Oscar-winner J K Simmons is no stranger to playing Father Christmas. He's been a tech-savvy Santa in cinemas recently but in beautiful seasonal animation, Klaus, his man in the red suit is more of a mystery. And, in good news, it's on Netflix now to enjoy.
He was, in his own words, "an overnight sensation at 60”. One of the best character actors in the business, he was “that guy”: audiences recognized his face but didn’t know his name. He was Juno’s (2007) dad, the shrink in TV’s Law And Order for 16 years — and then it all changed when J K Simmons won an Oscar for his explosive performance in Damien Chazelle’s adrenaline-pumping Whiplash (2014). Brutal drums instructor, Terrence Fletcher, was very much his tempo.
Since then, the roles have flooded in, both in front of the camera and the microphone. The voice of Yellow in the M&M's commercials for years, his rich tones have featured extensively in animations on the big and small screen. On Netflix, he’s the voice of the title character in what has become a modern Christmas classic, Klaus, a hand-drawn animation that puts a fresh spin on a seasonal story and a certain bearded man in a red suit.
The warm-hearted Klaus teams Simmons with Jason Schwartzman in the story of Jesper (Schwartzman), who graduates from the postal academy as its worst student.
He gets the round nobody wants — a frozen island above the Arctic Circle where the locals are at loggerheads, never speak to each other and certainly don't write letters.
He's about to throw away his postie's bag when he finds a friend in the island's teacher Alva (Rashida Jones) and meets Klaus (Simmons), a solitary carpenter living in a cabin full of handmade toys. They make unlikely friends, but bring smiles and generosity back to the island, and create some magical new traditions.
Directed by Despicable Me co-creator Sergio Pablos, the enchanting film won the hearts of critics and audiences alike when it launched on the streamer in 2019 and was nominated for an Oscar the following year. It’s become a seasonal favorite, so it's ready and waiting to be enjoyed all over again this holiday season.
Simmons, in the meantime, will be back on our screens on February 6 for season three of Prime Video’s adult animation, Invincible, with a fourth outing already confirmed.
He might not consider himself a fan of comic books but, as newspaper proprietor J Jonah Johnson, he's one of the most familiar faces in the Spider-Man franchise. This time he lends his voice to Noah Grayson, aka Omni-Man, the father of the show’s teenage hero Mark (voiced by Steven Yeun). With a stellar line-up of voice actors, including Seth Rogen, Walton Goggins, Ben Schwartz and Mark Hamill, it’s one of the most anticipated shows for 2025.
What’s in store? A new look for Mark, that’s for sure, with his previous yellow and blue spandex replaced by a blue and black costume that was a favorite with fans of the comics. Defending the Earth looks like getting even tougher as an old enemy from the previous season could make an unwelcome return while the tone of the entire show darkens and Mark becomes more aggressive and isolated. His half-brother, Oliver, is growing fast, which points to Kid Omni-Man showing up sooner rather than later. And a brand new “Big Bad” could also be on the way.
Season three will be packed with action and characters to keep the fans coming back for more. The show’s writers are still hard at work on season four, so it’s still under wraps, but creator Robert Kirkman has been quoted as saying they’ve also put together a plan that could produce as many as ten Invincible seasons. But the next series will be here before we know it — and it can’t come soon enough.
Klaus is on Netflix in the US and UK. All seasons of Invincible, including the forthcoming season three, are on Prime Video in the US and UK.
