‘That Christmas:’ Brian Cox To Voice Santa In Richard Curtis Animation

An A-list cast including Brian Cox, Fiona Shaw, Jodie Whittaker, and Bill Nighy will lend their voices to That Christmas, an animated feature from Netflix penned by Richard Curtis and directed by Simon Otto (How to Train Your Dragon trilogy). 

That Christmas is an adaptation of the children’s book series (The Empty Stocking, Snow Day, and That Christmas) written by Curtis. The pic also marks the directorial debut of animation vet Otto.

Cox voices Santa in the pic. Shaw is Ms. Trapper, Whittaker is Mrs. Williams, and Nighy is Bill, residents of a charming seaside town where things turn upside down one Christmas. The full synopsis reads: That Christmas follows a series of entwined tales about family and friends, love and loneliness, and Santa Claus making a big mistake, not to mention an enormous number of turkeys. Also starring are Lolly Adefope, Alex Macqueen, Katherine Parkinson, Sindhu Vee, India Brown, Zazie Hayhurst, Sienna Sayer, Jack Wisniewski, Rosie Cavaliero, Paul Kaye, Guz Khan, Andy Nyman, Kuhu Agarwal, Bronte Smith, Freddie Spry, Ava Talbot, and Rhys Darby. The film will debut on Netflix later this year.

The film will be scored by BAFTA nominated composer John Powell (How To Train Your Dragon trilogy, Happy Feet, Shrek). Locksmith Animation is producing with animation production from DNEG. Peter Souter has co-written the screenplay with Curtis. Producers are Nicole P. Hearon and Adam Tandy. Executive Producers are Mary Coleman, Natalie Fischer, Julie Lockhart, Elisabeth Murdoch, Bonnie Arnold, Lara Breay, Sarah Smith, Rebecca Cobb, Curtis, and Colin Hopkins. 

 “This has been the most amazing adventure, my first animated film. It’s been especially exciting to see the whole world I imagined come to life beyond my wildest dreams – and populated by a dream bunch of actors, their wonderful voices turned into such rich and funny characters,” said Curtis. 

Otto added: “Becoming an animator had been on my Christmas wish list ever since I was a child and watching animated movies was one of the biggest Christmas traditions in my family. But never could I have imagined that one day I would get the chance to direct a Christmas film written by the one-and-only Richard Curtis and collaborate with some of the most iconic voice talents. Watching this cast bring life to these heart-warmingly funny tales and infuse them with the magic of animation is truly a dream come true. I hope That Christmas becomes a cherished tradition for audiences worldwide.”