Amazon.com

A story line that truly deserves the A-list treatment, The Last Unicorn is memorable for its attempts to stay faithful to its origins, the Peter Beagle novel of the same name. The animation is vintage Rankin/Bass, and that's too bad; but there's an undeniable strength in this tale and telling. A unicorn (Mia Farrow)--she believes herself the last--searches for any others of her kind, while avoiding the malevolent Red Bull, the agent believed to have destroyed the rest of the herd. Along the way, she is mistaken, ignored, attacked, and obsessed about, finally finding help from a magician named Schmendrick (Alan Arkin) and a knight named Prince Lir (Jeff Bridges). A haunting film that pays homage to mythology and the people who love it. --Keith Simanton ... Read more

Reviews (419)

Still one of my MOST favorite movies!!!
My mother tells me that when I was little, I used to make her rent this movie every week. I still remember what the old cover looked like. I have to say that I bought a copy a few years ago and I still watch it every once and a while. I know all the songs by heart - I can still repeat my favorite lines - This is an incredible movie for all ages that I think everyone should watch to get a glimpse of that magic of the imagination that we tend to forget exists after we've grown up!

The plot of the movie is based on the book by Peter S. Beagle(read it if you like fantasy!), but I have to say that I like the movie better. Of course, the author did the screenplay, so that might explain why the movie is so good. It's about a unicorn searching the world for others of her immortal kind. On her journey, she meets humans who help her on her path, like Schmendrick(sp?) the bumbling magician who transforms her into a human woman to carry out her quest, Molly Grue the cynical outlaw, and Prince Lir who becomes a hero for her sake. But some of those she meets, like Mommy Fortuna the witch and King Haggard with his castle by the sea, will try to stop her from solving the mystery of her lost people. Will she be able to hold onto herself long enough overcome the ominous Red Bull who drove the other unicorns down all the roads long ago?

Again, I say that this is one of the movies that defined my childhood, one of the things that convinced me I wanted to be a writer and believe in the magic of imagination. This is a great movie for kids, but there's plenty there for an adult to appreciate as well. Buy it and watch it!!! It's worth it.

An exquisite film... not quite for everyone, I believe
I recall seeing this movie on TV when I was like 8-years-old and its beauty and meaning really affected me. Not again a film has touched me the way this did. I am not giving away what is about, only thoughts and images. The journey of the last unicorn that runs thru the world to find her lost kin and finds love instead... A clumsy but noble magician named Schemndrick... A sad woman who has lost almost everything... A bitter and lonely king searching for hapiness and his adopted son, who will turn to be a hero... A haunting world with wonderful landscapes... An overwhelming score by Jimmy Webb and America... Let's just say that if you like fantasy and still carry with you that good old inner child and also have a taste for melancholy, this film will stay with you. But, if you are into happy endings, better stay away.
Even at that early age I saw this picture, I had a sense of loss and sadness when it ended. I think that actually, it changed me forever. A part of the innocence was gone, in a good way. It deals with deep and mature matters, kind of heavy and serious for an animated flick, but I think it's good for a child to learn to think and awaken sensibility.
I am not sure to recommend it for little children, 3 to 5... I think it's too much for them. From 7 and on, they can appreciate it more, and better for a 10 year-old. There's some middle cursing also, like "hell" and "damn", so very concerned parents should avoid it until their little ones are a little grown up.
The cast is great. Christopher Lee shines. Mia Farrow, Alan Arkin and Jeff Bridges are also here and deliver powerful performances.
Read the book which this movie was based on, written by Peter S. Beagle -who made the screenplay too, thank God, for it is perfect.
An unforgettable, beautiful, charming, touching, thought-provoking, heart-squeezing movie that you can fall in love with.

AVOID
This is a very good film that has yet had a decent video release here in the US. This DVD release is a disaster.

This particular print has several major defects. First this movie suffers more than most when cutting it from widescreen to full screen. But the pan-and-scan job (the technique used to make a widescreen film fit on a regular television) was also totally botched leaving many scenes showing only half a face or character.

There is also many color problems. The print is biased to red. Dark scenes, of which there are many, show a red tint. Related to this is that the greens are subdued. Many objects that should be green show as blue.

The print is also grainy showing more video noise than normal.

The soundtrack is extremely harsh sounding making it dificult to listen to.

I'd recommend you seek out the widescreen version which has none of these problems.

The Last Unicorn
I have seen this movie over 100 times and I really believe it is one of the greatest films of our time. I loved it as a kid and I don't know that I fully understood it, because now as an adult I appreciate the heart that goes into this film. It is a beautiful love/life story about being true to who you are. I cry almost every time I watch this, it is definetly worth buying.

good movie bad singing
It a good movie, with a good plot. The characters were good and well drawn. the only problem was the singing, now the songs were good. But they got people who thought they could sing who couldn't. But other then that a good buy. ... Read more

Reviews (11)

Great Holiday Classic
For as long as I can remember, this movie came on TV every Thanksgiving. A few years ago, they stopped playing it. Unaware of that, I looked for it on TV every Thanksgiving. I was very upset when I was unable to find it. Finding it here was a blessing. It has been a few years since I have seen it, but the feelings it invokes in me are the same as they were when I was a child. There aren't very many Thanksgiving movies out there, and this has become a classic in my household. My sisters love it, I love it, and my 15 month old son loves it. I can't imagine a Thanksgiving without it!!

Thanksgiving Holiday fun
This 1 hour, on TV, Thanksgiving tale begins with the ship Mayflower being caught up in a big storm. A churchmouse named William tells the story from a mouses viewpoint. The tale is narrated by Tennessee Ernie Ford, and Captain Standish is the voice of Eddie Albert. More famous voices include Paul Frees. A disaster at sea threatens to sink the ship, but William has an idea to save the day. William also scuttles a plan to blame the Indians for an attack on the pilgrims. There are at least 3 songs. Kids love this film, and it has a wonderful ending.

This 1968 film was another televison animated hit from the holiday entertainers, of Rankin/Bass. Yes, these are the folks that brought us such beautiful holiday classics such as Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer, Year without a Santa Claus, Nestor the Long Eared Donkey, Mad Monster Party, The Little Drummer Boy, Frosty the Snowman, Santa Claus is coming to Town, Mouse on the Mayflower, Here Comes Peter Cottontail, Cricket on the Hearth, the Stingiest Man in Town, Jack Frost, 'Twas the night before Christams, Pinnochio's Christmas, Rudolph's Shiny New Year, the First Easter Bunny. They also made non-holiday films such as the Hobbit; Flight of Dragons; & the Last Unicorn. It is incredible that one company is responsible for all those TV specials, which are 95% of the ones broadcast every year. Their studio's work includes standard animation, stop-motion animagic, and live action.

I hope this comes out on a restored DVD soon, I have bought all the other Rankin/Bass that has been released on DVD.

BEST THANKSGIVING special out there!
This is the BEST THANKSGIVING special around...and I am not just saying that because I am the RANKIN/BASS Historian. The sound on this VHS is magnificent and it should be on DVD! I have the original GAS LP Soundtrack on CD. MAURY LAWS and JULES BASS did a wonderful job with the score. ELBOW ROOM, sung by TENN. ERNIE FORD was part of the RANKIN/BASS off-Broadway play A MONTH OF SUNDAYS, before it was put to GREAT use in this special! A GREAT Special! E-mail me with any questions: Rickgoldsc@aol.com

A holiday gem eliminated by the pc police
This is a lovely way for children to become acquainted with the
Thanksgiving story. It really conveys the peril that the pioneers faced in traveling to the new world and attempting to establish a new colony. There is a comical subplot that will appeal to the younger crowd. Any supposed racist content must only be in the mind of a certain type of viewer. As for "some love affair" between two of the pilgrims; well, the famous story of John Alden and Priscilla Mullins used to be a part of every grade schooler's education (ever heard of Longfellow?).

