Director Simon Otto’s upcoming comedy also lands Fiona Shaw, Jodie Whittaker, and Bill Nighy; the adaptation of Oscar-nominated and BAFTA-winning writer/director Richard Curtis’s children’s book series comes to Netflix later this year.
Netflix has just announced that Succession star Brian Cox will voice Santa Claus in the upcoming 3DCG comedy, That Christmas. Produced by Locksmith Animation (Ron’s Gone Wrong) with animation by DNEG, the film also stars Fiona Shaw (Ms. Trapper), Jodie Whittaker (Mrs. Williams), and Bill Nighy (Bill) as the residents of a charming seaside town where things turn upside down one Christmas. The film will debut on the streamer later this year.
That Christmas follows a series of entwined tales about family and friends, love and loneliness, and Santa Claus making a big mistake, not to mention an enormous number of turkeys! This film is adapted from the beloved children’s book series (“The Empty Stocking,” “Snow Day,” and “That Christmas”) written by acclaimed BAFTA Award-winning and Academy Award-nominated writer and director, Richard Curtis (Four Weddings and a Funeral, Notting Hill, Love Actually, Yesterday). It marks Curtis’ first animation project as well as the directorial debut for animation veteran Simon Otto (How to Train Your Dragon trilogy).
“Becoming an animator had been on my Christmas wish list ever since I was a child and watching animated movies was one of the biggest Christmas traditions in my family,” said Otto. “But never could I have imagined that one day I would get the chance to direct a Christmas film written by the one-and-only Richard Curtis and collaborate with some of the most iconic voice talents. Watching this cast bring life to these heart-warmingly funny tales and infuse them with the magic of animation is truly a dream come true. I hope That Christmas becomes a cherished tradition for audiences worldwide.”
Curtis added, “This has been the most amazing adventure, my first animated film. It’s been especially exciting to see the whole world I imagined come to life beyond my wildest dreams - and populated by a dream bunch of actors, their wonderful voices turned into such rich and funny characters.”
Also starring are Lolly Adefope, Alex Macqueen, Katherine Parkinson, Sindhu Vee, India Brown, Zazie Hayhurst, Sienna Sayer, Jack Wisniewski, Rosie Cavaliero, Paul Kaye, Guz Khan, Andy Nyman, Kuhu Agarwal, Bronte Smith, Freddie Spry, Ava Talbot, and Rhys Darby. The film is written by Curtis & Peter Souter; Nicole P. Hearon p.g.a. and Adam Tandy p.g.a. produce. Executive producers include Mary Coleman, Natalie Fischer, Julie Lockhart, Elisabeth Murdoch, Bonnie Arnold, Lara Breay, Sarah Smith, Rebecca Cobb, Curtis, and Colin Hopkins. Academy Award- and BAFTA-nominated composer John Powell (How To Train Your Dragon trilogy, Happy Feet, Shrek) is the film’s composer.
Source: Netflix
Dan Sarto is Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Animation World Network.
