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Santa Claus is Comin' to Town/The Little Drummer Boy/Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer/Frosty the Snowman/Frosty Returns (3-DVD Gift Collection)

Santa Claus is Comin' to Town/The Little Drummer Boy/Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer/Frosty the Snowman/Frosty Returns (3-DVD Gift Collection)

List Price: $56.98
Your Price: $51.28
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Great Set -- Warning about "Frosty Returns"!
Review: A fantastic DVD set. My whole family loves it. But know that the "Frosty Returns" DVD is the one done in the 90s with John Goodman as the voice of Frosty, NOT the one from our childhood where Frosty marries the Shelly Winters-voiced character.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Christmas Magic
Review: Everyone remembers these Holiday specials from their childhood and it is so great to be able to share them with your children or grandchildren again and again!!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Pure Christmas magic
Review: For me these terrific stories are as much of a tradition as reading MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET with hot cocoa and applesauce. My nephew loves them too.

New songs by the Silver and Gold singers? Merry Christmas!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Christmas Animation At Its Best
Review: Hours of classic stories to keep young and old entertained through out the holiday season a must set for the serious collector.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: the very rare &wonderfull occasion of frosty by santas helpe
Review: i enjoy all the sequiels to frosty especially the one i wrote in my book i had published if you would like to purchase a copy they sell for$ 2.99 my email is norman54@hotmail.com happy holidays+_)(*&^%$#@!~a-z&0-9...

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: the very rare &wonderfull occasion of frosty by santas helpe
Review: i enjoy all the sequiels to frosty especially the one i wrote in my book i had published if you would like to purchase a copy they sell for$ 2.99 my email is norman54@hotmail.com happy holidays+_)(*&^%$#@!~a-z&0-9...

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Eyepopping DVD restoration
Review: I had fairly new copies of the VHS versions of the films in this DVD set, and what a difference the DVD made. The new sound is clean and full; the colors are deep and rich with no signs of static or dirt. Thank you to the wonderful people who worked so hard to fully restore these classic treasures of childhood. We can now finally see these the way they were meant to be seen. So much care went into this new set. The shows are not in wide screen since that is the way they were originally made, being "made for TV". This set has no less than 5 classic TV specials, placed on 3 discs and each of the discs has its own hardcover clamshell case. The artwork on each of the DVD covers is the original photos and title art from the films. I remember that some of the VHS copies had cheap aftermarket art. (These are identical to the DVD's you can buy separately of the same films). There is a slipcover box to hold the 3 cases in.

The "Frosty the Snowman" disc is an animated cartoon, and the story is driven by the unforgettable song. There is a nice introduction by Arthur Rankin on this DVD, describing the process of creating this gem and what the film meant to the producers and creative staff. There is also an animator's pencil test of the film, which shows how the cartoon is made. Unfortunately they did not include the original Frosty sequel, "Frosty's Winter Wonderland". For some strange reason the disc includes a project that was made by another studio and does not look anything like their stuff called "Frosty Returns". It's really poor quality compared to everything else in this set.

The next item is the Animagic blockbuster champion of Rankin/Bass TV specials, "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer". This is one of the best family holiday films of all time, with great music, action, suspense, comedy, and adventure. The snow monster scared the heck out of me as a kid. What other show dealt with a monster by having a dentist elf pull his teeth? At 40 years old the story holds up very well. This disc is special since it returns the missing scenes and footage that the TV network had cut out over the years, to make more room for commercials. The disc has great supplemental extras too, such as a music video of the alternate song "Fame and Fortune", the original TV trailer, and a trivia game. Also has a neat caption reading alternate version you can use to help your kids with reading. The color and clarity of this disc is so good it looks like it is being played out in your living room. The stop-motion Animagic process predates the computer graphics we have today, and yet looks just as 3 dimensional. I prefer the Animagic; it gives the characters so much life and personality. And you can't help singing along with the wonderful songs; it is amazing how every word comes back to you. Tons of great songs like "Silver and Gold" by Burl Ives! The show is based on the title song that is much older than the show.

The 3rd disc does not have extras, but it has 2 specials making it a great deal. I had purchased one of the shows on VHS last year, "The Little Drummer Boy". If you have a copy in that format, throw it away. I am not kidding; the difference in the quality of the color, picture, and sound is astounding! The new DVD looks like it was filmed yesterday (while my VHS version was so blurry and static and colorless I honestly could not enjoy it). The Vienna Boys Choir performs the title song. This show is a tear-jerker, but well worth watching. By the way, this show had a sequel but it is not on this disc.

