A Surprising Take on Santa: Klaus Review with Discussion Questions

Klaus Discussion Questions and Klaus Review written by the Ent on 12/14/20
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Know Before You Watch Klaus

Movie: Klaus
Rating: PG
Genre:  Kids Christmas
Age suggested : 6 and up
Release Date: November 8^th, 2019
Streaming Service: Netflix
Themes: Purpose, Finding happiness in helping others, Grief
Warnings: Some intense, dark scenes (i.e. dark dogs growling, creepily drawn characters plotting, etc) Minor fighting scenes

Quick Summary of Klaus:

Jesper is the son of a rich business mogul. But his nonchalance attitude makes him the ire of his father. So his dad sends him away to start a postal office in a super rural area. The northern most island in the world where no one has been able to establish a post office before.

I definitely want to note here that the first twenty minutes or so of the movie are really rough. And if it had not gotten such rave reviews from friends, I probably would have stopped and moved on but I’m so glad I didn’t! It’s a fun, unique, Santa movie that is sure to become a yearly watch! There are some great lessons in this movie! By the time it was over- I had cried, laughed and wanted to watch the ending again!

Keep reading for our Klaus Parent Review & Klaus Discussion Questions!

Klaus Review: 
**LIGHT SPOILERS**

Is Klaus appropriate?

There are a few darker scenes involving the villains and dogs of the story, but they are ultimately fairly manageable. (Although I absolutely will not be watching this with my pre-schooler) There are some characters whose family has passed away. As long as viewers can handle these topics, this movie should be good fun! It also contains some great songs on the soundtrack (Invisible and Klaus) and a Klaus coloring book that you can buy by clicking the links!

Plot/Story of Klaus:

Klaus provides a very fun take on the origin story of Santa Claus. It takes so many of the tropes and somewhat turns them on their head in very fun ways. The overall plot of Jesper carries the story as he is assigned the task of setting up a postal service in the middle of nowhere in the northernmost portion of the world. This is simultaneously helped out and thrown for a loop when Jesper gets introduced to the local giant hermit, Klaus.

Klaus’ storyline is just wonderful, especially going in thinking you know his full story. When you are first introduced to him, he is a hermit, but once he gets more involved in his community, he learns how to overcome his past and move on to the future because of his love for the kids.

Characters in Klaus

Klaus is filled with an interesting collection of characters. The plot focusses on the story of Jesper, a rich mogul’s spoiled son who refuses to take anything seriously. The story is the character progression of Jesper as he meets Klaus and the other residents of Smeerensburg. I hope that there is a second movie and that Jesper becomes even more likeable because for so much of this movie he’s just a really despicable character that I had a hard time empathizing with.

The residents of Smeerensburg have had a Hatfield and McCoy type feud for a long time and it has reeked havoc on the city. Our favorite voice actors in this ensemble were Rashida Jones (gotta love the teachers!) and Joan Cusack!

Klaus himself is also an intriguing character by at first being slightly mysterious and then transitioning into a caring, grandfatherly figure with a tragic backstory. We really enjoyed the different background and character spin for him! & J.K. Simmons (Klaus voice actor) added a lot to the character.

Keep Reading for our Klaus Discussion Questions and the end of our Parent Review of Klaus

Animation in Klaus

Klaus uses a very unique art style that is very eye-catching. It is 2D animation, but with a style that provides for that 3 dimensional feel. This adds some great dynamic to simple movements. This also provides much depth to the somber scenes and extra vivid brightness to the happy moments of the film.

Continue reading for our Klaus Discussion Questions

Why Watch Klaus

Klaus is a fantastic Christmas movie that provides a very unique take on the origin story of Santa Claus. Overall, this is a great homage to the story of Santa Claus and does a fantastic job at maintaining the believability of Santa throughout the entire move, which is especially reinforced during the last scene.

There are a lot of great lessons in this movie. Klaus has to work with Jesper. The townspeople have to work together to get to try to get rid of Klaus. So there’s a lot of coming together in the movie. Jesper learns that there is so much more to life than being spoiled. And so much more, there are so many great talking points! It’s not one I would have picked on my own but I ended up loving it, and we hope you will too!

Klaus Discussion Questions:

1. If you were to go into the family business, what would you be doing? Would you enjoy that work?
2. How did Jesper go from being a selfish kid to the empathetic person he ended up being?
3. There are many allusions through the movie to traditional Santa tropes. Which was your favorite Santa moment?
4. (Assuming your kiddo knows about Saint Nick) How did this story compare to the origins of Saint Nick? Which story do you like more?
5. What is your favorite movie about Santa Claus?
6. Have you ever had to work with someone you didn’t agree with to get something done?

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And check out our other reviews!

–Family Friendly Christmas Movies to Stream

–Jingle Jangle – A new Christmas musical!

–Our other Christmas movie reviews: The Nutcracker and the Four Realms, The (new animated) Grinch Movie, and The Star

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