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The Original Christmas Specials Collection
Movie:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score:
WARNING: THE SCORES ABOVE ARE A COMBINED SCORE FROM ALL 5 FILMS,
Movie:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score:
WARNING: THE SCORES ABOVE ARE A COMBINED SCORE FROM ALL 5 FILMS,
Back in the day, my childhood Christmas wasn’t complete without at least one of these old Classics playing on the 13 inch TV while I drank hot cocoa and snacked on Christmas cookies. These beloved films have lasted for over 40 years and still are watched by many at this wintery time of year. I guess that’s really what makes them classics. No matter the age, or the decade we still fall back to these old tales of Christmas joy and cheer year after year. If you’re an adult sometimes the old tales of yesteryear seem to lose a little bit of their luster, but if you’re a young one, then the giggles and laughter still seem to hold their touch no matter the year of production. Paramount released the 5 films back in 2015 and 2012, BUUUUUUT they also had access to Frosty Returns and Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol (which I'm assuming has to do with rights issues, or that the those two weren't Rankin/Bass original classics, but an add-on that Paramount did with their releases).
Instead of cramming 3 movies per disc (ish) like we had with the Paramount release, Universal has decided to give each film (outside of the really short Little Drummer Boy and Cricket on the Hearth). Starting off the list we have Santa Clause is Coming to town, a nice little story narrated by Fred Astaire, who tells the tale of how Kris Kringle gained his red suit and hopped up on his sleigh for the very first time. Smart as a whip and filled with a lot more than just a children’s story, it chronicles the tale of a little child who is dropped off in the old German town of Somberville, lorded over by the grumpy Mayor Burgermeister Meisterberger. Kicked out by the old man he is accidentally dropped off to the Kingle’s, a group of elvish toymakers. Locked on the other side of the mountain from Somberville, the Kringle’s make their toys, but without the joy of seeing them distributed to little boys and girls everywhere. However, when Kris grows big enough, he traverses the forest and snow (along with a Winter Warlock who haunts that forest) in an effort to bring the denizens of Somberville some modicum of happiness.
Santa Clause is coming to town is a bit more complex than just a simple children’s tale. Like many old classics it deals with social issues and the ideas or what is worthwhile in society. Burgermeister Meisterburger may seem goofy and over the top, but he represents a period that was suffering from over abusive leadership as well as making fun of all the little things that human beings find as “bah humbug” instead of focusing on the little bits that bring us joy.
The Second disc is the small little Frosty the Snowman, and I find it a bit strange that a little 20 odd minute film got it's own disc instead of being mixed in with one of the others. Based off the classic song of the same name, Frosty the snowman is suffering from the problem of melting on hot days. Setting off on a trip to the North Pole, he and a young child brave the issue of the north as well as an evil magician who desires Frosty’s hat. Not everything works in the tale, but it is cute and a bouncy little film.
Their first stop nearly gets them killed, as they run into the Abominable Snowman, but are rescued by the intrepid miner, Yukon Cornelius. A man of the north who’s after GOLD GOLD GOLD!! (well, and silver, but it depends on the mood). Looking afte the elf and the reindeer, Yukon Cornelius escapes the Snowman with the two and runs across an island filled with misfit toys. There Rudolph realizes that he has to set out on his own, as his nose has become an attractant to the snowman. Only problems is that once he gets home, Rudolph is met with an empty home. It seems that his family have ventured out into the snow to find him, and that means they are now at the mercy of the very Abominable Snowman that Rudolph has been narrowly escaping.
“Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer” is only a hair breadth below “Santa Clause is Coming to Town” as the best film of the set. Smart and funny, it breeds memorable characters that really stand out. Who doesn’t love Yukon Cornelius is by far the standout character in the little film, as his over the top antics are endearing to children everywhere. There IS a bit of an annoyance in the film, as it pertains to Rudolph. The movie ascribes to the old Ugly Duckling scenario where someone is made fun of up until the point they prove themselves useful, as does Rudolph. It’s a little cliché that has bothered me for many a year and still does to this day. It was used a lot back in the older generation of children’s film making and seems to have been mainly eradicated in modern days (although we have a plethora of other problems of our own to work out as a result).
