Variety reports that Martin Freeman, Tim Curry, and Noel Clarke have all signed on to provide voices for the UK animated movie Saving Santa; they join a cast that already includes Joan Collins, Pam Ferris, Craig Fairbass, and Chris Barrie. Directed by Leon Joosen (The Little Mermaid), Saving Santa centers around one of Santa’s elves, an outcast, who embarks on a mission to save their North Pole workshop when the location is discovered by an undefined “evil character.”
The article also mentions that Santa is in possession of a time machine — so, expect a subplot involving the elf having to make his parents fall in love at the Enchantment Under the Sea dance (not really). Production gets underway tomorrow, and the movie is being produced by Gateway Films, a UK production company that is making Saving Santa their first animated feature.
For many people, Freeman is the marquee name due to the fact he’s going to be Bilbo Baggins in Peter Jackson’s upcoming Hobbit films, as well as his role as Watson in the adored BBC update of Sherlock Holmes, titled Sherlock. But, personally, I’m more excited for Tim Curry and Chris Barrie. Curry has been one of my favorite actors since I was a kid, so any time I hear he’s going to be in something there’s a reflex to put it on my radar. And I absolutely love the comedy stylings of Barrie, perhaps best known as Arnold J. Rimmer in the long-running BBC sci-fi comedy Red Dwarf — which, if you haven’t watched any of, I suggest you check out on Netflix. It’s amazing.
Freeman is great and all, but those two are the ones that get my juices flowing, if you catch my drift. (No, not that drift, get your head out of the gutter.) I just sort of wish Saving Santa didn’t sound so… generic. But I’m hoping it’ll turn out alright; Arthur Christmas looked like a nightmare and by all accounts it was anything but (minus the Justin Bieber music video at the beginning).
There is no word on a release date, but I’m sure we’ll let you know as the months go by. That’s how we roll.
What do you think of Saving Santa? Is anyone else a Red Dwarf or Chris Barrie fan?