Rating: 
Summary: The Christmas that almost wasn't
Review: Papa Claus has a cold, isn't sleeping, has no apetite, is feeling very negative about the holidays and doesn't want to make his Christmas rounds but Mrs. Claus will save the day! She has the perfect remedy for her chubby hubby (no..it's not Prozac...or Viagra!). This classic Rankin/Bass animated tale surrounds the story of a Christmas that almost wasn't. The jokes are corny but the short, silly vaudeville sequence of the Heat Mizer and the Snow Mizer dancing and singing has made this feature a cherished classic for both children and generations of adults. (I'm waiting for a live action Hollywood remake of this one with Jack Nicholson cast as the Snow Mizer and Danny Devito as Heat Mizer)
Rating: 
Summary: A great movie!
Review: In this video, Santa Claus wants to skip his job because he feels unappreciated. Mrs. Claus tries to take his place, but everyone knows it's her and not Santa. Mrs. Claus sends two elves to a nearby town to try and find someone who still appreciates Santa, but the elves can't find anyone. Meanwhile, the elves lose the reindeer that they rode on to get to the town and Santa has to come and rescue the reindeer. Meanwhile, Mrs. Claus finds out that if the town gets some snow once in a while, they might start to believe in Santa Claus more, so Mrs. Claus decides to go see Freeze Miser, a guy who controls the north winds and creates snow and all forms of snow. Freeze Miser likes Mrs. Claus a lot because her husband, Santa is usually associated with snow, and everyone likes Santa, so most people like it when Freeze Miser makes snow in their town. As Freeze Miser said, "He's("he" being Santa)the best advertisement I've had in years!" Anyway, Freeze Miser likes Mrs. Claus, so he's happy to do anything for her. However, the town where Mrs. Claus wants snow is in Heat Miser's territory, and Heat Miser won't let his brother Freeze Miser put snow in any of his territories, so Mrs. Claus has to go and see Heat Miser and ask if he'll let it snow in one of his territories, but Heat Miser wants the North Pole in return for his cooperation, so Mrs. Claus goes to Mother Nature, the mother of Freeze Miser and Heat Miser, and Mother Nature makes them cooperate. In the end, Santa Claus gets an official holiday and children send him presents on Christmas morning. I guess it was sort of a way of saying "Thank you" to Santa. However, Santa realizes that his job is just too important to skip. In short, buy this video!
Rating:
Summary: "I'm Mr. Green Christmas, I'm Mr. Sun . . ."
Review: Start singing the Heat Miser/Snow Miser song to adults of a certain age, and childhood memories will come back in a flood! I immediately snapped this up when I saw it in a video store, and it's become a treasured holiday favorite. It's a fairly typical Rankin/Bass production in some ways (some of the songs are REALLY treacly), but the storyline is cute and Vixen, the baby reindeer, is adorable. However, this film will always stand out for the world-famous Miser Brothers, who sing possibly the catchiest song ever created in a Christmas special and have inspired many the eggnog-fueled singalong! You don't have to be a kid to like this one, just a kid at heart!
Rating:
Summary: Rankin/Bas tour-de-fource!
Review: "The Year Without a Santa Claus" is a true Christmas classic from the masters of "Animagic." Mickey Rooney reprises his role from "Santa Claus is Coming to Town," voicing a tired ol' Kris Kringle who decides to take a year off. Well, Mrs. Claus (Shirley Booth) won't have that and sends two enterprising elves, Jingle and Jangle, out to find some Christmas Spirit. As everybody knows, the true show stealers in this perennial favorite are Mr. Heat Miser and Mr. Cold Miser, Mother Nature's feuding sons. They sing the best songs ("I'm mister Green Christmas, I'm Mr. Sun, I'm Mr. Heat Blister, I'm Mister Hundred and One." "I'm Mister White Christmas, I'm Mister Snow, I'm Mister Icicle, I'm Mister Ten Below.") and they have the best lines. They also have a chorus of little copies of themselves to sing along. This one reigns as my favorite Rankin/Bass Christmas special. Also features the classic tune "I'll have a blue Christmas without you." And let's not forget what else is on this DVD! "Rudolph's Shiny New Year" features the adventures of Happy the New Year's baby ("those ears!") as he journeys through the Archipelago of Last Years. Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer follows in hot pursuit accompanied by Big Ben the Whale, the knight Sir 1023, the caveman 1 Million B.C., and 1776 (looking like Benjamin Franklin). "Nestor the Long Eared Donkey" is inspired by a Gene Autrey song, and tells the tale of a donkey with VERY long ears, who is turned out by everyone. He finally finds his destiny with a man and his pregnant wife on their way to Bethlehem.
