Rating: 
Summary: Timeless Classic!!
Review: I will be 33 in January 2002. I only mention this so that readers will be able to gauge my review of this classic based on my age. While I was growing up, prior vcr tapes and dvd players, I and my friends would wait all year to view the various Christmas specials that aired each year. I remember sitting glued to the tv taking in every second of the shows. Back then if you missed part of the show or even the whole show you were border line depressed because you knew you couldn't see it again for a whole year. In some ways anticipation made the viewing of Christmas specials that much better.SANTA CLAUS IS COMIN' TO TOWN(SCICTT) is in my top five Rankin/Bass specials. Right along with RUDOLPH, FROSTY and The Year WITHOUT SANTA CLAUS. I enjoy the 1970's feel this classic has. The flowers that appear when Jessica sings, the simple toys the kids play with and the songs that are sung throughout this show. I can only imagine what a modern version of this show would sound like with its boy band sounding songs and electric toys and video games. Instead of watching Kris and Jessica court each other and wed we would probably see them live together while they consider marriage. This was a scary classic. The Winter Warlock was very scary when I viewed this as a kid. No matter how many times I saw this as a kid I would always wonder if Kris would make it past the warlock. I suppose the best thing about this type of Christmas classic is that when people my age view it they can escape back to their innocent youth for a short while. Even though I now own the vhs of SCICTT and soon will purchase the DVD I make myself and my kids wait until Christmas season to watch it. It's not quite the same as when I was a kid but anticipation still increases the viewing pleasure once we do watch it.
Rating: 
Summary: Santa A+, Aaron...eh...
Review: If you're a big fan of SANTA CLAUS IS COMIN' TO TOWN and have only a peripheral interest in THE LITTLE DRUMMER BOY, this is the DVD for you. SANTA looks terrific, and the original name of the penguin ("Topper") has even been restored on the DVD (for some reason he's "Waddles" in syndication). If, however, you're like me and love both stories, especially if you've been watching LITTLE DRUMMER BOY since it was originally broadcast on the network, you're going to be super disappointed in the quality of that program. Another review mentioned DRUMMER BOY as being "grainy." "Grainy" is not the word. Although I understand it was made from the original film negative, it looks like they took the worst print copy to make a transfer from. There are white dust flecks all over the print. In some places the sound effects are missing: for instance, before Aaron sings "Why Can't the Animals Smile" there was a lead-in and lead-out of him beating his drum. On the DVD there is big empty silence instead. The noise and jeers of the crowd are also gone. In another spot, a man's voice is reading Greer Garson's narration. The night scenes seem murky; when Aaron comes up to the gates of the town, I remember being able to see the name "Bethlehem" over the gate. The DVD scene is so dark you can't make it out. In short, I'm not tossing out my DRUMMER BOY videotape. If SANTA didn't look so crisp and nice I'd probably get rid of the DVD. Disappointing...sorry, Rankin-Bass.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful DVD transfer + "Little Drummer Boy"
Review: In a previous review of the tape version of this wonderful Christmas show, I told all the reasons this is my favorite holiday show. Now it has been released on DVD in a wonderful remastered version. I won't repeat all the great things about the story and delightful songs, but will comment on the wonderful DVD transfer. The picture is excellent, crystal clear with deep rich colors. The sound is excellent. A viewer can now appreciate the details of the puppets and sets more than on the tape version. A bonus for the DVD over the tape is that "Little Drummer Boy" is included on the disk. While it is stated on the case that this is a remastered version, the color and picture are not as sharp as in the remastered "Santa". However it is much better than the tape version. The two commercial tapes I have of this production do not have really sharp pictures and the color is a bit washed out. On the DVD, the color is better than the tape, but not as good as might be wanted. Since both the tape and the DVD pictures are not the best quality, I suspect that there is no longer a really top notch master available from which to make the tapes and DVDs. Even with the less than perfect pictrure, it is still a great show. Even if you have these two stories on tape, the DVD is the version to have. Getting the two productions on a single disk is a definite plus.
