Arthur Christmas

Arthur Christmas is a 2011 animated Christmas comedy film directed by Sarah Smith, who co-wrote it with Peter Baynham. It was produced by Columbia Pictures, Sony Pictures Animation, and Aardman Features as the latter's second computer-animated feature film, following Flushed Away (2006). The voice cast features James McAvoy, Hugh Laurie, Bill Nighy, Jim Broadbent, Imelda Staunton, and Ashley Jensen. The film follows Santa Claus' son, Arthur (McAvoy), as he works to deliver a bicycle to a little girl in Trelew, England before Christmas morning. Following the under-performance of Flushed Away, DreamWorks Animation did not renew its partnership with Aardman. In April 2007, Aardman signed a three-year deal with Sony Pictures. Originally titled Operation Rudolph, the project was first announced in 2007. Aardman spent 18 months on pre-production on the story and design in the UK before relocating to Sony's animation studio in Culver City, California, for another 18 months of production. On 27 April 2009, it was reported that production had begun with Aardman and Sony Pictures Imageworks working together on animation. Arthur Christmas was released on 11 November 2011 in the United Kingdom, and on 23 November in the United States by Sony Pictures Releasing. The film received positive reviews from critics, though it underperformed at the box-office, grossing $147 million against a $100 million budget.