Don't Hide the Past
Simply put, this is a fun kids movie about Thanksgiving. The songs are (I feel) catchy, and act mostly to develop the characters, rather than to convey historical information.

The Indian characters are presented in no more buffoonish a manner than their European counterparts. In fact, great trouble is made to demonstrate that there are scoundrels on BOTH sides of the pond, and to show the nobility and desire for friendship in the native peoples of the area. It is no use hiding children from racism; it is far more constructive to allow them to confront it and recognize it for what it is--the discarded relic of those who lived 400 years ago. ... Read more

Amazon.com

This bizarre, pagan take on the Santa Claus legend, which is based on a story by L. Frank Baum (The Wizard of Oz), was produced and directed by Rankin and Bass, the reigning kings of the Christmas special (Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer), using their brand of puppet animation. In the forest of Burzee, the immortals gather to discuss the fate of Santa Claus. Found when he was an abandoned baby by the Great Ak (a wizard with big wooden horns on his head), the boy was named Claus because that means "little one" in the language of the forest. Raised by immortals and knowing nothing but peace and harmony, the adolescent Claus is taken on a tour of the mortal world by the Great Ak, and he discovers the world is rife with misery and injustice. This is when he decides he will dedicate his life to making kids happy, and he learns the best way to do this is to give them toys. After years of service, the immortals must decide whether or not to give him eternal life. Indeed, this is a very strange Christmas tale. --Andy Spletzer ... Read more

Reviews (34)

GREAT SHOW - forget people who say it's weird
I saw this video as a child and loved it. Before those people who complain about it being too 'Pagan' or too 'weird' or whatever, I was raised a Baptist, and Christmas to me was special because of the religious meanings, but also because of the fairy tales and imagination it could inspire. The idea of Santa Claus in this story, is someone who does good in the world. This story lets you imagine. It shows you that Santa Claus is truly altruistic and a good person who gives all he can. Above all, it's a great story, religion or no religion. It's only weird to those hung up on pushing their thoughts on others and trying to force their child to think like them. They often forget children have minds that are limitless with imagination. Anyways, it's a great feel good movie!

Not your typical Christmas special
This genuinely strange 1985 Rankin-Bass production (based on a little-known L. Frank Baum novel) certainly avoids most of the cliches associated with Christmas specials. Who'd have thought Santa Claus was raised in a Norse wood by pagan gods and faerie folk and had to battle hordes of crazy-looking demons before he could deliver any toys? I thought I knew every Christmas special by heart, but I seem to have repressed all memory of this one, aside from being traumatized by its horrifically scary monsters. Fans of stop-motion animation and Ray Harryhausen should definitely check this one out.

Truely enchanting program
I remember as a child, every Christmas, watching this portrail of Santa Claus. It is a truely enchanting version that really portrays the magic of Santa Claus and how children love the legend. It is different, but all the more wonderful. It is one of my favorite Christmas programs to watch even as an adult.

A Classic
When my father told me that I could get this movie, I jumped for joy! I had worn out my copy that he taped for me when I was a child. You know that happens when you watch a tape 15 thousands times. I was fascinated with the movie the first time I watched it. Now I understand people may be worried that a Christian child may want to move away to the "Laughing Valley of Ho Hi Ho" But as long as an adult will sit there and explain to the child that the story is only pretend. The child will soon understand that it is only pretend. I would recommend this movie to any family. I believe any child will fall in love with it. It will teach them to use their imagination and in this day and time the youth of today need to use their imagination more.

My favorite Christmas Movie
This was and always will be my favorite Christmas movie. I love most all of the Rankin/Bass stuff. I was greatly saddened when I lost my copy of this tape, along with The Hobbit (on the same tape) in a house fire. I thought I was the only one that had heard of it. My brother and I watched this over and over from the first time it aired, in 1985, until we were well into our teens. In fact, I still break this one out even when it's not Christmas. The story line and the music are classic, as well as some of the neat names (I named my kitty Necile after Claus' "mother"), and as always the stop animation is just beautiful. You could not go wrong buying this if you remembered it from your childhood, or if you are simply curious. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Animators of all things Christmas, Arthur Rankin Jr. and Jules Bass (Frosty the Snowman) take on the famous poem by Clement Moore. Narrated by Joel Grey, the story opens on the night before Christmas, but the reading of the poem must be stopped when two creatures in the house begin to stir: family men Mr. Trundle and Father Mouse. Their restlessness stems from the fact that Santa is angry at the residents of Junctionville, returning all their letters without even opening them. The reason? Somebody wrote a letter to the editor of the paper saying that he doesn't exist. In an attempt to fix the situation, Mr. Trundle, a clockmaker, comes up with a plan to lure Santa into town with a clock that will sing an enchanting song at midnight. When the clock doesn't work on its first test, the townsfolk lose all faith in him. Turns out the cause of all the trouble is Albert, a book-smart young mouse who thinks he knows the truth about Santa Claus. There are a few good songs in the 23-minute program, whose the moral is: don't believe the kids on the playground if they say that Santa doesn't exist. --Andy Spletzer ... Read more

Reviews (27)

I can still sing the songs twenty years later.
I remember watching this as child, and have been searching for it for a few years now. This was one of my favorite Christmas cartoons, and I used to love when the whole family sat down to watch it: fire going, pajamas with the little feet on them, hot chocolate, and then that fun CBS twisting logo that let you know a cartoon was coming.
The story begins with a town having all their letters to Santa returned. It turns out someone has printed a letter in the newspaper stating that they don't believe in Santa, so he is not coming to the town this year. Everyone is besides themselves until the town clockmaker has an idea - he will build a huge clocktower that, just when Santa is flying over, will play a beautiful song of children singing, asking him to come. But, when they unveil the clock, it is broken. Can they fix the clock in time? Who broke it in the first place? And who wrote the letter? You'll have to watch to find out.
Some of the cutest characters that you will ever see, and some great songs ("You wish, and I'll whittle. You pray, while I plan. We'll do what's necessary 'cause, even a miracle needs a hand!). Plus, at the end there is a reading of the original "'Twas the Night Before Christmas" story.
Definitely worth getting and sharing with the family.

One of the best christmas videos for kids (small & large)
As a child I used to scan the tv guide every Sunday in December looking for the Christmas specials. I had my favorites, and this was one of them. Its artwork, and the artwork of all of the Rankin/Bass specials, is superb. The songs stay in your heads (and hearts) forever. I still sing along like I did almost 30 years ago when I first learned the words "Christmas time is calling Santa, Santa"...And I especially loved it this past Christmas when my then 16 month old's attention was captured by this cartoon, especially when the music played. I look forward to many more viewings with my son (and his soon to be born sister), and will gladly use them as an excuse to watch a childs show that I consider a classic and fondly remember from simpler times - CHILDHOOD!!!

One of the Classics
I rank this wonderful cartoon right up there with the clay-mation classics like Rudolph. What a wonderful story, wonderful voicing and songs you won't forget. To this day I can remember almost every line from the show including the wonderfully bumbling Mayor! The only question I have is WHERE IS THE DVD?

A forgotten sleeper
The creative version of Twas the Night Before Christmas has a lot of heart and creativity. It has reasonable animation and some nice songs with the finest one being "Even a Miracle Needs a hand" which I still find myself humming. The reading of the story "Twas the night" at the end of the video is delightful done with great enthusiasm and fun. Telling it from the point of view of Mice is charming as the endless argument of intellect vs. faith is debated through the issue of Santa Claus. I wish this would come to DVD. It's so much better than the Christmas Junk that is put on nowadays where making a buck is more important than good story telling.

