What is That Christmas about?

That Christmas is a 2024 animated Christmas film directed by Simon Otto on Netflix. It is the directing debut of Simon Otto. It is written by Richard Curtis and is based on his children’s Christmas book trilogy, That Christmas and Other Stories. The film explores the themes of family, love, and Christmas spirit. It includes a series of holiday stories that audiences are looking forward to this holiday season.

According to the director Simon Otto, the film is about a chaotic Christmas that makes a group of children and parents accept that life is unpredictable and you can’t plan everything in your life. He adds that life and relationships are chaotic and messy and sometimes traditions should be reevaluated. He hopes that the audience enjoys the family dynamics in the film whether they celebrate Christmas or not. Through his film, he wants people to know that festivals and traditions are all about being together with your loved ones.

What is That Christmas about?

The film is based on the children's book trilogy written by popular award-winning director Richard Curtis, who has directed films like Notting Hill and Love Actually. The film showcases the lives of different people and how their stories connect to each other. It highlights people’s lives and emotions as they face loneliness, childhood heartbreaks, and budding friendships. All the storylines lead up to the day of Christmas for which they all have plans.

Netflix stated, “That Christmas follows a series of entwined tales about family and friends, love and loneliness, Santa Claus making a big mistake — and it also features an enormous number of turkeys!”. The film is about an unforgettable Christmas, as the adults in town get stuck in a snowstorm while returning from a wedding on Christmas Eve. The children were left alone in their houses and the schools were also canceled because of the snow. The snowstorm also affects Santa's plans as he struggles to visit Wellington-on-Sea. He came to give presents to all the children but by mistake, he exchanged the presents of the twin sisters.

The film celebrates the importance of community as all the neighbors help in finding Evie by working together. It explores the struggles some people face during the festive season emotionally because of loneliness.

What songs are on the That Christmas soundtrack?

Christmas movies are known for their soundtracks which help in the festive vibes. That Christmas also has a long soundtrack which includes Christmas classics, iconic pop ballads, and originals. The film features 12 songs on its soundtrack. Some original versions were used, while the makers created renditions of others.

The songs included in the soundtrack are Wannabe by Spice Girls, Happy Birthday by Stevie Wonder, Papa Don't Preach by Madonna, Santa Claus is Coming to Town by J. Fred Coots & Haven Gillespie, Under the Tree by Ed Sheeran, Silent Night by Franz Xaver Gruber & Joseph Mohr, Underneath the Tree by Kelly Clarkson, Levitating by Dua LipaFeaturing DaBaby, Nessun Dorma by Giacomo Puccini's Turandot, Boom Shack-A-Lak by DJ Apache Indian, Snowflakes by Emmy the Great & Tim Wheeler, and Christmas Lights by Coldplay.

The song ‘Under the Tree’ by Ed Sheeran is the original song of That Christmas. Ed Sheeran was delighted to collaborate with his longtime friend Richard Curtis for this song.