Born in Oran, a coastal city in northwestern French Algeria, Chabat has firmly believed in the magic of Santa Claus since he was a child.

“To a majority of western kids, Santa Claus is more than a happy old man with a long white beard, but also the embodiment of love and dreams. And I hope my version of Santa Claus will inspire the audience,” he said.

“Santa & Cie successfully takes me to Christmas time in advance. The scene design is fascinating, especially the production process of the toy. It was beyond my expectations,” said Wang Ting, who attended the film’s premiere at Beijing-based Wanda Cinemas on Dec 11. “The French people really know whimsy and romance.”

In the film, French actress Audrey Tatou played the role of Santa Claus’s wife. The actress was widely known to Chinese people thanks to her lead role in the 2001 film Amélie, which met with critical acclaim and was a major box-office success.

Speaking of her performance in the film, the director gives his thumbs up.

“She was born to be an actress and I really enjoy working with her,” he said. “And the gentle and sweet Mrs. Claus she played has stolen the hearts of many audiences.”

During his two-day tour of China, Chabat visited many cinemas in Beijing and was surprised to see the great strides Chinese film industry has made in the last several years.

“From online ticket purchase, the cinema’s internal infrastructure to the soaring growth of 3D movie screens, China is definitely the pioneer in the world,” the director said. “In my country, most people are not used to buying tickets online. Instead, they would stand in a long queue and buy tickets one by one. This situation is seldom seen in China.”