Amazon.com

Brought to you by the same crew that wrote and directed the classic Santa Claus Is Coming to Town, this Easter staple will look and feel familiar to any eyes that watched the 1970s around holiday time. Writer Romeo Muller's done a wonderful job capturing simple lo-fi dialogue and action around the lovable early-spring bunny, weaving enough drama into the script to make the show comprehensible for kids and enjoyable for (most) adults. The production team makes their animation-verité visuals jerky enough that it feels still like their Santa juggernaut (created seven years earlier than this 1977 production). And narrator Fred Astaire returns togive the shell of the story its pleasant feel, not at all too threatening but neither too mushy or idiotic. Of course the production dynamics and sound are subpar in comparison with current techniques, but this isn't a film to watch with an eye for how with-the-times it could or should be.--Andrew Bartlett ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Animagic Holiday fun from Rankin/Bass
Another stop-motion Animagic 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, 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, 95% of the ones we see every year. Their work includes standard animation, stop-motion animagic, and live action.

Now this 1 hour film released in 1977 is the 3rd of their Easter films. It is made in a very similar format to "Santa Claus is Coming to Town", and by that I mean it breaks down all the traditions of Easter and explains how each of them started. Fred Astaire is with us as the mailman S.D. Kluger again and gives a great voice performance. The bunny Sunny grows up to be the Easter Bunny and bring joy to children, making great friends and allies along the way.

I prefer this Easter show over "Here Comes Peter Cottontail" since that film is about all the Holidays, and this one concentrates on the magic of Easter. Also I prefer their unique stop-motion animagic in to their traditionally animated half hour special "the First Easter Rabbit". Good music - as always - such as, "Someones Got to be First", and "the Easter Bunny is Coming to Town Today". There is a scary bear named Gadzooks who hates holidays. Great designs and color.

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

The Easter Bunny and Travelin Tyke
i think this video is classic and timeless. Remember all the stories about the Easter Bunny when you were little?? This is like all those stories wrapped into one. It's absolutley wonderful! ...

Another RANKIN/BASS Classic!
It's hard to believe that ARTHUR RANKIN and JULES BASS were able to Produce another GREAT 'ANIMAGIC' Easter Special after HERE COMES PETER COTTONTAIL....BUT they did! They were able to do it with the help of FRED ASTAIRE as the narrator and once again ROMEO MULLER as the writer. As far as the music goes, one reviewer is way off base here. One of the most memorable RANKIN/BASS Songs is the theme to this one "THE EASTER BUNNY IS COMIN' TO TOWN TODAY" sung by FRED ASTAIRE and of course "Someone's Gotta Be First." This has also become a family tradition at my home and it's hard to believe the Networks (ABC) stopped airing it. Who forget GADZOOKS the bear? WARNER BROTHERS is to be applauded for this GREAT clam shell cover featuring the ANIMAGIC characters.....now if it could just be released on DVD with THE FIRST EASTER RABBIT starring BURL IVES! Rick Goldschmidt RANKIN/BASS Biographer/Historian

Sure seems familiar...
If you've seen Santa Claus is Coming to Town, you'll feel like this is an Easter re-hashing, which it is. The story, supporting characters, even the sets seem REALLY familiar. But a kid doesn't care! And there aren't many decent Easter videos out there, so this is one you'll probably want to pick up if you're in the market. My kids almost always get into the songs on such a tape, but not this one. The music is forgettable.

Just As Cute and Fun As Could Be!
One of the very best animated Easter shows for children of all ages, it offers an adorable "explanation" for each of the Easter traditions~how and why jelly beans are popular; Easter egg hunts; Easter egg rolling contests; Easter bonnets, and so on, all told in a sweet and charming story that makes for the most delightful entertainment. Make this a must-have for Easter, and after! ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Animagic Holiday fun from Rankin/Bass
Another stop-motion Animagic 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, 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, 95% of the ones we see every year. Their work includes standard animation, stop-motion animagic, and live action.

Now this 1 hour film released in 1977 is the 3rd of their Easter films. It is made in a very similar format to "Santa Claus is Coming to Town", and by that I mean it breaks down all the traditions of Easter and explains how each of them started. Fred Astaire is with us as the mailman S.D. Kluger again and gives a great voice performance. The bunny Sunny grows up to be the Easter Bunny and bring joy to children, making great friends and allies along the way.

I prefer this Easter show over "Here Comes Peter Cottontail" since that film is about all the Holidays, and this one concentrates on the magic of Easter. Also I prefer their unique stop-motion animagic in to their traditionally animated half hour special "the First Easter Rabbit". Good music - as always - such as, "Someones Got to be First", and "the Easter Bunny is Coming to Town Today". There is a scary bear named Gadzooks who hates holidays. Great designs and color.

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

The Easter Bunny and Travelin Tyke
i think this video is classic and timeless. Remember all the stories about the Easter Bunny when you were little?? This is like all those stories wrapped into one. It's absolutley wonderful! ...

