Rating: 
Summary: A CLASSIC!
Review: "Santa Claus is Comin' to Town" (Rankin/Bass Productions, 1970) is a true Christmas classic. A quintessential "animagic" or "clay-mation" production, it features the talents of Fred Astaire (who narrates the story as postman Special Delivery Kluger), Mickey Rooney (Kris Kringle), Keenan Wynn (Winter Warlock), and Paul Frees (Burgermeister Meisterburger). Frees is absolutely brilliant as the voice of the Burgermeister of the village of Sombertown, which presumably is in Scandinavia. In brief, the film explains the origins of various aspects of the legend of Santa Claus through an original story. People of all ages will enjoy "Santa Claus is Comin' to Town." Children will love the animation and the story. The rest of us appreciate that as well as the hilarious moments when Kris Kringle expresses surprise (watch his eyes swell to giant coal-black circles!). For anyone who grew up in the 1970s or 1980s, this is a gem of the pop culture of our time. It's highly recommended for anyone who has enjoyed other Rankin/Bass classics such as "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" and "The Little Drummer Boy."
Rating:
Summary: A CLASSIC!
Review: "Santa Claus is Comin' to Town" (Rankin/Bass Productions, 1970) is a true Christmas classic. A quintessential "animagic" or "clay-mation" production, it features the talents of Fred Astaire (who narrates the story as postman Special Delivery Kluger), Mickey Rooney (Kris Kringle), Keenan Wynn (Winter Warlock), and Paul Frees (Burgermeister Meisterburger). Frees is absolutely brilliant as the voice of the Burgermeister of the village of Sombertown, which presumably is in Scandinavia. In brief, the film explains the origins of various aspects of the legend of Santa Claus through an original story. People of all ages will enjoy "Santa Claus is Comin' to Town." Children will love the animation and the story. The rest of us appreciate that as well as the hilarious moments when Kris Kringle expresses surprise (watch his eyes swell to giant coal-black circles!). For anyone who grew up in the 1970s or 1980s, this is a gem of the pop culture of our time. It's highly recommended for anyone who has enjoyed other Rankin/Bass classics such as "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" and "The Little Drummer Boy."
Rating:
Summary: Warm, cozy and groovy......
Review: ....like a hot cocoa with a shot of peppermint schnapps!This is my favorite of all the Rankin/Bass specials (and they are all excellent). Many people get all the "Animagic" cartoons confused...so I'll try to pinpoint this one. This is not the one with Rudolph ("...the Red-Nosed Reindeer") and not the one with the Heat Miser and Snow Miser ("Year Without A Santa Claus"). This is the one with the toy-hating Burgermeister Meisterburger and.....the Winter Warlock!! We get to see Santa Claus go from an orphaned baby raised by elves to a groovy, hip young adult who's outlawed for delivering toys to finally becoming the toy making/giving king of Christmas! We also get to see Mrs Claus as a groovilicious babe in her own right and she finally gets a name, Jessica. Some charmingly dated scenes only add to the warm innocence of this show: like when Jessica realizes "her own town has turned against her" and begins singing of her love for and desire to be with Kris Kringle....transcending into a cornucopia of hippy-trippy flowers, swirls and polka-dots and finally catching a glimpse of her paper cutout reflection in the water fountain in the center of town. Remarkable!! But, the show's main message is one of love and the courage to follow your heart and do what you know is right regardless of the obstacles that come in your way - so take that!....Burgermeister and Winter Warlock! Some touching moments, like when Kris and Jessica are married in the forest because no town would have them and one of the final scenes where we are shown the contrast of those who have no holiday spirit to Santa Claus, who gives of himself each year, are real tear-jerkers. A wonderful Christmas special that no holiday season is complete without.
Rating:
Summary: Warm, cozy and groovy......
Review: ....like a shot of hot cocoa with a shot of peppermint schnapps! "SANTA CLAUS IS COMING TO TOWN" is my favorite of all the Rankin/Bass specials (and they are all excellent). Many people get all the "Animagic" cartoons confused...so I'll try to pinpoint this one. This is not the one with Rudolph ("...the Red-Nosed Reindeer") and not the one with the Heat Miser and Snow Miser ("Year Without A Santa Claus"). This is the one with the toy-hating Burgermeister Meisterburger and.....the Winter Warlock!! We get to see Santa Claus go from an orphaned baby raised by elves to a groovy, hip young adult who's outlawed for delivering toys to finally becoming the toy making/giving king of Christmas! We also get to see Mrs Claus as a groovilicious babe in her own right and she finally gets a name, Jessica. Some charmingly dated scenes only add to the warm innocence of this show: like when Jessica realizes "her own town has turned against her" and begins singing of her love for and desire to be with Kris Kringle....transcending into a cornucopia of hippy-trippy flowers, swirls and polka-dots and finally catching a glimpse of her paper cutout reflection in the water fountain in the center of town. Remarkable!! But, the show's main message is one of love and the courage to follow your heart and do what you know is right regardless of the obstacles that come in your way. There are some very touching moments, like when Kris and Jessica are married in the forest because no town would have them and one of the final scenes where we are shown the contrast of those who have no holiday spirit to Santa Claus, who gives of himself each year. Also inlcuded on this DVD is "THE LITTLE DRUMMER BOY" which is another wonderful but much more serious puppet-animated Christmas classic. It tells of a young boy, Aaron, who grows to hate all mankind after seeing his house burned and his parents killed by bandits. His only possession, a drum, has magical qualities which make his animal friends dance. After being kidnapped and forced to perform in a traveling sideshow, his hatred grows even stronger. But at the same time, a newborn babe is being laid in a manger - can the magic of Christmas show Aaron that all people are not bad and that love truly does exist in the world? Both specials have never looked better than they do on this digitally-restored DVD. ("Little Drummer Boy" retains a grainy quality that I believe was present when the show first aired). A must-have for any Christmas video collection.