Also on the 3rd disc is "Santa Claus is Coming to Town". This is the storyline to show the history of Santa Claus, from a kid to the jolly old elf himself. What an adventure he has, battling the forces of evil to bring toys to the kids. Romance, comedy, mystery, it is all here. The Winter Warlock is still scary to me. And the cast includes Mickey Rooney, Fred Astaire, & Keenan Wynn. The musical score (background) compliments the film perfectly, and the great songs help carry the storyline. The Westminster Children's Choir sung in this film. This DVD version was also re-mastered to look like new, and it is beautiful indeed.

In closing, I was born in 1963, before we had full time cable TV, satellite, VHS, cartoon network, etc. The Rankin/Bass studios made the best holiday specials. It was a time when kids and even whole families plopped down to the TV specials at Christmas and it was an EVENT! We only had kid shows on Saturday mornings back then, and you had to wait a whole year to see these great shows again. We are very lucky to be able to buy these now and to enjoy them without the tons of commercials. I remember rushing to get snacks or bathroom breaks during commercials too. Now my son is enthralled with these shows that have passed the 40 year test of time.

If you want to see more treasure by this great studio, search for films by Arthur Rankin, or Jules Bass. Some are animated, some are Animagic but they all have great story, design, and music. Not all have made the jump to DVD yet, but buy the ones that have so they will be encouraged to release more of their library. I highly recommend:
"Here Comes Peter Cottontail"; "The Easter Bunny is Coming to Town"; "The Hobbit"; "The Year Without a Santa Claus" this DVD also has a rare treat "Nestor the Long-Eared Donkey"; "The Flight of Dragons"; "The Mad Monster Party" (a 90 minute theatrical film); "The Daydreamer"; "The Wacky World of Mother Goose"; Little Drummer Boy Book 2"; "The Emperor's New Clothes"; "Rudolph's Shiny New Year"; "Mouse on the Mayflower"; "Twas the Night Before Christmas"; "The Stingiest Man in Town"; "The First Christmas"; "Jack Frost"; and more all available at Amazon.com.

There are also 2 books sold here that I know of on this studio and their films, "Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer: The Making of The Rankin/Bass Holiday Classic", and "The Enchanted World of Rankin/Bass".

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Disappointed Bonus CD
Review: I have been looking for these movies for a long time. I grew up watching them, and now my kids are. When I found out that they finally were released on DVD, I rushed right out and bought it. The movies are great, but the Bonus CD was a disappointment. If you are expecting Burl Ives singing some of his best stuff on here, forget it, they have some chorus group singing it. On the CD they have a chorus group singing the songs from the movies. What a disappointment. It's a shame.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: These dvd's are great!
Review: I have not seen Little Drummer Boy for thirty years- Great to see again. Frosty have not seen in about ten years (never home when it airs on CBS-TV. Frosty Returns - seen once about 5 years ago, nice to hear the Wonderful J. Winters narrate. Rudolf is my all time favorite, have been watching it every year since 1964, now I do not have to put up with the commercials. As for Santa is comming to town- I never seen it, watched a bit tonight- must watch the rest soon, Looks good. Tranfers from film/video tape excellent. Audio great and cystal clear. Highly reccomend this set to any one young or getting up there in years. Very glad I got the DVD version- because I would quickly wear out the vhs version these shows are so fine.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: BURGERMEISTER MEISTERBURGER!!!
Review: I just love the Original Television Christmas Classics! I would pay the $27.99 for just Santa Claus is Coming to Town alone, nevermind all the rest that comes with it!!! And the packaging is so precious! It looks like a little Christmas Book in your DVD Rack! I can't explain the feeling I get when I hear Burgermeister say, "A YO YO!? I LOVE YOYO'S!" It's the best! As far as that review badmouthing the Music CD, I feel that it is a mere Bonus AS IT STATES ON THE PACKAGE. How can there be a bad Christmas CD, get in the spirit lady! It's songs from the movies included and if you think they are going to magically include a Burl Ives CD with it than you must live on planet Zulu! As far as I'm concerned this is quite the deal for the money and I just love it. MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!


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