Where Klaus Takes Place & 14 Other Things You Didnt Know About The Movie

Where Klaus Takes Place & 14 Other Things You Didn’t Know About The Movie

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1 Where Klaus Takes Place & 14 Other Things You Didn’t Know About The Movie

Where does Klaus take place? There’s a lot of interesting facts about this animated Christmas movie beyond just Smeerensburg.

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One of the most underrated Netflix Original films, especially for the festive period, is Klaus. The movie is visually stunning and tells an emotional tale, perfect for the family to enjoy in the run-up to Christmas itself. With a stellar cast and a brilliant script, there’s a lot to love about this potential future classic.

Not only does the movie go unrecognized for the quality it brings to the table, but fans of the film sometimes also fail to pick up on some of the details of the picture. Not a lot is known about this Netflix movie, as it has almost seemingly been forgotten about a year after its release, despite the fact that in some households, it could become a part of their traditional yearly watchlist.

Updated on December 15th, 2021 by George Chrysostomou: Klaus continues to be a holiday classic that audiences revisit every year. A few years on from its release it’s continuing to demonstrate its longevity and is often talked about in regards to beautifully animated films. But what else has been revealed about this festive movie since it hit Netflix?

Smeerensburg

Christmas movie fans are often curious about the setting of the story. Where does Klaus take place? The location the film is set at is a fictional place known as Smeerensburg. A small town in the 19th century, the idea of this tiny village was for it to be as unwelcoming as possible. But the town finds itself with real-world roots.

In an interview with Polygon, the director has claimed that the name is a deliberate link to the small Dutch and Danish Whaling Station. The station is titled Smeerenburg, a small difference in both the spelling and the pronunciation. The station is now shut down.

No Sequel In Development

There are plenty of incredible animated films which absolutely deserve sequels and Klaus is one of them. Yet, there’s currently no sequel in development from the same team, The SPA Studio, nor does there appear to be a plan for one.

After the initial release of the film the director, Sergio Pablos, revealed that the picture is a standalone piece. Talking to Digital Spy, he said that “The idea was always to finish the movie by laying our version of Santa at the feet of the audience and saying, ‘And this is where your Santa starts.”

Dedicated To Mary Lescher

For those who stayed throughout the credits of Klaus, they would have noticed a loving dedication to Mary Lescher, who actually worked on the film. Lescher was an incredibly talented artist that had a wide variety of impressive credits to her name.

Her legacy includes scene planning on Klaus alongside Brother Bear, Lilo & Stitch, Fantasia 2000, Hercules, and The Lion King. Sadly Mary Lescher passed away from cancer but her gorgeous work will always be remembered thanks to the filmography she contributed to the world.

The Original Inspiration

When looking for their next project SPA Studio wanted to make an impact, building up lore that had never fully been investigated before. It was actually revealed that Santa Claus was chosen for this specific reason so that there was plenty of creative room to play around with.

As Sergio Pablos points out there isn’t a set origin for Father Christmas. It’s rarely been covered and while there are fables and folklore based upon Santa once he has been created, there’s very little in the way of information as to how he got started. Klaus was also a project based around filling in that gap.

There’s A Behind The Scenes Mini-Documentary

There’s an array of documentaries out there that break down the animation process for huge companies like Disney, but The SPA Studio put together their own mini-doc which aimed to give an overview on what working on Klaus was really like.

From the way the music was created to the field trips the crew went on and the endless storyboarding that appears to take up the majority of available walls, the short documentary allows Klaus fans to really step inside the production process in a unique way.

Sergio Pablos

Pablos is the creative mastermind behind Klaus, but this isn’t his first foray into the world of animated features. In fact, it was Sergio Pablos who was behind some of the best-animated films of the last decade, such as Smallfoot and the Despicable Me franchise.

Klaus was actually a unique partnership between the production company Pablos owns and Netflix itself. This movie also marked the successful directorial debut of Pablos, who had worked in a variety of other roles before rising to the top.