Another RANKIN/BASS Classic!
It's hard to believe that ARTHUR RANKIN and JULES BASS were able to Produce another GREAT 'ANIMAGIC' Easter Special after HERE COMES PETER COTTONTAIL....BUT they did! They were able to do it with the help of FRED ASTAIRE as the narrator and once again ROMEO MULLER as the writer. As far as the music goes, one reviewer is way off base here. One of the most memorable RANKIN/BASS Songs is the theme to this one "THE EASTER BUNNY IS COMIN' TO TOWN TODAY" sung by FRED ASTAIRE and of course "Someone's Gotta Be First." This has also become a family tradition at my home and it's hard to believe the Networks (ABC) stopped airing it. Who forget GADZOOKS the bear? WARNER BROTHERS is to be applauded for this GREAT clam shell cover featuring the ANIMAGIC characters.....now if it could just be released on DVD with THE FIRST EASTER RABBIT starring BURL IVES! Rick Goldschmidt RANKIN/BASS Biographer/Historian

Sure seems familiar...
If you've seen Santa Claus is Coming to Town, you'll feel like this is an Easter re-hashing, which it is. The story, supporting characters, even the sets seem REALLY familiar. But a kid doesn't care! And there aren't many decent Easter videos out there, so this is one you'll probably want to pick up if you're in the market. My kids almost always get into the songs on such a tape, but not this one. The music is forgettable.

Just As Cute and Fun As Could Be!
One of the very best animated Easter shows for children of all ages, it offers an adorable "explanation" for each of the Easter traditions~how and why jelly beans are popular; Easter egg hunts; Easter egg rolling contests; Easter bonnets, and so on, all told in a sweet and charming story that makes for the most delightful entertainment. Make this a must-have for Easter, and after! ... Read more

Reviews (18)

Join Peter on his bunny trail
First of all, it's a Rankin/Bass animagic special, so I think I could just stop there, because that says it all!
This is a great Easter movie, with Peter Cottontail learning about responsibility in order to be the head bunny. The Characters are wonderful as usual, An evil bunny, french caterpillar, and a talking Easter bonnet joining Peter in his journey back in time. It is Set in the beautiful April Valley and narrated by Sassafras(Danny Kaye), with, as always, great songs. My faves being "Here Comes Peter Cottontail" and "If I could Only Get Back to Yesterday".
Also, as extra value for money, you get one of R/Bs cartoon features, "Puss In Boots". I don't know how many of you would remember these cartoons, but the introductions starts with a book spiralling into the centre of the screen. It then opens up and says Rankin Bass presents.......whatever cartoon it is, then all the different characters walk over a rainbow. When I started watching it, all these memories started flooding back to me from when I was little, it was such good fun to watch. Definitely worth having.
I am in my twenties and still enjoy watching R/B productions, true, that is because I grew up with them, but anybody who hasn't tried some Rankin/Bass, please do, you will be pleasantly suprised!

Hippity Hoppity goodness
"Here Comes Peter Cottontail" is another great Animagic treat from Rankin/Bass. The picture on the DVD is great, and does full justice to this classic.

Vincent Price's Irontail is one of the best villains in any holiday special. There is a special evil flair to the character, a dark bunny who rides on a giant bat and only wants to deliver mud-colored eggs. I love Danny Kaye, who does a great job as the narrator Seymour S. Sassafras.

The best scenes are Peter trying to deliver holiday-themed eggs during competing holidays. 4th of July eggs, Valentine's Day eggs, Christmas eggs and green St. Patrick's Day eggs spring from his basket. Our plucky little hero tries his best, and overcomes his self-inflicted follies in true holiday style.

Sadly, the accompanying feature "Puss in Boots" is very low-quality Rankin/Bass. It is a cheaply animated feature and does not fit well with "Here Comes Peter Cottontail." There is no Easter theme to the cartoon, and I cannot see myself watching it more than once. A better fit would have been "The Easter Bunny is Coming to Town" or "The First Easter Rabbit." This tacked-on extra keeps the DVD from getting 5 stars.

Other than that, great DVD! More please.

Best Easter mini-movie Ever!!
Every year I watch this. It's amazing. Seymour S. Sassafrass is totally lovable. Peter Cottontail and Bonnie are too cute. Antoine the inchworm is adorable too. Vincent Price is wonderfully evil as Irontail. The story is thoroughly enjoyable as Peter sails through all the holidays of the year trying to save April Valley by giving out more eggs than his rival, Irontail, and become Chief Easter Bunny. I love the music, especially "If I could only get back to yesterday." (And he can, with the Yester-morrowbile.) I love Sassafrass's colorful garden and Irontail's little bat and Halloween bash. This tape is incredible. All the quotes are so memorable, everyone knows what you're talking about when you mention them. I guess everyone's seen these videos at some point or other. And who couldn't like 'em?

worth a watch
Made by the same team of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, this is worth watching just for the animation. The animals in here are beyond cute. The first part is all right but with packing all of the holidays in, well I think they could have come up with something else. The songs aren't too memorable in this, except for one, about one night stands...I mean one day romances. The female bunny is added again at the end to ease the viewer's mind.