Please Put This Out on a DVD!
This Rankin and Bass Christmas cartoon Twas the Night Before Christmas based on the Clement Moore poem is really good and features Joel Grey as both the narrator and voice for Mr. Trundle and I just really enjoyed watching this Cartoon and think everyone invloved did great work! I taped this one time when it was on TV but the tape doesn't play too good and I'm wanting for this Christmas cartoon to be put on DVD! ... Read more

Reviews (53)

The Original "Monsters Inc."
If you grew up on "The Munsters", "The Addams Family", old MAD magazines, and "Monster Mash", don't miss "Mad Monster Party", a great and goofy animated monster spoof from the late '60s. I never heard of it until recently, but this is good stuff and quite sophisticated for its day. Rankin/Bass, known for their many holiday-season shows ("Rudolph", "Frosty The Snowman"), pulled out the stops here with their animatronic horror-movie characters. MAD regulars Jack Davis (artist) and Harvey Kurtzman (writer) were involved. So were Boris Karloff as Dr. Frankenstein, and Phyllis Diller as- well- Phyllis Diller in a Bride-of-Frankenstein cape! Trust me, it works. This is "Monsters Inc." three decades early, complete with cool Henry Mancini-ish monster-movie jazz and classic movie-monster caricatures. The unsung hero is Allen Swift, one of the best voice-over guys of the '60s and a fantastic Hollywood-legends impressionist. Allen does all the male voices except Karloff: Jimmy Stewart (for Felix, "Uncle Boris"' nephew), Bela Lugosi (for Dracula), Alec Guinness (for Dr. Jekyll), and an absolutely fantastic Peter Lorre (as "Yetch", Frankenstein's leering butler). All this and King Kong too! I think this might have gone right over the heads of kiddie-show audiences in the '60s, making it a cult item now. But I read that this was Tim Burton's favorite movie before he did "Batman" and other neo-monster hits.
Me? I'm not sure whether I want to follow up with the original
"Bride of Frankenstein", "Young Frankenstein", or go find "The Maltese Falcon" to see the real Peter Lorre! Anyway, if an animated movie from the '60s wakes up all kinds of memories for a big kid of 47, it's worth a look. "Mad Monster Party": it's the real "Monster Mash"!

A MONSTER MASH
This is a much sought after title by horror fans who grew up with the UNIVERSAL CLASSICS in the 60s & 70s. No FREDDY, JASON or MICHAEL here just good clean fun. TNT used to show this until there copy was stolen from there video archives & the film hasn't been seen on TV in several years. The movie is a RANKIN/BASS production (famous for their CHRISTMAS movies) from 1968, with monster designs by top "MAD MAGAZINE" artist JACK HARRIS. Originally BORIS KARLOFF was not to play himself but after he saw clips from the film he joined the team of creative talent behind the first true HALLOWEEN (""Animagic") cartoon. It's a classic tale of suspense, love & skullduggery with a lot of cornieness thrown in to boot. Hey it was made in the 60s! The plot involves DR. FRANKENSTEIN (who it just so happens has recently created the most deadly chemical compound to date) planning his retirement party. He along with his beautiful assistant FRANCHESSCA invite all the old gang (the old gang just so happens to be all the CLASSIC UNIVERSAL MONSTERS) to his island retreat in the middle of nowhere & also his normal human(?) nephew FELIX gets an invitation. FELIX of course has no clue what his UNCLE does nor who he keeps company with. The quirks of his shipmates goes completly unnoticed by him as he bumps into them one by one on the journey to DR. FRANKENSTEIN's castle. All goes well until DR. FRANKENSTEIN reveals who he's going to entrust his duties to upon his retirement. What ensues is a murder attempt on the unsuspecting heir by those that feel they should recieve DR. FRANKENSTEIN's duties. PHYLLIS DILLER gives a top notch-over the top performance as THE BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN as only she is capable of. DRACULA, THE WOLFMAN, THE INVISIBLE MAN, THE CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON, FRANKENSTEIN, THE BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN, THE MUMMY, A ROCKIN' SKELETON BAND, KING KONG (oddly enough refered to as IT...maybe to keep him a surprise or possibly avoid copyright infringment), ZOMBIES, DR.JECKYLL & MR. HYDE & even a nod to PETER LORRE as portrayed by the love struck-head loosing butler YETCH this movie has it all! It even has a TWILIGHT ZONE ending & big explosions. The trip to the island, the party scene & the sleeping arrangements are classic scenes not to be missed.

LOST CHILDHOOD
I have mixed feelings about this movie. Like everyone else I remember seeing this as a kid, but I only saw the last 15 minutes. I was mezmerized by it and for some years always searched for it on TV. It was my white whale. I never did see it until I purchased this DVD.

The quality is terrific. The colors are vivid and the image is crystal clear. There are great extras, a thick booklet and some monster cards. This is a bargain. An absolute steal.

Having said all this I was sorta disappointed in the movie. The story is just O.K., but nothing special. After all these years I guess I just expected to be blown away or have it rekindle memories. I still give it 5 stars, but I did not find my childhood in it.

My advice is that if this movie was special to you when you were a kid either don't purchase or buy it knowing it will not be as good as you remember.

A Rollercoaster of Monster Proportions
I had never seen a model/puppet movie before in my life because at first I thought they were rubbish but when my parents came home one day they had bought me Mad Monster Party on video , when I saw the box I was quite intrigued and put it on straight away and DAMN THIS MOVIE IS AWESOME its got everything a monster buff wants its got EERIE MUSIC , COOL SCENERY , (...), WELL MADE PUPPETS AND SOME ABSOLUTELY HYSTERICAL MOMENTS LIKE FOR INSTANCE WHEN THE MONSTERS MATE TOLD 'FANG' WHAT IS HE GOING TO DO WHEN CAPTURED BY IT AND HE BURST INTO TEARS this movie may be too scary for young children so I recomend an older person watch it with them first time through You have got too see it too believe it

Those Mad, Mad, Mad Monsters!
Doctor Baron Von Frankenstein has discovered the secret to total destruction, and, after previously discovering the secret of life, he now feels it is time to retire as head of the Worldwide Organization of Monsters. But who will be his successor? The Baron keeps it a secret that he intends to bestow that honor on his nephew, pharmacist/soda jerk Felix Flankin. He soon invites all his Monster friends to his secluded island home for a Monster Convention, where he will reveal their new leader. Dracula, the Wolfman, the Invisible Man, the Creature, the Mummy, and plenty of others show up for the wild event, including the level-headed, young Mr. Flankin. All seems to be going well for the Baron, but little does he know that his trusted assistant, the lovely Miss Francesca, is conspiring against his wishes. She wants to be the one who inherits the Doctor's position, and all his secrets!

Mad Monster Party was one of Rankin/Bass's rare, theatrically released Animagic feature films. While it doesn't quite have the charm or timelessness of their better known productions, such as the sacred Rudolph and Frosty classic specials, Mad Monster Party is still an entertaining treat, especially for R&B fanatics and classic monster lovers. The film is often mistakenly regarded now as a Rankin/Bass Halloween Special that somehow got lost, along with all those other classic Halloween Specials, until recently. But while the film was not made as an annual TV treat, and has no mention of Halloween, it certainly could be enjoyed as such. The DVD is excellent, especially for the price, including some nice extras on and off the disc. As for the cast, Boris Karlof is outstanding as always, and so is everyone else. But, while I sometimes do enjoy Phyllis Diller, I have to admit that I found her performance as the Monster's Mate a wee bit annoying, especially when she bursts into song early on. Some of the songs are as good as the beloved Rankin/Bass Christmas fare, but a couple didn't sit quite well with me, and Diller's was one of them. Aside from that, it's all great Monster fun and I highly recommend it to those feeling nostalgic for R&B or some classic monster comedy! And if this one isn't enough for you, look for Rankin/Bass's Mad, Mad, Mad Monsters! Made a while later, and sort of a Mad Monster Party prequel, it tells the story of the Monster's wedding to his newly created Mate in traditional R&B animation. Currently it can be found only on VHS. ... Read more

Description

Join the merry adventures of the absent-minded Mr. Toad and his forest friends in this tuneful, feature-length animated version of Kenneth Grahame's story. Year: 1983 Director: Arthur Rankin Jr., Jules Bass Starring:Charles Nelson Reilly, Roddy MacDowall, Jose Ferrer ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Terrific and simply enchanting
I think Rankin/Bass knew what they were doing! With beautiful animated films like The Hobbit, The Last Unicorn and now The Wind in the Willows, it's only apparent these two men were truly envisionary. I always loved this film...and, like its predescesors, beautifully animated!