Santa’s Reimagining

While many might be puzzled by the portrayal of Santa in the film, seeing as it is a reimaging of the character, the visual design and many elements of his personality actually date back to the original version of Saint Nicholas that the world came to know.

In fact, the cinematic Santa that everyone knows and loves is associated with a red-cloaked, jolly figure due to Coca-Cola advertisements. For Klaus, the original darker colors of blue and brown, as well as a more recognizable personality, were given to the character, to make him feel authentic to his origins.

The Sámi People

Throughout the course of the movie, the postman Jesper meets a young girl from an indigenous population. The girl’s name is Márgu and she is revealed to be a member of the Sámi people, who aid Jesper and Mr. Klaus in their mission to give gifts to this small town.

In the real world, the Sami people live in a region known as Sápmi, which crosses over into countries like Sweden, Norway, and Finland. Interestingly, they are most well known for their expertise in reindeer herding, which feels like an appropriate fit for a festive film! This is a group very rarely portrayed on screen.

Jesper’s Map

In animated features, those working on the movie often love to add little Easter eggs for those who have put all their effort into the production. For Klaus, there were a few nods to the production team themselves in Jesper’s map.

Many of the location names featured were actually names of people who worked on the film, especially animators. This is a great way to give a nod to those who have gone above and beyond for the movie and it isn’t the first time details like this were added to animated films.

Animation Style

The animation style for this film is actually very unique. While even the most anticipated movies of 2021 relied on a more CGI-based animation style, Klaus actually went back to basics with a more hands-on approach.

Just like the old days, the movie utilized techniques involving hand-drawn artistry. However, as outlined in a breakdown of the animation by before & afters, the director used CGI enhancements in terms of some of the elemental effects and kinetic moments to give the beautiful picture a bit of a modern twist to suit today’s cinema.

Focused On Specific Techniques

With the animation becoming a showcase of how far the medium has actually come, there were a number of complications that the team had to overcome in order to really achieve what they set out to do. In order to succeed, they selected some key techniques to improve upon, helping the overall product.

In an interview with Cartoon Brew, Sergio Pablos himself spoke of “some of the technical limitations that traditional animation had. We focused on organic, volumetric lighting, and texturing.” Indeed, it was the CGI elements that were once again used here, but it also gave audiences a different point of view when it comes to animated features, compared to the styles that are now largely prevalent.

A Risky Film

As per Insider, the movie was actually deemed to be too risky for any studio to make. Netflix wasn’t the first place that this film was taken to, with the idea of creating a beloved Christmas hit. Many other production studios passed on the film first.

Perhaps this was because the animated film contained classical elements of Christmas unfamiliar to modern, North American audiences, or maybe because it didn’t tell an American-centric story, but luckily Netflix took the risk, banking a lot on this unique film.

A113

A113 has been associated with some of the largest animation companies in the world. It’s a name that has actually featured in huge films, from studios like Pixar and Disney.

It represents the room in the Californian Institute of the Arts where many major names in the animation industry all studied. In Klaus, A113 appears on the trunk that Jesper and Klaus try to transport across the snow and ice, as a subtle nod to the school.

The Underdog Wins

Awards season is always unpredictable. For Klaus, despite its critical acclaim, it seemed almost very unlikely it would pick up any major wins. With huge releases like Toy Story 4 in the same year, it was almost impossible for Klaus to thrive.

While it was the Pixar franchise that picked up the Oscar for the Best Animated Feature (although Klaus was nominated), the festive favorite actually managed to win the BAFTA for Best Animated Feature, in what many considered to be a surprising and celebrated upset.

A Change For Netflix

These huge award wins also marked a first for Netflix. The streaming company was only just stepping into the world of animated originals. While they currently have quite a few to their name, Klaus was really one of their first major productions.

It also meant that it was amongst the first animated features from the platform to be represented at the Academy Awards. It came at a time when the Oscars were questioning whether Netflix deserved to be on the platform it was given.

Link Source : https://screenrant.com/behind-the-scenes-christmas-movie-klaus/

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