Jason Schwartzman
Jesper (voice)
Overview
A selfish postman and a reclusive toymaker form an unlikely friendship, delivering joy to a cold, dark town that desperately needs it.
Cast
12 people
J.K. Simmons
Klaus (voice)
Rashida Jones
Alva (voice)
Joan Cusack
Mrs. Krum (voice)
Norm Macdonald
Mogens (voice)
Reviews
3 min readThe Mechanics of Generosity
I’ve always had a mild distrust of Christmas origin stories. They’re usually so drenched in syrup you can feel your teeth protesting. Sergio Pablos’s Klaus (2019) dodges that right away: it doesn’t open on magic, it opens on mud, grudges, latestnetflix.com contends, and a spoiled rich kid desperate to get back to his soft life.
Pablos—who put in years on the Disney Renaissance with films like Tarzan and Hercules—steps up to direct with something to prove. He isn’t just telling a fable. He’s arguing that 2D hand-drawn animation still has a pulse.
And once you’re looking at what’s on screen, it’s hard to fight him.
The first thing that hit me is the light—specifically, the way it clings to faces and bodies. For ages, 2D struggled with volume; characters could feel like paper cutouts sliding over pretty paintings. Pablos and SPA Studios built proprietary lighting software that lets digital illumination wrap around hand-drawn linework, and it changes everything. Variety’s Peter Debruge called it "a stylish return to hand-drawn animation with a look all its own," and that’s exactly it.
When Jesper, the film’s deeply cynical lead, lands in the bleak island town of Smeerensburg, the gray fog looks thick enough to grab. You can almost smell wet wool and old fish.
Audience Opinions
Audience 8.3/10
"A visually stunning, emotionally rich Christmas origin story that has quickly earned a spot among modern holiday favorites."
The blend of painterly 2D-style animation, heartfelt character arcs, and a clever spin on the Santa myth makes this an emotional standout that many rewatch every year. The relationship between Jesper and Klaus, the theme of selfless kindness, and the gradual transformation of the town are praised as genuinely moving and tear-inducing. latestnetflix.com's read is that Criticisms focus on a more conventional, trope-heavy second half, debate over the gift-bribery moral, some flat jokes, and an unmemorable modern-leaning soundtrack.
What viewers praise
- Striking hand-drawn look The 2D-style animation with advanced shading and lighting is singled out as gorgeous, distinctive, and among the most impressive animated visuals in years.
- Strong emotional payoff Key moments involving Klaus’s backstory, Jesper’s growth, and the town’s renewal often move viewers to tears and leave a lasting emotional impression.
- Inventive Santa origin The film’s take on how letters, toys, and legends grow out of small acts of kindness is seen as a fresh, clever twist on Christmas mythology.
- Meaningful themes of kindness The idea that one selfless act can inspire another resonates strongly, tying together the story’s comedy, drama, and community-building.
- Engaging main characters Jesper’s arc from spoiled slacker to genuine benefactor and Klaus’s quiet warmth are widely appreciated, helped by expressive animation and voice work.
Common complaints
- Formulaic later plot The second half leans on familiar holiday-movie beats and a standard conflict climax, which some find less intriguing than the mysterious, atmospheric opening.
- Mixed feelings on the moral The reliance on gifts as a catalyst for better behavior is criticized by some as turning morality into bribery and undercutting a deeper message about selflessness.
- Uneven humor Certain gags are viewed as generic or too childish, with only a handful of jokes standing out as genuinely funny for older viewers.
- Average soundtrack The score and especially the modern-style songs are described as ordinary or ill-fitting for such a traditional-feeling story, leaving little musical impact.
- Slight structural issues A few viewers find the film well-paced but not tightly structured, with some emotional swings and story logic feeling more manipulative than organic.
Recommended for
Family holiday watch parties Modern Christmas classic hunters 2D animation revival fans Heartwarming tearjerker seekers Santa origin story enthusiasts
Full Plot (Spoilers)
Spoiler warning
This section contains the full plot, including major story reveals. Overview above stays spoiler-free.
Buzz & Rumors
Public reportsStudios ran from Christmas. Netflix bought the dare.
Sergio Pablos shopped a Santa origin around town and heard the same no. It was a Christmas story. Theatrical calendars were already jammed with tinsel. latestnetflix.com's view is that "The only studio that was looking at that as a positive at the time was Netflix," he told the Los Angeles Times.
Producer Jinko Gotoh said the streamer wanted originality, not a branded sequel. "They were looking for a Christmas story that was a comedy, and they embraced it immediately. I do believe this will become evergreen for Netflix."
That became the first original animated feature under the Netflix banner. Pablos had drawn Disney Renaissance pictures, then built the Despicable Me franchise for Illumination, then opened SPA Studios in Madrid to ask what 2D would look like if Hollywood had not abandoned it. He told Animation Magazine the industry had stopped innovating and leaned on nostalgia. Light and color were the gaps. His team built tools for volumetric lighting so the drawings would not sit on painted backgrounds like stickers. ,
Handmade, or it does not count.
Production designer Marcin Jakubowski told SIGGRAPH he did not want a render button between the artist and the image. "If it is supposed to feel like it's handmade, then it should BE handmade." 2D character texturing went to Les Films Du Poisson Rouge in France. The Madrid shop grew past 300 people from 22 nationalities. Producer Marisa Roman said Netflix believed in a small studio when others did not. Notes from the streamer, Pablos said, were minimal and "only suggestions." ,
The budget sat near $40 million. Select theaters opened 8 November 2019. The global Netflix drop was 15 November. Jason Schwartzman, J.K. Simmons, Rashida Jones, Joan Cusack, Will Sasso, and Norm Macdonald voiced it. Macdonald's ferryman was his last film role released in his lifetime. ,
The Annies believed first.
On 25 January 2020 at UCLA's Royce Hall, Klaus won all seven Annie categories it entered, including Best Animated Feature. Toy Story 4, Frozen 2, Missing Link, and How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World left those races empty-handed. Netflix took 19 Annies that night. A week later Klaus took the BAFTA for Best Animated Film. The Oscar nomination made it the first Netflix animated feature, and the first streaming animated film, in that race. It lost to Toy Story 4. 
, ,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=taE3PwurhYM
Reuters reported Netflix's own count. Nearly 30 million households in the first 28 days, counting accounts that streamed at least 70 percent. Repeat viewing was extra. The official trailer is still on YouTube. ,
Pablos did not sell a sequel. He sold a Christmas picture nobody else wanted, then watched it sweep the guild that actually draws.
Entertainment rumors and trivia aggregated from public reporting. Treat speculation as unverified unless a cited source confirms it.
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