Desperate for money, Joel joins a group of men on a quest to prove the existence of elves, leaving Nikolas with his ill-tempered aunt, Carlotta. The clues – his nickname, the sleigh and the hat, reindeer, magical elves, the north – give it away. Father Topo informs him that he is in Elfhelm, but it is only visible to the people who believe in the place.

A deal was completed in May 2016 for the book to be adapted into film by Blueprint Pictures and StudioCanal. The film was released on 26 November 2021 in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, France, Germany and China, by StudioCanal, [2] while Netflix released the film elsewhere, [3] on 24 November 2021. Nikolas' only toy and friend is a turnip carved to look like a doll, a last present from his dead mom -- so his mean aunt makes it into a soup and doesn't tell him till he's eaten it. Families can talk about Santa Claus, who he is, and how he came to be such a big part of Christmas celebrations.Nikolas is transforming himself through his adventures into a character everyone knows, although he understands the difference between what is naughty and nice right from the start.

False Legacy has become a hero to the masses, further strengthening Silla’s hold, and it becomes imperative to uncover and defeat her. But it's an uneasy, half-baked mix of trauma, silliness, and gross-out humor that may traumatize more than delight some young readers expecting a nice Santa story. Legacy will have to overcome her fears and find the magic that allowed her to claim victory in the past. You’d need to have the humbuggiest of hearts not to be charmed, even just a little bit, by this family Christmas movie – lavishly adapted, no expense spared, from a kids’ novel by Matt Haig.A worthy combination of athletic action, the virtues of inner strength, and the importance of friendship. Would you change your name (as a character does in this story) if you found out it meant something gross in another language?

He is also the author of various adult novels, including the bestsellers The Last Family in England and The Radleys. Mother Vodol then tells him about how she lost faith in the humans when news spread in the place that the men (including Joel) took Little Kip. Before the story begins, Nikolas' mother dies protecting him from a bear (who continues to pop up in the story). The unspeakable thing she does to his only toy – a doll carved out of an old turnip – is a genius stroke of kids’ writing. Filming began that same month, with production occurring in Lapland, Finland, Czech Republic, Slovakia and London.

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 83% based on 30 reviews, with an average rating of 6. With her friends’ help, she is in training to defend her championship when they discover that another player, operating under the protection of High Consul Silla, is presenting herself as Legacy. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. Thanks to a poison nurtured by the pixie, the troll's head literally explodes, with much gore and grossness. He’s a very sad king, with a sad kingdom, so he challenges people to find happiness and bring it back," says Jim, 72, delighted that the role gave him his first flight on a reindeer.