Mission Noël

Ce divertissement de Noël vif et coloré saura ravir les petits comme les grands, grâce à un humour rafraîchissant cultivant plusieurs idées gentiment saugrenues.

Arthur Christmas ferait un excellent outil pédagogique visant à initier les marmots, par le biais du récit fantaisiste, aux rudiments du capitalisme idéal et aux bienfaits de l'entreprise familiale.

Si les parents risquent de bailler aux corneilles (surtout qu'un vidéoclip de Justin Bieber est présenté en ouverture), peut-être que leurs progénitures seront intéressées par cette longue farce. Encore là, rien n'est moins sûr.

Arthur Christmas, premier long métrage d'animation de la réalisatrice Sarah Smith, est une véritable surprise du temps des Fêtes.

Le tout est mené à un rythme d'enfer et les 97 minutes de la projection passent en un clin d'oeil, le public adulte dans la salle se bidonnant d'ailleurs constamment.

Arthur Christmas celebrates old-fashioned values, but it's one of the few that also puts in a good word for timely retirement.

From the same magicians at Aardman Animation who made Wallace and Gromit beloved cultural icons, there comes Arthur Christmas, a joyful and tremendously funny spin on Santa as a story of family dysfunction.

Alas, it's called Arthur Christmas, so Grandsanta ends up taking a backseat in the final stretch, and the film becomes a little maudlin. That said, the kids I saw this with didn't seem to mind, and I'm sure this will become a much-played holiday favourite for many households.

There's no shortage of yuletide movies this time of year, but Arthur Christmas is somehow hip and square enough to stand out among them.

But the joke count remains satisfyingly high; there's a great recurring gag that anyone who uses a GPS will love. And Arthur establishes himself as a lovable clod who knows that while quotas and deadlines are important, the North Pole operation, like any business, needs to put the customer first.