Director: Simon Otto
One brutal snowstorm rearranges an entire town's Christmas plans, Santa included, in this 2024 British animated comedy directed by Simon Otto.
What is That Christmas about?
The seaside town of Wellington-on-Sea is gearing up for its usual holiday routine when the worst blizzard in living memory rolls in and throws everything off course. Families who had their evening mapped out find themselves stranded, improvising, and leaning on neighbors they might not otherwise have crossed paths with. Even Santa's own plans get derailed by the weather, forcing a scramble that ties together several separate households across town. Rather than following one central hero, the film hops between interlocking stories of kids, parents, and near-misses, building toward a shared night where nothing goes as scheduled but most of it works out anyway.
Cast & crew
The voice cast leans on a deep bench of British character actors: Brian Cox and Fiona Shaw anchor the adult roles, with Jodie Whittaker, Bill Nighy, Lolly Adefope, Alex MacQueen, Katherine Parkinson, and Sindhu Vee filling out the town's residents. The ensemble spans comedy and drama veterans, giving the different family threads distinct voices even as the stories intertwine.
Context & significance
Director Simon Otto, known for animation work on major franchise features, brings a hand-drawn, storybook sensibility to a script adapted from Richard Curtis's own holiday tales, which explains the film's warm, anthology-like structure. Released in 2024, it carries a 6.8 rating on IMDb, a solid mark for a family-oriented seasonal release built around ensemble charm rather than a single plot engine. At just over ninety minutes, it moves briskly between its various family threads without letting any one storyline overstay its welcome, which suits the film's format of many small crises resolving in parallel.
Where & how to watch
That Christmas streams on K-Time with a free account login, and it's available with both Persian dubbing and Persian subtitles, so viewers can choose whichever fits their household. The film's page is free to browse without signing in, and the Farsi-friendly interface makes it an easy pick for a family movie night.