'Klaus' Trailer: Finally, Santa Gets His Own Origin Story

We haven't even reached Halloween yet, but how about some Christmas-related entertainment to kick-off your Monday? Next month, Netflix will release their first animated feature: Klaus, a Santa Claus origin story that reveals Old Saint Nick had to be talked into doing his damn job by some random postman. J.K. Simmons and Jason Schwartzman lend their vocal talents to the film, which uses 2D animation in an attempt to recreate the glory days of hand-drawn cartoon movies. Watch the Klaus trailer below.

I'm definitely not in the holiday spirit yet, but I'll confess I do enjoy the visual aesthetic of this Klaus trailer. The film was directed by animator Sergio Pablos, who worked to give Klaus a very unique look. "We needed to find ways to demolish the technical limitations of traditional animation," Pablos said (via IndieWire). "To that end, we developed the tools and means to make sure this film still had that nostalgic quality, but was presented in a completely different way. If we did our job right, you'll feel like every frame is a hand-drawn painting in motion, where every element is perfectly integrated and bathed in beautiful light, with the charm that only the imperfection of the human hand can produce."

Here's the film's synopsis:

When Jesper (Jason Schwartzman) distinguishes himself as the postal academy's worst student, he is stationed on a frozen island above the Arctic Circle, where the feuding locals hardly exchange words let alone letters. Jesper is about to give up when he finds an ally in local teacher Alva (Rashida Jones), and discovers Klaus (Oscar winner J.K. Simmons), a mysterious carpenter who lives alone in a cabin full of handmade toys. These unlikely friendships return laughter to Smeerensburg, forging a new legacy of generous neighbors, magical lore and stockings hung by the chimney with care.

Like I said, it feels too early to start thinking about Christmas-related entertainment, but when the time comes, maybe Klaus will turn out to be a pleasant holiday surprise. It can't be any worse than Netflix's live-action The Christmas Chronicles, right?

Klaus drops on Netflix November 15.