Great and enchanting tale for children and grown-ups
Thses tales and advenures are great. the animation is wonderufl as well. "The Wind and the Willows," is great for children as well as adults. It's a true classic.

quality child programming
I grew up watching this and flight of dragons both are very good. This version is so much better then the disney and i perfer is over the english from england version. it is very well drawn and is worth watching with your kids or by yourself.
on the quality scale it is a 10. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Jimmy Durante narrates this Christmas story that is based on the song ofthe same name. To make up for the fact that her students are in school onChristmas Eve, the local schoolteacher hires the magician Professor Hinkle to entertain the kids. Unfortunately, he's not a very good magician. Frustrated in his attempt to pull a rabbit out of his hat, he throws it away in anger. Outside, the kids build a snowman (what to call it? Harold? Oatmeal? Frosty!), and when the hat blows onto it, the snowman comes to life. Professor Hinkle decides he wants the hat back so he can make money off of its newfound magical properties, but the kids want to save Frosty. When the temperature starts to rise, a new problem threatens Frosty's existence. Karen, the leader of the children, comes up with a plan to save him: take him on a train to the North Pole, where it's always cold. With a cameo by Santa Claus and the promise of Frosty's return every year, thisstory of life, death, and holiday cheer is glazed with the sweet frosting ofhope and happiness. A true holiday classic. --Andy Spletzer ... Read more

Reviews (26)

Frosty's the Greatest
When Frosty the Snowman (voiced by Jackie Vernon) is magically brought to life thanks to the magic of a hat that belongs to an evil magician (voiced by Billy DeWolfe) the children couldn't be happier. But when Frosty explains to him that he will melt if it gets too hot, they decide that it's up to them to help him get to the North Pole, so he won't ever melt. On their journey they meet many new friends, and adventures, but they also have to avoid the evil magician, for he has decided that he wants his magic hat back, even if he has to melt Frosty to get it.

While the other Rankin / Bass holiday movies such as RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER and SANTA CLAUS IS COMIN' TO TOWN, are filmed with clay-type animation, FROSTY THE SNOWMAN is not. It is done simply in the form of a regular cartoon, and even so, it is still one of the most enjoyable holiday movies for children of all ages. Frosty is a kind snowman who wants to please the children more than anything. Karen (the main child chracter) loves Frosty so much, and will do anything to help him. And Hocus (the rabbit who belongs to the evil magician) is very imaginative and intelligent. As well as a hilarious addition to the cast. A must-have movie for all this holiday season.

Erika Sorocco

Made Me Cry
When I was in the first grade my friends from Pittsburgh sent us a mix video tape with several different christmas movies on it. This was easily one of the best. The movie starts at a class christmas party with a selfish magician (Professor Hinkle). Then at the end of the day the kids build a snowman in the schoolyard. Somehow Professor Hinkle's hat gets lose and the children find it and it brings Frosty to life. To make a long story short, young Karen thinks it's necessary to get frosty to the north pole before he starts to melt. So they hop a train with a refrigerated boxcar to the north pole. The magician hops aboard and wants his hat back.

Some parts are sad like when Frosty melts in the green house, Jimmy Durante does a wonderful job of narration and singing. It gets emotional at the end when He sings "Frosty the snowman had to hurry on his way, but he waved good bye saying don't you cry. I'll be back on Christmas Day!"

A GREAT CLASSIC!
The 5 stars go for the great classic of "FROSTY" not for "FROSTY RETURNS". It's still nice to have, but the classic is why you should buy this DVD. It aired on Sunday night at 7:30 - 8:00 on
CBS 12/7/69 right after another holiday classic which aired 7:00 - 7:30 on CBS..."A Charlie Brown Christmas"

Hurray for Frosty! Blah for Frosty Returns.
I'll chime in and agree with many of the other reviews I've read. Bought this disc this holiday season (as our tape is getting a bit worn - 4yo's watch Christmas specials all year long. Hehe.) Was looking forward to seeing Returns since it's not on the tape and was quite disappointed. Still, the original Frosty is as excellent now as it was when I first saw it as a child, and the DVD transfer is great.

Frosty - *****
Frosty Returns - ***

The First with Jimmy Durate Is A Classic - The 2nd - Well.
Frosty The Snowman is a great animated classic by the Author Rankin Jr. and Jules Bass people. They did all the clamiationa nd animation Holiday Favorites. This is one of the ones that was actually hand celled and animated for release.

Starring the narative talents of Jimmy Durante (It's A MAd, Mad, Mad, Mad World, Little Miss Broadway) as the story teller of how that Snowman came to life.

The story is that of the magic hat that brought to life than man mad of ice. He taught children love and the spirit of Christmas. A warm fuzzy feeling for the whole family. The songs are great and you'll be tapping your feet to the rythms of the music and especially Jimmy Durante singing the title song himself!

It includes the wonderful voice talents of Frosty himself voiced by Jackie Vernon (Chips, Night Gallery) and the many talents of Paul Fries (Jack Frost, Osmonds, Dudley Dooright) as the voice characters of Santa Clause, Traffic Cop and the incredible voice talents of June Foray (Looney Toones Back In Action, Rockie and Bullwinkle) as the voices of the Teacher and Little Karen herself. Billy De Wolf (The Doris Day Show, Tea For Two, Dear Ruth) does the amazing voice of the Evil Professor Hinkle.

The second feature on here is called FROSTY RETURNS, this sequal doesn't have the smae punch or warmth as the first and relied too much on the slapstick animation with no real story. The songs are a little weird for me. John Goodman (Rosanne, Monster's Ink and Emperiors New Groove)is the voice of Frosty and the narrator is Jonathan Winters (Swing, Arabian Nights, It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World). Andrea Martin (SCTV, Deep SPace 9)is Miss Carbucle the teacher.

The DVD extras include an introduction by the producers, behind the scenes drawings, concepts and even the original promos.

This is a greta one for the whole family. A must for all the kids to watch every Holiday Season! (12-11-03) ... Read more

Reviews (96)

A soaring and magical adventure.
From Rankin-Bass ( makers of " The Hobbit" and " Last Unicorn") comes a imaginative animated fable that tells the story of a nerdy Board game maker ( John Ritter) who gets sucked into his own fantasy world and must go on a quest to save it from a evil red wizard ( James Earl Jones).

Brilliant and original animated flick with great animation, plenty of action, and great voice acting done by M*A*S*H's Harry Morgan, John Ritter and James Earl Jones as the villain. There is also a couple of hot animated cuties in this one such as " Danielle" ( A female version of Robin Hood) and "Princess Malechaunt" ( A Blonde long haired Princess), this movie is a must see for lovers of animation and fantasy.

Also recommended: The Last Unicorn, The Hobbit, Return of the King, Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone, The Wizard of Oz, Big Trouble in Little China, Excalibur, The Neverending Story, The Princess Bride, The Dark Crystal, Labyrinth, Return to Oz, Dragonheart, Princess Mononoke, Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring, Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets, The Secret of NIMH, Legend, and The Black Cauldron.

Another good Rankin-Bass product
This movie came out when I was a senior in high school and Rankin-Bass productions were no longer on my "must see" list, even though I was still a big SF/Fantasy fan. Finally rented this tape up at the video store about 2 years ago for my son and it became an instant hit with him. It has everything he requires: Dragons, wizards, magic, and an exciting quest. The animation is typical Rankin-Bass, a little stilted and the magic creatures all have exaggerated features. The story follows the path you would expect, but is entertaining nonetheless.

