Santa and the Snowman -- IMAX cinema, Bradford

Ideal for the festive season, shorter than a pantomime but just as funny, and no cross-dressing -- that's this hilarious short film at Bradford's IMAX cinema.

It's an adventure that's both frantically funny and cutely touching, packing as much story, action and character development into its half-hour as some full-length movies.

It should appeal to all ages thanks to its striking computer generated style, its larger-than-life characters, and comedy that ranges from slapstick to side-swipes at films like The Empire Strikes Back.

This Santa is as fat and jolly as he needs to be, and really is a good guy, but he also has a regiment of armed-to-the-teeth elves to defend his high-tech Polar home.

He is forced to unleash this imaginative array of weaponry when he comes under attack from a snowman attempting to break into his toy factory.

The twist is that this simple soul, who can't speak, is just trying to replace his beloved flute broken accidentally by Santa as he flew past on his sleigh.

You might feel cheated by the shortness of this film, but the laugh-out-loud jokes and visual inventiveness make it a perfect accompaniment to a day shopping in Bradford.

l National Museum of Photography Film and Television, several times daily until January.

Phone 0870 70 10 200 or see www.nmpft.org.uk.

David Knights