'Klaus' Clip: A Centuries-Long Family Feud Is Part Of Santa Claus' Origin Story

Netflix is giving us the Santa Claus origin story we never knew we needed with Klaus, the streaming giant's animated feature that boasts a unique blend of traditional 2D and 3D animation. In the newest clip released by Netflix, Despicable Me co-creator Sergio Pablos flexes that distinctive animation style in a scene that adds a new wrinkle onto old Saint Nick's origin. Watch the Klaus clip below.

You'd be hard pressed to find a 2D animated movie in the U.S. markets, though the traditional style is still flourishing in Europe and Japan. But Klaus is doing more than tugging on our nostalgic hearstrings by bringing back the animation style of our childhoods. In a new Klaus clip released by Netflix, two pairs of parents lead their children down their storied halls, regaling them with tales of the centuries-long feud of the Krum and Ellingboe families.

The scene is brisk and wonderfully animated, with the exaggerated facial expressions of the parents recalling '80s and '90s Disney animation such as The Black Cauldron mixed with the sharp edges and bleak colors of Don Bluth. It looks amazing, though this scene seems far removed from the story of Santa Claus. But it offers a new twist on the figure that so many are familiar with, and a fresh approach to a medium that so many brush off.

Directed by Pablos from his original story and a script he co-wrote with Zach Lewis and Jim Mahoney, Klaus stars Jason Schwartzman, JK Simmons, Rashida Jones, Norm MacDonald, and Joan Cusack.

Here is the synopsis for Klaus:

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. An animated holiday comedy directed by Despicable Me co-creator Sergio Pablos, KLAUS co-stars Joan Cusack, Will Sasso and Norm Macdonald.

Klaus premieres on Netflix on November 15, 2019.