The Night Before Christmas in Wonderland

• Directed by Peter Braynton
• November 15, 2024 (US)
• Based on The Night Before Christmas in Wonderland by Carys Bexington

Voice Cast

• St. Nick-Gerard Butler
• Queen of Hearts-Emilia Clarke
• Princess of Hearts-Eliza Riley
• Alice-Simone Ashley
• March Hare-Asim Chaudhry
• Robin-Lenny Rush
• Mad Hatter-Mawaan Rizwan
• Comet, Donder-Naomi McDonald
• Fish Barrister-Tom Allen
• The Dodo-Simon Day
• Prancer-Mae Muller
• Dasher, Vixen-Lizzie Waterworth
• King-Duncan Wisbey
• Blitzen-Riona O’Connor
• Card Guard-Nicolas Hamilton
• Cupid-Olivia Forrest
• Dancer-Clare Hernon

The Queen of Hearts has outlawed Christmas and now St. Nick is trying to answer the letter she sent as a child.

From the get-go The Night Before Christmas in Wonderland is surprisingly cute. The story is rather charming. It is one of those combo narratives that bring together two separate fictional worlds. In this case it’s the universe of Alice in Wonderland with that of the story of Santa Claus. It takes a special talent to see what from two different concepts can fit together and all involved look to have that.

It’s fun, sweet, and maybe even a bit traditional in being what one would expect for the season but also with certain modern elements such as a mild level of cynicism and a willingness to acknowledge the silliness of just about everything that happens on some level. It lovingly pokes fun when appropriate at some aspect of its various inspirations.

The dialogue is largely delivered in a rhyming scheme from start to finish. It serves to highlight and accentuate the silliness and general lighthearted nature of the story. There is even a point when rhyming doesn’t happen which serves to denote how serious events have become for the characters.

Santa Claus is a well-meaning if not somewhat bumbling individual. Competent but absent minded. His reindeer are cynics who take everything Santa says and does with a grain of salt. They only go along because he’s their boss even if they see that the idea is bad such as going to Wonderland which they know is quite mad. Butler as Santa is able to convey the jovialness as well as the general happy demeanor and perhaps even the touch of cluelessness in Santa’s character. Perhaps owing to his time on How to Train Your Dragon he’s an excellent voice actor whose performance enhances the character as presented in the animation.

Santa acts as a bit of a bridge to the total insanity of the Alice in Wonderland characters. They are detached enough from our reality to seem off kilter but have a logic and reality they adhere to for themselves. The strange and surreal is their mundane.

The Queen of Hearts is the villain of the story. Obviously. I don’t believe I ever read Alice in Wonderland but if you have seen the Disney film then you will see that she has a lot in common with that character to the design being almost identical. Here her evil is explained as having been accidentally slighted by Santa Claus as a child. She sent him a letter and despite being a good girl did not get what she wanted for Christmas. One missed Christmas gift was enough to make her evil? Anywho…

This isn’t just about Santa Claus and the Queen of Hearts. Involved also is Alice, The Mad Hatter, the March Hare, the Cheshire Cat among others. That participation also includes just about every bit of imagery you can think of from Alice in Wonderland since Wonderland is where the story largely takes place.

There is a redemption undercurrent to this, but the story as a whole is built around the power of Christmas. It is that Christmas magic makes things special and the improbable feel a little more possible. Whether consciously or simply intuitively the people behind The Night Before Christmas in Wonderland understood that’s what makes an enduring Christmas presentation. The holiday needs to be at the center of what makes everything happen and everything work out.

The songs make you happy. You tap your toes and will be smiling at each one. The Night Before Christmas in Wonderland leans into the silliness of the concept. It also manages to teach a lesson about kindness and maybe even letting go of anger of the past. That might be looking a deep a bit deep into it but that is what it gets at.

The animation style is artistic. It’s a bit on the cheap side but it’s very artistic. I don’t mean that as a cut. It looks quite good but is also very reminiscent of a children’s storybook. The tale moves swiftly but never too fast. There’s plenty for children but just as much which will entertain any adults who watch it with them. This is something for the whole family.

This is a rare film I can’t find anything worth complaining about. There’s nothing really to nitpick or to be bothered by. What it does right it does nearly perfectly. What is bad is not wrong but just not my preference. It is nothing that sufficiently bothered me to strongly recall.

I’m sure this will be more of a treat for people who are familiar with the Lewis Carroll book. Like so many others I know the story of Alice in Wonderland from the Disney film and any other random adaptions I’ve watched. Somethings I can recognize but others I know I’ve never seen before. It doesn’t detract but adds a little something special for others.

The Night Before Christmas in Wonderland is a fantastic addition to the Christmas movie catalog. It’s fun and silly and will put a smile on your face while getting you into the holiday feel.