Santa's Apprentice.

                                                                Santa's Apprentice.

This one I found when I found The magic snowflake and I love the 

animation style of both of them it reminds me of the 50's and 60's style 

that we all fell in love with. Like I have said before, with me animation is 

everything that makes the story fit together. So, with that. lets get to the 

story shall we:

The film opens in Sydney, Australia where Nicholas and his best friend 

Felix, gazing at the department store window seeing what Santa's 

workshop looks like. They reside at the orphanage where all the Children 

were orphans. The bully, Grincroch, picks on Nicholas that Santa doesn't 

exist as he asks him that he's afraid of heights. But, Nicholas manages to 

retrieve a toy for the child after climbing up the orphanage fence. 

Nicholas was pure of heart believing Christmas and Santa. But on 

Christmas Eve, Nicholas's best friend Felix, gets adopted by his new 

parents and gives his lucky charm to Nicholas as Felix with his new 

parents move to America. During Christmas Eve dinner, Little Beatrice 

gives some chocolate to Nicholas as he introduced himself to her. 

Nicholas and Little Beatrice sees a shooting star as Beatrice is to be 

lucky star to have the dream of best Christmas.

At the North Pole, The Council of Retired Santas convince Santa Claus to 

appoint his new apprentice that a person must be an orphan whose heart 

is pure as Santa looks at the globe and found a boy in Sydney, Australia. 

That night, Humphrey the head elf chooses which boy will become a new 

Santa. At first, he chose Grincroch but Santa knew that he is not the 

chosen one. So Santa chooses Nicholas and takes him to the North Pole 

to train Nicholas to become a new Santa once he retires.

The next day, Nicholas wakes up and meets Mrs. Lovejoy, Santa's wife 

and receives the little polar bear that Nicholas saw at the department 

store came to life as a pet and names him Rufus. During the months 

prior to next Christmas, Nicholas tries his best training hard being his 

apprentice, learns the secrets from Santa, learn to climb up and go down 

the chimneys and making toys to deliver to the children of the world on 

Christmas Eve. Meanwhile in America, Felix and his new parents have 

financial problems that they can no longer afford their home and they 

move to a mobile home.

A day before Christmas Eve, the gifts were accidentally set on fire; 

Santa's beard was burnt as it was Nicholas's fault. But Nicholas manages 

to clean the toys after he accidentally burned with the fire-cracker toy he 

made. At the orphanage, Mrs. Poulmer, the caretaker of the orphanage, 

cheers Little Beatrice up and gives Felix's letter. She knows that Nicholas 

is Santa's Apprentice. Felix Receives a letter from the orphanage and he 

writes to Nicholas to deliver the message at the North Pole.

Then on Christmas Eve, Nicholas apologizes to Santa and helps him to 

put more gifts on the sleigh. Nicholas receives the letter from Felix that 

he wants a new house to live with his parents. Santa now receives a new 

suit and a beard to look like Santa Claus and takes off to deliver the toys. 

Nicholas realized that Santa forgot the Magic ball, so Humphrey opens 

the portal to Santa's sleigh and Nicholas goes to the sleigh and delivers 

the magic ball to Santa as he forgot what child's name to deliver the toy 

to. Nicholas asks Santa to remember it with his heart so that he knows 

what name of a child and a present requested by a child. Santa and 

Nicholas work together to deliver the toys worldwide and Nicholas gives 

Felix and his parents a new house to live in next to their mobile home. 

Felix is happy for Nicholas as they remain best of friends.

Finally, at Sydney, Australia, Nicholas is about to deliver toys at the 

orphanage but Mrs. Poulmer, found Nicholas safe and sound after he was 

missing for a year and Inspector Jeff Samson and his men arrests Santa 

after noticing a fake beard. Little Beatrice tries to cheer Nicholas that 

Santa will return. Grincroch challenges Nicholas to a duel and takes the 

magic ball to shrink Mrs. Poulmer, the Children, Little Beatrice and Rufus 

to an ornament size. Santa convinces the Police officers and Inspector 

Jeff Samson to prove he was real after his heart was restored and 

pointing to them that he delivered the toys to them when they were 

little. Inspector and his men understands and believes what Santa had 

said to them and they release Santa. After Nicholas and Grincroch battle 

for the Magic Ball, the Magic Ball fell and Santa retrieves it in the nick of 

time. Santa convinces Grincroch to stop making fun and picking on 

children and to learn to love the parents once he is adopted.

Santa and Nicholas use the Magic ball to restore Mrs. Poulmer, the 

children, Little Beatrice and Rufus back to normal size and Nicholas 

delivers the presents to the children. Little Beatrice then introduces to 

Nicholas as she likes Rufus and thought she said something silly about it 

as she feels something special. Santa adopts Nicholas and takes him 

back to the North Pole and explaining to Nicholas that once he retires, he 

will run the orphanage. Santa gives Nicholas a Magic ball so that he can 

use Christmas Magic. Little Beatrice was stowed in the bag and decides 

to go to the North Pole with Nicholas that she dreamed of. Nicholas is 

happy to be Santa's Apprentice as the sleigh flies back to the North Pole.

It is a great film, I hope you get to see it during Christmas.