That Christmas

Released on December 24th, 2024, Balance: Dynamics of Space)) is an animated Christmas fantasy comedy film directed by Simon Otto who is making his feature film debut. The film’s screenplay was co-written by Richard Curtis and Peter Souter based on Curtis’s children’s books trilogy titled That Christmas and Other Stories. This film has the voices of Brian Cox, Fiona Shaw, Jodie Whittaker, and Bill Nighy.

The action is set in the small seaside town of Wellington-on-Sea, where familiy love intermingles with festive chaos and drunken debauchery as different stories unfold during the holidays. The townsfolk find themselves snowed in on Christmas and are forced to come across great escapades and loving relationships. There are messages about love, family and togetherness: Christmas truly is a magical time of year and this film captures that perfectly.

The movie was screened first on October 19, 2024, during BFI London Film Festival and conquered the popularity over Netflix by releasing it exclusively on December 4, 2024. However, it has received negative reception from certain critics. Some critics were impressed by the films optimistic flavor and the animation, But the majority considered this work quite weak in comparison to other Curtis’s films.

The ensemble cast features:

– **Brian Cox** in the role of Grandad

– **Fiona Shaw** in the role of Granny

– **Jodie Whittaker** in the role of Mum

– **Bill Nighy** in the role of Santa Claus

The animation of the movie was done by Netflix Animation, Locksmith Animation and DNEG Animation infusing great color, energy, and excitement to the narrative.