Rating:
Summary: bizarre yet very entertaining
Review: This is the weirdest christmas special I have ever seen...yet it does what all great christmas specials do, it puts me in a festive mood. I love the stop-motion animation using "real" textures (I call it Feltmation), it lends a warmth to the picture that other forms of animation (cgi, Claymation) cannot equal. "The Year Without a Santa Claus" is by far the most surreal children's christmas special, but it is still very suitable for children...the weirdness just makes it more fun for the adults. The intro productions for Heat and Snow Miser rival Elizabeth Taylor's entrance into Rome in "Cleopatra" in terms of utter ridiculousness. Completely unnecessary, but hilarious. It's a must-see, if not own! The show also has a nice touching ending--Santa receives a bunch of caring messages and gifts from children around the world and he realizes how much he is loved.
Rating:
Summary: Classic 70's Holiday Story!
Review: This is one of the classic holiday television stories from my childhood (I am now 33). Probably the most memorable part of this particular story (Santa decides to take a vacation) is the Heat Miser/Snow Miser song. Anyone who grew up during the seventies will gleefully remember the animated puppet productions by Rankin/Bass about Frosty and Rudolf and, of course, Santa Claus. However, enjoyment of these stories is not limited to the thirty-something crowd. Last year, when "Rudolf, the Red-Nosed Reindeer" came out on DVD, I purchased it to savour and reminisce with my friends. To my surprise, my nephews and niece (ages 3, 5, and 7) LOVED it. In fact, every time they come to visit - yes, even in the middle of summer - they DEMAND to watch it.
Rating:
Summary: Mister Green Christmas is back!
Review: Thank you to whoever saw fit to re-release this film onto video! I grew up watching it on TV every Christmas, and just love Heat Miser & Snow Miser! For the longest time, you couldn't purchase this on video, and my local video store's rental copy had mysteriously vanished. I was overjoyed to see it available again and snatched it up. My young daughter now is addicted to this wonderful stop motion animated classic, and watches it frequently. For those who enjoy the songs, you might want to check out the CD, A Classic Cartoon Christmas Too by Nick at Nite records, as it features both the Heat Miser and Snow Miser songs on it! Too much fun!
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful - Please Rerelease This One!
Review: I remember this movie from when I was a child. I enjoyed the claymation figures, the story, the music, everything. I never really thought about buying a copy until we had our first child. He is six months old and I have sung the Freeze Mister and Heat Mister songs to him every day since he was about 2 months old. He loves them! If anyone finds out any info on this movie, please post it here if possible! This is a wonderful movie to learn from and to enjoy.
Rating:
Summary: Please help me find this video!
Review: I am searching for the Year WIthout a Santa Claus. We were very disheartened to see that the studio is not releasing this in VHS form currently. If anyone knows where we can obtain a copy, will you please post the information? Thank you very much from a heat mizer fan!
Rating:
Summary: Year Without a Santa Claus ROCKS!
Review: If you can find this one grab it! The first multicultural and even, gulp!, feminist Christmas special. Much more fun than today's specials, kids will love the wild and wacky characters, particularly the Heat and Snow Misers. Always a favorite with the Gen. Xers and a popular topic of conversation at almost every Xmas party I've ever been to! Enjoy!
|
