9/10 “Klaus” being somewhat of a surprise nominee for Best Animated Feature at the Oscars brought me over to Netflix to check this film out. I must admit that I was not too excited to watch it, seeing as how I knew nothing about it and if this was just some Santa origins film, that didn’t get me all that excited. Oh how wrong I was. “Klaus” is perhaps the most delightful film of 2019, perfect for both children and adults and I hope enough people see it so it deservedly becomes an instant holiday classic. The animation is beautiful, the voice cast is flawless, the film has so much heart, a terrific script with some great one liners, creative editing transitions, etc. The soundtrack features a song by Zara Larsson called “Invisible”, which is just wonderful and Larsson has an incredible voice. Even though the holidays are over, this film got me right back into the Christmas spirit. I am sure it would ideally be viewed around Christmas time, but you can watch this any time of year and you will get something out of it. Our lead characters are well developed and you actually see character growth and changes in these characters as the film progresses, which was very refreshing. Calling this a Santa origin story, although semi accurate, would diminish everything else that this film is and accomplishes. It is the story of a selfish, immature man who has to grow up and find his way. It is the story of a distraught woman who has given up on her dreams of teaching and struggles to find purpose. It is the story of a town built on hatred and infighting, yearning for peace and happiness. Christmas feels like a small, minor piece of the overall puzzle here. Christmas more so sets the mood and tone and ties in at the end, instead of driving the story forward, which is totally fine. I rarely get excited to see animated films these days unless they are made by either Disney or Pixar but Netflix (which has two nominees for Best Animated Feature this year, the second of which I will be reviewing soon) is one to look out for in the future if they can keep putting out amazing films like this. My only couple of minor complaints were that the villains aren’t very well developed and a little two dimensional and the score, while fine, was forgettable, especially compared to “Invisible”. If you are looking for a fantastic animated film to show the kids or want to watch something yourself, check out “Klaus” and shoot straight to the top of Santa’s nice list.
#LifeAsAKlaus / #JesperTheFriendlyPost / #TheNewNormMacDonald / #ToyStory5 / #GoingPostal / #MusicByTheCarpenters
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