As an adult and TV junkie, what really cracks me up about this movie are the voices: Carolinas the Green Wizard is voiced by Harry Morgan (Col. Potter on M*A*S*H), Omadon is performed by James Earl Jones (who during the same period played cult leader Thulsa Doom in Conan the Barbarian and was voicing Darth Vader in the Star Wars trilogy), Peter Dickinson is done by John Ritter (who I will always remember as Jack from the 70s sitcom Three's Company and who does the voice of Clifford the Big Red Dog on PBS), and finally, for you big TV junkies, the Green Dragon, Gorbash, is voiced by Larry Storch (who peaked as the inept Corporal on the sitcom F Troop).

Enjoy!

All Time Favorite
This movie was one of my favorites as a child. Looking back, maybe I didn't completely understand it, but I still thoroughly enjoyed it. Flight Of Dragons definitely isn't a movie that most children of this generation would enjoy nor understand. However if you are in the 80's generation, this is a definite must have. The animation is beautiful and has a great story line.

I agree, why isn't this out on DVD?

Needs to be on DVD
It's a total trip to watch this movie! I first saw this movie on when i was a kid (dont temember if it was on Disney or SciFi channel). Even as an grownup, when i watch this movie it still had the same impact. If you listen and consider when this movie was made it will total freak you out how detaild it is. Detailed yes, but not in the annoying Japanize Godzilla way. When i was a kid watching, and even now sometimes, it slips my mind that this is an animated film and not a live action film; everything is made to feal real. Saddly buying this movie has one downside, it's on VHS ONLY! As we all know VHS is crap, it wears out & warps. Even brand new VHS is no comparrison to DVD, the graphics are off and not as clear as the movie is in true form.

In short this movie needs to be on DVD
(also it should really be rated PG not G)

A Childhood Classic
As a child I lived in America with my family. The Flight of dragons is one of the programs we taped from the TV and took back to Australia with us.... in 1986.

18 years later my family still has the tape. I am married now and when I moved out of home my 20 year old brother and I argued over who would get to keep the video.

Although the animation in The Flight of Dragons is getting to look a little outdated I would highly recommend this film for anyone who loves fantasy. The ideas portrayed in the film are surprisingly adult and the evil characters are not watered down or humerised as are many of the characters in more recent animated features.

There is quite a lot of social commentary throughout to make you think and of course the goodies triumph in the end. I won't spoil it if you haven't yet seen it but do take my word and buy a copy. The Flight of Dragons is magical and is complimented well by a nicely put together score and James Earl Jones shines as the voice of Omadon.

This film stands up as well to adult viewing as child so watch it with you kids.

Oh, and I finally saw a copy of this at a discount movie shop after a decade of searching in vain so now my brother and I have a copy each.
. ... Read more

Amazon.com

A good wizard finds his magical powers diminishing as this Rankin/Bass production based on the Peter Dickinson novel opens. His nemesis, the evil Ommadon (voiced by James Earl Jones at his deepest and scariest), swiftly takes advantage of the situation. Who will save the world? Why, none other than a young scientist-novelist-game inventor, named Peter Dickenson (mildly voiced by John Ritter), who is zapped from the future back into the time of dragons. Populating this Japanese-animation fantasy film are the titular fire-breathing dragons, the wizards, a knight, a maiden, some elves, and--in a feminist departure from tradition--a heroic bowwoman. The battles are fairly mild and most of the virtuous characters recover, making this a good choice for family viewing, as well as a staple for the fantasy fanatic's video library.--Kimberly Heinrichs ... Read more

Reviews (96)

A soaring and magical adventure.
From Rankin-Bass ( makers of " The Hobbit" and " Last Unicorn") comes a imaginative animated fable that tells the story of a nerdy Board game maker ( John Ritter) who gets sucked into his own fantasy world and must go on a quest to save it from a evil red wizard ( James Earl Jones).

Brilliant and original animated flick with great animation, plenty of action, and great voice acting done by M*A*S*H's Harry Morgan, John Ritter and James Earl Jones as the villain. There is also a couple of hot animated cuties in this one such as " Danielle" ( A female version of Robin Hood) and "Princess Malechaunt" ( A Blonde long haired Princess), this movie is a must see for lovers of animation and fantasy.

Also recommended: The Last Unicorn, The Hobbit, Return of the King, Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone, The Wizard of Oz, Big Trouble in Little China, Excalibur, The Neverending Story, The Princess Bride, The Dark Crystal, Labyrinth, Return to Oz, Dragonheart, Princess Mononoke, Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring, Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets, The Secret of NIMH, Legend, and The Black Cauldron.

Another good Rankin-Bass product
This movie came out when I was a senior in high school and Rankin-Bass productions were no longer on my "must see" list, even though I was still a big SF/Fantasy fan. Finally rented this tape up at the video store about 2 years ago for my son and it became an instant hit with him. It has everything he requires: Dragons, wizards, magic, and an exciting quest. The animation is typical Rankin-Bass, a little stilted and the magic creatures all have exaggerated features. The story follows the path you would expect, but is entertaining nonetheless.

As an adult and TV junkie, what really cracks me up about this movie are the voices: Carolinas the Green Wizard is voiced by Harry Morgan (Col. Potter on M*A*S*H), Omadon is performed by James Earl Jones (who during the same period played cult leader Thulsa Doom in Conan the Barbarian and was voicing Darth Vader in the Star Wars trilogy), Peter Dickinson is done by John Ritter (who I will always remember as Jack from the 70s sitcom Three's Company and who does the voice of Clifford the Big Red Dog on PBS), and finally, for you big TV junkies, the Green Dragon, Gorbash, is voiced by Larry Storch (who peaked as the inept Corporal on the sitcom F Troop).

Enjoy!

All Time Favorite
This movie was one of my favorites as a child. Looking back, maybe I didn't completely understand it, but I still thoroughly enjoyed it. Flight Of Dragons definitely isn't a movie that most children of this generation would enjoy nor understand. However if you are in the 80's generation, this is a definite must have. The animation is beautiful and has a great story line.

I agree, why isn't this out on DVD?

Needs to be on DVD
It's a total trip to watch this movie! I first saw this movie on when i was a kid (dont temember if it was on Disney or SciFi channel). Even as an grownup, when i watch this movie it still had the same impact. If you listen and consider when this movie was made it will total freak you out how detaild it is. Detailed yes, but not in the annoying Japanize Godzilla way. When i was a kid watching, and even now sometimes, it slips my mind that this is an animated film and not a live action film; everything is made to feal real. Saddly buying this movie has one downside, it's on VHS ONLY! As we all know VHS is crap, it wears out & warps. Even brand new VHS is no comparrison to DVD, the graphics are off and not as clear as the movie is in true form.

In short this movie needs to be on DVD
(also it should really be rated PG not G)

A Childhood Classic
As a child I lived in America with my family. The Flight of dragons is one of the programs we taped from the TV and took back to Australia with us.... in 1986.

18 years later my family still has the tape. I am married now and when I moved out of home my 20 year old brother and I argued over who would get to keep the video.

Although the animation in The Flight of Dragons is getting to look a little outdated I would highly recommend this film for anyone who loves fantasy. The ideas portrayed in the film are surprisingly adult and the evil characters are not watered down or humerised as are many of the characters in more recent animated features.

There is quite a lot of social commentary throughout to make you think and of course the goodies triumph in the end. I won't spoil it if you haven't yet seen it but do take my word and buy a copy. The Flight of Dragons is magical and is complimented well by a nicely put together score and James Earl Jones shines as the voice of Omadon.

This film stands up as well to adult viewing as child so watch it with you kids.