This is such a great movie!
I remember seeing this movie on TV as a child and I loved it. I loved the imagination of the story, the characters, the songs, the wonderful and vibrant colors and tapestry and the humor that makes this an outstanding and memorable movie. Just writing this brings back warm memories! If you liked the Rudolph and Frosty the Snowman movies, you will definitely like this one. ... Read more

Reviews (113)

Return for Deposit
This unfulfilling animated feature takes up in the middle of nowhere as the last entity in 3 movies that make up the HOBBIT/ LORD OF THE RINGS movie series. With the exception of the HOBBIT, the story structures do not take well to cinema as the structure would have to be discarded to have a Hollywood story. Otherwise, you just get a mishmash of ideas. And that is result. All three films were questionable in areas, THE HOBBIT in its crude movement animation and elementary level songs; LORD OF THE RINGS with its boring character design and overuse of 'live action' tracing and now THE RETURN OF THE KING with its weak story structure and a boring sense of adventure. this is the worst of them all even though it bares a strong resemblance to the original HOBBIT movie. Lets hope that the live action films deliver better.

A bad movie!
This movie cracked me up. Songs like "Wheres there a whip, theres a way!" and funny lines from Bilbo Baggins like "bless my soul!" This movie is a crackup! However, despite its stupidity it really does not have the drama and climax that the Hobbitt did (this was the previous movie made by this studio).

Don't overlook this one
I have to confess that I have a great deal of affection for this animated version of ROTK. In some ways it conveys the spirit of the book much better than the Peter Jackson film, particularly in the parts with Frodo and Sam. The character of Sam comes across as more complex and convincing than Sean Astin's portrayal in the film, although I don't want to criticise the actor as I suspect this was mostly the fault of the screenwriters. And Frodo's sense of resignation is also well captured here, again much more true to the book than his terrified portrayal by Elijah Wood in the film. Much more of Tolkien's original dialogue is preserved here, which helps a lot. For instance, more of Denethor's best lines are preserved in this 90 minute cartoon than was the case with the 3+ hour movie. I also think that the music overall helps to convey the heroic and lyrical tone of the book, compared to the unrelenting horror-movie feel of the Mordor scenes in the live action film, even though much of it is admittedly silly, although even the much ballyhooed "Where There's a Whip There's a Way" has some basis in the text. I think the voice actors were excellent overall, even though I didn't particularly care for Casey Kasem as Pippin, and the Nazgul Lord did sound a little too, well, cartoonish. Still, John Huston's Gandalf will forever be the voice I hear when I read the books; a classic performance. Even though you can poke holes in this version if you want to, I suppose my only real complaint is that it failed to establish any connection between Aragorn and Frodo. Since the entirety of "Fellowship" and "Two Towers" was summed up with something to the effect that Frodo and Sam had "come far and through many brave adventures," I don't think it would have been unreasonable to provide some similarly cursory treatment to establishing that the the march on the Black Gate was for the purpose of helping Frodo and Sam. One final word: I don't mean to come across as overly critical of Peter Jackson's films. In fact I enjoyed them tremendously. However, I think this version also has a lot to recommend it. Also, please forgive me for coming across as a "Tolkien geek" but I couldn't help myself.

There seems to be a bit of confusion
The review here dated May 24, 2004 from an anonymous viewer in NJ (my home state) has CONFUSED this animated movie with the recently released Peter Jackson- Return of the King DVD.

THESE ARE TWO ENTIRELY DIFFERENT FILMS MADE MORE THAN 20 YEARS APART.

The animated Return of the King was a TV special released in 1980. For its time, it was an entertaining look at the last segment of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Keep in mind that this was targeted at a younger audience, especially those who watched the animated Hobbit film. I recall watching this in middle school, my first taste of the fantasy genre.

And I will admit, I did compare one scene from the animated Return of the King (1980) with the live-action Return of the King (2003). It was the scene with Eowyn facing off against the Lord of the Nazguls. The animated movie hewed closer to the book in that more of the actual dialogue was used.

Eowyn's speech is a bit wordy and seems more at place in a stage play than in a fast moving battle. But I did enjoy how it paused the momentum of the Battle of Pelenor Fields and you get this beauty standing on the battlefield with her long blonde hair flowing in the wind like a banner of courage. I was hoping for equal treatment from Peter Jackson, but he kept this scene short. It is a critical moment in Eowyn's character development.

PETER JACKSON DROPPED THE BALL!!!!
WHAT HAPPENED?!?!? So I see this in the video store and think 'Wow, ROtK came out already? Where's the hype, the hoopla? Oh, well, lucky me" and buy the DVD on the spot. BIG MISTAKE!

Apparently the genius who made Fellowship of the Ring & The Two Towers has gone the George Lucas route and SOLD OUT to the kiddies!!!

