Arthur Christmas is a 2011 animated Christmas comedy film produced by Sony Pictures Animation and Aardman Features. The film is Aardman's second computer-animated feature film after 2006's Flushed Away. It was directed by Sarah Smith, written by Smith and Peter Baynham, and stars the voices of James McAvoy, Hugh Laurie, Bill Nighy, Jim Broadbent, Imelda Staunton, and Ashley Jensen. The film follows Santa Claus' youngest son, Arthur, as he works to deliver a bicycle to a little girl in Trelew, England before Christmas morning.

Following the under-performance of Flushed Away, DreamWorks Animation did not renew its partnership with Aardman. In April 2007, Aardman signed a three-year deal with Sony Pictures. Originally titled Operation Rudolph, the project was first announced in 2007. Aardman spent 18 months on pre-production on the story and design in the UK before relocating to Sony's animation studio in Culver City, California, for another 18 months of production. On 27 April 2009, it was reported that production had begun with Aardman and Sony Pictures Imageworks working together on animation.

Arthur Christmas was released on 11 November 2011 in the United Kingdom, and on 23 November in the United States by Sony Pictures Releasing. The film received positive reviews from critics, and grossed $147 million against a $100 million budget.

Instead of a single individual, Santa Claus is a hereditary title, handed down from father to son since the time of Saint Nicholas. Malcolm, the 20th Santa, is heading his 70th mission, but his role has been reduced to that of a figurehead. He flies in a high-tech vessel called the S-1, operated by hundreds of elves who deliver the gifts using military precision and automated gadgets. These operations are managed by Malcolm's son Steve from a control room beneath the North Pole, while Steve's nervous but cheerful younger brother Arthur answers the letters sent to Santa. During the mission, a child almost sees Malcolm; as the elves rescue him, a wrapped bicycle falls off the S-1's conveyor belt into the shadows.

After returning to the North Pole, Malcolm unexpectedly announces that he is still not ready to retire and hand over his role to Steve. Arthur and his mother Margaret try to get the rest of the family to enjoy Christmas via a board game, but tensions run high between Steve, Malcolm, and Malcom's ancient father Grandsanta, who believes Christmas has become too modernized.

While cleaning the S-1, an elf named Bryony finds the lost present. Arthur is horrified when he recognizes the present's intended recipient is Gwen Hines, a girl from Trelew, Cornwall; in her letter, she had expressed doubts of Santa's existence. Malcolm is at a loss how to deal with the situation; Arthur wants to take the S-1 out again to return the present, but Steve convinces Malcolm that one gift out of billions is an acceptable margin of error.

After the others have left, Grandsanta hears Arthur fretting and offers to take the old magic sleigh, "Evie", out from where he had secretly hidden it to keep it from being scrapped. Using magic Aurora dust and a team of untrained reindeer, Grandsanta and Arthur set out to deliver the present. Bryony stows away with them; along the way, the trio cause several mishaps, lose a few of the reindeer, and accidentally arrive in Trelew, Mexico, nearly setting off an international military incident in the process.

Rerouting to Cornwall, Arthur and Bryony learn that Grandsanta does not really care about Gwen; he just wants to prove he is still relevant. The elves suggest Steve can help Arthur deliver the present from the command center, but he refuses, calling Arthur and ordering him to return home. Arthur insists that Malcolm would want them to deliver the gift, but Steve convinces a distraught Arthur that Malcolm likely has gone to bed unfazed. Arthur's party loses the sleigh, stranding themselves on an island in the Atlantic Ocean. Though disappointed in his father, Arthur realizes Gwen will still believe in Santa no matter who delivers the present, and manages to retrieve the sleigh.