A new star studded holiday film is here, and it combines two of the most iconic stories into an animated film. The Night Before Christmas in Wonderland is out on Hulu now and before the film’s release, we chatted with the incredibly talented Gerard Butler to learn more about all the fun he had while voicing St. Nick. 

The Night Before Christmas in Wonderland is based on Carys Bexington’s bestselling book, which mashes Lewis Caroll’s “Alice in Wonderland” and Clement Clarke Moore’s poem “Twas the Night Before Christmas”. When St. Nick receives a letter on Christmas Eve from the Princess of Hearts, he and his team of reindeer set off to Wonderland where they are greeted by the mean and miserable Queen of Hearts who hates all things Christmas. St. Nick, aided by Alice, the Mad Hatter and March Hare, attempts to show the Queen the true meaning of Christmas and save the day before it’s too late!

In addition to Gerard, the musical movie features the voices of Emilia Clarke from Game of Thrones and Simone Ashley from Bridgerton. At the helm as director is Peter Baynton, who won the best animated short Oscar in 2023 for “The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse.”

Gerard has done everything and more in the acting world, with roles spanning action, science fiction, musicals, and animated films. He is most well known for his roles as Attila the Hun in the miniseries Attila, Erik in the 2004 film adaptation of The Phantom of the Opera, King Leonidas in 300, Stoic the Vast in How to Train Your Dragon, Tullus Aufidius in Coriolanus, and so many more. 

Gerard has had numerous experiences in the sound booth and in animation, and this meant that he felt a lot more free playing St. Nick. He said he was able to have a lot of creative control and fun with his character, working alongside Peter Baynton and producers Ruth Fielding and Camilla Deakin. 

“We were having a blast in [the sound booth]. It was so much between the singing and the performing.”

“When I read the script, I wanted to do it straight away. I actually did not want to overthink it.”

We all know that Gerard can sing, from his iconic role in The Phantom of the Opera, and he said he absolutely loved the music in The Night Before Christmas in Wonderland, as it spans different genres and is very catchy.

“The imperfection and weirdness [of the songs] actually makes things stand out more.”

Gerard revealed that the big difference between his live action and animated roles is because he did his work in the sound booth, he didn’t actually meet Simone Ashley or Emilia Clark. Gerard said he loves working alongside scene partners in live action but also could be ridiculous and fun and not have to overthink while in the sound booth. 

“You can be so ridiculous and try things that you’re not having to worry about a scene partner.”

It’s obvious how much fun Gerard had working on this project, and he voiced a new incredible iteration of St. Nick. From his Santa accent, to dancing in the sound booth, and receiving a character drawing from Peter Baynton, this fun film is a must see for the holidays!

“Dancing about in a sound booth when I was singing really freed me up.”

Thank you, Gerard, for chatting with Young Entertainment! Make sure to follow him on his Instagram at @gerardbutler. Be sure to watch the rest of the interview to learn more about how much fun this project was and while you’re there, be sure to like and subscribe to our channel for the latest news in young entertainment. 

Consider this:

• You don’t have to overthink a script too much. Be willing to ask a lot of questions of your director and producers but have fun with your projects!