1 He decided to finish his masterpiece trilogy as an ANIMATED film!! WHY?!?!? And the animation SUCKS! He could at least have done it Anime or CGI!
2 He fired the original cast and replaced them with NO NAME tv voice actors! WHA-?!?!?!
3 He DUMBED it down for kids and added MUSICAL numbers. HUH??!? Since WHEN was LOtRs a friggin' MUSICAL?!?!?

I guess he decided to cash in on the rerelase of the awful 80s cartoon movie. WHY OH WHY?!?!

Peter Jackson - you dropped the ball!!! ... Read more

Reviews (25)

The charming story of how Kris Kringle became Santa Claus
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.

A CLASSIC!
"Santa Claus is Comin' to Town" (Rankin/Bass Productions, 1970) is a true Christmas classic. A quintessential "animagic" or "clay-mation" production, it features the talents of Fred Astaire (who narrates the story as postman Special Delivery Kluger), Mickey Rooney (Kris Kringle), Keenan Wynn (Winter Warlock), and Paul Frees (Burgermeister Meisterburger). Frees is absolutely brilliant as the voice of the Burgermeister of the village of Sombertown, which presumably is in Scandinavia. In brief, the film explains the origins of various aspects of the legend of Santa Claus through an original story. People of all ages will enjoy "Santa Claus is Comin' to Town." Children will love the animation and the story. The rest of us appreciate that as well as the hilarious moments when Kris Kringle expresses surprise (watch his eyes swell to giant coal-black circles!). For anyone who grew up in the 1970s or 1980s, this is a gem of the pop culture of our time. It's highly recommended for anyone who has enjoyed other Rankin/Bass classics such as "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" and "The Little Drummer Boy."

The True Story of Santa Claus and Christmas
World-renown dancer, singer, and actor, Fred Astaire, narrates the fantastic story about Kris Kringle (Mickey Rooney), and how the lore of him and Christmas originated. We are brought through many fantastic scenes that showcase where Kris Kringle grew up, and the lessons that he learns while he is living with his "adoptive" family. Kris is reprimanded by the mayor of Sombertown, where he has been delivering toys to children, and is faced with a problem in finding a solution to how he can deliver toys to the children without being caught, or the children getting into trouble.

This is a fantastic movie for kids and adults of all ages. Children will relish in the fact that SANTA CLAUS IS COMIN' TO TOWN explains where the different facts surrounding Santa Claus originated from. Such as his name, how he began delivering toys, etc. A fantastic movie to watch on Christmas Eve, or anytime during the year. Your collection will never be complete without SANTA CLAUS IS COMIN' TO TOWN. A must-have.

Erika Sorocco

A Very Prophetic Story of the Cold War.
When I took American History in College, my teacher explained the political undertone of the Wizard of Oz. With that in mind, I was able to see the undertone of this story. First, for parents-as a kid I used to enjoy the annual showing of this feature. Now to the undertone:A baby, Santa Claus (capitalism), is abandoned on the doorstep of elves (industrialists). The elves are unable to get their product, toys, to town. When Santa grows up, he decides that he has to make the trip to town, but first he has to go through the territory of the winter warlock (socialism-regulation). Meanwhile, in town, the Burgermeister-who rules the town with all the zest of a communist dictator, has outlawed toys and set mandatory labor for all the kids in town (how commie of him). When Santa gets to town, he befriends the town schoolteacher (education) and is branded an outlaw for giving out toys (how capitalist of him). A cold war ensues between the burgermeister and santa with santa making an annual raid to pass out toys and foil the burgermeister. The end of this story explains well why communism doesn't work.

Santa Claus classic
Excellent film for those that love classic Christmas stories. Buy it now. That's an order. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Rudolph is legendary for saving Christmas, but did you know he saved the New Year as well? While Santa Claus is recuperating from his December sleigh ride, he receives a letter from an old friend, Father Time. Seems that Baby New Year is missing, and if the little tyke isn't found, Old Year will continue on forever--a catastrophe for Father Time, whose job it is to keep things moving forward. A search party is essential, yet with such thick fog, there's only one reindeer fit for the job. "Rudolph with your nose so bright, you've six days left to set things right," says Santa. Trouble hits immediately when Rudolph discovers that Aeon the Terrible, a big-beaked monster bird, is also searching for the missing baby. Rudolph gets help from a giant whale and a good-natured caveman, who dish up plenty of song and dance in between narrow escapes in their race against the end-of-the-year calendar. Sound far-fetched? Perhaps, but it contains as much magic as its predecessors, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town, all produced and directed by Jules Bass and Arthur Rankin Jr., and written by the esteemed Romeo Muller. The same stop-motion animation we've grown to love is here as well, and narrator Red Skelton has as trusted a voice as Burl Ives and Fred Astaire. While the New Year holiday will never be as celebrated as Christmas, this title is a welcome addition to any Rankin and Bass collection of holiday films. --Lynn Gibson ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Rent it or buy it on sale
I remember liking this movie as a child, so I must believe that it is still a good children's movie. However, this is definitely a "B" list movie from Rankin-Bass, and doesn't have the charm, music, or cohesion of their "A" list movies--"Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer," "The Year Without a Santa Claus," and "Santa Claus is Coming to Town." Adults will be disappointed with this movie, because it seems stilted and thrown together. Rudolph is asked by Father Time to find Happy, the baby new year, who has run away because people laughed at his ears. Happy is probably hiding in the archipelago of last years, which is a great premise that is barely developed. The characters Rudolph meets are undeveloped and sometimes flat-out strange. At the end, Rudolph laughs at Happy's ears as well, saying they make him feel happy, but it's a difficult conclusion to follow. Wouldn't there be a better lesson for children if a true friend DIDN'T laugh at his ears? I did enjoy this when I was younger, so it may still be a good children's movie, but adults can probably find better things to do with an hour.

