65
Metascore
13 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 75Slant MagazineSteven ScaifeSlant MagazineSteven ScaifeSergio Pablos’s film is essentially a metaphor for its own unique and refreshing mode of expression.
- 75RogerEbert.comMatt Zoller SeitzRogerEbert.comMatt Zoller SeitzThe goofy and charming Klaus probably plays better if you don't know going in that it's a Santa Claus origin story.
- 70TheWrapAlonso DuraldeTheWrapAlonso DuraldeIt’s far more successful with holiday magic than it is with character-based comedy, but that’s not enough of a flaw to keep young audiences (and their parents) from potentially turning this feature into a cherished annual tradition.
- 70The Hollywood ReporterJohn DeForeThe Hollywood ReporterJohn DeForeSergio Pablos' Klaus invents its own unexpected and very enjoyable origin story for the big guy who gives out toys every Christmas eve. Shaking off most Yuletide cliches in favor of a from-scratch story about how even dubiously-motivated generosity can lead to joy, it contains echoes of other seasonal favorites (especially, in a topsy-turvy way, Dr. Seuss' Grinch) while standing completely on its own.
- 70The New York TimesGlenn KennyThe New York TimesGlenn KennyIt all moves along so amiably, and offers such consistently delightful visuals, that the conventional plot points, up to and including an inevitable “but I can explain” bit, are entirely digestible.
- 63Movie NationRoger MooreMovie NationRoger MooreIt’s not remotely as polished as the earlier contenders in the field, but “Klaus” is good enough to have earned a theatrical release, on a par with MGM’s “The Addams Family,” in any event.
- 60The GuardianMike McCahillThe GuardianMike McCahillSolid first and third acts can’t disguise a so-so middle section stuffed with conventional story beats.
- 60Los Angeles TimesRobert AbeleLos Angeles TimesRobert AbeleAs admirable as it is that “Klaus” in the overall isn’t a sugar-rush cartoon fix of wisecracks and mayhem, it’s also too lazily reliant on insults and insolence as its go-to mode for comedy. But what does work is the snowy, hilly luster of this bygone-era fairy tale environment, and the seasonal soul the filmmakers have tucked inside their invented history about children’s yearly haul.
- 58IndieWireDavid EhrlichIndieWireDavid EhrlichNone of the characters in Klaus are as delightful as they are well-drawn, and Pablos’ film never earns the holiday spirit it tries to manufacture down the home stretch. But there’s no denying that the future of “traditional” animation looks a little brighter than it did yesterday, and that’s reason enough to celebrate.
- 50VarietyPeter DebrugeVarietyPeter DebrugeWhat goodwill the movie does inspire owes more to the splendid visual world than to anything the story supplies.