Klaus (2019)

Klaus (2019)

7/10

Starring the voices of

Jason Schwartzman

J. K. Simmons

Rashida Jones

Joan Cusack

Directed by Sergio Pablos

Klaus is an animated Christmas comedy film written and directed by Sergio Pablos in his directorial debut. The movie is fun, entertaining, and genuinely interesting. Sergio Pablos, a Spanish animator and screenwriter, is best known as the creator of the Despicable Me franchise. This delightful animation, which serves as a fictional origin story for the myth of Santa Claus, is available to watch on Netflix.

As the name suggests, the story revolves around Santa Claus. The movie begins by introducing us to Jesper, a lazy, spoiled postman who only wants to laze around and enjoy his father’s wealth.

The first twenty minutes focus on Jesper, and the pacing during this part might make you want to tune out. This is because it feels like an extended introduction to a rather irritating character. However, things take an exciting turn when we meet Klaus. At this point, the movie shifts from “Why am I watching this?” to “Hmm, I wonder how this will play out?”—and it plays out beautifully.

The story firmly establishes Jesper’s self-centered nature. As punishment for his behavior, his father assigns him to a remote, perpetually snow-covered town called Smeerensburg in the North. The deal? If Jesper can get 6,000 letters posted, he can return to his comfortable, luxurious life. However, upon arriving in Smeerensburg, he realizes how tough the task is. The town is home to two warring clans—the Krums and the Ellingboes—who have hated each other for centuries.

Jesper struggles to accomplish anything and repeatedly finds himself in trouble. While wandering around in search of someone willing to post a letter, he encounters an old man living a secluded life in the woods. Intrigued, Jesper sneaks into the man’s house and discovers an impressive collection of handcrafted toys. But he’s caught and, in his haste to escape, drops a child’s drawing he had taken earlier. This child had reluctantly given him the drawing after Jesper demanded a letter in exchange.

That single drawing sets off a chain of events that changes everything. Without giving away too much, you’ll need to watch the movie to see how a selfish postman and a reclusive toy maker come together to create the legend of Santa Claus.

The story behind this animated tale of Santa Claus is more than magical—it’s truly sensational. It had me laughing and completely engrossed in how the events unfolded.

This is a movie about how one man’s selfish motives end up uniting an entire town and how a single act of kindness can inspire more good deeds in the most unexpected ways.

A must-watch and perfect for sharing with children.