Disappointing.
I love the original "Rudolph" and thought this was decent, but nowhere near as good as some of the other Rankin/Bass films. The story kind of fell flat and wasn't all that entertaining. Instead of feeling like clever and amusing tale, it felt like a repititious one following the pattern of the others because it couldn't really stand on its own. Unfortunately, some parts were enjoyable, and the whole thing was certainly good for at least one viewing. But in the end, you were left with no unforgettable new characters or songs to cherish. Happy, the baby new year, ran away, and Santa & Father Time needed Rudolph to find him. With the help of a whale, Rudolph travels through an archepelago and goes back in time and visits many fairy-tale characters (and a singing caveman) in his search until he finally meets with success (as we always knew he would.) I liked it but there is no comparison with the first Rudolph or anything else. The first one was amazing. This one didn't do anything special for the character of Rudolph. It was just "alright."

A New Year's Special
I saw this on TV. It is kind of lame but I still like it. Most holidays have specials, whether it be a movie or a TV special, but the only other New Year Special I know of is "Happy New Year, Charlie Brown".Therefore, this is unusual. It is supposed to be a Christmas special but I consider The New Year and Christmas seperate holidays. It has more to do with the New Year than Christmas. The only Christmas parts are Rudolph, his song, and Santa Claus at the beginning and end. Ironically, there is a 4th of July song,when they go to the Island of 1776.
List of Characters:
Santa Claus
Rudolph
General Ticker
Father Time
Happy,The baby New Year
Eon
Big Ben
One Million, B.C.
Sir 1023
The 3 bears
1776
Full of corny songs, like Turn Back the Years, It's Raining Sunshine, Make Believe, The Fourth of July Parade, and Happy New Year, and narrated by Red Skelton, this special will make you smile, or make you puke.

Save your money
I just watched this last night and it was laughably awful. The original is fun to watch and a very memorable story, ect. But this storyline is an embarrasment. Unless you are buying this for a VERY small child your money can be better spent elsewhere.

.
I finally watched this video again for the first time after, oh, 15 or 20 years. I do recall not liking it as much as RTRR, but I didn't know why. Now, I've got some idea. The animation is fine, the songs are decent to good, the voicework is excellent. But something was majorly wrong - instead of a good story, we get a plot outline. The plot is a good enough one (Rudolph out of find Happy the New Year, a fellow misfit) but it's never developed at all. Rudolph is set up to cross the Sands of Time, which is made out to be a dangerous task, but after meeting the evil bird, Rudolph and his friends cross it "in no time at all." Characters come and go with no apparent reason (I'm thinking Father's Time "stalwart" general, but there are plenty) and with no...I was going to say development, but we hardly get introduced to the characters before they're gone. Then Rudolph goes to search the Archepelego of Lost Years, which contains 1023, the year all the fairy tales happened (geez, I'll bet you 1024's pretty ticked). My cynical brain wondered if Prince Charming had to put that slipper on Cinderella every day for the rest of eternity. This story seemed like far too many ideas thrown together, with not enough story. The first Rudolph special was busy (Herbie the dentist elf, Island of Misfit Toys, Yukon Cornelius) but it sort of congealed into a story. This one just didn't. Young folk may like it (although in this computer age, they may not) but I found it really rough going. ... Read more

Description

The Leprechauns' Christmas Gold Sent in search of a Christmas tree, cabin boy Dinty Doyl lands on a mysterious, uncharted Irish island where he accidentally releases a bad-tempered banshee from her pinetree prison.Leprechaun Blarney Kilakilarney knows that in order to survive, the banshee will try to swipe his clan's pot of Christmas gold.With some magical assistance from Lord Patrick, the king of the wee folk, Dinty and Blarney make a plan to outwit the gold-hungry hag before Christmas morning dawns.Art Carney and Peggy Cass supply voices for this delightful tall tale in the enchanting Animagic process.Year:1981Director:Arthur Rankin, Jr., Jules BassStarring:Art Carney, Peggy Cass ... Read more

Reviews (10)

a Christmas Classic
I Just Love this Christmas movie I'm Irish too My favorite scene in the movie is when the witch starts crying the Banchie tears.

