Santa Claus exists! Evidence in 5 movies

Mission: Christmas, a Christmas family adventure

Available on DVD, Blu-ray and VOD

From 3 years

• once: “Dear Santa, if you live at the North Pole, why can’t I see your house on Google Earth and how do you manage to go down a narrow chimney and around the world in one night? All the answers to this famous secret operation involving real state-of-the-art technology are here!

• What they love: A fast-paced, original script with almost one idea per frame, a seductive aesthetic from Aardman Studios (“Wallace & Gromit”, “Shaun the Sheep”) between an old fairy tale and a crazy modernity, this animated film is perfect for renewing the magic of Christmas if it starts to fall apart. Your kids will love the perfectly oiled machine of distributing thousands of gifts in one night with high-tech gadgets, surreal camouflage techniques and impressive risk-taking. All this without forgetting a small child. or almost…

• What might be bothering them: The fact that the child was forgotten and Noel’s family is worried a little or enough?! Fortunately, the old gentleman’s son, “dirty in a suit”, somewhat defeated and in a hurry, will be there to make it right with his slightly less jaded grandfather! Apart from this small moment of uncertainty in the Christmas mission, which is a bit disturbing, a few scenes of danger (dangerous lions, a sleigh in danger of falling) can give your adventurers a jolt, but without any real proven risk.

• What they keep deep: We must never give up, and even if Santa Claus is somewhat upset about the holiday being over-commercialized and over-powered, continuing to fight for the spirit of Christmas and its traditions is fundamental. Therefore, the real Santa Claus is the one who will never forget this and who, against the tides and snow, will give each child, each detail and moment its meaning, in short, will take his time, unhurriedly. Or just enough.

Want to know our favorite Christmas movies? it is so:

Express Pole

is available on Netflix and Premier video

from 4 years

• once : A young boy who doubts the existence of Santa Claus is invited to board a mysterious train bound for the North Pole. The start of a fantastic and very surprising adventure for him and his companions…

• which they will fall in love with : Even the little ones can’t help but be captivated by the talent of Robert Zemeckis – father of Back to the Future, Who Framed Robert Rabbit and Forrest Gump – when it comes to mixing fantastical suspense, spectacular visual effects and magical adventure. Not a second goes by without their little audience’s heart beating wildly to the rhythm of the train ride, the magical obstacles it encounters along the way, and the magic of the world it leads to on its initial journey.

• What could be bothering them? : If the chaotic journey of the train can impress especially when it threatens one of its passengers, what will awaken your child’s sense of strangeness is more related to the special faces of the characters. In combining people and pictures, Robert Zemeckis uses the so-called performance photography process, which combines real actors and animated characters, giving them expressions that are very subtle and strange because they are ghosts. A little detail to save so you don’t bother them too much: Tom Hanks plays no fewer than five roles in The Pole Express, including the train conductor, the young hero, and… Santa Claus.

• which they go deep to maintain : Let’s keep putting milk and biscuits by the tree because geography textbooks are offensive, the North Pole is nothing but a desert. A consistent and awesome place, it’s populated by elves who celebrate every childish misstep with tiny screens (ouch). Helping each other, accepting yourself as you are and getting to know yourself better is therefore a real option for setting priorities! And then, beyond all this, when we grow up, we all have the choice to believe (or not) in the spirit of Christmas, his face in a red dress and a white beard, etc. to hear (or not) the flashing bell. Yes, as Tom Hanks says, “It is good to know where the train is going, but what is more important is the decision to take it.” Dare to travel, dream…

Klaus

Available on Netflix

from 4 years

• once : An incompetent postman is given a mission to restore communication between the inhabitants of an island in the far north. His encounter with a mysterious retired carpenter with a knack for making toys and an underutilized teacher will be the start of the perfect Christmas tradition as we know it.

• which they will fall in love with : You will discover for yourself that this 2D animated film is the latest gem of its genre, a true fairy tale with cruel humor and a brilliant script. By explaining that Santa Claus was born out of small chances and accidents and more or less uninteresting, but in any case very well thought out intentions, he makes his traditions and therefore existence more realistic than ever. All this, of course, without forgetting the necessary and preserved wind of magic (in the literal sense) to let everyone’s imagination run wild. to the questions of their countless children (“But why, why, and why“), consistent answers are found without you having to solve them…rare enough to be appreciated.

