arthur (James McAvoy), is a sweet dummy who works in the mail room. 

In the futuristic year of 2011, Steven has Christmas night running like a well-oiled machine, much to Grandsanta’s chagrin, as he could do the whole thing with just a wooden sleigh and the reindeer. After completing Christmas, Arthur wants to sit down to a nice meal with his family, but the men in his family won’t stop bickering. Mrs. Claus, Margaret Claus, who has more competence than anyone else in the family, is also ready for her husband to retire so Steven can take up the mantle of Santa Claus.

After this sad family dinner, Arthur learns from an eager elf, Bryony (Ashley Jensen), that the North Pole lost a present during the commotion of Christmas Eve, and a child didn’t receive her Christmas present. Bryony takes her job as a present wrapper with the seriousness of a heart surgeon and is determined to right this wrong. As Arthur has corresponded with the young girl whose present is missing (and because Steven is too angry to care about one gift), he decides to take it upon himself to deliver this present.

With the help of Grandsanta, Bryony the elf, and some obsolete reindeer, Arthur goes on a worldwide adventure to make sure a young child has a present to open on Christmas day. Except, because Arthur’s not a smart guy but a nice one, he beefs it and ends up in multiple dangerous scenarios and wrong locations. 

I won’t tell you how this movie ends beyond “things work out for the best.” If you’re anything like me, you’ll be happy with the turn of events. I think this movie has the right message: in times of crisis, it’s important to put aside your ego and do the right thing. That’s what makes Arthur such a great character.

Arthur is the movie’s main character, but he doesn’t exhibit “Main Character Energy.” He genuinely loves Christmas and is completely shattered at the thought that a child might go without a Christmas present. He’s a selfless guy who cares and is reluctant to assume the mantle of hero, mostly because he’s aware of his incompetence (which is relatable, bud).

Bryony, the gift-wrapping elf, is a lot like Arthur in that she’s wildly enthusiastic about her job, except she also might be on caffeine pills. She provides a stark contrast to the self-obsessed Clauses (minus Arthur). Her passion for her work is inspiring (imagine if I had approached accounting with that vigor) and appropriate for the movie. Don’t you want to imagine that the elves at the North Pole are all just passionate workers who love their jobs? 

Arthur Christmas is a movie you can feel comfortable watching with your family due to the very PG nature of its content, but it’s not a simple story. I’ve watched this movie multiple times, and I notice a new joke or visual gag with each viewing. An impressive amount of work went into crafting this movie’s script and design, so while it will keep kids entertained, you won’t be bored. 

If anything, this movie may move too quickly for some audiences. I watch a lot of Christmas movies with my sister, Bean, and my Yaiyai, who much prefer the pace of films like “Love Actually” and “The Holiday,” (and in Yaiyai’s case, every Hallmark Christmas movie ever). And I don’t mean to disparage anyone who likes those movies: I’m a huge fan of “The Holiday,” and I think it’s important to take people’s preferences into account when selecting a movie to watch together.

The last spoiler I’ll give about this movie is letting you know there’s no romantic subplot unless you count the marriage between Mr. and Mrs. Claus (which is admittedly quite sweet). Arthur has no love interest, and neither do any of the other characters in this movie, unless you count Peter the elf, who no doubt has a thing for his boss, Steve. That concerns me more because it’s a conflict of interest. Peter may have to change departments if he wants a relationship with Steven to work.

“Arthur Christmas” is currently streaming on Max, although if you’re a DVD owner then I think you should just buy a copy because you’ll want to add this to your yearly rotation. 

And if anyone who reads this encounters some Peter the Elf/Steven Claus fanfiction, I would be mortified if you shared that with me by commenting on the links or going to my “Contact” page and messaging me. Definitely don’t do that.