Klaus (2019)

Wasn't sure what to expect but completely exceeded all my expectations. Funny, smart and with heart. The animation and production quality is fantastic. Has that classic 2D animation aesthetic combined with 3D. Feast for the eyes, mind and heart. Great film, thanks for the little Christmas gift. 😁

Fmovies: This is what this film feels like: sitting around a fire and being engrossed in a story that someone remembers from long ago. Is the plot very original? Maybe not, but it is well paced and has some surprises along the way that make Klaus special. Here, we have a sincere, funny and engaging film, that doesn't rely on ironic jokes to tie in the adults, or on the integration of modern technology to hold the kids' interest. It just tells a story.

The story is about a spoiled young man who is sent into the little backwater village of Smeerensburg to take over the post office. Jesper has to deliver 6000 letters by the end of a year or he'll be cut off by his wealthy father. After he meets the reclusive toymaker Klaus, Jesper starts to plot his way out of Smeerensburg by roping in the kids of the village. Along the way he makes some friends, changes some lives and, well, grows up.

This is, in a way, Jesper's coming of age story, even though he is a fully grown man to begin with. But this is also Klaus' growing old story. I found this apect very touching - the old and widowed hermit finds a new purpose in his life and gets to be happy for a few years yet. You do not see that sort of plotline in animated movies very often. The subplot of the warring clans of Smeerensburg was hilarious and reminded me a little of Asterix and Obelix.

Apart from the old school, but very well executed plot, it is worthwhile to talk about Klaus' technical realization. Firstly, the animation is gorgeous. The lighting is magnificent. The look is excellent. This film looks exactly as lovingly detailed as a Christmas movie should. The handdrawn animation is very effective - it gives the film a very soft and almost canvas-like feeling, while still making good use of the smooth and fast execution that CGI affords.

Klaus isn't dunked in polished, on-the-nose effects, but is, you might say, warmly covered in a carefully crafted blanket of twinkling forest lights and harsh mountain snows and accompanied by a little, gruff town of crooked and funny looking houses and crooked and funny-looking people. In Klaus, we do not encounter a string of slightly altered clones, that all have the same body type and facial features (looking at you Disney) but a jumbled ensemble of big and round, tall and bent, young and middle aged and old characters, who all look and act differently from each other.

The only criticism I can honestly think of is that Klaus lacks a little on female representation. Its central female characters, Ava and Márgu, felt a little sidelined to me, especially given the fact that theirs could have been the better story, if told accordingly. But given the fact that I still loved it, I can't really hold this against Klaus.

So, just in time for Christmas, Klaus is a thoroughly enjoyable treat of a movie that I will probably recommend excessively over the next few weeks.

Sure, sappiness is cute, and fun to indulge in. I thought I'd seen it all. But what sappiness was in the movie well used. The main thrust was not sappy. It was a well told story, with the proper nuances in the animation and the vocalization. I consider this movie to be for adults. You will thoroughly enjoy it.

Klaus fmovies. If postmodernism is defined as a rejection of morality and human nature, then this animated story is a repudiation of that rejection, but done in a refreshingly adult and not too overly sentimental way.

Thankfully, there are none of the usual Hollywood tropes; rather, the characters and situation are very grounded despite having elements of the fantastical and surrealism mixed in. It is not even Disney-esque, which is also a very good good thing.

That this "Santa Claus" is not the only main character is moreover a good choice by the writers. By doing so, the story is able to focus on how a mythical character could conceivably come to be - and that makes for a very interesting and entertaining premise.

Everything about this animated story is well done: The animation is crisp and detailed; the dialogues are convincing and at times humorous; the music fits, is modern, and used judiciously.

Young children will not probably understand the deeper meanings, but everyone else will.

What an amazing movie ! The animation is perfect and the plot even better. Worth every minute.

Just watched with my kids. Absolutely loved every minute of it. A beautiful family movie that is sure to become a Christmas classic.