Klaus
A true selfless act always sparks another.
It's been a long time since a movie made me feel this way. I felt so full and I can't believe it's taken me this long to truly appreciate this masterpiece of art.
Even if you're not a fan of Christmas, or Netflix films in general, this film has to be on your list for the animation alone. So many animated movies these days try and take 3D animation to new heights, yet Klaus' usage of 2D animation offers more uniqueness in certain scenes than entire franchises have managed over the years. I'll definitely return to this film just to admire the handcrafted art, because every scene is framed perfectly. Take a random shot from the film and you'll be surprised at the amount of detail and meaning you can discover.
Klaus also offers us a fresh perspective on the origins of Santa Claus. We're treated to a whole bunch of references: the nature of the Naughty list, how everyone flies, and even why Santa wears red to begin in, but what I appreciated most is that nothing felt forced. Take a simple conversation between Jesper and Klaus which results in the latter laughing. "Ho ho ho" isn't some crazy slogan or has some ridiculous backstory, it's simply the sound of a sweet chuckle from a dearing old man.
Above all else, Klaus is just a wholesome movie. The scenes of Márgu/Jesper trying to understand one another which results in her present and also seeing the First Kid receive his toy Frog honestly filled my heart so much. I really didn't expect this film to just make me... feel, I don't think I've experienced this since Coco. I think the most uplifting part of all though was seeing Margu's family accept Klaus as one of their own. His backstory with his wife and not being able to have kids was upsetting, but the fact that he was able to bring that joy to others while being accepted into a family was just... ugh... man I really do have a heart.
Anyways, enough with the typing because let's be honest no one except me has got this far. Klaus is without doubt one of my all-time favourite movies, and it deserves this 5★ rating.