Santa's Apprentice

This article is about the animated film. For the animated holiday series, see SantApprentice.
Santa's Apprentice

Santa's Apprentice Movie Poster
Directed by Luc Vinciguerra
Produced by Tanguy Olivier
Written by Alexandre Reverend
Starring Jack Versace
Shane Jacobson
Hugh Sherian
Delta Goodrem
Music by Nerida Tyson-Chew
Edited by Celine Kelepikis
Distributed by Gaumont - Alphanim
Release dates
  • 24 November 2010
Running time
 77 Minutes
Country France
Australia
Ireland
Language English
French
German
Italian

Santa's Apprentice (original French title L'Apprenti Père Noel) is an animated film made by Gaumont-Alphanim (now Gaumont Animation) in 2010. Co-produced with Avril Stark Entertainment and Cartoon Saloon.[1] This full-length animated feature film is based from the animated TV series SantApprentice.

Plot

The movie opens in Sydney, Australia where Nicholas and his best friend Felix, gazing at the toy shop window seeing what Santa's workshop looks like. They reside at the orphanage where all the Children were orphans. The bully, Grincroch, picks on Nicholas that Santa doesn't exist as he asks him that he's afraid of heights. But, Nicholas manages to retrieve a toy for the child after climbing up the orphanage fence. Nicholas was pure of heart believing Christmas and Santa. But on Christmas Eve, Nicholas's best friend Felix, gets adopted by his new parents and gives his lucky charm to Nicholas as Felix with his new parents move to America.

At the North Pole, The Council of Retired Santas convince Santa Claus to appoint his new apprentice that a person must be an orphan whose heart is pure as Santa looks at the globe and found a boy in Sydney, Australia. That night, Humphrey the head elf chooses which boy will become a new Santa. At first, he chose Grincroch but Santa knew that he is not the chosen one. So Santa chooses Nicholas and takes him to the North Pole to train Nicholas to become a new Santa once he retires.

The next day, Nicholas wakes up and meets Mrs. Lovejoy, Santa's wife and receives the little Polar Bear the one that Nicholas saw at the toy shop came to life as a pet and names him Rufus. During the months prior to next Christmas, Nicholas tries his best training hard being his apprentice, learns the secrets from Santa, learn to climb up and go down the chimneys and making toys to deliver to the children of the world on Christmas Eve. Meanwhile in America, Felix and his new parents have several problems that they can no longer afford their home and they move to a mobile home.

Two days before Christmas, the gifts were accidentally set on fire; Santa's beard was burnt as it was Nicholas's fault. But Nicholas manages to clean the toys after he accidentally burned with the fire-cracker toy he made. Then on Christmas Eve, Nicholas apologizes to Santa and helps him to put more gifts on the sleigh. Santa now receives a new suit and a beard to look like Santa Claus and takes off to deliver the toys. Nicholas realized that Santa forgot the Magic ball, so Humphrey opens the portal to Santa's sleigh and Nicholas goes to the sleigh and delivers it to Santa as he forgot what child's name to deliver the toy to. Santa and Nicholas work together to deliver the toys worldwide and Nicholas gives Felix and his parents a new house to live in next to their mobile home.

Finally, at Sydney, Australia, Nicholas is about to deliver toys at the orphanage but Mrs. Poulmer, the caretaker of the orphanage found Nicholas safe and sound after he was missing for a year and the Police Inspector and his men arrests Santa. But, Grincroch challenges Nicholas to a duel and takes the magic ball to shrink Mrs. Poulmer, the Children, Little Beatrice and Rufus to an ornament size. Santa convinces the Police officers and Inspector to prove he was real after his heart was restored and pointing to them that he delivered the toys to them when they were little and they release Santa. After Nicholas and Grincroch battle for the Magic Ball, the Magic Ball fell and Santa retrieves it in the nick of time. Santa convinces Grincroch to stop making fun and picking on children and to learn to love the parents once he is adopted.

Santa and Nicholas use the Magic ball to restore Mrs. Poulmer, the children, Little Beatrice and Rufus back to normal size and Nicholas delivers the presents to the children. Little Beatrice then introduces to Nicholas. Santa adopts Nicholas and takes him back to the North Pole and explaining to Nicholas that once he retires, he will run the orphanage. Unbeknownst to them that Little Beatrice was stowed in the bag and decides to go to the North Pole with Nicholas that she dreamed of. Nicholas is happy to be Santa's Apprentice as the sleigh flies back to the North Pole.

Characters

Cast

Release

This movie was first released in France on 24 November 2010. The English version was released in Australia on 10 November 2011. This movie was planning to be released in the United States and the U.K. by The Weinstein Company, but no date has been set as of yet. [2]

Awards

Santa's Apprentice wins the UNICEF award in 2011 [3] and in 2014, Gaumont wins the International Film Award from Variety. [4]

DVD Release

On 7 November 2012, The movie was released on DVD in Australia [5]

References

  1. ↑ "Feature Film – Santa’s Apprentice". Cartoon Saloon. September 2009. Retrieved 29 March 2015.
  2. ↑ Keslassy, Elsa (4 November 2010). "Weinsteins take ‘Santa’s Apprentice’". Variety (Magazine). Retrieved 25 April 2015.
  3. ↑ Swift, Brendan (24 June 2011). "Santa's Apprentice set for cinema release, wins award". Inside Film Awards. Retrieved 24 December 2014.
  4. ↑ Dale, Martin (14 May 2014). "Intl. Film Award: Gaumont Animation Hones Inhouse Series, Feature Films". Variety (Magazine). Retrieved 30 March 2015.
  5. ↑ http://www.shanejacobson.com.au/santas-apprentice/

External links