Oh, and I finally saw a copy of this at a discount movie shop after a decade of searching in vain so now my brother and I have a copy each.
. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Even Santa can suffer a case of the holiday blues. In this 1974 stop-motion holiday family favorite, a sparkly eyed Mrs. Claus (voiced by Shirley Booth) sings and tells about the year her hubby felt too weary and too unappreciated to prepare for his annual Christmas rounds. Mickey Rooney stars as the voice of Santa, a rosy-nosed puppet who travels incognito to Southtown in search of his tiniest reindeer, Vixen, and two well-meaning elves. Seems Mrs. Santa sent them to find proof of Christmas spirit--but all they've discovered is ambivalence about Santa's year off. Luckily, when Santa arrives and befriends a buck-toothed lad named Ignatius Thistlewhite, spirits begin to lift rapidly. Adult fans of this cousin to the 1970 television special Santa Claus Is Coming to Town will remember it as the Heat and Snow Miser movie--their vaudevillian theme songs, complete with trombone and piano riffs, are hard to forget; but other treasured musical moments include "I Believe in Santa Claus," "I'll Have a Blue Christmas Without You," and "Here Comes Santa Claus." --Liane Thomas ... Read more

Reviews (63)

3 Wonderful Reasons to buy this DVD
Wow, 3 Rankin/Bass specials on 1 DVD, and they are such great stories individually.

The First is "The Year Without a Santa Claus", when Santa gets the blues over humans attitudes towards Christmas. Narrated by Mrs Claus, it includes as usual a great soundtrack and excellent characters. Most fans loving the best, Heat Miser and Snow Miser. Jingle and Jangle, two of Santa's elves are pretty cute also.

The Second is "Nestor, the Long-Eared Christmas Donkey", which I think is the most touching movie of the R/B collection. It is a re-telling of the birth of Christ with a sweet twist. It brings tears every watching. If you haven't seen this, it is a must. Wonderful inclusion on this DVD, especially if you want a break from the commercialism of Christmas.

And Thirdly "Rudolph's Shiny New Year", which tells the story of time, our calender year. Rudolph is asked to help Father time, when Baby New Year Dissapears. This is a must have to keep your R/B appetite filled. When Christmas is over, and you have watched all your favourite R/B Christmas specials......oh no.......but wait, there's one more to keep you entertained!

This DVD is definitely coming out at my house this Season, and everyone there-after.

DESERVES MORE THAN 5 STARS!!
This DVD is great, all three of the featured Rankin Bass Christmas Specials are gems! The Year Without A Santa Claus is my favorite. Santa Claus gets a bad cold and also gets a case of the blues when he is convinced that no one really cares about him or Christmas anymore and there is no good will so Mrs. Santa Claus with the help of two elves Jingle and Jangle goes off to try and find some good will and Christmas spirit to cheer him up. Mickey Rooney and Shirley Booth provide the voices of Santa Claus and Mrs. Santa Claus and are wonderful, also like so many other reviewers I like Snow Miser and Heat Miser and their songs, everyone seems to like the Heat Miser more than Snow Miser but my favorite is the Snow Miser. Rudolph's Shiny New Year is not as great as Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer but it is good and has Rudolph searching for Happy the Baby New Year who ran away because people laughed at his big ears and if Happy isn't there to ring in the new year December 31st will go on forever. Nestor The Long Eared Christmas Donkey is a wonderful story about the true meaning of Chrstmas and like Happy in Rudolph's Shiny New Year, Nestor is teased about his ears which are very long. I recommend this DVD set very highly to anyone who loves Rankin Bass Christmas specials, I even bought this set before I bought my DVD Player.

Nestor
If you haven't seen this movie, then you haven't experienced a true joy at Christmas. This is a wonderful movie. I own it and can't imagine not letting my children know how truly important little Nestor was to the creation of Christmas and its true meaning.

I Can't Believe I'd Never Heard of this one before!!!
I'm 16. My mother and I were watching a Rankin/Bass Christmas marathon. For years we had known and loved "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" and "Peter Cottontail," and we'd seen a few minutes of "Jack Frost" here and there, but somehow we had let "The Year Without a Santa Claus" get passed up. Luckily we saw it this year and were thoroughly delighted; it's now among our favorites. This story was totally charming. Right from the beginning, those two dumb elves were funny. Mrs. Claus was awesome...I recognized the voice of "Hazel" the maid! I ALWAYS knew Vixen was a female reindeer...the only one on Santa's team, I might add. And Vixen is a central figure in this movie. She's adorable. A feminist Christmas special?! COOL! Santa and the elves travel to a hot southern town in Dixie that never gets any snow. Santa helps a non-believing but still very good little boy change his mind and believe in him (even though the boy doesn't know it's him!)

Okay, okay, so I'm going to say what everyone else already said and knows: The best part of this, the show-stealing scenes, were those with Snowmiser and Heatmiser. The two constantly bickering brothers who seem kind of villanous but are actually pretty nice. (They seriously reminded me of my own brothers.) Their songs are SO catchy, they had my mom literally up and singing them while dancing up a storm. (This was, mind you, the first time we'd ever seen this!) Soo...there you go. The children singing "Blue Christmas" to get Santa to come back to the job was a tender moment. And of course, the Mother Nature scene rocked the house. Again, we see a female taking the screen, and in her cute little house with a nice green lawn and rainbow too. Unlike some of the other stories in this 'family' of videos, this one doesn't-as someone pointed out-center on the historical meaning of Christmas. But it still gets its point across and manages to be a touching, enjoyable treat for all. And then there's the question, does it touch upon goddess-worshipping neo-paganism? Well, all I have to say is that never occured to me...but if it does...then ROCK ON RANKIN/BASS!! Or..well..you know what I mean. Keep being watched faithfully by fans each year. And the Miser Brothers can rock on, too. Ya gotta love it when Mother Nature starts talking about her two sons and they go calling her "Mother dear." She tells Mrs. Claus: "They gave you a hard time?" And Mrs. Claus says, "Yes, but I'm sure they didn't mean to..." And Mother Nature tells her honestly, "Oh, yes they did!" Great stuff. Great, great stuff.

Most Awesome Christmas Cartoon
The Year Without A Santa Claus is the most awesome Chirstmas show of all time. I have loved this one since I was a child myself. I was always disappointed that they didn't show it more often. Now that I have it on DVD I can watch it anytime I want and do. I love all the songs in the movie from the Heat Miser and Snow Miser songs to Blue Christmas although I absolutely love the I Believe in Santa Claus song and can't believe that someone hasn't recorded it on their Christmas CD. My family thinks I am crazy since I know every word of this show. I can recite it word for word and always do when watching it. It is totaly awesome. I give this show 5 stars. Everyone should see this show. It is the BEST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ... Read more

Reviews (63)

3 Wonderful Reasons to buy this DVD
Wow, 3 Rankin/Bass specials on 1 DVD, and they are such great stories individually.

The First is "The Year Without a Santa Claus", when Santa gets the blues over humans attitudes towards Christmas. Narrated by Mrs Claus, it includes as usual a great soundtrack and excellent characters. Most fans loving the best, Heat Miser and Snow Miser. Jingle and Jangle, two of Santa's elves are pretty cute also.

The Second is "Nestor, the Long-Eared Christmas Donkey", which I think is the most touching movie of the R/B collection. It is a re-telling of the birth of Christ with a sweet twist. It brings tears every watching. If you haven't seen this, it is a must. Wonderful inclusion on this DVD, especially if you want a break from the commercialism of Christmas.

And Thirdly "Rudolph's Shiny New Year", which tells the story of time, our calender year. Rudolph is asked to help Father time, when Baby New Year Dissapears. This is a must have to keep your R/B appetite filled. When Christmas is over, and you have watched all your favourite R/B Christmas specials......oh no.......but wait, there's one more to keep you entertained!

This DVD is definitely coming out at my house this Season, and everyone there-after.