• What could be bothering them? : After the fear of the disturbing and aggressive atmosphere reigning in the village due to the conflict between the two families fades away, your child may still be disturbed by the fact that the one who has every chance to be the famous Santa Claus. At first glance, a slightly embittered and sad old man who is lonely after the death of his wife. We are far from the grandfather with a flat stomach and an inimitable laugh. However…

• which they go deep to maintain : Why does Santa Claus come down the chimney and should see, in addition to our hanging stockings, well-wishing cookies there? Why is school important and how (!) should you write a letter to get the gifts you hope for? What is generosity, perseverance, and therefore friendship for? With the beautiful messages of love from Klaus and his little ones, the fundamentals of education you are trying to instill are addressed and validated like a magic trick. It’s enough to gently lull the skeptic mind to sleep by prolonging the warm Christmas atmosphere while opening up a debate about the proportion of magic (revised and measured) we’re willing to accept.

Five legends

Available on DVD and VOD

from 5 years

• once: A tattooed Russian Santa Claus, a colorful tooth fairy, a mute sandman, an over-excited Easter bunny and a mischievous young boy with an as-yet-unidentified mission must join forces with the darkness that threatens dreams and lives. Children’s Imagination.

• What they love: The action scenes, the humor and the sophisticated world of this superhero movie, more traditional than ever, will attract the attention of your unsuspecting youngsters, who over time have become more interested in the actions of the men called “Spider”. or “steel” than these five legends of their early childhood past. Far from the cuteness we know about them, the latter modernize, exaggerate and organize themselves as a close-knit group of friends, determined to fight negativity and nightmares, in favor of dreams, gifts, games and … fun. constantly. Their arguments are good, their power convincing and their alliance unstoppable.

• What might be bothering them: there Darkness, the embodiment of fear and nightmares, can impress young people with its appearance: a kind of noisy black dust, with a rigid face and a shrill voice. More generally, the sound and the sequence of several threats (once a little fairy drowns, a child collapses on ice…) can also make you shiver.

• What they keep deep: In the face of fear, doubts and nightmares, there is nothing better than mutual support and above all trust, which we must have in ourselves, of course, but also in others. Even if they sometimes doubt, the children must continue to believe in Santa Claus, who provides magical guarantees, the tooth fairy who protects memories (and of course helps the little mouse, “the office member in the Atlantic Ocean”), the seller of sand. The bringer of dreams, the Easter Bunny the bringer of renewal and also… Jack Frost (a seductive allegory of winter completely unknown to us) the generator of fun.

He puts them to suffer under punishment and sees them completely disappear. Yes, here too, the legendary figure is immortal when we believe in him, the lights of the world remain as long as dreams and joy are preserved. Now promoted as guardians of Santa Claus and his partners, your little ones will know what to do.

Find our AlloCiné ranking of the best kids’ movies

Miracle on 34th Street

Available Disney+

From 6 years

• once : An old man hired by a department store chain to play Santa Claus pretends to be Santa Claus. Threatened with internment, he agrees to prove his identity in court…

• which they will fall in love with Oscar winner for best original story in 1947, this Christmas classic is unforgettable with its unique atmosphere in frosty New York, its lights, shops and, above all, the disarming acting of child star Natalie Wood, which your little one will completely adore. Suspicion is easily recognized. Raised by a single mother who refuses to believe in fairy tales and the legends and myths associated with them, the little girl develops a friendship with this kind gentleman who truly shakes her. What if Santa really did exist after all? The justice system and even the postal administration, an official government service, choose to seriously believe it… I’m telling you.

• What could be bothering them? : There is no excitement here, but definitely awe at the idea of ​​seeing for the first time, perhaps, a black-and-white film, certainly magical, but therefore a bit harsh. Don’t worry, 1994’s Miracle on 34th Street, in color and produced by John Hughes, screenwriter of Mom I Missed the Plane and Beethoven, is perfect for your little recalcitrants. And just as effective: Richard Attenborough is a worthy successor to Edmund Gwenn’s Santa Claus, and Mara Wilson, adored in Madame Doubtfire, is simply adorable.

• which they go deep to maintain : “Trust is believing things when common sense tells you not to” And trust is the best relationship we can have with the world we live in. So, Santa Claus is really this charming person that we see in real life (!) in the movie, because he has a talent for conciliating the worst rivals and forcing the most rigid institutions and the most rigid skeptics. With kindness, joy, love and magic. always. And this is nothing.