Klaus (Netflix film)

Klaus is an upcoming 2019 English-language Spanish animated Christmas comedy film written and directed by Sergio Pablos in his directorial debut, produced by SPA Studios, and distributed by Netflix as its first original animated feature. Co-written by Zach Lewis and Jim Mahoney, the film stars Jason Schwartzman, Rashida Jones, J. K. Simmons and Joan Cusack. Serving as a fictional origin story for Santa Claus, the plot revolves around a postman stationed in a town to the North who befriends a reclusive toy-maker.

Synopsis
When Jesper (Schwartzman) distinguishes himself as the postal academy’s worst student, he is stationed on a frozen island above the Arctic Circle, where the feuding locals hardly exchange words let alone letters. Jesper is about to give up when he finds an ally in local teacher Alva (Jones), and discovers Klaus (Simmons), a mysterious carpenter who lives alone in a cabin full of handmade toys. These unlikely friendships return laughter to Smeerensburg, forging a new legacy of generous neighbors, magical lore and stockings hung by the chimney with care.

Voice cast

 * Jason Schwartzman as Jesper
 * J. K. Simmons as Klaus (Santa Claus)
 * Rashida Jones as Alva
 * Joan Cusack as Mrs. Krum
 * Will Sasso
 * Norm Macdonald

Production
After setting up his own animation studio in Madrid, Spain, director Sergio Pablos, who had worked on Disney Renaissance films such as The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Hercules, and Tarzan, decided to develop a new traditionally-animated feature film. Pablos wanted to explore how the medium would have evolved had western animation film studios not switched to producing mostly computer animated films since the 1990s. For the film's look, the studio sought to overcome some of the technical limitations that traditional animation had, focusing on organic and volumetric lighting and texturing to give a film a unique look, while maintaining a hand-crafted feel. New tools were developed to allow the team to produce a variety of visual development styles, with the aim of getting away from the standardized style of "characters looking like stickers put on painted backgrounds." Fellow Disney animator James Baxter, known for Beauty and the Beast, also worked on the film.

The first teaser for the project was released in April 2015; at the time, the studio was seeking investment, co-production, and distribution partners. It was shopped around to various studios, who perceived it as "too risky." In November 2017, Netflix announced that they had acquired the global rights to Klaus; at the same time, the casting of Schwartzman, Jones, Simmons, and Cusack were announced along with a Christmas 2019 release date. In March 2019, it was reported that Netflix was planning an Oscar-qualifying run for Klaus in theaters, and it was listed as one of ten films Netflix was negotiating with chains to give limited releases prior to their online debuts that August. The film's release date was announced, alongside the debut of an official trailer, on October 7.

Release
Klaus is scheduled to be released theatrically on November 8, 2019 and digitally through Netflix on November 15.