DESERVES MORE THAN 5 STARS!!
This DVD is great, all three of the featured Rankin Bass Christmas Specials are gems! The Year Without A Santa Claus is my favorite. Santa Claus gets a bad cold and also gets a case of the blues when he is convinced that no one really cares about him or Christmas anymore and there is no good will so Mrs. Santa Claus with the help of two elves Jingle and Jangle goes off to try and find some good will and Christmas spirit to cheer him up. Mickey Rooney and Shirley Booth provide the voices of Santa Claus and Mrs. Santa Claus and are wonderful, also like so many other reviewers I like Snow Miser and Heat Miser and their songs, everyone seems to like the Heat Miser more than Snow Miser but my favorite is the Snow Miser. Rudolph's Shiny New Year is not as great as Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer but it is good and has Rudolph searching for Happy the Baby New Year who ran away because people laughed at his big ears and if Happy isn't there to ring in the new year December 31st will go on forever. Nestor The Long Eared Christmas Donkey is a wonderful story about the true meaning of Chrstmas and like Happy in Rudolph's Shiny New Year, Nestor is teased about his ears which are very long. I recommend this DVD set very highly to anyone who loves Rankin Bass Christmas specials, I even bought this set before I bought my DVD Player.

Nestor
If you haven't seen this movie, then you haven't experienced a true joy at Christmas. This is a wonderful movie. I own it and can't imagine not letting my children know how truly important little Nestor was to the creation of Christmas and its true meaning.

I Can't Believe I'd Never Heard of this one before!!!
I'm 16. My mother and I were watching a Rankin/Bass Christmas marathon. For years we had known and loved "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" and "Peter Cottontail," and we'd seen a few minutes of "Jack Frost" here and there, but somehow we had let "The Year Without a Santa Claus" get passed up. Luckily we saw it this year and were thoroughly delighted; it's now among our favorites. This story was totally charming. Right from the beginning, those two dumb elves were funny. Mrs. Claus was awesome...I recognized the voice of "Hazel" the maid! I ALWAYS knew Vixen was a female reindeer...the only one on Santa's team, I might add. And Vixen is a central figure in this movie. She's adorable. A feminist Christmas special?! COOL! Santa and the elves travel to a hot southern town in Dixie that never gets any snow. Santa helps a non-believing but still very good little boy change his mind and believe in him (even though the boy doesn't know it's him!)

Okay, okay, so I'm going to say what everyone else already said and knows: The best part of this, the show-stealing scenes, were those with Snowmiser and Heatmiser. The two constantly bickering brothers who seem kind of villanous but are actually pretty nice. (They seriously reminded me of my own brothers.) Their songs are SO catchy, they had my mom literally up and singing them while dancing up a storm. (This was, mind you, the first time we'd ever seen this!) Soo...there you go. The children singing "Blue Christmas" to get Santa to come back to the job was a tender moment. And of course, the Mother Nature scene rocked the house. Again, we see a female taking the screen, and in her cute little house with a nice green lawn and rainbow too. Unlike some of the other stories in this 'family' of videos, this one doesn't-as someone pointed out-center on the historical meaning of Christmas. But it still gets its point across and manages to be a touching, enjoyable treat for all. And then there's the question, does it touch upon goddess-worshipping neo-paganism? Well, all I have to say is that never occured to me...but if it does...then ROCK ON RANKIN/BASS!! Or..well..you know what I mean. Keep being watched faithfully by fans each year. And the Miser Brothers can rock on, too. Ya gotta love it when Mother Nature starts talking about her two sons and they go calling her "Mother dear." She tells Mrs. Claus: "They gave you a hard time?" And Mrs. Claus says, "Yes, but I'm sure they didn't mean to..." And Mother Nature tells her honestly, "Oh, yes they did!" Great stuff. Great, great stuff.

Most Awesome Christmas Cartoon
The Year Without A Santa Claus is the most awesome Chirstmas show of all time. I have loved this one since I was a child myself. I was always disappointed that they didn't show it more often. Now that I have it on DVD I can watch it anytime I want and do. I love all the songs in the movie from the Heat Miser and Snow Miser songs to Blue Christmas although I absolutely love the I Believe in Santa Claus song and can't believe that someone hasn't recorded it on their Christmas CD. My family thinks I am crazy since I know every word of this show. I can recite it word for word and always do when watching it. It is totaly awesome. I give this show 5 stars. Everyone should see this show. It is the BEST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ... Read more

Reviews (10)

Charming but uneven
As has been previously written, this film is by Rankin and Bass the team responsible for the holiday classics Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer and Santa Claus is Coming to Town. This fillm is more ambitious and more uneven than either of those two favorites. They simply expanded on holiday legends/songs in a bright highly satisfying way. This film is a partial live action drama which features Chris (Paul O'Keefe) a young Hans Christian Anderson, whose father (Jack Gilford) is a penniless cobbler, escaping his desperate life to search for the Garden of Paradise and dropping into three Hans Christian Anderson stories (The Little Mermaid, The Emperor's New Clothes and Thumbelina all in the company's signature puppet inspired Animagic) on the way. This material has a lot of potential and the film does have some lovely sequences particularly during the Little Mermaid and Thumbelina sections. Maury Laws' songs don't reach the heights of Santa Claus or his wonderful work on The Little Drummer Boy but are tuneful and create a mood of wistful wonder. The character of Chris is fascinating too in that he initially seems simply a good hearted boy but often unintentionally betrays and abandons the characters around him and the animated sections have a darker tone than most children's programming. The religous tones (which are true to the Hans Christian Anderson original tales) in several of the stories also make this darker than the usual Rankin and Bass holiday fare.

There are problems. Often the film resorts to silly musical comedy routines to pull the audience out of the darker edges of the animated material. Jack Gilford performs in an almost vaudevillian broad comedy style and seems so powerless and impotent as Chris' father that one hopes that Chris is never forced to return home. Ray Bolger's charm is utterly wasted in his performance as the pieman and Paul O'Keefe's pleasant voice is undermined by the improbability of the situation (he's been captured for poaching and being led by rope down the middle of the town's square as the townsfolk cavort in the clearly underfunded big production number) that he's found himself stranded in. And the questions about Chris' character and his family's desperate financial straits are never resolved.

Still despite these qualms the film has undeniable charm and a certain magic pull in places. I still felt a magic shiver when Chris, caught in a seemingly inescapable situation, spies a flower magically opening up to reveal Thumbelina and a way to escape. I would certainly recommend this film to families to view together--just don't expect a seamless masterpiece or a film even as satisfying the Rankin and Bass Christmas specials.

I remember seeing this film as a child on television. I remember, even then, the print being muddy and the colors being washed out and skips cutting out moments of dialogue. What a pleasure it is to see this new DVD version of this film. The colors are full and bright and there is no bleeding and the sound is free of any pops and scratches. Not quite the labor of love their Mad Monster Party disc was but does include a brief history of the film in the insert.

Fascinating! Not your typical animated kiddie fare
This film was produced by the wonderful Rankin/Bass team - best known for their holiday masterpieces "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer", "Frosty the Snowman" and "Mad Monster Party", just to name a few. The wraparound story (which is live-action) deals with a young Hans Christian Anderson struggling to find The Garden of Paradise. On his journey, we are treated to four haunting stories, each filmed in Rankin/Bass's trademark stop-motion "Animagic". The stories are unusual in that they all end on a low note rather than a typical "Disney happy ending" - keeping true to Anderson's original tales. Included here are "The Little Mermaid", "The Emperor's New Clothes", "Thumbelina" and "The Garden of Paradise". Once again Arthur Rankin and Jules Bass have created a fantasyland of wonder and imagination filled to the brim with beautiful tunes.

Ah, to daydream...
This is another wonderful childhood movie, full of the joys and woes that come to a young boy who dares to daydream, perhaps a little to obsession. He gets into all sorts of adventures and trouble. What also trully shines is Ray Bolger as the pieman, who dances around like a playful kitten, darting about the rest of the cast with his armful of pies, and his humerous gestures. You also get to see a little Rankin/Bass version of Ray, which is equally as charming. Great movie, great to watch when you're bored, or with he family, all year round.