Hooray for the Irish!
I was wondering if anyone else used this for St. Patrick's day as well and am glad to find at least one reviewer did. No, this isn't one of the GREATEST of all time. It is,however, worth owning and watching twice a year, especially if you are Irish or a Rankin-Bass fan! And if anyone knows of any REAL St. Patrick's day cartoons, please let me know.

* This movie rules *
I am horrified that anyone would say this video isn't worth purchasing. You know when you're a little kid in the 80s and mom and dad tape a special off TV that you watch over and over for yearsssssss. Well this is one of those for me. I ADORE this movie. I'm not irish but I think it's such a cute spin on a Christmas movie. NOT ONLY THAT, it's a musical!!! I guarantee any young child would love this movie!!!

It's Really Bad!
I happen to be a fan of Christmas shows and I have liked most of the ones I've seen and most of those have been from Rankin & Bass and being Irish and liking stories about Leprechauns I thought oooh finally an Irish Christmas cartoon I can add to my collection but unfortunately I watched it and thought Leprechaun's Christmas Gold was the worst Christmas show I ever saw and is definitely the worst of Rankin & Bass.

Christmas special with an Irish theme
Well I'm not sure if I would go as far as to call this a classic but it is kind of cute and since I have some Irish roots I was excited when I saw a commercial for it being shown on the Family Channel and I definitely liked that it is a Christmas special with an Irish theme and there aren't very many of those, actually I think this is the only one, It is a weird cartoon and corny but also kind of cute and I like Art Carney and I'm glad they used his voice. Even though not my favorite as far as Christmas specials go I hope they put it on DVD because it's worth having in the DVD collection for the novelty of a Christmas special with an Irish theme, especially if you collect Christmas DVDs and also Irish DVDs. ... 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

Description

Lucas is a young shepherd, who has been blinded by lightening. Fortunately, some thoughful nuns at a nearby nunnery offer to take care of him. When Sister Catherine descovers Lucas has never seen snow, she tries to describe it to him. The nuns decide that at this year's Christmas pageant Lucas will play an angel. To everyone's surpise, it snows during the Christmas show. With the snow comes an unexpected miracle. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

One of the Best Rankin/Bass Holiday Movies
Lucas is a young shepherd boy, who is blinded during a horrible winter storm. He almost loses his way after he loses his sight, but is saved by one of the sisters, Sister Theresa (voiced by Angela Lansbury), of an abbey located close by. Lucas is embraced by Sister Theresa, who allows him to stay at the abbey until Christmas. Lucas, being so entirely happy by Sister Theresa's gesture, gives her everything that he owns: his flock of sheep. That Christmas, thanks to his lovely kindness, Lucas receives one of the greatest, and most miraculous recovery ever, and also learns about the gift of love.

I saw this movie on the 25 Days of Christmas on ABC Family last year, and was so touched by it, that I immediately ordered the film from Amazon.com. Lucas is a kind young boy, who has been through so much terror in his life, and deserves for something good to happen to him, and it does when he meets the wonderful Sister Theresa. Sister Theresa is a loving character, who will capture the hearts of anyone who view this film. This movie will show even the grouchiest of grinches how beautiful, and wonderful Christmas is. And prove to you that Christmas miracles do come true. A must-have.

Erika Sorocco

A Magical Story.
The poor little shepherd boy, Lucas, was blinded by lightning. He sang in the nuns' nativity play as a member of the angel choir. An adorable dog helped care for him in the abbey during the Christmas season. Some local pranksters hid his sheep, who then escaped into the forest. In the end, Lucas regained his sight because of snow, which usually never fell in his area. I saw this on TV today and was charmed by it. A hartwearming, enchanting Christmas story.

Rankin/Bass Animagic Holiday Special
I reccommend this half hour television special that was released in 1975, from the Rankin/Bass Studio who specialized in stop-motion Animagic wonders. By the way, this should not be confused with the claymation special of the same name released more recently. The voices of Angela Lansbury and David Kelly are featured. This story is similar to The Little Drummer Boy in that it has a religeous or spiritual theme to it, and it helps teach kids about kindness, gratitude, sharing, and other positive values. Three diferent original songs are included.

The story is: A shepherd boy named Lukas is struck by lightning and blinded, then taken in by some nuns at an abbey during the holidays. They cannot care for him forever, and he cannot tend sheep anymore so he is to go to an orphanage. He has to rescue his sheep from some wolves after some other boys let them run away. The boy gets to play the Angel in a leve re-enaction of the Nativity. After a Christmas miracle his sight is regained.

While this never seems to be broadcast anymore, this is a nice film from the holiday entertainers of Rankin/Bass Studio. Their studio has brought us such memorable holiday classics such as Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer, Year without a Santa Claus, Nestor the Long-Eared Christmas 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, 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, 95% of the ones we see every year. Their 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 have been released on DVD.

