This will be a first for me, a film review. I have never written a film review before and I have only ever written one Christmas opinion so to be writing a Christmas film review is going to be a learning curve for me. Mind you, I say film but this is firstly a cartoon and it lasts about 30 minutes. It's still magical though. It's still magical because of my children and the enjoyment they get from it. Watching 'Father Christmas' has become a tradition in our home but not one my wife and I have encouraged, no, this one is purely down to our 3 children. Actually the main culprit if you like is our eldest daughter (she will be ...  Read the complete review

The pre-school attendant approached my wife with a look of concern. "I am afraid your daughter has said something a bit naughty". My wife's head raced. Oh no, she thought, what has she picked up. "What do you say when you are driving?" asked the concerned attendant, now joined by two of her colleagues. "I don't know" she replied. My wife isn't the always the calmest or most patient of drivers. Apparently our daughter - the apple of my eye, the sunshine of our days - had been cursing a bit when pretending to drive alongside her three and four year-old playmates. The attendant took my anxious wife over to a notebook and began scribbling down ..  Read the complete review

I am really surprised not to see Raymond Briggs lovely film Father Christmas on the list of films. As charming as the Snowman, this is the cartoon story of Father Christmas after he has worked one Christmas before preparing for the next...holidaying in Las Vegas etc. With the voice of Mel Smith as well as his not too good but excellent for the role singing. Not a very long film, rather like the Snowman, but one that children probably love to watch, I know I do. ...  Read the complete review

Raymond Briggs' 'Snowman' & 'Father Christmas' books & DVDs have become a part of our traditional family Christmas even though my daughters are now 22 & 17, we all sit & watch the films as a family. It's a refreshing change to see Father Christmas portrayed as a cigar-loving, alcohol-drinking, grumpy old man whose favourite words are 'bloomin' Christmas'... The animation is superb, the music is catchy & easy for children to sing along to & Mel Smith, in my opinion, has the best voice for this particular character. The actual film is around 26 minutes long which is just enough for young children I ...  Read the complete review

This is a story about what’s its really like being Father Christmas. The voice is provided by actor and comedian Mel Smith who makes him sound grumpy but loveable. The beginning shows Father Christmas getting ready for a well-earned holiday, after all his hard work over Christmas. He works hard in his garage making some very major alterations to his sleigh and when finished it appears to be more like a camper van, which can fly. He decides to head off to France and dresses up for the part with a blue and white striped tee shirt. He pops into a very posh restaurant which is not really his scene and when the fish he orders arrives he then ...  Read the complete review