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      When Santa Fell to Earth

      PG 2011 1h 47m Kids & Family Holiday Comedy Fantasy List
      Reviews 53% Audience Score Fewer than 50 Ratings When the last real Santa Claus falls out of the sky and lands on the street where Charlotte and Ben live, the children embark on an adventure to help him find his reindeer and find out what Christmas truly means. Read More Read Less

      Critics Reviews

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      David Jenkins Little White Lies Drab Xmas filler for those desperate to submerge themselves in seasonal cheer. Rated: 1/5 Dec 6, 2012 Full Review Anna Smith Time Out The main snag is that this was filmed in Funke's native German - and it's been dubbed, not subtitled. Rated: 2/5 Dec 4, 2012 Full Review David Parkinson Empire Magazine Good, old-fashioned family fun. Rated: 3/5 Dec 3, 2012 Full Review Paul M. Bradshaw Total Film The filmic equivalent of a lump of coal. Rated: 1/5 Nov 30, 2012 Full Review Read all reviews

      Audience Reviews

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      King B In all honesty it is a nice feel good movie. Yes the graphics might not be the best, but it is an enjoyable Christmas film. I definitely recommend watching it. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 11/29/23 Full Review StephenPaul C The greatest 01 hour: and 47 minutes ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Starring Santa Claus!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 04/13/23 Full Review Audience Member it is very good film Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/03/23 Full Review philip s Anchor Bay Entertainment's new Christmas-themed movie When Santa Fell To Earth is one of the best holiday-themed movies to come along in a very long time. The movie, which is based on author Cornelia Funke's 1994 book by the same name, is actually surprisingly entertaining. This is the even with the movie being just another adaptation of a book. The main reason for the movie's success is that despite being adapted from a book, its story actually stands out quite a bit from all of the other cookie cutter Christmas-themed movies. It follows the formula used by so many major studios lightly at best. Another reason for the movie's success is its minimal use of special effects. And while it was originally done in German or another European language, the work of those responsible for dubbing the film made that dubbing nearly invisible. It may seem like a minor factor. But in the grand scheme of things, dubbing foreign films whether foreign to English or vice versa is very important. Good dubbing results in a movie such as this. Bad dubbing can make a movie into a third rate product not worth even finishing let alone watching. Luckily for this movie, that poor dubbing didn't work. The end result is a movie that along with its somewhat original script and its minimal use of special effects proves to be as enjoyable as any other holiday-themed movie released each year. The central reason for the success of When Santa Fell To Earth is its writing. More specifically, the script is to thank for its success. Given, it is based on a two-decades old book. But that book in question is not one that most would consider well-known. What's more, while there are some alterations in the transfer from the printed page to small screen, they aren't nearly as much as some adaptations of other more well-known literary works. The story itself also stands out from other holiday movies out there. Most Christmas-themed movies see an average person saving Christmas by filling in for Santa or getting others to realize the "true meaning of Christmas" through a series of events. Those are the most common plot lines in most Christmas-themed movies. This movie takes a road not just less taken but a road no one else saw, period. According to this story, there are actually multiple Santas. But they've all been frozen by an evil figure that wants to rule Christmas and turn it into a fully corporate holiday. Enter Nikklas Julebukk (pronounced YULE-uh-buck). Nikklas is the last Santa standing between the evil Gerald Geronimus Goblynch. It's up to Nikklas to stop Gerald and his henchman, and save Christmas. Nikklas crashes to Earth in his flight from Gerald and his henchman, leading to his meeting Ben and Charlotte, who help him to stop Gerald. There are no big red sleighs. The only reindeer in the movie is one that audiences definitely won't recognize. Its name is Twinklestar. And instead of the North Pole, Nikklas is trying to keep the story's villain from taking over Yuleland. Some names and places have been changed in the transition from the printed page to the small screen. But by and large, the story has been kept the same. That and the fact that this story is unlike nearly any other out there within the Christmas-themed genre is more than enough reason to see this movie at least once. The overall originality of this movie's script even in its transition from the printed page to the small screen is the most important factor in the movie's success. Another reason that audiences will enjoy this movie is its minimalist use of special effects. The only special effects come courtesy of some CG work to create a pair of "Christmas elves" and a pair of tiny angels who serve as Nikklas' companions. The elves