Possibly the best of the Rankin & Bass Christmas specials!
This movie has all the feel good aspects of other Christmas classics but not the fantasy. A person could almost believe it is a story that could have really taken place. This is some of Angela Lansbury's greatest work. It is often over looked when compared with other Christmas classics but more than worth watching. ... 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

Reviews (13)

A Christmas Classic
This is such a wonderful Christmas video for the family. While it may seem that the little drummer boy hates everyone, it's not true. He's just upset that his parents were killed and he's an orphan. But he learns in the end that not everyone is bad, and learns to love people. It's a great movie with great morals.

This is a must have video especially for Christmas.

A Childhood Favorite!
The Little Drummer is a wonderful claymation Christmas special from Rankin and Bass, it is about a little boy named Aaron who has hardened his heart after witnessing an act of cruelty that takes the lives of his family and he thinks that all people are bad but soon he begins a journey that leads him to the stable where baby Jesus is laying in his manger and it is a heartwarming story narrated by classic movie actress Greer Garson and featuring the voices of June Foray, Jose Ferrer and Paul Frees and I think they were all great and I think Greer Garson was wonderful, very dignified! I watched this as a young child many many times and I never found this movie scary. I thought what happened to Aaron's family was sad but the rest of the cartoon is very heartwarming and I highly recommended it!

Don't even think about letting kids see this
It horrified me as a kid. I still can't listen to the song, to this day, some 30 years later. There are several scenes that are just too much for children. There is a scene where the boy actually watches his parents BURN to death in the house, and another where a lamb is run over by a charriot. What a nightmare. I'm just grateful they don't play it on tv anymore.

Ba rump a pum pum
... This film--whether on video or Digital Versatile Disc--is haunted by--possessed of--its own stop-motion-born unease, or darkness. In order to understand this video, one must answer this question: have you ever felt a certain "hauntedness" in old Christmas decorations? That Santa from 1938 that seems unpleasant--possibly too strict? That seems more weighed down by the specter of past-reality than uplifted contemporaneously by all things made good by cultural irony and really cool new technology? (The same gray "vibe" often emanates from elderly folks' knick-knacks--uncleansed by light or anything new or hip or worthwhile in decades; sitting there, daring you to, by attempting to find them ok, at once enter the abyss of isolation and despair.) That is what is captured in and by The Little Drummer Boy; especially as via his countenance, particularly his mouth. If this sounds like what you want to do, say, 22 December, than, by all means, BUY THIS VIDEO! But if you want to do something better, then consider another video--something lighter. Something that is light and makes you forget about the very themes at play in this classic: death; nutty, strange gifts; mangers.

Too heavy handed for young children
This 1968 stop-motion animated short adapted from the song of the same name has positive and negative points. On the plus side, we have the beautiful music of the Vienna Boys Choir and a story that draws clear lines between good and evil. On the minus side, the presentation was excessively heavy handed and preachy, especially for very young children. For a young boy to proclaim repeatedly that he HATES all people is a portrayal of psychologically disturbed behavior. Going on to explain his motives by illustrating that his parents were murdered does not put this film in the category of festive holiday videos suitable for young children in my view.

Regardless of the outcome and moral of the story (that love conquers hate), many of the scenes presented here require mastery of complex emotional concepts that are beyond the sway of most kids younger than about eight to ten years. Showing scenes of the forceful abduction of a little boy and murder of his parents, animated or not, has great potential to frighten young children who will not fully comprehend that this is intended to be allegorical.

Unlike many, I don't object to the Christian theme. Religion is a pervasive part of the human condition and it needn't be censored or excoriated just because it makes certain people uncomfortable. However, the film is liberal in its use of name-calling and makes numerous highly intolerant value judgments (perhaps we weren't so enlightened in 1968, but it was abrasive by any standard).

Another thing that struck me as wrongheaded is the way giving is presented as a bargaining tool. The drummer boy doesn't play his drum as a selfless gift to the baby in the manger; he plays because he wants the baby to heal his lamb. This turns giving into a transaction, giving only to get something in return. I will grant that his motives were good, but is transactional love a message we want to send to our kids?

Overall, I would rate this film a 5/10. It is good and instructive for older children and adults, but I would strongly urge parents of children under ten years old to view it before showing it to their children to determine if its themes are suitable for their maturity level. ... Read more

Description

Academy Award winner Burl Ives narrates in a fanciful, tuneful and color-splashed animated tale of The First Easter Rabit. That Rabit is Stuffy, a cuddly toy who magically comes to life. Stuffy goes to Easter Valley, and enchanted real where it's always springtime, where the Bunny hopes to bring the first-ever basked of Easter goodies to children. But a cold-hearted ice creature named Zero refuses to permit such happiness. If he has his way, he'll freeze out Easter celebrations forever! ... Read more

Reviews (2)

A sweet tale
The First Easter Rabbit is another story to add to your Rankin/Bass collection! This story is animated though,instead of stop-motion, which they are probably more known for. This does not make it any less charming though(Frosty the Snowman, one of my faves, is animated also) and as a Rankin/Bass fan you can really tell it is one of their animations.
The First Easter Rabbit is about Stuffy, a lttle girls stuffed rabbit, and how he becomes the Easter Bunny. I first saw this when I was a little girl, I am now 25 and still love this and all other Rankin/Bass stories. My only reason for giving it 4 stars is because you can't get it on DVD yet, and it should be teamed up with the other 2 Easter stories "The Easter Bunny is Comin' to Town" and "Here comes Peter Cottontail".

