An extraordinary adventure into the snowy north, following an ordinary young boy called Nikolas searching for his father, who in turn is on a quest to discover the fabled village of the elves, Elfhelm.

This village is first illustrated in the Lumi animation sequence at the beginning of the film, teasing audiences of its magic. Animation Director Marcus Armitage worked closely with A BOY CALLED CHRISTMAS director Gil Kenan (Monster House, Ghostbusters: Afterlife – writer) to create a shadow animation sequence within the film.

The sequence comes to life as Nikolas is being read the tale by his father, Joel. Objects from inside their cabin cast shadows onto the wall, which become Lumi’s landscape as she runs between giant’s feet, jumps over clouds and climbs the rafters into Elfhelm.

Lumi was animated in 2D at Studio AKA and composited into the live action footage by VFX company One of Us.

Animation Director Marcus Armitage:

“Working with Gil and One of Us to tell Lumi’s journey was a fun challenge. Striking the right balance between characterful and realistic shadows involved a lot of collaboration and testing. I think we achieved a magical quality that I hope will draw people into the tale.”

Director Gil Kenan:

“Working with Marcus and Studio AKA to bring the Lumi story to life was a total joy. I’m passionate about animation as a storytelling medium and was thrilled with the hand-drawn, soulful artistry that they brought to the scene, and with the exquisite attention to detail and storytelling flair that is their hallmark.”

Gil Kenan adapted the screenplay for A BOY CALLED CHRISTMAS with Ol Parker (Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel) from the bestselling book by Matt Haig, the first of 5 books in the acclaimed series, all of which are published by Canongate Books. STUDIOCANAL produced with Graham Broadbent and Pete Czernin of BAFTA and Academy Award® winning Blueprint Pictures.

A BOY CALLED CHRISTMAS is showing now in cinemas and on Sky Cinema.