Rating:
Summary: Mickey Rooney: Worthy of Your Idolatry?
Review: Alas, I begin to contextualize "Santa Claus Is Coming To etc etc etc etc" by asking whether any "actor" is more (?) than Mickey Rooney. Anyone who has heard so much as a breath of this man in any interview will be rendered catatonic by his smug self-centeredness. He is one of that unrare breed of person for whom nostalgia is reality: "the past, when I was the star, were the _real_ days of film" sort of thing. He acts as if Judy Garland actually displayed some sort of thesbianic gravitas. This Christmas chestnut might have been, were it entirely different, a basket of baubles; a gander of galleys; a quorum of quirks. Instead it is rendered into a Hopkins-esque album of alliteration; a foul owl of assonance. Its questions are and are not rhetorical, depending on your vantage and vintage. Certainly, _any_ placement of "Santa Claus is Coming To and so and so on and so on" as an allegory toward a metaphoric portrayal of Aristotle's _Poetics_ is not only misplaced, but is located in a position in which it does not belong. Still, all of my illumination ignored, this is a great video: cute charcters; catchy tunes; and a carriage full of horselessness. Henry Ford would have been proud. One elf at a time!
Rating:
Summary: Personal favorite
Review: As a child, I couldn't get enough of this classic. I've always loved the "stop motion" Christmas videos, with "The Little Drummer Boy" and "Rudolph" coming in at 2nd and 3rd place. Yes, it's very dated, complete with far-out animated flowers flying around as "Miss Jessica" sings her song--but I loved every minute of it as a young girl. And Fred Astaire--my favorite all-around performer. In a world of saturated ugliness, I prefer innocence and naivete, which can only be found in and of one's childhood, even if it's only make-believe. If any of you know where I can pick up a copy of this soundtrack, please let me know.
Rating:
Summary: Timeless classic, fun and endearing for the whole family
Review: Cute claymation animals and people and a love story to boot. Even the "evil" antagonist in the film is redeemed in the end and everyone is happy. A sweet family movie that shows folks in hardship being helped by others, how to lend a hand to those who are your enemies and how big set-backs can often be blessings in disguise. Great songs, adorable animation, sweet story... what more can you ask for?
Rating:
Summary: One of the BEST Family Oriented Films EVER MADE!
Review: Even though this one isn't as popular as Frosty, Rudolph, and the Grinch, it's just as magical. I did not know it even exsisted until I was 9 years old, and I LOVED IT! I was introduced to this one fairly late in my child hood, but it still holds a special place in my heart right next to Frosty and Rudolph. This is the one with the evil Burgermeister Meisterburger, who "HATES TOYS!". I love this character MORE THAN the Grinch! This one also includes the Winter Warlock and Special Delivery Klugger, as well as a not so cocky (for a change) Mickey Rooney as Kris Kringle. This film is a true Holiday classic that keep Christ in Christmas. There are MANY religious undertones in this film (just look at the Winter Warlock Character and watch his development from bad to good.) This is yet another materpiece by Romeo Muller, the GREATEST author who EVER lived! The man REALLY understood children. Some people say that this film is a bit dated, but I would have to disagree. I was born in 1980, and missed the 70's and it never seemed like it was out of place to me (It was 1989 when I first saw it.) It will fit right in with all of the other Holiday films your children watch. No Holiday video collection is complete without this Gem. The songs are GREAT, the plot is EXCELLENT, and the characters are OUTSTANDING! You can't go wrong with this one! Your children will enjoy it and you will too, garenteed!
Rating:
Summary: Santa Claus classic
Review: Excellent film for those that love classic Christmas stories. Buy it now. That's an order.
Rating:
Summary: The best of the Christmas movies
Review: First, let's clear up one fact, this is NOT Claymation.It is STOP MOTION animation. Claymation has figures made of clay that are filmed one frame at a time. Stop motion has 3 dimentional puppets that are animated one frame at a time like the Ray Harryhousen figures in King Kong, Jason and the Argonaughts etc. There is a vast differance in the techniques. This fact aside, "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town" is the very best of the wonderful Rankin/Bass specials. The designer for the series of holiday specials, Paul Coker, has done an exceptional job with these delightful wooden and plastic creations. We see Kris Kringle develope from a foundling baby to the Santa figure so well known today. Each stage of his development is wonderful. But then, each of the characters is designed and executed perfectly. Watch the delightful changes of the Winter Worlock from mean and evil to mellow and fun. All the animation is smooth and precise giving the excellent illusion that these figures are actually alive. The songs are excellent, from the familiar "Santa Claus is Coming To Town" to the lovely "My World Is Beginning Today" sung by Jessica, the future Mrs. Santa. (For some strange reason, this delightful song is often cut when this production is shown on TV, luckily it is included in the tape.) The script couldn't be better giving explanations for most of the Santa legends such as how he got his name, how reindeer can fly, why he comes down chimneys and fills stockings. It can make a believer out of even Ebenezer Scrooge. This has been my absolute favorite Christmas video since I first saw it many years ago on TV. It was one of the reasons I bought my first VCR so I could make a tape of it before it was commercially available. I even have an old LP recording of the complete show. So, do I recommend it, the answer is a resounding YES!!!!!
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