Klaus

Klaus is one of those movies I initially shrugged off, mostly because I thought there were already enough Santa origin stories floating around. But this one genuinely surprised me. It’s a Spanish animated film, directed by Sergio Pablos, and the hand-drawn animation instantly gave it this cozy, storybook feel that made me want to hunker down with hot chocolate, regardless of the season.

The story centers around Jesper, a spoiled rich kid forced by his postal-tycoon dad to prove himself as a postman in the bleak, snow-drenched town of Smeerensburg. Here, the mail never gets delivered, because the town is caught in a lifelong feud so bitter that even kids are basically raised to hate their neighbors. Jesper’s desperate to escape, but his dynamic with Klaus—the reclusive toymaker hiding out in the woods—becomes the movie’s secret weapon.

What works is the film’s balance of warmth and cynicism. Jesper is a brat at the start, and watching his slow evolution into someone less awful actually feels earned. Klaus himself is quietly compelling; he barely speaks, but his grief and tenderness land hard. There’s also a lot more bite to the script than I expected—plenty of moments poking fun at tradition, and a sly sense of humor that actually works for adults. The town’s feuding families are ridiculously over-the-top, but that just makes them way more memorable.

The hand-painted look is absolutely gorgeous. Light has this almost magical texture and the character designs are playful without going off the rails. There’s a sense of physical space that feels different from a lot of other modern animated films, and it helps sell the fantasy parts without making it all candy-coated.

If there’s a weak link, it’s the pacing in the middle third. The movie front-loads a lot of conflict but then sorts a bunch of it out in single scenes that feel weirdly quick. Also, as heartfelt as it is, the plot goes exactly where you think it will by the end. It’s not trying to blow anyone’s mind structurally, and it leans a little heavy on the sentimentality sometimes, especially with the swelling score.

But honestly, I kind of love it anyway. Klaus is nostalgic without being sappy, funny but never forced, and it pulls off some really nice visual and emotional payoffs by the end. Out of all the feel-good animated movies around Christmas, this one is actually worth revisiting—and not just for the pretty pictures.