Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town is such a great classic so why would Sony put a stupid Mariah Carey video on there, that crap DOES NOT belong on a Christmas classic like this. Once again, thanks Sony for yet ruining another classic just like you ruined the Rudolf DVD with that Destiny's Child garbage!
Rankin/Bass studios delivers one of the best holiday specials ever
THE STORY: Starting off with a newsreel on the children of the world preparing for a visit from Santa Claus, we meet a mailman named Special Delivery Kluger. After some introductory comments from the mailman, who delivers to the North Pole in a snowcat type vehicle, we see the credits spelled out on mail envelopes, with a stamp representing the actor listed. Inside the envelopes are question from children around the world about Santa. "Where did Santa's suit come from?", and more, so that the show can proceed to show where Santa got his start and why things are the way they are. In a sad vilage named Sombertown, ruthlessly run by the Burgermeister Meisterberger, toys are outlawed. On the other side of the mountain, elves are raising a human orphan boy, learned in the ways of toymaking. But a scary Winter Warlock has prevented them from delivering toys across the mountain. Whenthe boy grows up he is givent he name Kris Kringle, and he determines to deliver the toys. Arriving there he meets Ms. Jessica and falls in love, but Kris is arrested for the toys. After his escape he runs into the Winter Warlock, and must find a way to deal with him if he is going to deliver toys. Without giving any plot away, Kris has to find creative ways to smeak the toys to the children and avoid being captured again by the soldiers. Along the way we see how traditions like hanging stockings, using the chimney, delivering at night, making reindeer fly, and a nice/naughty list got their start.
BEHIND THE SCENES:Rankin/Bass studios was the most prolific creators of holiday specials we have ever known. After the huge success of their 1964 stop motion musical Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, they created no less than 14 more Christmas specials, from a total of 35 specials of which many covered other holidays. In 1970 audiences were eager to see what the clever studio would come up with next, their last picture had been Frosty the Snowman the year before in traditional cel animation. As much as viewers enjoyed Frosty, they really liked the stop motion "Animagic" that was the specialty of the studio. The only TV specials they made this process so far were Rudolph, and The Little Drummer Boy. The new show aired on ABC on December 14, 1970 and it was in Animagic! It was a one hour special, and it recieved huge ratings. It still airs every year.
This special had the best voice casting of any they made, with Mickey Rooney as the older Santa, Paul Frees as Burgermeister, and Keenan Wynn as the Winter Warlock. The Mailmans voice and songs were by the great Fred Astaire, and they recreated him perfectly in a mailman figure. There are 6 wonderful songs including the title song, as well as "One Foot in Front of the Other". The Westminster Childrens Choir performs as well. Music and lyrics were by Maury Laws and Jules Bass. Writing by the great Romeo Muller who worked on so many of their projects. Character design by Paul Coker, and storyboards and continuity by Don Duga as they did on most of the studios specials.
There are several releases on VHS, laserdisc, and DVD. All in all a terrific show, I highly reccommend.
review for Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town
Just like we remember as kids! And my kids love the video just as much as I did!
This DVD contains three holiday titles from Arthur Rankin Jr. and Jules Bass.
The Year Without a Santa Claus Even Santa can suffer a case of the holiday blues. In this 1974 stop-motion holiday family favorite, a sparkly eyed Mrs. Claus (voiced by Shirley Booth) sings and tells about the year her hubby felt too weary and too unappreciated to prepare for his annual Christmas rounds. Mickey Rooney stars as the voice of Santa, a rosy-nosed puppet who travels incognito to Southtown in search of his tiniest reindeer, Vixen, and two well-meaning elves. Seems Mrs. Santa sent them to find proof of Christmas spirit--but all they've discovered is ambivalence about Santa's year off. Luckily, when Santa arrives and befriends a buck-toothed lad named Ignatius Thistlewhite, spirits... More Info about this DVD Director(s): Jules Bass - Arthur Rankin Jr. DVD Release Date: Released the 31 October 2000 Usually ships in 24 hours
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This classic 1964 television special featuring Rudolph and his misfit buddies set the standard for stop-motion animation for an entire generation before Tim Burton darkly reinvented it in the early 1990s. Burl Ives narrates as Sam the Snowman, telling and singing the story of a rejected reindeer who overcomes prejudice and saves Christmas one particularly blustery year. Along the way, he meets an abundance of unforgettable characters: his dentally obsessed elf pal Hermey; the affable miner Yukon Cornelius and his motley crew of puppies; the scary/adorable Abominable Snow Monster; a legion of abandoned, but still chatty, toys; and a rather grouchy Santa. In addition to the title song that inspired it, this 53-minute tape is crammed with catchy tunes such as "Silver and Gold" and "Holly... More Info about this DVD DVD Release Date: Released the 14 September 2004 Usually ships in 24 hours
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This all-time classic now has Horton Hears a Who! on the same video for a great double bill.
How the Grinch Stole Christmas To heck with the kids--this is one of the best holiday presents you can give yourself. Adapted from the children's book by Dr. Seuss, this charming story is one to watch every holiday season. It is just edgy enough to help you forget the more cloying aspects of Christmas, yet it is also sweet enough to remind you of the reason for all that holiday cheer. Animation genius Chuck Jones directed this 1966 television production featuring the voice of Boris Karloff as the mean greenie. Bitter and selfish, the Grinch decides to steal Christmas away from the Whos, the sweet little folk who live at the bottom of his mountain home. When... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Boris Karloff - Thurl Ravenscroft Director(s): Chuck Jones - Ben Washam DVD Release Date: Released the 31 October 2000 Usually ships in 24 hours
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The model animation techniques in this 1968 Rankin and Bass TV chestnut are primitive by today's standards, and picky kids may reject them out of hand. The story, however, which elaborates on the popular Christmas song about a shepherd boy who plays his drum for the baby Jesus and makes the animals dance, is a little more tough-minded than you might expect. The kid begins the story as what we'd now call a neglected child, a surly urchin who says he hates all people. He's pulled back from the brink, first by learning to make music, and then by his encounter with the Christ child. The underlying message alone--that everybody has something worth contributing--qualifies the show for holiday-perennial status. The big-name voice performers, Jose Ferrer and Greer Garson (who narrates), may be a... More Info about this DVD Director(s): Takeya Nakamura (II) - Arthur Rankin Jr. - Jules Bass DVD Release Date: Released the 14 September 2004 Usually ships in 24 hours
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