Arthur Claus is the son and youngest child of Malcolm and Margaret Claus, the younger brother of Steve, the grandson of Grandsanta, the current Santa and the titular protagonist of the 2011 Christmas film Arthur Christmas.
He is voiced by James McAvoy who also portrays a young Professor X in the X-Men film series and Bill Denbrough in the 2019 film IT: Chapter Two, Gnomeo in the 2011 film Gnomeo and Juliet and it's 2018 sequel Sherlock Gnomes and Hazel in the 2018 miniseries Watership Down.
Role in the film[]
Arthur lives in The North Pole with his parents Malcolm and Margaret, older brother Steve and grandfather Grandsanta. Whilst Malcolm works as Santa and Steve works in Mission Control, Arthur works in the letters department and is tasked with answering letters to Santa. Because of his clumsiness, Arthur is looked down upon by Steve and the elves.
In the early hours of Christmas Day, following Malcolm's 70th mission as Santa, Arthur discovers that one present; a bike for an English girl named Gwen Hines, is accidentally undelivered. With Steve wishing to deliver the missed present a few days later, Arthur decides to deliver the present himself as he does not wish for Gwen to wake up without her present. He then leaves the North Pole with Grandsanta, an elf named Bryony Shelfley and Grandsanta's pet reindeer on Grandsanta's old sleigh Eve which is pulled by the great-great-grandchildren of Santa's original eight reindeer.
Arthur's disappearance does not go unnoticed and he is later followed by his family who travel in the current sleigh the S-1. At Gwen's home in Trelew in Cornwall, Malcolm, Steve and Grandsanta argue over who should place Gwen's present under her tree, until they see that only Arthur truly cares about Gwen getting her present and allow him to do it. Steve also abdicates his position as Malcolm's successor as Santa and gives it to Arthur. Arthur is then declared the new Santa.
At the end of the film which takes place the following year, Arthur guides the S-1 (now called Evie, in honour of Grandsanta's sleigh), which is pulled by 5000 reindeer (among them the eight reindeer he used earlier in the film).
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Before working in the Letters department, Arthur used to work in Maintenance, but got moved after he tripped over a plug and melted down elf barracks.
- Arthur's Christmas slippers were made in China.
- The film's creators were pitching for David Tennant to voice Arthur.
- Gnomeo and Juliet, X-Men: First Class, and Arthur Christmas, all of which James McAvoy starred in, came out in 2011.