Next on the list is A Cricket on the Hearth, a tale of sadness and joy. It tells the tale of a little cricket who was lucky enough to make his home in the house of a humble toymaker. Crickets were seen as symbols of luck back in the day, and this little cricket was about to earn his name. Going back to good old Dickens time, we have the old toymaker living with his beautiful daughter, just as her fiancée is heading off to war. During the turmoil the fiancée is presumed missing at sea and the old toymaker is forced to work or a slave master who pays the old man in nothing but a place to live while he profits off the talented toymaker’s toil. Not only THAT but he wants the toymaker’s daughter as his bride as well.
Our cricket hero really has to pay for his rent here, for his adopted family is better than he ever could have hoped for. The old toymaker was kind and generous, while his daughter was cut from the same cloth. They are both living in squalor and misery while their “benefactor” is out living the high life, while paying them nothing in return. Their eyes see a different world though, as optimism wins out over the harsh realities of life and this overflowing of joy without recompense is more than the tiny cricket can bear. Now he has to use his limited tools to reunite the daughter with her beloved and set everything right once again.
The Little Drummer Boy has always felt a bit stretched whenever I’ve seen it, and time has had it fare no better. The musical numbers are played out really fast and even as a 25 minute short the movie feels like it overstays it’s welcome by just a little bit. I’m not saying it’s a bad story, or that it doesn’t belong in the set, but the premise of making a story based upon the simplistic Christmas song was a big stretch even back then in the 50s.
Rated G for General Audiences
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
• The Animagic World of Rankin/Bass
• Restoring the Puppets of Rudolph
• Reimagining Rudolph in 4D
• Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer Attraction Film
• T.E.A.M. Rudolph and the Reindeer Games
Frosty the Snowman:
• The Animagic World of Rankin/Bass
• Original Pencil Test
• Commentary by Animation Historian Mark Evanier
Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town:
• The Animagic World of Rankin/Bass
• Commentary by Animation Historian Greg Ehrbar
Final Score:
The stories enclosed are all Christmas Classics of varying quality, but they are all enjoyable as all get out, and certainly deserving of their classic states in cinematic history. Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer and Santa Clause is Coming to Town will forever be the best in my mind’s eye, but you can’t watch one or two without watching the other 3 at the very least. The old stop motion animation as well as the hand drawn stories are a bit rough to watch at times due to the old source material, but thankfully Classic Media has given them plenty of room on the disc to look as best they can. The extras are plentiful, which add even more value to the dirt cheap set and makes it well worth the $15 ish that the set demands. The "upgrade" factor for those who have the Paramount set is going to be determined by how much you miss having Frosty Returns and Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol. The video and audio specs have been upgraded enough that the original Rankin/Bass 5 films are the real appeal, and make the loss of the other two films more palatable. Honestly, I'd be more inclined to lean towards this set, as the extra features on the set (the Rudolph commentary is awesome) and new tech specs are much more valuable than the ABYSMAL Frosty Returns and the moderate Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol. DEFINITELY one to pick up for the holidays.
Technical Specifications:
Starring: Burl Ives, Mickey Rooney, Jan Hooks, Arthur Rankin Jr.
Directed by: Arthur Ranking Jr., Jules Bass
Written by: Various
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1 AVC
Audio: English: DTS-HD MA 5.1, English DTS-HD MA 2.0 Mono (The Little Drummer Boy, Cricket on the Hearth) English, English, Spanish, French DTS Digital Surround 2.0 Mono
Subtitles: English, Spanish, French
Studio: Universal
Rated: G
Runtime: 205
Blu-ray Release Date: October, 2018
Recommendation: Highly Recommended
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