What a beautiful movie Klaus is! This was released in 2019 and I can tell you that every year going forward this will be an essential watch in my house during Christmas time. It is one of the best Christmas movies to be released in the last decade and I just do not see how anyone could not love this movie.
How to Download Klaus
You can download or stream the film from Netflix. Click on the Download button at the end of this review. Check out also other Netflix original animated movies that we have reviewed- The Willoughbys, Over the Moon, Back to the Outback, and The Sea Beast.
The Movie Review
Klaus is written and directed by Sergio Pablos in what is his directorial debut. The movie was picked up and put out by Netflix and it is one of the best-animated movies they are associated with. We have Disney/Pixar, DreamWorks, and Sony Animation, but I really do think that we have to put Netflix up there too when it comes to incredible animated movies.
I really like the voice cast that they have for this movie. Jason Schwartzman as Jesper, J.K Simmons as Klaus, Rashida Jones as Alva, and the young and talented Neda Margrethe Labba as Márgu all make sure the movie has a ton of heart. The vocal performances are incredible, especially J.K Simmons as Klaus who plays him with a real gruffness, sadness, and kindness all rolled into one.
The movie is about a spoiled jerk of a young man called Jesper who is the son of a wealthy postmaster general. To try and make Jesper a better man, his father sends him off to the northern island town of Smeerensbur where he is tasked with delivering thousands of letters in a single year.
There is a big problem with this task. The people of Smeerensbur are locked in a generations-old feud with the Krum family which is led by Tammy (Joan Cusak) and the Ellingboe family, led by Aksel (Will Sasso), this means that not many letters get written in this town as they are more focused on hating each other!
One day in the woods, Jesper comes across a big burly man called Klaus! Klaus makes toys and one of these toys ends up in the hands of a little boy and word spreads around the town that if you write a letter, Klaus will give you a toy! Jesper sees this as an opportunity to get the people of the town to write letters so that he can meet the goal his father set him.
What is “magical” about this is that the children of both of these warring families start to come together and ignore the differences that have been taught to them. It is great to see the kids being the ones to try and put an end to this feud, but the family leaders would rather hate each other than have the families be friendly to each other!
Holding it all together is the complicated man that is Klaus! We do also get to experience the tragic backstory of Klaus and why he is the way he is and why he makes these toys. It is truly heartbreaking and also heartwarming stuff and it is just such a lovely story that truly does capture the spirit of family and Christmas.
Klaus is also a truly gorgeous-looking movie. Netflix has had its name attached to some fantastic-looking movies, but this one could be the best. It is like the perfect mix of computer and hand-drawn animation. This is an absolute Christmas classic of a movie. It will make you sad, make you happy and fill you with the spirit of Christmas, this is a must-watch during the holidays!