Rating:
Summary: The charming story of how Kris Kringle became Santa Claus
Review: It is rather ironic to think that the elfin Mickey Rooney would provide one of the best voices for Santa Claus ever in this 1970 stop-motion animated Christmas classic, but that is exactly what we have here. "Santa Claus is Comin' to Town" tells the story of how Kris Kringle became Santa Claus. It all has to do with the evil Burgermeister Meisterburger (Paul Frees) of Sombertown, who had outlawed toys. Of course, that is heresy to Kris Kringle, the abandoned baby who was left with the toy making Kringle family. With the help of a penguin, the Winter Warlock (Keenan Wynn), and Jessica (Robie Lester), the local school marm, Kris saves the day and comes up with all of the symbols that have been associated with the legend of Santa Claus. Produced by Jules Bass and Arthur Rankin Jr., "Santa Claus is Comin' to Town" features an above average songs by Maury Laws to go along with J. Fred Coots' inspirational classic "Santa Claus is Comin' To Town." The story is told by a mailman, effectively voiced by Fred Astaire, who takes time out from all of his holiday deliveries to set the tone for this charming holiday tale. I think of this as being a contemporary of "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," but that actually came out six years earlier (the common denominator is that they were both clay-mation productions from Bass & Rankin). The Island of Misfit Toys makes the other one the more beloved Holiday classic, but this one is a close second, and Jessica is the cutest future Mrs. Claus of all-time.
Rating:
Summary: the best christmas video
Review: just in case you're wondering if this is the video you remember from when you were a kid... This is the one that tells the whole story of Santa from birth, adoption by elves, meeting the winter warlock (put one foot in front of the other...), saves the kids of sombertown from a toy-less christmas at the hands of the evil Burgermeister, meets and marries Mrs. Clause, etc. Absolutely the best Christmas video i've ever seen.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best Christmas movies
Review: Santa Claus is coming to town is one of the best christmas movies ever. I loved it as a child and bought it for my son to experience the magic of the claymation, the songs, and to learn why Santa Claus does the things he does. It is good to see something that you can watch over and over again without getting bored.
Rating: 
Summary: Classic Christmas stories
Review: Santa claus is comming to town and the little drummer boy are wonderful christmas classics that can only be seen on cable now (if your lucky enough to find them). Santa claus is comming to town is the story of how Santa came to be and how people tried to stop what he was doing. It also shows where and why certain traditions were started. It is a wonderful story for kids and adults alike. The little drummer boy is my personal favorite. It is the story of an orphan boy who ends up meeting Jesus and doesn't feel he has a gift worthy of the new born king. Then he realized he can play a song on his drum for him and give a peice of himself. This is a wonderful movie that the whole family can enjoy. To get both movies on one disk is a bonus and a great gift for the whole family.
Rating:
Summary: A must see for every adult and every child
Review: The newer yuletide films have taken so much away from the childhood of Christmas. These two movies are must see and instill the joy of what Christmas is and what it should feel like
Rating:
Summary: quite the classic
Review: The old, separate, VHS versions of these two holiday movies were what I watched when I was in the single digits, and now they're better than ever on a timeless DVD. Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town is a humorous new twist on the entire life of one Santa Claus, and is worth the viewing for kids and adults alike. Me, though, I bought the DVD for the Little Drummer Boy, which is what I think is one of the best Christmas movies, EVER. Hands down. So, come on down, and spend a little money on a couple mini-movies that have already survived for decades and are sure to last for many more to come.
Rating:
Summary: Everything you ever wanted to know about Santa Claus
Review: The voice talents of Fred Astaire as the Narrator and Mickey Rooney as Santa Claus lend themselves to the movie that defined all Christmas specials that followed! To call this movie a classic is to understate it. From birth to old age, this story follows the life of Santa Claus in a tale filled with wit, whimsy and music. It just isn't Christmas without it!
| 
