The major voice cast for Aardman Animation’s upcoming movie, Arthur Christmas, has been announced, with James McAvoy, Hugh Laurie, Jim Broadbent, Bill Nighy, Imelda Staunton, and Ashley Jensen all taking roles in the movie, which will hit cinemas November 2011.
So what’s it all about? Well, it’s set on Christmas night and reveals the answer to every child’s question: ‘So how does Santa deliver all those presents in one night?’ James McAvoy leads the cast as Arthur, the good-natured but clumsy younger son of Santa, who ends up with an urgent mission that must be completed before Christmas morning dawns.. Arthur loves everything to do with Christmas; indeed, he is the only one in his family still captivated by the magic of the holiday. Laurie will play Arthur’s older brother Steve, heir to the reins, a cool, incredibly capable guy who has given the North Pole high-tech efficiency, military-style precision.
Broadbent plays Santa himself, who pictures himself as the guy in charge at the North Pole, but is now more of a figurehead as the operation has outgrown him. Nighy plays Santa’s 136-year-old father, Grandsanta, a cranky old codger who hates the modern world, is always grumbling that Christmas ‘was better when I was Santa’ and has a tense relationship with Steve, who he calls ‘A postman with a spaceship.’ Jensen will play Bryony, a lowly elf from the Giftwrap Battalion, with an eager-to-please attitude and an obsession with wrapping and bows. Imelda Staunton rounds out the cast as Mrs. Santa, dedicated wife and mother to her husband and sons.
Sarah Smith will direct the CGI festive flick.