Richard Curtis has been a staple of holiday storytelling for decades, gifting audiences with classics like Love Actually that have become enduring traditions. With That Christmas, Curtis brings his charm and wit to the world of animation, teaming up with director Simon Otto (How to Train Your Dragon) and Locksmith Animation (Ron’s Gone Wrong). Based on Curtis’s own picture books, the film weaves together three heartwarming stories about love, family, and festive mishaps. Now streaming on Netflix, That Christmas is poised to become a new holiday favorite for families around the globe. I had the pleasure of speaking with Richard Curtis and Simon Otto when they screened a work-in-progress cut of the film at Annecy, talking about the film’s influences, its connection to Curtis’ canon of work, and their hopes as families gather together to enjoy it this holiday season.
Alex: Richard, I know you’ve played in the Christmas sandbox before, particularly with Love Actually. What does making a Christmas movie mean to you, knowing that people will watch it year after year and it’ll become part of their family traditions?
Richard Curtis: Well, to me, it’s been a kind of lucky revelation. I’ve also written lots of Christmas specials of sitcoms. We did one for a show I wrote called Blackadder and then a lot for The Vicar of Dibley. So, I’ve got some experience with that particular joy. You write something, think, “Well, that’s that done,” and then suddenly it comes back every Christmas. I’ve got a bit of form on that, and it does make you kind of hopeful and excited about the idea that your chances of being perennial are massively increased if you do something at Christmas.
Simon Otto: I mean, that’s yet to be seen, but it would be an extreme, tremendous thing to have a movie that people watch on a regular basis. I’ve slightly experienced this with How to Train Your Dragon. It’s not a Christmas movie, but people do rewatch it. We were actually at an event where they were screening it on the big screen, and it was lovely to see it up there again.
Richard Curtis: I mean, I love all of Will Ferrell’s movies, but the one I watch every year is Elf. It’s just fun.
Alex: Simon, you worked at DreamWorks Animation for a long time, but most of your directing experience has been in TV animation. This is your first feature film. Which prepared you most to direct That Christmas?
Simon Otto: It’s a bit of both. At DreamWorks, as an animator and later as Head of Animation, you lead large teams, sometimes up to 100 people. That taught me a lot about shepherding a team and getting the best out of artists while letting them do their craft. I also had role models like Dean DeBlois and Chris Sanders, who figured out how to tell great stories while collaborating with their teams. For Love, Death & Robots, I directed an episode, and that gave me hands-on experience in storyboarding, editing, and working with composers, all things I’d observed as Head of Animation but hadn’t done myself. Every project is new, though, and I learned so much on this film, especially working on a multi-threaded storyline. Richard was a fantastic guide for that.
Alex: Speaking of those multi-threads, Richard, you’re famous for this kind of format. The film is based on three separate picture books you wrote. Was it always your vision for these stories to harmonize like this?
Richard Curtis: Not at all. It was a journey. Initially, the idea was to adapt just one of the books into a 30-minute special. But when Locksmith Animation suggested combining all three, it immediately felt doable because the stories were about three families in the same village. I live in a small village in Suffolk where a few families spend every holiday together, so it felt natural to weave these stories together. We expanded each tale, adding a romance to one, a backstory to another, and so on. It was someone else’s idea, but I dived happily into it.
Alex: Locksmith is a fairly new animation studio, but it’s based in London. Did having a local, homegrown studio make this project extra appealing?
Richard Curtis: Hugely so. Right back at the beginning of my career, the first film I wrote was set in America, and I lost confidence fast, as it were. I didn’t know what people had in their fridges. I didn’t know what was funny about Idaho, stuff like that. So, I’ve always loved doing things in the UK. My whole career has been based around Working Title, a company that’s really confident in telling UK stories. I loved the fact that this project was grounded here. Of course, we had some interesting interactions with Netflix, which understandably had their eye on the American market. There were very interesting moments, like when we turned the nativity play, which is a very English tradition, into a broader sort of Christmas entertainment for the film. We had some American and international input, including Simon being from Switzerland rather than Sussex. But overall, it was lovely to stay rooted in the UK, as I always have been.
Alex: You mentioned the nativity, and when I think of nativity scenes, one of the biggest visuals in my mind is Love Actually — the lobster at the birth of Jesus. Are there any homages in this film?
Richard Curtis: I think the real connection to Love Actually is in the experience I brought to this film. Love Actually taught me how complex it is to weave multiple stories together. When I wrote it, I thought it would be simple, just go ABCD, but it doesn’t work like that. You have to get people invested in one story before you transition to another. So, while there may not be direct throwbacks, the experience I gained from Love Actually was certainly valuable here.
Simon Otto: We definitely thought about it, though. There’s a Christmas play at the very beginning of this film, and we had fun with costume ideas. They’re not direct references, but we did study Love Actually. There are so many funny ideas in that film.