are entirely CG. The angels (yes, they actually incorporate angels alongside Santa-a very young Santa at that) are live actors. But their wings and flying effects were obviously created via CG and green screen. Even Gerald's evil giant nutcracker "soldiers" looked like they had been crafted by hand. Other than that, everything else within this movie looks to be live action. Again, one can't help but make a comparison to other holiday movies out there today. Set against most American holiday movies its balance of live action elements and special effects gives it a rare feel that audiences of all ages will appreciate. It's one more way in which When Santa Fell To Earth stands out among the already overcrowded market of Christmas-themed movies currently on the market. And together with the its largely original adaptation from its literary companion, this foreign import becomes even more enjoyable. The balance of live action elements and CG-based special effects in When Santa Fell To Earth and the largely original story adapted from the book of the same name are both important to the overall success of this straight-to-DVD feature. Rounding out the entire presentation is the movie's dubbing. It would seem that the movie's original presentation was German simply by observing the movie's credits and its setting. That would make sense considering that the author of the book on which this movie is based is herself German. Those charged with dubbing the movie into English are to be commended for taking such painstaking efforts to present a clean product. There are movies dubbed into English that don't exactly translate very well. The end result is something that looks like the old school kung-fu flicks and Godzilla movies imported from Japan and China. That's not a good thing. Luckily in this case that poor translation didn't happen. Audiences almost can't tell that what they are hearing is in fact American voices speaking over European actors. There are points here and there where audiences will be able to catch the dubbing. But it's nowhere near as obvious as in those noted old school Asian imports. The end result is a movie well worth watching at least once this holiday season when taken into consideration along with the movie's story and its balance of live action and CG elements. The story presented in When Santa Fell To Earth is one of the most original holiday stories presented to audiences in a long time. Given, it is based on a book that was originally published two decades ago. But in comparison to all of the other holiday movies out there it still stands out. And for the most part, it actually stays largely true to its literary link. Only a few minor items were changed in the story's small screen adaptation. The minimalist use of special effects makes the story even more worth the watch. In an age when even holiday movies seem to rely increasingly on special effects and CG elements, this movie's balance of live action to special effects makes it all the more worth the watch. Rounding out the presentation is the dubbing process. It's assumed that the movie, in its original 2011 release, was presented in German. Those charged with dubbing the movie into English for its release this year carried out their duties expertly. The end result of these factors together is a movie that every family should see at least once this holiday season. It will be available on DVD Tuesday, October 14th. It can be ordered direct online now via Anchor Bay Entertainment's website at http://www.anchorbayentertainment.com/detail.aspx?projectID=bd0b8d9a-21f7-e311-a502-d4ae527c3b65. More information on this and other titles from Anchor Bay Entertainment is available online at: Website: http://www.anchorbayentertainment.com Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AnchorBay Twitter: http://twitter.com/Anchor_Bay To keep up with the latest sports and entertainment reviews and news, go online to http://www.facebook.com/philspicks and "Like" it. Fans can always keep up with the latest sports and entertainment reviews and news in the Phil's Picks blog at http://philspicks.wordpress.com. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member apos, deq ue aosl dnainsinais der poa,s de poasl der cnbausbau sde aols de auhs de pañ sde iausbas Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 01/25/23 Full Review Audience Member Actually enjoyed this more than I thought I would, shame its dubbed tho. A nice , corny, Christmas family film. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 01/12/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

      Cast & Crew

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      When Santa Fell to Earth

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      Movie Info

      Synopsis When the last real Santa Claus falls out of the sky and lands on the street where Charlotte and Ben live, the children embark on an adventure to help him find his reindeer and find out what Christmas truly means.
      Director
      Oliver Dieckmann
      Producer
      Gabriele Heuser, Irene Wellershoff, Jörg von den Steinen
      Screenwriter
      Robin Getrost, Uschi Reich, Benjamin Biehn
      Rating
      PG (Some Language|Mild Peril)
      Genre
      Kids & Family, Holiday, Comedy, Fantasy
      Original Language
      German
      Release Date (DVD)
      Nov 4, 2014
      Runtime
      1h 47m