Jason Sondhi
The title alone is a serviceable hook—“Tattoo Santa Claus”— that’s certainly evocative! But, effective as it is, the title alone doesn’t do much to describe what kind of film Patrick Ward has presented us. At just over 5 minutes, and coming off a festival run that included Annecy’s midnight section, I expected cheap, but enjoyable transgression, something a little “naughty”, that got easy laughs playing off the inescapable image of jolly St. Nick in Western culture. And yes, Ward does intend a bit of that, but I wasn’t ready for the other thing—to be emotionally moved.
Patrick Ward has come relatively late to animation. After a decade in internet video for brands like Buzzfeed and TikTok, he’s embraced animation as a calling, attributing the majority of his formal development to watching the South Park documentary, 6 Days to Air, and an old Walt Disney behind-the-scenes film. You wouldn’t know this from Tattoo Santa Claus, though, as it is quite stylistically mature, with its monochrome palette periodically punctuated by flashes of color, and its chiaroscuro lighting evoking film noir. I was incredibly impressed by the film’s aesthetics, but the appeal of the aesthetics alone started to wear off shortly after the halfway point.
The ironic/transgressive appeal was wearing off, too, but then Ward does a remarkable thing. He switches gears to sincerity, and I was genuinely touched. Ward attempts something no less grand than an absurd reconciliation of the two major symbols of Christmas, Santa and Christ. Santa traces back to Saint Nicholas of the 4th century, but really is an amalgam of many folkloric tales and traditions, many from pagan cultures. With his naughty/nice list, the idea of Santa as a deliverer of justice has always been at odds with the acceptance and pure love of Christ. I won’t dive too deeply into the mechanics of this—it’s a 5-minute film, just watch it yourself—but as silly and irreverent as the film still is, the transformation of Santa into a true Christian figure is something I won’t forget. I hope the film becomes a perennial of the season.
After releasing to acclaim on YouTube earlier this month, Ward is back to work on future projects, including a series idea based on his first short animation, David, and, of course, more animated shorts!