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That Christmas

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That Christmas
Promotional release poster
Directed bySimon Otto
Screenplay by
Based on
"The Empty Stocking", "Snow Day", and "That Christmas"
by
Produced by
Starring
Edited bySim Evan-Jones
Music byJohn Powell
Production
companies
Distributed byNetflix[1]
Release dates
Running time
92 minutes[2]
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

That Christmas is a 2024 British animated Christmas fantasy comedy film produced by Locksmith Animation and DNEG Animation, and directed by Simon Otto in his directorial debut. Written by Richard Curtis and Peter Souter, it follows entwined storylines based on short stories from That Christmas and Other Stories by Curtis and illustrator Rebecca Cobb. The voice cast features Brian Cox, Fiona Shaw, Jodie Whittaker and Bill Nighy.

That Christmas premiered at the BFI London Film Festival on 19 October 2024, and was released on Netflix on 4 December 2024.[3] It received positive reviews from critics.

Plot

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That Christmas follows a series of entwined tales about love and loneliness, family and friends, and Santa Claus making a big mistake, not to mention an enormous number of turkeys!

— Locksmith Animation and Netflix

Cast

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Production

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In November 2019, it was announced that Locksmith Animation was developing The Empty Stocking, an animated feature film based on the children's Christmas book trilogy That Christmas and Other Stories written by Richard Curtis.[6] In June 2021, Locksmith announced that Simon Otto would be directing the film, in his directorial debut, which had been retitled That Christmas.[7][8][9][10] In May 2022, Locksmith confirmed that it awarded the digital production of the film to DNEG Animation, following their collaboration on Locksmith’s first animated feature film Ron's Gone Wrong (2021).[11] In June 2022, That Christmas was unveiled as part of Netflix's slate of animated films with the first look of the film.[1] On March 20, 2024, Brian Cox, Fiona Shaw, Jodie Whittaker and Bill Nighy were announced to star in the film.[12]

Music

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In November 2023, it was announced that John Powell would compose the film's musical score.[13][14] In August 2024, it was announced that English singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran would write and contribute a song for the film, titled "Under the Tree".[15][16] Sheeran's song was released as a digital single on November 26, 2024.[17] A separate album containing John Powell's score was released digitally on December 4, 2024.[18]

Release

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Premiere and release

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That Christmas premiered at the BFI London Film Festival on October 19, 2024, and was released on Netflix on December 4, 2024.[3][19][16] The film was originally set to be theatrically released by 20th Century Fox as part of a deal with Locksmith Animation until Disney's acquisition of the studio in 2019. After leaving Fox and announcing a new deal with Warner Bros. Pictures and Warner Animation Group in October 2019, the film was originally expected to be theatrically released by the studio,[20] but in June 2022, Netflix took over the worldwide distribution rights.[1]

Reception

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Critical response

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On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 64% of 39 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.7/10.[21] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 60 out of 100, based on 13 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.[22]

Accolades

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Powell was nominated for a HMMA Award for Best Original Score in an Animated Film.[23]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c Milligan, Mercedes (9 June 2022). "Netflix Sets Bold Slate of Animation from Europe Ahead of Annecy". Animation Magazine. Archived from the original on 19 August 2022. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
  2. ^ "That Christmas (PG)". British Board of Film Classification. 12 August 2024. Retrieved 28 November 2024.
  3. ^ a b Schimautz, Julia (28 August 2024). "The New Netflix Movies You Can Watch This Fall". Netflix. Retrieved 28 August 2024.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Milligan, Mercedes (20 March 2024). "'That Christmas' Unwraps Voice Cast Starring Brian Cox, Fiona Shaw, Jodie Whittaker and Bill Nighy". Animation Magazine. Retrieved 20 March 2024.
  5. ^ "Jordan North issues huge career update and will star in festive Netflix film". Lancashire Telegraph. 23 October 2024. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
  6. ^ Clarke, Stewart (6 November 2019). "Richard Curtis Kids' Books Being Adapted as Animated Feature 'The Empty Stocking'". Variety. Archived from the original on 6 November 2019. Retrieved 6 November 2019.
  7. ^ Milligan, Mercedes (8 June 2021). "Locksmith's Debut 'Ron's Gone Wrong' Boots Up with Trailer, Cast Reveal". Animation Magazine. Archived from the original on 14 June 2021. Retrieved 12 June 2021.
  8. ^ Motayor, Rafael (14 June 2021). "Simon Otto to Helm Animated 'That Christmas' Adaptation, Based on Books by 'Love Actually' Writer". Collider. Archived from the original on 14 June 2021. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
  9. ^ Yossman, K. J. (14 June 2021). "Locksmith Animation Taps Simon Otto to Direct Adaptation of Richard Curtis' 'That Christmas'". Variety. Archived from the original on 12 June 2022. Retrieved 24 June 2022.
  10. ^ "That Christmas | Locksmith Animation". locksmithanimation.com. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
  11. ^ Sarto, Debbie (19 May 2022). "Locksmith Taps DNEG Animation for 'That Christmas'". Animation World Network. Archived from the original on 10 June 2022. Retrieved 19 June 2022.
  12. ^ Ntim, Zac (20 March 2024). "'That Christmas': Brian Cox, Fiona Shaw, Jodie Whittaker & Bill Nighy To Voice Netflix Animated Feature Penned By Richard Curtis". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 20 March 2024.
  13. ^ Powell, John (30 November 2023). "Scoring my 25th animated film and my first Xmas movie at Abbey Road Studios this week 🎶 Coming next winter! ❄️ #JohnPowell #soundtrack…". Instagram. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
  14. ^ "John Powell Scoring Locksmith Animation's 'That Christmas'". Film Music Reporter. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
  15. ^ Milligan, Mercedes (7 August 2024). "Animated Feature 'That Christmas' Unwraps Ed Sheeran Original on Dec. 6". Animation Magazine. Retrieved 7 August 2024.
  16. ^ a b Ramachandran, Naman (7 August 2024). "Ed Sheeran Records Original Song for Netflix's Richard Curtis Film 'That Christmas' – Global Bulletin". Variety. Retrieved 7 August 2024.
  17. ^ "Ed Sheeran's Original Song 'Under the Tree' from Netflix Animated Film 'That Christmas' Released | Film Music Reporter".
  18. ^ "'That Christmas' Soundtrack Album Details | Film Music Reporter".
  19. ^ Tasha Robinson (25 April 2023). "Netflix reveals every original animated movie set for release in the next two years". Polygon. Archived from the original on 25 April 2023. Retrieved 25 April 2023.
  20. ^ Clarke, Stewart (31 October 2019). "Warner Signs Multi-Picture Deal With Elisabeth Murdoch's Locksmith Animation". Variety. Archived from the original on 25 November 2020. Retrieved 1 November 2019.
  21. ^ "That Christmas". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 11 December 2024. Edit this at Wikidata
  22. ^ "That Christmas". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved 5 December 2024.
  23. ^ Pedersen, Erik (7 November 2024). "'Emilia Pérez' & 'Blitz' Top Hollywood Music in Media Awards Nominations". Deadline. Retrieved 4 December 2024.
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