Close Menu
  • Login
  • Support Us
  • Newsletter
  • News
  • Features
  • Interviews
  • Reviews
    • Video Games
      • Previews
      • PC
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X/S
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Xbox One
      • PS4
      • Tabletop
    • Film
    • TV
    • Anime
    • Comics
      • BOOM! Studios
      • Dark Horse Comics
      • DC Comics
      • IDW Publishing
      • Image Comics
      • Indie Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • Oni-Lion Forge
      • Valiant Comics
      • Vault Comics
  • Podcast
  • More
    • Event Coverage
    • BWT Recommends
    • RSS Feeds
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
Support Us
But Why Tho?
RSS Facebook X (Twitter) YouTube
Trending:
  • Features
    Marvel's Spider-Man Secret Lair promotional image

    Get a Look At the Secret Lair x Marvel’s Spider-Man Superdrop

    09/08/2025
    Starseeker: Astroneer Expeditions gameplay still

    Starseeker: Astroneer Expeditions Is All About Adventure (with Friends)

    09/08/2025
    Chord in Persona 5 The Phantom X

    Now Is The Perfect Time To Jump Back In ‘Persona 5: The Phantom X’

    09/05/2025
    Cosmic Spider-Man card details

    [EXCLUSIVE PREVIEW] The Spider-Man Set Gets A 5-Color Legendary Spider

    09/02/2025
    Lee Corso from College Football GameDay in EA Sports games

    EA Sports Always Understood Lee Corso’s Legacy

    09/01/2025
  • Indie Games
  • K-Dramas
  • Netflix
  • Apple TV+
But Why Tho?
Home » Film » REVIEW: ‘That Christmas’ Is A Lot…Actually

REVIEW: ‘That Christmas’ Is A Lot…Actually

Sarah MusnickyBy Sarah Musnicky12/04/20244 Mins Read
That Christmas 2024
Share
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Reddit WhatsApp Email

That Christmas is a busy animated film. Juggling different vignettes, this adaptation of screenwriter Richard Curtis‘s trio of children’s books has a lot it attempts to do, trying to bring the three books together in a cumulative piece. It’s not an unfamiliar task for Curtis, who many will know for his now-holiday classic, Love Actually, but the end result is a little rough around the edges. The equivalent of a slightly burnt chocolate chip cookie — it’s still delicious but a little overdone.

Centered around the seaside town of Wellington-On-Sea, Santa (Brian Cox) narrates what marks the town’s most memorable and chaotic Christmas Day. While Santa himself is mostly featured through voiceover, his presence is felt all throughout. Starting with the lighthouse, we are slowly introduced to this tiny town. From the homes to the giant school to the ferry, Netflix and Locksmith Animation do a bang-up job of bringing this particular seaside town to life

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here

Things start off relatively normal for everyone—well, almost normal. There’s a hilariously cringe-worthy communal witnessing of the story of Jesus Christ’s birth, cluing the audience in immediately to the kind of energy each character embodies. Of note are the twins, Sam (Zazie Hayhurst) and Charlie (Sienna Sayer), natural leader Bernadette (India Brown), the adorable Evie (Bronte Smith), Danny (Jack Wisniewski), and Mrs. Trapper (Fiona Shaw). Honorable mention goes to Mrs. Mulji (Sindhu Vee) for being a bonafide scene-stealer, even though she is a supporting character.

Plot vignettes pave the way in That Christmas

That Christmas 2024

Eventually, this large gathering of characters breaks off into their respective vignettes, setting the stage for their future dilemma on Christmas Day. Bouncing back and forth, That Christmas does its best to balance out the respective stories while giving their characters their due. While some stories are stronger than others, no one can deny that this feels very much like a Richard Curtis story, using this large cast to capture a larger picture—remembering what’s important, even when expectations aren’t met.

It’s easier to digest when you focus on the overarching idea of a Christmas going terribly wrong. Every single character in That Christmas is confronted with the reality that this particular Christmas is not what anyone expected it to be. From Santa to children to adults, wrenches are thrown into everyone’s plans, with a snowstorm forcing underlying problems up to the surface to be addressed. From naughty twins to vehicle strandings to single parents having to go to work on Christmas Day, there’s a wide gambit of issues tackled in this animated tale.

While the bulk of the story centers on vignettes, the strongest part of the film doesn’t involve that element. Instead, it is when all of the characters converge to address one singular dilemma near the end of That Christmas. It takes a while to establish the wide ensemble of characters, however. While the character designs are okay, they could be more dynamic and memorable, particularly with how many characters we encounter. It’s easy to get lost in the who’s who of it all until much later in the shenanigans, once personalities are more established.

