| That Christmas (Soundtrack from the Netflix Film) | ||||
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| Soundtrack album and film score by | ||||
| Released | 4 December 2024 | |||
| Recorded | 2023 | |||
| Venue | London, England Los Angeles, California | |||
| Studio | Abbey Road Studios 5 Cat Studios | |||
| Genre | Christmas music | |||
| Length | 57:58 | |||
| Label | Netflix Music | |||
| Producer | John Powell | |||
| John Powell chronology | ||||
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That Christmas (Soundtrack from the Netflix Film) is the soundtrack album to the 2024 film That Christmas directed by Simon Otto in his feature directorial debut. The film score is composed by John Powell and released through Netflix Music on 4 December 2024.
In November 2023, it was announced that John Powell would compose the film's musical score. [1] It marked his 25th animated film from Powell. [2] The score was recorded at the Abbey Road Studios in London, England during the same week, with Nick Wollage as the recording engineer. [2] Batu Sener, Anthony Willis and Markus Siegel provided additional music, while Cécile Tournesac served as the music editor. The soundtrack was mixed at 5 Cat Studios in Los Angeles, California, with John Michael Caldwell as the mixing engineer. [3]
In August 2024, it was reported that Ed Sheeran would write, compose and produce an original song for the film. [4] [5] Titled "Under the Tree", it was released as a non-album digital single on 26 November 2024 by Sheeran's label Gingerbread Man Records. [6] [7] The music video for the film was directed by Richard Curtis and starred Sheeran as himself and Claudia Jessie as Anna, featuring snippets from the film as well. [8]
The soundtrack was digitally released through Netflix Music on 4 December 2024. [9]
Filmtracks wrote "The score's weakness comes in the more wayward applications in the final third and lack of connection with the good Sheeran song. Some listeners may find the whole to be overplayed in its intensity and thus overwhelm haphazardly on the songless album. But That Christmas is a charming genre outing for Powell, and its rousing action sequences for the main theme notch it above Migration . This music represents Powell in his wheelhouse, and it's always a pleasure to hear." [10] James Southall of Movie Wave wrote "This really is a delightful album of music, for my money the composer's strongest since The Call of the Wild – so warm-hearted, blessed with a pair of catchy themes, thoroughly entertaining from start to finish." [11] Peter Debruge of Variety wrote "composer John Powell supplies a swirling orchestral score that gives the whole enterprise a sense of scale." [12]
| Award | Year | Category | Nominees and recipients | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 52nd Annie Awards | 2025 | Outstanding Achievement for Music in an Animated Feature | John Powell, Ed Sheeran and Johnny McDaid | Nominated | [13] [14] |
| 15th Hollywood Music in Media Awards | 2024 | Best Original Score in an Animated Film | John Powell | Nominated | [15] [16] |
| IFMCA Awards | 2025 | Best Original Score for an Animated Film | Nominated | [17] [18] |
All music is composed by John Powell.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Meet Our Heroes" | 4:51 |
| 2. | "Wellington-By-The-Sea" | 1:54 |
| 3. | "Sticky Notes" | 0:59 |
| 4. | "Snow Arrives" | 3:24 |
| 5. | "Doggy Prank" | 1:01 |
| 6. | "Snow People" | 1:47 |
| 7. | "Building the Igloo" | 1:42 |
| 8. | "Parents Leaving" | 1:10 |
| 9. | "Turkey Heist" | 2:24 |
| 10. | "Shop Romance" | 2:06 |
| 11. | "Parents in Trouble" | 2:10 |
| 12. | "Santa Arrives" | 3:12 |
| 13. | "This Rarely Happens" | 2:28 |
| 14. | "The Twin's Christmas" | 1:14 |
| 15. | "Officially Nice" | 2:19 |
| 16. | "Bernie's Our Christmas" | 2:51 |
| 17. | "Danny Left Alone" | 1:03 |
| 18. | "Visiting Trapper" | 2:44 |
| 19. | "Calling Miss for Help" | 3:56 |
| 20. | "Hide and Seek" | 3:14 |
| 21. | "Searching and Finding" | 9:30 |
| 22. | "Boxing Day" | 1:59 |
| Total length: | 57:58 | |
That Christmas features songs which are not featured on its soundtrack, [19] including "Boom Shack-A-Lak" by Apache Indian, "Underneath the Tree" by Kelly Clarkson, "Snowflakes" by Emmy the Great and Ash frontman Tim Wheeler, "Christmas Lights" by Coldplay and "Under the Tree" by Ed Sheeran as well as renditions of "Wannabe" by The Spice Girls, "Happy Birthday" by Stevie Wonder, "Levitating" by Dua Lipa, "Papa Don't Preach" by Madonna, "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town" by J. Fred Coots and Haven Gillespie, "Silent Night" by Franz Xaver Gruber and "Nessun dorma" by Giacomo Puccini.