Good Things Take Time: Drawing Christmas Tales with a Twist
Today's post from this series: Where Great Ideas Begin... in the Drawer
Welcome to today’s post from Innovation from Within (the 25th, nonetheless)!
Season’s Greetings! This post/e-mail marks the start of a special three-part Christmas series focused on Klaus, a movie that has the potential to become a modern holiday classic. If you’re looking for inspiration this holiday season, you’re in the right place.
Haven’t watched Klaus yet? It’s a wonderful treat for the holidays: heartwarming, nostalgic and funny! You can find it on Netflix, and trust me, it’s worth adding to your watchlist, here’s the link!
Why This Series?
Every now and then, you come across something so remarkable that it stops you in your tracks, but you can’t figure out exactly why. For me, Klaus was that moment.
I watched it last year… 4 years after it premiered! It hadn’t been in my radar at all, but I’m really glad I watched it, even if late!
Some hints on why I love this movie:
It’s a heartwarming take on Santa Claus’ origin, with plenty of laughs, unexpected twists, and even a tear or two.
Klaus’ creator, Sergio Pablos, didn’t just stick to tradition or follow the CGI trend that’s everywhere these days. Instead, he found a way to bring hand-drawn animation to the next level, mixing old-school charm with fresh, modern techniques.
It took the movie almost 10 years to go from idea to an actual thing you could watch… And it’s a perfect an example of Innovation from Within (more on it tomorrow), and I hope it inspires you as much as it inspired me!
It has it all: waiting for great sponsors, trials and errors, good and bad ideas, problems that not only creatives face in the movies industry, but you might have faced at work too! There’s plenty to learn from Klaus and its creators!
This series is my way of sharing what I discovered, because the more I researched, the more I kept finding! So much, to the point of needing to break this article in three, yes, 3 posts!
If you’re looking for a reason to be inspired this holiday season, this series is for you. If you haven’t watched this movie, today is a spoiler-free version, and I’ll try to be as spoiler-free as possible, however, go watch that movie if you can/want/feel inspired to! Here’s the link to it.
A Quick Note on Scheduling
This series will run across three days:
Part 1: Where Great Ideas Begin… in the Drawer (Today)
Part 2: From Vision to a Beloved Christmas Classic (December 23, 14:00 CET)
Part 3: Building a Legacy: Klaus’ Lessons on Purpose
(December 24, 14:00 CET)
There will be no post on December 25, nor on December 31st (Wednesdays), but we’ll have Sunday posts!
Let’s start with today’s post!
Good things take time, and Klaus is the perfect example of this.
What is Klaus?
Released in 2019, Klaus offers a heartwarming reimagining of the origin of Santa Claus, focusing on themes of connection, selflessness, and the power of small acts of kindness.
The movie tells the story of Jesper, a spoiled and self-centered son of the Royal Postmaster General (and he had no issues becoming a nepo baby, aka not work and use his father’s money, but his father had other plans).
After he receives bad reviews about his work as a postman, his father sends him to a remote town called Smeerensburg, up north and very remote, where he is tasked with establishing a functioning post office with a steady flow of mail. The challenge feels impossible in a town torn apart by 2 families who hardly speak to one another, let alone send letters.
While with very self-absorbed motives, Jesper’s luck turns when he meets Klaus, a toymaker who lives in isolation and they collaborate. If you’ve read this with attention, yes, it is… Klaus = Santa Claus. I won’t go into the rest to keep it spoiler free, but you can imagine that their unexpected partnership transforms the town, brings joy to its residents, and unwittingly creates the legend of Santa Claus.
This movie’s concept about the origins of Santa Claus is only interesting because of how it was created and how had this idea to begin with… The creator’s quotes, ideas and overall beliefs are what shaped the movie, the same way you talk about Tolkien or JK Rowling. Without them, you wouldn’t have the books and movies that we appreciate so much! So…
Who Is Sergio Pablos?
Born in Spain, Sergio began his journey at Disney, contributing to some of the studio’s most iconic films. He animated memorable characters like Frollo (The Hunchback of Notre Dame), Hades (Hercules), and Tantor (Tarzan), being eventually recognize and awarded for his contribution to these movies. That’s all… 2D movies, right? Right. This will matter in a bit.
