Santa Claus and the Magic drum is an animation which is based on a same named book by Mauri Kunnas. The movie was released in 1996.
Main characters in the movie are Santa Claus, two elves Noora and Ville and 50- year-old shaman named Vekara. Also master elves, villagers and Grandma play major parts in the movie. Characters are simple and likeable which fits great in a children movie. Characters use humor that bites to the children and is entertaining also to the older people. Villagers looks are all like from the same mold: Large features, big round eyes and warm essence.
In the movie Santa Claus gets a letter from a boy called Vekara. The letter is hard to interpret so Santa decides to ask help from master elves: What does Vekara want for christmas? Every master elf makes a different interpretation: so is it a stuffed animal? Toy car? Or something else? At the same time in the village strange things are happening. Santa seems accident proneness and everytime something bad happens villagers can hear muffled drumming. The Guilty one for the drumming is 50-year-old shaman, Vekara. And he is also the one who had sent the letter. What is the big wish that didn’t come true and makes him still feel angry after fifty years?
Movie’s genre is children’s animation movie. It’s light, joyful, little bit exciting and quite short, about fifty minutes. Plot is simple and movie has (of course) a happy ending.
Movie’s theme music is a song named ”Joulupukin töissä”. Its presenter is J. Karjalainen who is one of the most respected and long-term musicians in Finland. I think this song connects the whole movie’s feeling, it is racy, fun and joyful.
To me this movie is ”the thing” that create christmas mood, so I can’t help liking it. It is movie that i would recommend to everyone.