Introduction
Welcome to my corner! This week, I'm sharing my thoughts on the Netflix film, Klaus. Enjoy!
Klaus
Klaus is a 2019 animated film co-written, co-produced and directed by Sergio Pablos in his directorial debut, produced by his company The SPA Studios and distributed by Netflix. A traditionally animated film, it stars the voices of Jason Schwartzman, J. K. Simmons, Rashida Jones, Will Sasso, Neda Margrethe Labba, Sergio Pablos (in a dual role), Norm Macdonald (in his final film role released in his lifetime) and Joan Cusack. Serving as an alternate origin story of Santa Claus independent from the historical Saint Nicholas of Myra and using a fictional 19th-century setting, the plot revolves around a postman stationed in an island town to the Far North who befriends a reclusive toymaker (Klaus).
Klaus was released on November 8, 2019, and received critical acclaim for its animation, story, emotional depth, humor, narrative and vocal performances. It won seven awards at the 47th Annie Awards, including Best Animated Feature and also won Best Animated Film at the 73rd British Academy Film Awards. The film was also nominated at the 92nd Academy Awards for Best Animated Feature making it the first animated film from Netflix to be nominated for an Academy Award, as well as the first animated film released by a streaming service to be nominated, alongside I Lost My Body (also Netflix), but lost to Toy Story 4, which also starred Cusack.
Plot: After proving himself to be the worst student at the academy, a postman is sent to a frozen town in the North where he discovers a reclusive toymaker named Klaus.
(Voice) Acting: Jason Schwartzman voiced Jesper Johansen. His four most notable titles currently are Rushmore, The Darjeeling Limited, Moonrise Kingdom and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. Other than Klaus, my favorite is Scott Pilgrim vs. the World.
J. K. Simmons voice Klaus. I love him and his voice! He's in nearly everything. He always makes whatever movie or film he's in better just by being there. His four most notable titles currently are Whiplash, Juno, La La Land and Spider-Man. Other than Klaus, my favorite is Juno.
Rashida Jones voiced Alva. Her four most notable titles currently are Celeste & Jesse Forever, I Love You, Man, The Social Network and Parks and Recreation television series. Other than Klaus, my favorite is The Muppets [2011].
Will Sasso voiced Mr. Aksel Ellingboe. His four most notable titles currently are The Three Stooges [2012], Happy Gilmore, Drop Dead Gorgeous and Southland Tales. Other than Klaus, my favorite is Drop Dead Gorgeous.
Norm Macdonald voiced Mogens. His four most notable titles are Dirty Work, Billy Madison, The Animal and Doctor Dolittle [1998]. Other than Klaus, my favorite is My Name is Earl.
Joan Cusack voiced Mrs. Tammy Krum. Didn't we just see her in The Addams Family Values a week or so ago? She has such a distinctive voice. Her four most notable titles currently are In & Out, Grosse Pointe Blank, Working Girl and The Perks of Being a Wallflower. Other than Klaus, my favorite is the Toy Story franchise.
Technical aspects: After setting up his animation studio in Madrid, Spain, director Sergio Pablos, who had worked on Disney Renaissance films such as The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Hercules and Tarzan, decided to develop a new traditionally-animated feature film. Pablos wanted to explore how the medium would have evolved had western animation studios not switched to producing mostly computer animated films since the 1990s.
For the film's look, the studio sought to overcome some of the technical limitations that traditional animation had, focusing on organic and volumetric lighting and texturing to give the film a unique look, while maintaining a hand-crafted feel. Proprietary tools from Les films du Poisson Rouge, a French company in Angoulême, were used to allow the team to produce a variety of visual development styles, with the aim of getting away from the standardized style of "characters looking like stickers put on painted backgrounds."
The first teaser for the project was released in April 2012; at the time, the studio was seeking investment, co-production and distribution partners. It was shopped around to various studios, but most studios rejected the movie viewing it as "too risky." In November 2017, Netflix announced that they had acquired the global rights to Klaus; at the same time, the casting of Schwartzman, Jones, Simmons, and Cusack was announced along with a Christmas 2019 release date. In March 2019, it was reported Netflix was planning an Oscar-qualifying run for Klaus in theaters, and it was listed as one of 10 films Netflix was negotiating with chains to give limited released prior to their online debuts that August.
The film is dedicated to animator and scene checker Mary Lescher, who died on June 2, 2019 of cancer. She had worked on Klaus, as well at both Disney Animation and DisneyToon Studios from 1989 to 2006. Pablos said Smeerensburg is a deliberate misspelling of Smeerrenburg, a former Dutch and Norwegian whaling station in the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard.
Final Thoughts: This is easily one of the best Christmas movies ever made, definitely one of my favorites. The story, the animation, the music, the cast, it's all fantastic!
The animation is so amazing! They brought back 2D animation (traditional hand drawn *think Snow White and the Seven Dwarves [1937]) when most modern animated movies are 3D animated (computer generated images *think Frozen). They made it look like 3D animated movies by using advanced lighting and texturing techniques. I wish more animated movies now hearkened back to 2D like Klaus did.
"Invisible" by Zara Larsson is the main song on the soundtrack. And my goodness, I am not exaggerating when I say my eyes tear up every time it plays during the movie. So good and so moving with such a great message.
"A true selfless act always sparks another."
Where to watch it: Klaus is unfortunately only available on Netflix. It wasn't even released on DVD, so I can't donate a copy to the library. I tried really hard, to no avail. So if you have a Netflix subscription, please go watch! And if you don't consider a free trial! Klaus is worth the watch!
That's it for this week! What were your thoughts? Feel free to share them with us! You can call us, email us, visit us at the office, leave us a comment or message on Facebook, or even mail us something. Keep the comments, suggestions, questions, submissions, etc. coming our way! We'd love to hear from you!
