4 stars of animated festive family fun on the farm.
Christmas at Cattle Hill is an enchanting Norwegian animated film for children, written by Ole Christian Solbakken and directed by Will Ashurst (Anchors Up). It is presented here on Digital Platforms with an English dub courtesy of Signature Entertainment.
“Sheds and Wildlife are going to wet themselves with seasonal glee. It’s the front cover for us this year, guaranteed.”
Clara (Charlotte Reynard – Last Laugh, Top Wing) is young city cow who lives with her mother Karen (Kath Maccoll) and absolutely loves Christmas. This year she is really excited to be spending Christmas with her father Biff (Gorin Silva) for the first time at his farm Cattle Hill. He picks her up along with her friend Gavin (Daniel Maley) and takes them back to the farm.
Much to the disappointment of Clara, he hasn’t done any decorating at all and doesn’t even seem to celebrate Christmas.
Meanwhile Christmas decorating is going full swing next door at Baart’s (Terence Mann) where he is trying to win the coveted Sheds and Wildlife House of the Year prize. Gavin is his nephew and he has him working full time to help him get ready.
When Biff gets called away to help a neighbour Pauline (Julie-Anne Dean) Clara finds lots of Christmas decorations in the shed and remembers a story that Gavin told her, about the farm gnome, who she thinks can help her to get the house ready for her father for the price of a bowl of oatmeal. Will she succeed and what will be the consequences?
“Oatmeal! Oatmeal now!”
Christmas at Cattle Hill is a thoroughly enjoyable family film, with lovely detailed colourful animation and a few not too catchy songs. It has a healthy message about the importance of friends and family at Christmas over material things, but it isn’t preachy about it.
The story is a little weird, with it’s mix of different farm animals, but it’s well written and the voice acting is good. The characters are very cute too and the Christmas Gnome provides plenty of laughs.
There are a few gags in there to make adults chuckle too and this one would be ideal to watch with your little ones in the run up to Christmas.
“I’ve been really looking forward to coming here and spending my first Christmas with you. But you really haven’t done a thing.”
Signature Entertainment presents Christmas at Cattle Hill on Digital Platforms 18th October
Director | Ole Christian Solbakken |
Genre | Animation, adventure, family |
Starring | Charlotte Reynard, Daniel Maley, Gorin Silva, Terence Mann |