Private Project

Thanks Mrs C

Inspired by the Raymond Briggs book and iconic 1991 animated special, Father Christmas, this year’s film tells the tale of Father Christmas in his Barbour waxed jacket which has seen him through 125 years of Christmas Eve present drops. The film explores how the jacket has picked up scuffs and scrapes over the years but has always kept him warm and dry.

Flashing back to 1894, Father Christmas is gifted a new waxed jacket by Mrs C who gave it to him as a replacement for his old jacket which had become worn out over the years. We then see Father Christmas delivering presents on Christmas Eve in three different decades, the 1930s, 1960s and 2019 and the challenges he has to overcome delivering presents. The end of the film sees Father Christmas sitting comfortably at home after another busy present drop with a hot cup of tea, thanking Mrs C for her thoughtful gift which has looked after him for the last 125 years.

  • Dave Unwin
    Director
    Father Christmas, Horrid Henry, On Angel Wings, War Game, The Little Reindeer
  • Thinking Juice
    Writer
  • Iain Harvey
    Producer
    Little Princess, War Game, On Angel Wings, Christmas Carol: The Movie, TRANSIT, The Very Hungry Caterpillar and Other Stories
  • Colin McFarlane
    Key Cast
    "Father Christmas"
    Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends, Outlander, The Queen's Corgi, Peppa Pig, Doctor Who, Zack and Quack, The Amazing World of Gumball, Coronation Street, Torchwood, The Dark Knight, The Bill, Judge John Deed, Bob the Builder, Jonathan Creek, War Game, A Christmas Carol, Dennis the Menace, Batman Begins
  • Michele Chiappa
    Editor
    Sarah & Duck, Little Princess
  • Loraine Marshall
    Art Director
    When the Wind Blows, Father Christmas, Horrid Henry, The Snowman and Snowdog, Little Princess, War Game
  • Bradley Miles
    Music
    Little Princess, Skint Britain: Friends Without Benefits, Louis Theroux, Silent Witness, V for Vendetta, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix,
  • Tanya Scott
    Designer
    The Rubbish World of Dave Spud, Mr Bean,
  • Neil Martin
    Compositor
  • Sam Wright
    Compositor
  • Peter Dodd
    Animator
  • Richard Fawdry
    Animator
  • Elroy Simmons
    Animator
  • Nick Harvey
    Executive Producer
  • Project Type:
    Animation, Short, Web / New Media
  • Genres:
    Family, Comedy, Commercial
  • Runtime:
    1 minute 52 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    October 28, 2019
  • Production Budget:
    175,000 GBP
  • Country of Origin:
    United Kingdom
  • Country of Filming:
    United Kingdom
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital hand drawn animation
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Dave Unwin

One of the most respected directors in British animation, Dave directed the original 30 minute film - Father Christmas. He followed this directorial success with further television specials for the BBC (The Tales of Peter Rabbit) and ITV (The Wind in the Willows) along with many commercials. More recently Dave directed the BAFTA-winning The Little Reindeer, the BAFTA-nominated Horrid Henry and the animated special for the BBC, Michael Morpurgo’s On Angel Wings.  

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Director Statement

The brief from the client was to follow the style of the original Father Christmas film, which was made almost thirty years ago. We did this, but sought to enhance the production values for modern audiences, using digital rendering, richer colouring and aiming for a cleaner look overall, as well as commissioning a rich score to underpin the emotional impact.