Richard Curtis: The art department had a great time adding Easter eggs. In the original shot of the street, there was a fish and chip shop called "Cod Actually."
Simon Otto: I don’t think you can see it in the final cut, but there are little winks like that scattered throughout.
Richard Curtis: And then there’s the scene where the kids are forced to watch what they call a boring Christmas movie. It’s Love Actually.
Simon Otto: By the way, we storyboarded that and cut it into the movie. Richard had no idea until he saw it. The “boring old Christmas movie” isn’t It’s a Wonderful Life or some black-and-white classic – it’s Love Actually.
Richard Curtis: A very offensive reference, I might add.
Simon Otto: I remember your reaction – you were like, “Well, that’s just mean.”
Alex: I read that A Charlie Brown Christmas was part of your inspiration for wanting to make this film. Were there certain ways you tried to emulate its tone or humor?
Richard Curtis: It’s a very deep influence on me. I’ve seen it so many times; it’s definitely in my DNA. One of the things about writing for kids is that they often come across as more emotionally intelligent than we might expect. That’s been my experience as a parent. Kids really are emotionally intelligent. A Charlie Brown Christmas gives you confidence that a bunch of kids’ emotions can ground an entire movie. It’s the same kind of thing you see in Stand by Me.
Simon Otto: Exactly. The wisdom that comes out of kids, especially in context, can say so much more. We talked about this a lot during production. Certain lines in the film feel heightened because they come from kids’ experiences. They carry a truth that reminds us of our childhood, not something that happened two weeks ago. That gives those moments a unique kind of power. There’s also something artful about telling a story for the whole family that doesn’t rely on murder, dark themes, or anything sexual. It’s quite challenging, but when you succeed, it’s incredibly rewarding. Those moments resonate more deeply because they tap into shared childhood experiences.
Richard Curtis: I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately. I’ve been rereading To Kill a Mockingbird, which is so fascinating because it’s written from the perspective of a 9-year-old. That 9-year-old is much more perceptive about their community than if the book had been written from the voice of the dad. And with my kids – they’re older now, but I’m realizing more and more every day that they’ve always been cleverer than me. They’re getting even cleverer as they grow up.
Alex: Music is such a big part of Christmas, and it’s also a big part of Love Actually. Does music play a significant role in this film?
Simon Otto: Yes, very much so. From the start, I was really keen to make a movie that fits into Richard’s canon of films. There are several things I’ve discovered watching Richard’s movies – this sense of wish fulfillment, universal truths, and real-life stories. But there’s also a magical, wish-fulfillment element, and music plays a tremendous role in that, particularly the needle drops. For That Christmas, we have some very special songs in the film that you’ll discover when you watch it. We don’t want to give too much away. I also had the incredible privilege of working with John Powell, who composed the music for the How to Train Your Dragon movies. As an animator on those films, I was able to observe his process from afar. Having him join this project and bring that same level of enthusiasm to a Richard Curtis movie was tremendous. He allowed us to really push the drama.
Richard Curtis: Yes, John made the movie bigger. He increased its size and emotional range. It’s really a double bubble. On the one hand, we have the power of a few lovely uses of modern pop music, and on the other, the whole thing is elevated by John’s score. When you tell John to be magnificent, he’s great. When you tell him to be intimate, he’s equally great.
Simon Otto: Absolutely. It’s sweeping. He tied the entire film together. The score and the needle drops connect beautifully, and they’re such a big part of the film’s emotional core.
Alex: I can’t wait to hear it. For my last question – Richard, I know you’ve got a stable of actors you routinely work with. I saw Bill Nighy is in the cast, but I didn’t see Rowan Atkinson. Is he involved?
Richard Curtis: No Rowan in this one. But we do have Katherine Parkinson and Rhys Darby, both of whom were in my film Pirate Radio. So, there are a couple of people I’ve worked with before, but what’s great is that we also brought in some amazing new talent. Lolly Adefope is brilliant, Guz Khan is fantastic, and working with Brian Cox was an absolute dream. For me, it was a lovely mixture of reconnecting with old friends and discovering the joy of working with new people.
Simon Otto: Yes, and Fiona Shaw is tremendous in this film. Honestly, the cast really brought so much depth to their characters. It makes this a film filled with truly believable characters. But Brian Cox as Santa – he’s just incredible.
Richard Curtis: It’s great. My greatest educator, the director of Four Weddings and a Funeral, once told me, “When in doubt, cast the best actor.” It’s such great advice. Sometimes you don’t cast the best actor because they don’t look quite right for the part, but in animation, that doesn’t matter at all.
Simon Otto: That’s the beauty of animation – you’re completing the character with a voice, not a face.
Alex: Perfect. Thank you so much—I can’t wait to see the film!
That Christmas is now available to stream on Netflix. Gather the family, pour some hot cocoa, and enjoy this heartwarming new holiday classic from the mind of Richard Curtis and the artistry of Locksmith Animation.