The voice cast carries the script home

That Christmas 2024

Some character moments resonate, with some likely working better with different age groups. The scenes between Mrs. Trapper and Danny, while more somber in tone than the other vignettes, are held together by the strength of Shaw’s and Wisniewski’s vocal performances. Shaw has the steely, no-nonsense tone-down pat, and it is used well here. A silly kid-only party sequence later on features a strong array of colors and absurdity but also seems better suited for younger viewers. The subtleties of other vignettes may be lost on those same viewers, but it is still worth the watch for them, if only for ridiculous turkey humor.

In general, the vocal performances across the cast were so strong and distinct that it is truly difficult to critique. The cast is stacked with a heavy mixture of veteran and younger actors. However, I am circling back to highlight Sindhu Vee. Her delivery as Mrs. Mulji is golden, and she steals every scene. The character feels specifically designed for the parents who will likely be watching this film with their own kids. There’s a little bit of Mrs. Mulji in all of us.

That Christmas may not be the most revolutionary holiday film, but there’s enough heart, silliness, and prime messaging in this animated film to give it its wings. And, if anything, it can serve as a distraction with its own interpretation of the most chaotic Christmas holiday ever.

That Christmas is now streaming on Netflix.

That Christmas (2024)
  • 6.5/10
    Rating - 6.5/10
6.5/10

TL;DR

That Christmas may not be the most revolutionary holiday film, but there’s enough heart, silliness, and prime messaging in this animated film to give it its wings.

Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit Email
Previous ArticleREVIEW: ‘All-New Venom’ Issue #1
Next Article REVIEW: ‘X-Men’ Issue #8
Sarah Musnicky

Sarah is a writer and editor for BWT. When she's not busy writing about KDramas, she's likely talking to her cat. She's also a Rotten Tomatoes Certified critic and a published author of both fiction and non-fiction.

Related Posts

The Long Walk (2025) film review promotional image
9.5

REVIEW: ‘The Long Walk’ Is The Most Heartfelt And Heartbreaking Stephen King Adaptation

09/11/2025
Natasha O’Keeffe in Whitetail
6.5

TIFF 2025: ‘Whitetail’ Is An Intimate View Of A Woman Stuck In Time

09/10/2025
Love Brooklyn
6.0

REVIEW: ‘Love, Brooklyn’ Rests on Pretty

09/10/2025
Park Jeong-min in The Ugly
7.0

TIFF 2025: ‘The Ugly’ Is A Harsh Exercise In Self-Reflection

09/09/2025
No Other Choice
9.0

TIFF 2025: ‘No Other Choice’ Delivers a Bleak Vision of Capitalism

09/09/2025
Molly Lewis in Whistle
8.0

TIFF 2025: ‘Whistle’ Is A Breath Of Fresh Air

09/07/2025

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here
TRENDING POSTS
The Long Walk (2025) film review promotional image
9.5
Film

REVIEW: ‘The Long Walk’ Is The Most Heartfelt And Heartbreaking Stephen King Adaptation

By Kate Sánchez09/11/2025Updated:09/11/2025

The Long Walk is a brutal watch. Equally heartfelt and heartbreaking, it’s one of the best adaptations of Stephen King’s work.

Black Women Anime — But Why Tho (9) BWT Recommends

10 Black Women in Anime That Made Me Feel Seen

By LaNeysha Campbell11/11/2023Updated:12/03/2024

Black women are some of anime’s most iconic characters, and that has a big impact on Black anime fans. Here are some of our favorites.

EA Sports FC Icons Match promotional image from Nexon News

2025 Icons Match Returns With Football Legends Bridging The Pitch And Video Games

By Kate Sánchez09/03/2025Updated:09/03/2025

NEXON has announced the return of the ‘2025 Icons Match,’ a live event that brings a full roster of legendary players to the pitch.

Gojo Jujutsu Kaisen - But Why Tho (2) Features

Everything To Know About Satoru Gojo

By Kate Sánchez09/07/2023Updated:02/16/2025

Satoru Gojo is the heart of Jujutsu Kaisen Season 2 — now, heading into Cour 2, here is everything you need to know about the character.

But Why Tho?
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram Pinterest RSS YouTube Twitch
  • CONTACT US
  • ABOUT US
  • PRIVACY POLICY
  • SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER
  • Review Score Guide
Sometimes we include links to online retail stores. If you click on one and make a purchase we may receive a small contribution.
Written Content is Copyright © 2025 But Why Tho? A Geek Community

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

But Why Tho Logo

Support Us!

We're able to keep making content thanks to readers like YOU!
Support independent media today with
Click Here