Klaus Review
Hey Guys. Gerawallstar here, and I am here to review the new Netflix movie Klaus. Klaus is an amazing movie. It is definitely a Christmas classic, and the hard work that was put in to this movie paid off.
Story:
The story is about a selfish lazy affluent boy named Jesper who moves into a small town named Smeerensberg to deliver letters to children in order to get his act together, while getting help from a mysterious man named Klaus. The story for the most part is good. Unfortunately, the story is also the biggest problem I have overall with this movie. Lets get to the good stuff first. I thought the writers did an effective job in showcasing the origin story of Santa Claus. The two Krum and Ellingboe families bickering at each other does tie in very well with the message about being kind to one another. My favorite scene in the movie of the children doing good deeds to get presents when they were writing letters to Klaus. I loved how the writers handled the kids by being vested into education, and writing letters as seen in them writing letters to Klaus for example instead of trying pander towards modern children and modernizing the film by showing them by playing smartphones. It’s the heart of the film. You might argue that this film takes place in the 15th or 16th children, and they don’t exist yet. But I’m here to say that it didn’t stop Ice Age Collisions Course and Norm of the North by being modern despite taking place during the ice age. I’m glad they didn’t do that here. With all of the praises that I did with the film, what is it that I don’t like with the story that is the weakness of this movie? My biggest problem with the story is that while it is good, the story feels like a story we have seen countless of times where we have a spoiled and lazy character who acts selfish but turns himself around in the end. I get what they are trying to do, and I like the way they tell the story, but it feels so predictable. Another flaw I have with the story is that stupid liar-revealed trope during the third act, and I don’t like it that it was shown in this movie, despite it being very brief. The story is good but it could’ve been a whole lot better. I give the story seven stars.
Animation:
What I love about this film the most is the animation. The animation is phenomenal, and groundbreaking. I loved how Sergio Pablo’s the director went back to hand-drawn animation. I haven’t been excited to see 2D animation back since I saw The Princess and the Frog . I am glad that Netflix took the risk of making a 2D animated film at a time when other mainstream animation studios wouldn’t. During production of this film, Pablos stated that “Our goal is not to bring 2D animation back, but to move it forward.” What makes this animation style so unique is that Pablo’s has used new Technology in utilizing the lighting and texture such as Klas(Klaus Light and Shadow) and M.O.E. And they used both techniques making the animation feel more modern and in in a 3D-Style, which is difficult to do in traditional animation. The way that the characters, and the effects such as the wind are designed with the lighting and textures looks fantastic. Pablos has done an great job in bringing bringing the medium forward with the lighting that really makes it have potential for other animation studios possibly using the same thing. Looking at you, Disney. Yes, there’s still some CGI with the buildings, but the fact here is that this is still the traditional animation that we all loved. Thank you, Sergio Pablo’s and the animation team for bringing back 2D animation. I give the animation ten stars.
Characters:
The characters in this film are great and relatable. I loved Jesper the Postman. His spoiled, and selfishness gives him a Kuzco vibe to his character. I loved how his character development started to show when he befriended the little girl Margu, showing more of his kinder side. Klaus is a great character. I loved his backstory, and his relationship between him and Klaus as the movie progresses. Alva is a likeable character. I loved how she was so desperate to leave Smeerensberg at the beginning of the movie but changes her mind to fulfill her actual goal in teaching later on. The little girl Margu is so cute. I loved the friendship of her and Klaus. Fun fact: Margu is voiced by a Sami native. Which is something that I praise this film entirely. They did a fantastic job representing the Sami Culture here by bringing an actual Sami person to voice a Sami Character in the movie. Mogen the ferryman is hilarious. His sass and sarcasm makes him a stealshower in the movie. The other characters such as Mrs. Krum and the krum/ellingbo clan are just allright. The characters are great and memorable. I give the characters nine stars.
Songs
The songs for the most part are okay. The songs are underwhelimg though because instead of having a Christmas themed soundtrack, the songs mostly consist of modern pop songs, which hurts the music from having a timeless Christmas score. It is also very distracting. I do love the score for the movie presented by Alfonso Agular. The only song that’s semi-decent is invisible by Zara Larsson. I love the lyrics, but I hate the pop tune. The songs are average, but disappointing. I give the songs six stars.
Verdict:
Overall, Klaus is a great return to traditional animation, and a great start for this being Netflix’s first original animated feature. Despite my issues with the story and soundtrack, the animation is spectacular, and the characters are so charming and likeable that you want to root for them in the movie. This is a must-watch for someone that wants to see a classic Christmas movie. As for 2D animation, I am confident that the film Klaus, and the Netflix Cartoon show based off the Dr. Seuss’s book Green Eggs and Ham will revive 2D animation, and usher it in a new animation renaissance. I give this movie 8 stars out of 10.
8/10.
