Brian Cox‘s Santa Claus is coming to town in the first trailer for Netflix’s animated holiday comedy That Christmas.
In the film’s first trailer, the Succession actor is sporting Kris Kringle’s standard uniform — a beard, red suit with a white fur trim and boots — as he delivers presents to children on the busiest night of the year, Christmas Eve.
That Christmas is based on a trilogy of children’s books by award-winning writer-director Richard Curtis (Four Weddings and a Funeral, Notting Hill, Love Actually and Yesterday) and marks his first leap into animation. The film features entwined stories about family and friends, love and loneliness and Santa Claus making a big mistake.
In her review, The Hollywood Reporter‘s Lovia Gyarkye praised the “charming animation” while adding that the movie “slyly avoids the usual mawkishness by grounding its whimsical story in the real and prickly emotions of life.”
The movie is set to release on Netflix from director Simon Otto (Love, Death & Robots and the How to Train Your Dragon films) on Dec. 4. That Christmas is also Otto’s feature directorial debut.
“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. 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,” Otto said. “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.”
In addition to the Succession actor, rounding out the cast are Fiona Shaw, Jodie Whittaker, 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 and Ava Talbot with Bill Nighy and Rhys Darby.
Nicole P. Hearon (Moana, Frozen) and Adam Tandy (The Thick of It, Detectorists) are producers. Mary Coleman, Natalie Fischer, Julie Lockhart, Elisabeth Murdoch, Bonnie Arnold, Lara Breay, Sarah Smith, Rebecca Cobb, Colin Hopkins and Curtis will executive produce.
Other Netflix holiday releases will include Our Little Secret starring Lindsay Lohan, the Lacey Chabert-led Hot Frosty, Chad Michael Murray’s The Merry Gentlemen, the Keira Knightley-led holiday mystery series Black Doves and Sabrina Carpenter’s A Nonsense Christmas.
