The Legend of Santa
| The Legend of Santa | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Andrew de Burgh |
| Written by | Daniel Colyer |
| Based on | A Magical Christmas Adventure by Daniel Colyer |
| Produced by |
|
| Music by | Marc Timón |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | Mbur Films |
Release dates |
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Running time | 6 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
The Legend of Santa is a 2021 British animated fantasy short film written by Daniel Colyer and directed by Andrew de Burgh. Based on the Christmas novel "A Magical Christmas Adventure" by Colyer and combining both historical and fantasy elements, it tells an origin story of Santa Claus.
It had it's World Premiere at the BAFTA qualifying film festival Dokufest on August 7, 2021, and was released by Mbur Films on the iOS app Sofy.tv on December 25, 2021.
Plot
[edit]When Saint Nicholas, a compassionate bishop, sees that his woodcarving hobby has the ability to brighten a poor girl's life, he sets out on a journey to see that children everywhere have the same opportunity.
Production
[edit]Daniel Colyer, author of the Christmas novel “A Magical Christmas Adventure” met Andrew de Burgh in 2019 and discussed turning his book into an animated short film. de Burgh signed on to the project in February 2020 and brought onboard composer Marc Timón, who scored his debut feature The Bestowal, to score and orchestrate the film's original soundtrack.
Soon after, AMCA Productions partnered with San Francisco based animation studio TheTreeFort Animations who was tasked with animating the film. Taking inspiration from the animated short film The Snowman, de Burgh worked closely with lead animator Sam Kalafat on an ethereal and magical style.
Production began in April 2020, during the height of the Covid pandemic with team members working remotely in different continents.
The film finished production in October 2021. On November 6, 2020, the official trailer was released.[1]
Release
[edit]The film had it's World Premiere at Dokufest in August 2021.[2]
It also screened at the McMinnville Short Film Festival (where it was nominated for the Audience Award), the Golden Bee International Children's Film Festival (where it won the Best Original Soundtrack Award), the West Sound Film Festival, the Moscow International Children's Film Festival, the Okotoks Festive Film Festival and the Fresco International Film Festival.
It was released on December 25, 2021, by Mbur Films on the iOS short film app Sofy TV. [3]
Reception
[edit]The movie received positive reviews from critics. In his review of the movie, Film Threat critic Bobby LePire said of it, "the film's world is inviting and feels truly magical".[4] Anton Bitel of Projected Figures, called it “sweet and sentimental.”[5] UK Film Review critic Jason Knight gave it 5 stars out of 5, stating “This remarkable achievement offers six unforgettable minutes. Everybody who collaborated in the making of this deserves great praise. Thanks to their hard work, they brought to the world a moving story, filled with marvelous animation and an outstanding score.”[6] GhMovieFreak Tony Asankomah gave it 3 stars out of 5, stating "it has the makings of a feature-length animation film, that could at least capture how the acts of kindness of one man possibly change the lives of many." [7]
References
[edit]- ^ "The Legend of Santa Official Trailer". November 6, 2020. Retrieved October 11, 2024.
- ^ "The Legend of Santa at Dokufest". Retrieved October 11, 2024.
- ^ "The Legend of Santa on Sofy TV app". Retrieved October 11, 2024.
- ^ LePire, Bobby (20 May 2021). "The Legend of Santa Review". Film Threat.
- ^ Bitel, Anton (9 November 2020). "The Legend of Santa Review". Projected Figures.
- ^ Knight, Jason (21 March 2021). "The Legend of Santa Review". UK Film Review.
- ^ Asankomah, Tony (22 November 2020). "The Legend of Santa Review: Restoring Christmas Cheer". GhMovieFreak.
External links
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