Santa's Magic Crystal

Santa's Magic Crystal
Directors: Antti Haikala, Mark Mertens
Starring: Adriaan Van Den Hoof, Felix Peeters, Jelle Cleymans
**

This Scandinavian-made 3D adventure follows an orphan boy as he tries to stop Santa Claus's evil twin who has stolen Santa's "magic crystal", which enables him to deliver presents to children around the world.

Crudely animated by today's standards, the film is a familiar, innocent Christmas movie that offers the occasional chuckle (such as Santa lamenting his rising insurance costs) and a plot that offers an interesting spin on the Santa myth, particularly the idea of Father Christmas duplicating himself to complete Christmas deliveries.

In terms of visuals and plot, there are better Christmas movies out there, but for the very young this may provide a temporary distraction.