Dir. Jin Choi II, Peter Lepeniotis, Jamie Waese, USA/Canada, 2008, 66 mins
Cast. William Shatner, Cory Doran, Lisa Lennox, Nathan Stephenson
Review by Michelle Moore
With the festive season quickly approaching us once again, there is no better way to get into the Christmas mood and celebrate the upcoming holiday than with a movie. The newest release is Gotta Catch Santa, a CGI-animated movie originally shown on television and now released to DVD.
The story revolves around a young boy named Trevor, a true believer in the presence of Santa Claus. His sceptical friend Veronica on the other hand, lacks the Christmas spirit. With the help of two friends Trevor goes about plotting a scheme to prove the existence of Santa Claus by capturing him. But, he must act fast if he wants to capture the big man in red before LeFreeze, a large ice like monster and his evil snowman minions, takes a shot at a 100 year old vengeance.
In terms of the story behind the film, there is nothing that will really grasp the attention for anyone over the age of about six, so the 66-minute duration is appealing. This seems like a brilliant idea on paper, intriguing and quite engaging, but there is just something missing – action in the midriff to keep a viewer engaged and interested. Santa gets captured by a young boy, set free and then confronted by an ice monster. The two never actually battle through their problems; they just seem to disintegrate over five minutes, which is very disappointing. With such a plot you would expect a battle or confrontation of some sorts with Santa becoming victorious over the evil ice monster.
Although there is a modern touch to the animation within the movie, a simplicity that is perfect for television and DVD, it is understandably not effective enough for the big screen. The settings are very basic, at times such as where Trevor and Veronica are singing, simple coloured screen backgrounds and falling large snowflakes are present. However, there are no fine details and beautiful scenery that the majority of Christmas movies, animated or live action, have today.
The movie features the voice of William Shatner as Santa, however this feature adds nothing to the appreciation of the movie. The singing elements are also only likely to be enjoyed by those under the age of six with the “Funky Santa” tune likely to become a favourite. The appearance of the characters is also a little basic, and with the case of Mrs Claus, frightfully skinny, but with an amusing and chic side.
In a nutshell, with its effortless setting and short duration, Gotta Catch Santa is great for young children and will really appeal to this age group due to the fact many are unable to sit through a full 90-minute feature, but it still may be a little dreary for those a little older.
Gotta Catch Santa is available on DVD 24 October
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