After Disney, Sergio took a leap into creating his own stories. He eventually went on to create the concept for the Despicable Me franchise: yes, that famous movie, book, franchise, funny minions, etc. All of that came from his ideas!
”It took 10 to 15 projects before one finally worked: the concept for Despicable Me. Of course, as you know, we didn’t make the film ourselves; we sold the project—we had no choice.”1
Sergio eventually founded SPA Studios in Madrid, where he focuses his passion for hand-drawn animation and improving it with groundbreaking technology, for instance integrating 3D lighting and shading techniques in 2D animation and design.
The idea for Klaus began in ca. 2010. The movie’s concept sat in the proverbial drawer, waiting for the right time, resources, and technology to bring it to life. Sergio Pablos didn’t just want to create another animated film. He asked himself, "In a world where CGI hadn’t been invented, where would traditional animation be today?" That question started a decade-long process of innovation, where artists led by him blended the nostalgia of hand-drawn animation with modern technology. He wore many hats in this specific movie, staying away from drawing and designing the characters, to developing the story and leading its vision to completion.
“You don’t get good overnight. Being a good animator doesn’t mean you’re a good director. It takes time.”
Beyond the technical achievements, Klaus embodies Sergio’s belief in persistence, creativity, and collaboration. As he has often said, failure is a stepping stone to progress:
“Move forward, try, fail, learn, adjust, try again, and keep going. That’s how we got to where we are today.”
Why Ideas Need the Right Time
Sergio Pablos’ journey with Klaus wasn’t linear or easy:
“I was just looking for that next great idea, that's where the whole slew of origin stories kind of started. So I made a list of historical and fictional characters, and you could find names like Joan of Arc or Napoleon or Dracula or whatever. And I got to Santa Claus and I said, "Huh... "Nah," and I just moved on.”
And the movie waited in the drawer… a little bit of self-doubt was added to the mix:
“When I thought Santa Claus origin story, I was like, "I'm not sure I wanna do that." But then once you say there's something there. Let me see if I can find that non-corny version of this.”
He spent quite some time pitching the concept, refining the story, and creating a two-minute proof of concept that finally caught Netflix’s attention in 2015.
You know those days when you’re second-guessing yourself, reworking an idea for the fifth time, or even having to ask for support or budget? You’re not alone. Even Sergio Pablos had the same feelings!
How many ideas do we keep in the “someday” pile because the timing doesn’t feel right? But maybe that’s okay. Sometimes, great ideas just need time to align with the right conditions. They need us to be persistent, to refine them, and to be willing to adapt. It’s not easy, but those moments—the struggle, the tweaking, the convincing—they’re all part of making something meaningful happen.
If you’re curious, take a few minutes to check out these videos: they offer a fascinating look into how Klaus went from concept to reality, and what a teaser (or Proof of Concept) can help you get the budget you need! Think of them as bonus content for tomorrow’s post, as we’re going to discuss both of them, their similarities and differences in more detail!
Here’s the 2015 teaser that got a lot of people excited with a potential upcoming movie:
… and the movie that was made a reality, available on Netflix since 2019 (in my opinion, the movie is way better than this trailer!)
A Glimpse of What’s Next
Tomorrow’s post will explore how Klaus evolved from an idea into a groundbreaking film. We’ll look at the innovative techniques that redefined 2D animation, blending traditional artistry with cutting-edge technology. And I’ll add more videos worth watching!
We’ll uncover the What and the How, now that we understand what this movie is about. The decisions to these two questions are what makes the movie such a movie worth watching.
Let’s meet again in a few hours as we uncover the vision and innovation that turned Klaus into a modern classic. Until then, remember: good things take time.
Taken from this interview, translated from French. https://www.cinematraque.com/2019/06/23/annecy-2019-interview-avec-sergio-pablos-et-lequipe-de-klaus-1er-film-danimation-netflix/
Honestly never heard, but now you left me curious. Your post is interesting correlating "things". Looking forward to read the two subsquent post.
Ah the "Someday" pile. It gets bigger everyday!