Arthur Christmas Review

Arthur Christmas is out on Blu-ray 3D, Blu-ray and DVD on 19th November from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.  It is a fabulous feel good festive family film, voiced by an all star cast, filled with warmth, humour and answers to the age old questions about how Santa does it all in one night!

We have had a sneaky peek at Arthur Christmas on Blu-Ray, which is an Aardman Animation CGI production.

So how can Santa deliver millions of presents to the whole world in just one night? The answer is with an army of one million combat-style Field Elves and a vast, state-of-the-art control center under the ice of the North Pole under the control of Santa's son Steve! However, one Christmas something goes wrong and in spite of this incredible operation they accidentally  MISS one child?! 

To Santa’s young son, Arthur, the forgotten present threatens to end the magic of Christmas. With retired Grandsanta, a rebellious young elf from the Wrapping Department, and an old sleigh, Arthur sets out in a crazy mission to deliver the last present and save Christmas!

We thought this film was great.  The comedy element is brilliant, the vocal talents work incredibly well, the animation is quirky, the storyline is original and creative and the message that every child matters is heartwarming. We loved the dynasty of Santas and the family dynamic which drives the plot.  The film delivers the perfect dose of comedy and sentiment and is definitely one of my favourite Christmas movies of recent years.  The children agree.  Kizzy aged 10 said it was "really funny and cute and Arthur is so lovely".  Freddy who is 3 was spellbound and giggled at the visual humour.  Sixteen year old Ella also loved it.  It's definitely one for all the family to watch together.

The DVD and Blu-Ray include a host of special features and also come with a UV copy of the film.

Release date: November 19th 2012
Running time: 93/97 minutes
Certificate U

While you are waiting for the film to be released you can get into the Christmas spirit by printing out the activity sheet below to help design a Christmas jumper for Arthur!

Arthur Christmas is out on Blu-ray 3D, Blu-ray and DVD on 19th November from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.

© 2011 Sony Pictures Animation Inc. All Rights Reserved.

So You Want To Be A Pirate!

Exclusively in Tesco stores, the DVD So You Want To Be A Pirate! is available to keep your little pirates entertained.  This all new short comes from Aardman and provides a swashbuckling stop-motion animated adventure with the Pirate Captain and his band of misfits.

Hugh Grant voices the dashing Pirate Captain and his crew are voiced by Ashley Jensen, Martin Freeman, Brendan Gleeson and Russell Tovey.  Together, with the Captain's trusted Dodo Polly, they give hilarious tips on how to become a seaworthy addition to the crew and help them in their madcap adventure to win the coveted Pirate of the Year award.  You can learn how to remember where you buried your treasure, the secrets of navigating winds, get an inside look at pirate recruiting and even cook a pirate’s recipe suggestion - doesn’t a giant squid with lemon and barnacles sound delicious?

 David Tennant and Brian Blessed also make guest appearances with their very distinctive vocal talents!

The DVD also boasts a treasure chest of extras with lots of child friendly activities for the kids to enjoy.

DVD Bonus Features Include:

• •        How To Animate Your Pirate
• •        How To Draw A Pirate
• •        Printable Colouring Pages
• •        How To Talk Like A Pirate – Words And Phrases From Your Favourite Characters

SO YOU WANT TO BE A PIRATE! is as an introduction to Aardman’s most ambitious stop-motion film to date  THE PIRATES! IN AN ADVENTURE WITH SCIENTISTS, which is due for release on Blu-ray™  3D, Blu-ray™, DVD and Digital Download on September 10, courtesy of Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.

So You Want To Be A Pirate! has a running time of 17 minutes and is a U certificate making it suitable for all the family.  It costs £5 exclusively from Tesco.

We were sent a copy of the DVD and it was great to get a taste of the Pirates ready for the release of the new Aardman movie.  We are big fans of Aardman and love their distinctive brand of animation.  The Pirates are a quirky and madcap bunch of characters that are very funny and entertaining.  We loved the TV Chat  Show style of the DVD, with the house band and guest stars adding to the fun.  Both children and adults will enjoy the brand of humour in this short and I for one am looking forward to seeing The Pirates! In An Adventure With Scientists when it is released next month.  

The added booty of the bonus features will provide hours of fun long after the short has been watched adding to the value of the DVD.  Budding pirates will definitely love joining in with the high seas fun!