The Enchanted World of Hans Christian Andersen
"The Daydreamer" has some really cool animagic sequences. Boris Karloff's song and dance bit with the Rat and the Mole is one of the best things I have seen from Rankin/Bass. The underwater sequence is great, with Burl Ives, Hayley Mills and Tallulah Bankhead playing the leads of The Little Mermaid, Father Neptune and the Sea Witch.

However, overall "The Daydreamer" is a mediocre film. The live action bits are pretty bad, with nothing really passing for acting or a storyline on display. The producer went the wrong direction, buy banking on the large cast of stars who are mostly unknown today.

Given that this is a mediocre film, I would have wished for a better DVD to make up the difference. "The Daydreamer" just doesn't have the punch necessary to pull of a DVD without accompaniment. Paired with "The Enchanted World of Danny Kaye: The Emperor's New Clothes" and you would have had a must-buy. The addition of any other Rankin/Bass animagic special would have been appreciated.

animation parts are fun, live action puts you to sleep
I know there are a lot of people who love this movie. I personally enjoyed all the talented people who lent their voices to the animated characters. And sure, the DVD image is as flawless as a new release print can be. Yet the combination of several Anderson Fairy Tales and poorly written live action dialogue connecting all the animation left me wishing that about 15 minutes had been trimmed. The story of a real boy who learns about how to become an unselfish person is basically a good one and he meets lots of interesting animated characters along the way, but some actors are wasted (Ray Bolger & Margaret Hamilton). It feels like the producers had access to these people and tried any way they could to fit them into the production, unfortunately at the expense of good pacing. If you are a Rankin/Bass completist, then pick this up, you won't be disappointed. Otherwise for most of us it will make a decent rental. ... Read more

Description

A wonderous animated version of J.R.R. Tolkein's classic about the magical world of Middle Earth and the adventures of lovable Bilbo Baggins. Featuring the voices of Orson Bean and John Huston.Year: 1977Director: Jules Bass, Arthur Rankin Jr.Starring:Orson Bean, John Huston ... Read more

Reviews (177)

The Hobbit
"The Hobbit" is a great animated movie for the entire family. It is filled with adventure, fantasy, and fun. There are a lot of fantasy characters brought to life from the author J.R.R. Tolkiens book "The Hobbit Or There And Back Again" which I have read. And those fantasy characters are: trolls, goblins, a terrible creature named Gollum, a dragon, a hobbit, a wizard, and dwarves. Some reviewers on this site are complaining about sound problems with the DVD version of "The Hobbit" and I totally beleive them because I own "The Hobbit" animated movie on both VHS and DVD. Well guess what? I happen to own the 1996 VHS version of "The Hobbit", and I have noticed that even the new 2001 VHS version also has sound problems too because I have watched the new 2001 VHS version with my friend, who owns it, at his house. Oh well, I guess that is just the way things are in the world. But the sound problems with the DVD and new 2001 versions of "The Hobbit" animated movie are not all that bad. All it is is that some sound effects from the older versions of "The Hobbit" have been cut out. It doesn't bother me much. All in all "The Hobbit" animated movie is a great classic for the entire family. I highly recommend you buy this movie for VHS or DVD if you are a "Lord Of The Rings" book or movie fan because "The Hobbit", as you probably know is a prequal to "The Lord Of The Rings" trilogy.

The Hobbit
"The Hobbit" is a great, classic, animated movie for you and the entire family! It is filled with adventure, fantasy, and fun. There, are, a lot of fantasy characters brought to life from the author J.R.R. Tolkiens book "The Hobbit or There And Back Again" which I have read. And those fantasy characters are: trolls; goblins; a terrible creature named Gollum; huge spiders; a dragon; a hobbit; a wizard; and dwarves. Some reviewers on this site are complaining about sound problems with the DVD version of "The Hobbit" and I totally believe them because I own "The Hobbit" animated movie on both VHS and DVD. Well guess what? I happen to own the 1996 VHS version of "The Hobbit", and I have noticed that even the new 2001 VHS version also has sound problems too because I have watched the new 2001 VHS version with one of my best friends, who owns it, at his house. Oh well, I guess that is just the way things are in the world. But the sound problems with the DVD and new 2001 versions of "The Hobbit" animated movie are not all that bad. All it is; is that some sound effects from the older versions of "The Hobbit" have been cut out. It doesn't bother me much. All in all "The Hobbit" animated movie is a great classic for the entire family. I highly recommend you buy this movie for VHS or DVD if you are a "Lord of the Rings" book or movie fan because "The Hobbit", as you probably know is a prequel to "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy.

Excellent movie; terrible audio
If it weren't for some issues I had with the audio on this DVD (which I'll get to), I'd be giving "The Hobbit" at least 4.5 stars, which would round up to 5 in any event. This is a fabulous adaptation of the book. Though a few plot elements were necessarily left out, what remains is faithful to the story. The voice actors are top notch. Sometimes while reading the books, I still can't help but imagine John Huston as Gandalf, Orson Bean as Bilbo, and Brother Theodore as Gollum. I'm a big fan of the music of this movie. Some people have a problem with Glen Yarbrough. Admittedly his ballad "The Greatest Adventure" is probably the weakest song here, and it permeates the film, but every other song is taken directly from verses in the book. The gallows humor of the goblins' songs is particularly fun.

Anyway, on to the audio problems. Having watched this movie since I was a kid, I'm still able to remember it in great detail. I first noticed something was wrong at about the time Bilbo was battling the spiders in Mirkwood. Certain elements of the audio track are completely missing from this DVD version! Most of the missing audio consists of sound effects and background noises, but sometimes even dialogue falls victim. It's possible that someone unfamiliar to the movie won't even spot any problems, but to those who have seen it even a few times, the omissions are glaring. The worst instance of audio flaws comes during Bilbo's meeting with Smaug. The sense that Smaug is a huge, threatening presence is lost without all the various boomings and rumblings that normally attend him. And imagine my annoyance when the arrows of the Lakemen bounced off Smaug with narry a ping!

You'd do best to purchase "The Hobbit" on VHS. The audio track is completely intact, and you won't be missing out on any special DVD features.

"THE GREATEST ADVENTURE..."
"The Hobbit" is one of the finest animated films ever produced. It features some beautiful music, as well as some fine talent in the voicing of the characters (including John Huston as Gandalf and Orson Bean as Bilbo). Where Ralph Bakshi's "The Lord of the Rings" fails due to some lackluster animation, the scenery and characters in "The Hobbit" are beautifully rendered! Any Tolkien fan will not want to miss this!
Grade: A+

Good Introduction For Kids But Not Great
In all honesty this is a very good movie. The problem is that the book is rather dark for children. So it would be rather difficult to do a cartoon movie adaptation. However, having said that. The movie isn't so bad. I think it is a good classic for kids and a nice way to introduce the author to kids. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A little-known Rankin/Bass production!
Many Rankin/Bass fanatics are familiar with "Mad Monster Party" nowadays, but few still know about "Mad, Mad, Mad Monsters," which was something of a mini prequel to the theatrical animagic feature. Done a few years later in traditional animation, "Mad, Mad, Mad Monsters" tells the story of the Frankenstein Monster's marriage to his newly created Mate. The Baron, extremely proud of his new creation, feels the wedding must be done up right. He rents out a luxurious hotel for himself and his monster friends, much to the distress of the staff and other guests. The monsters quickly reek havoc throughout, while Igor does his darnedest to steal the Mate for himself. Everything is chaos, and until the last minute, there's no way to be sure if the wedding will ever really happen at all.

As with Mad Monster Party, the story has no mention of Halloween, so those R&B fans hoping they have a new holiday special on their hands may be a bit disappointed. Still, if you are th