This Saturday, I went to an advance screening of Arthur Christmas with the family. I remember my mom telling me about growing up in Trinidad and singing Christmas carols.  She says when she thought about it as an older child, that she realized how ridiculous it was to sing about “dashing through the snow”, and she had no clue what a “sleigh” was – let alone a “one horse open” one.

We didn’t get into Christmas too much when I growing up, so I wasn’t the wide eyed kid waiting for Santa to come down the chimney.  Living in the south, I didn’t have access to a snowy Christmas either, but at least being in America I did know what a sleigh was. We did watch Christmas cartoons and holiday specials like any other family.

I really believed that this was going to be just another really long Christmas special.  I was wrong.  Kids 12 and up who have experienced enough family dysfunction to get the jokes and themes will enjoy it. Kids under 12 will love the 3-D and the action.  There is some adult humor (a dry humping chihuahua) – so us grown ups won’t be bored.

The story started off so convincingly that I had to lean over to my 12 year old and tell him to remind my 5 year old that Santa Claus still isn’t real – no matter how well they explain they mysteries of Christmas in this movie.  She still asked me again on the way out if Santa Claus was real or not… just to be sure.

Okay, I’ll admit it – I cried.  There were some really touching moments in the movie! Don’t judge me. I didn’t pee myself with laughter, but I did go before we sat down, so it is possible that I just didn’t have any pee in there because I laughed… a lot!

The only character that you can bet on being totally the good guy is Arthur. Everyone else… you just never know.

It comes out Wednesday, so I won’t spoil it for you with a long plot synopsis – but it is definitely a must see… on a big screen… in 3-D.

Synopsis: Arthur Christmas reveals the incredible, never-before seen answer to every child’s question: ‘So how does Santa deliver all those presents in one night?’ The answer: Santa’s exhilarating, ultra-high-tech operation hidden beneath the North Pole. But at the center of the film is a story about a family in a state of comic dysfunction and an unlikely hero, Arthur, with an urgent mission that must be completed before Christmas morning dawns. – Sony Pictures

My Overall grade: A

6 and under Friendliness: B-

12 and over Friendliness: A

Caribbean References: 0