Some animated films pass through the holiday season and fade away. Others quietly rewrite the rules. Klaus arrived on Netflix without the usual noise, yet slowly transformed into one of those rare titles that audiences and critics couldn’t ignore. Its power lies in an authorial vision that refuses shortcuts, speaking to children without softening its ideas and to adults without leaning on sentimental nostalgia. The result is an animated film that feels both modern and strangely timeless, reshaping what a Christmas story can be.
Set in a harsh, frozen northern world, the film builds a modern fairy tale that explores selfishness, community, and personal responsibility. What begins as a coming-of-age fantasy gradually becomes a thoughtful meditation on the meaning of giving, framed through animation that looks deliberately to the past while reimagining the future. That creative ambition was recognized with an Academy Award nomination for Best Animated Feature.
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- Original title: Klaus
- Format: Film
- Year: 2019
- Duration: 1h 37m
- Genre: Animation, Family, Fantasy
- Director: Sergio Pablos
- Production: The SPA Studios
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Jesper is a spoiled, cynical young postman, sent by his father to a remote island beyond the Arctic Circle as a last chance at redemption. The place is hostile, split by ancient feuds and inhabited by people who have stopped communicating even with one another. The job seems impossible, and loneliness threatens to get the upper hand. The encounter with Alva, a disillusioned teacher, and with Klaus, a reclusive carpenter who lives on the fringes of the community, however, changes the course of the story. Without ever slipping into sentimentality, the film shows how an apparently selfish gesture can set off a virtuous circle, turning a broken place into a living community. The atmosphere is that of a Nordic fairy tale, melancholic and luminous at the same time.
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Is it inspired by a true story?
Klaus – Secrets of Christmas is an original story that reworks, in narrative and symbolic form, some of the legendary origins of the figure of Santa Claus. It is not based on real events or on a pre-existing literary work, but builds a new myth starting from shared cultural elements.
Our review
The Oscar-nominated film is one of the best examples of animation in recent years. A special mention goes to its visual style, which blends traditional animation with digital depth, shaping a story that is surprisingly mature for a title suitable for the whole family. Audiences have also responded enthusiastically, recognizing it as having a rare longevity in the landscape of Christmas movies. Klaus combines auteur animation and emotional storytelling with a strong visual and narrative identity. Klaus is not just a Christmas movie, but a story about the power of individual actions and about how myths are born from ordinary people.
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When to watch it on Netflix
Available to stream now ►Watch on Netflix
