Klaus
Netflix | Release Date (Streaming): November 8, 2019 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
65
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 13 Critic Reviews
Positive:
9
Mixed:
4
Negative:
0
Watch Now
Stream On

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
83
IGNMatt FowlerDec 13, 2019
Sergio Pablos' Klaus is a beautifully animated mix of old and new - offing up a unique and quirky take on Santa's humble beginnings. It's a fun, fresh story about friendship and the power of kindness that coats snowbound cliches with a shiny sheen. Read full review
75
Chicago Sun-TimesRichard RoeperJan 27, 2020
Klaus is a weird, meandering tale — but it has a distinctive visual style and a sly sense of humor and features brilliant voice work from the ensemble cast. Read full review
75
RogerEbert.comMatt Zoller SeitzNov 8, 2019
The goofy and charming Klaus probably plays better if you don't know going in that it's a Santa Claus origin story. Read full review
75
Slant MagazineSteven ScaifeNov 5, 2019
Sergio Pablos’s film is essentially a metaphor for its own unique and refreshing mode of expression. Read full review
70
New York Magazine (Vulture)Bilge EbiriNov 25, 2019
It’s awkward and weird, and yet all that awkwardness and weirdness give it personality and charm and a freewheeling, nonsensical quality that feels refreshing. Read full review
70
The New York TimesGlenn KennyNov 7, 2019
It all moves along so amiably, and offers such consistently delightful visuals, that the conventional plot points, up to and including an inevitable “but I can explain” bit, are entirely digestible. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterJohn DeForeNov 5, 2019
Sergio Pablos' Klaus invents its own unexpected and very enjoyable origin story for the big guy who gives out toys every Christmas eve. Shaking off most Yuletide cliches in favor of a from-scratch story about how even dubiously-motivated generosity can lead to joy, it contains echoes of other seasonal favorites (especially, in a topsy-turvy way, Dr. Seuss' Grinch) while standing completely on its own. Read full review
70
TheWrapAlonso DuraldeNov 5, 2019
It’s far more successful with holiday magic than it is with character-based comedy, but that’s not enough of a flaw to keep young audiences (and their parents) from potentially turning this feature into a cherished annual tradition. Read full review
63
Movie NationRoger MooreNov 15, 2019
It’s not remotely as polished as the earlier contenders in the field, but “Klaus” is good enough to have earned a theatrical release, on a par with MGM’s “The Addams Family,” in any event. Read full review
60
Los Angeles TimesRobert AbeleNov 6, 2019
As admirable as it is that “Klaus” in the overall isn’t a sugar-rush cartoon fix of wisecracks and mayhem, it’s also too lazily reliant on insults and insolence as its go-to mode for comedy. But what does work is the snowy, hilly luster of this bygone-era fairy tale environment, and the seasonal soul the filmmakers have tucked inside their invented history about children’s yearly haul. Read full review
60
The GuardianMike McCahillNov 6, 2019
Solid first and third acts can’t disguise a so-so middle section stuffed with conventional story beats. Read full review
58
IndieWireDavid EhrlichNov 18, 2019
None of the characters in Klaus are as delightful as they are well-drawn, and Pablos’ film never earns the holiday spirit it tries to manufacture down the home stretch. But there’s no denying that the future of “traditional” animation looks a little brighter than it did yesterday, and that’s reason enough to celebrate. Read full review
50
VarietyPeter DebrugeNov 5, 2019
What goodwill the movie does inspire owes more to the splendid visual world than to anything the story supplies. Read full review
More From This Movie

65 Critic Reviews

8.5 User Reviews

Details & Credits|Trailers

Current Movie Releases
By MetascoreBy User Score
1 81 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple
2 77 Project Hail Mary
3 75 Send Help
4 73 Hoppers
5 72 The Sheep Detectives
SEE ALL
Essential Links
New on Amazon Prime Video
New on Netflix
Coming Soon to DVD/Blu-ray
SEE ALL