Holiday fun from Rankin/Bass
This half hour film released in 1976 is one of 3 Easter films produced by the Rankin and Bass Studio. The other 2 are
"Here Comes Peter Cottontail", which is about all the Holidays as 2 rabbits compete to deliver the most eggs and become the new Easter Bunny, and "The Easter Bunny is Coming to Town", which concentrates on explaining traditions of Easter, very similar to "Santa Claus is Coming to Town."

The main difference with this film is that it uses traditional animation, and the 2 above are Animagic, or stop-motion. Burl Ives narrates and sings again in this one, and is even drawn to be dressed like the character he played in Rudolph. There are at least 2 good songs in the film. The studio that made this film are perfectionists, and even their credits are imaginative and fun to watch. The story starts before there was ever an Easter Rabbit, and he was stuffed bunny owned by a girl. He is brought to life to serve as the symbol of Easter and moves to a magical place called Easter Valley. When Easter is threatened Santa joins the bunny in defending Easter Valley.

You may remember Rankin and Bass as 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, The Easter Bunny is Coming to Town, Cricket on the Hearth, the Stingiest Man in Town, Jack Frost, 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, 95% of the ones we see every year. Their work includes standard animation, stop-motion animagic, and live action. There is a great book on the studio called "The Enchanted World of Rankin/Bass.

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

Amazon.com

This cartoon version of A Christmas Carol hails from the production house of Arthur Rankin Jr. and Jules Bass--the team that brought you just about every other Christmas special you saw as a kid (including Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer). Reinvented as a 49-minute musical ghost story, Stingiest stars the voice of Walter Matthau as the bedeviled Scrooge and Tom Bosley as the Jiminy Cricket-type narrator, B. Humbug, Esq. The 1978 animation is serviceable and the songs are sometimes catchy and clever (a reformed Scrooge tunefully ponders "Man's happiness should be my profit / His suffering my loss"). But since the cartoonists downplayed the scariness of the ghosts and the cute songs just slow the action, the cartoon's intended youthful audience may be end up feeling a bit restless. (Suitable for all ages) --Kimberly Heinrichs ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Touching, a must see for Xmas time
I really hope they release this one on DVD. It's the most magical and tender version of Dickens's inmortal tale, filled with songs so powerful that will recall that child within you, felling the glow of Xmas the way It's meant to. It's a family tradition to share this animated treasure for us and it just gets better every year. It is just timeless

Good musical "Chrsitmas Carol"
Way, way back at the time of live televison and only black and white pictures, "Stingiest Man In Town" was a Chrsitmas special with Basil Rathbone as Scrooge. It was a musical and, except for an LP recording of the score, quickly faded away. I can still remember sitting glued to the TV watching it. I have the recording and it is always out at holiday time. This was the seed from which this cartoon grew. The scenes were linked, not by Mr. Humbug, but by a quartet of Christmas carolers played by the Four Lads. It is a show that lived only in my momories as I listened to the recording.
Then those wonderful producers, Rankin and Bass took the original TV version and converted it to an animated special. While I would really like a tape of the original, this version is a great substitute. Rankin and Bass always have produced quality programs and this one is no different. It is one of the most enjoyable of the animated versions of this classic Dicken's work. The songs add a lightness to the story which can sometimes become boged down in so much social commentary that it becomes depressing instead of uplifting.
For family viewing, this is an excellent version fo "Christmas Carol" for younger audiences (but adults can hear some lovely music too). When the children are put to bed, the parents can then get out the wonderful Patrick Stewart or George C. Scott versions and enjoy it on another level. For another musical version, check out "Scrooge" with Albert Finney.

Entertaining Version of a Classic Story
I have watched this movie since I was a child...I still have a taped copy from the TV from the mid '80s! The characters are lovable, the songs are catchy, and it's an hour worth sitting down to watch. It has all of the ingredients of the tale of Scrooge and the rest of the cast.

Not a Smash, But Worth an Hour
Well, this is not the most accurate version of Dickens' "Christmas Carol," and I feel Jim Henson's muppets actually did a better job. But this is a cute version, and if you have an hour between Christmas preperations, this is not a bad way to spend it. To some extent, the story takes a back seat to music. But, the music is memorable, some of the animation is done well, and Tom Bosley as the London Humbug is a witty narrator. If I were trying to teach children the story, I would sooner use "The Muppets' Christmas Carol." But if you already know the story, and you have an hour with nothing to do, this is a pleasant musical to watch. ... Read more