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 (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 the type who just associates anything having to do with classic monsters with the Halloween season, you'll enjoy this one as a new tradition. It's not the most charming of Rankin/Bass specials, but it's an excellent companion piece to Mad Monster Party, and an enjoyable film in its own right too. But it's a shame that it's only available on VHS right now, when it would have been a lovely extra on the recent, wonderful "Mad Monster Party" DVD release. ... 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

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

Reviews (8)

Painfully Bad!
Yikes! I love watching Christmas cartoons but I didn't love watching Pinocchio's Christmas, it was painfully bad and really lame and I can't believe it's a Rankin and Bass production. It Must have been an off day for them when they thought of this one!

Pretty bad for Rankin/Bass
This is, plainly put, simply awful. I hated how Pinocchio, thinking only of himself, wouldn't let that puppeteer make the girl puppet into a wise man for that Nativity play. That would be more important than making her into a wife for himself. I gave it two stars only because "It's the Truth" is a hilarious song, sung by the fox and the cat.

I Really Enjoyed This.
While not the kind of masterpiece that "Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer" or "The Year without a Santa Claus" were, this story is completely decent. It deviates from the normally accepted version of Pinnochio, but overall it's not bad at all. The best character is the ditzy, feeble-minded but generally kindly cat who for some reason is stuck working with the sly fox. "Jiminy cricket" has an odd accent and comes in during the second half of the story to attempt to guide Pinnochio, who just can't help getting into trouble. In the end, he has a very merry Christmas with Gepetto and his new little girlfriend puppet. Cute.

Finally a claymated version of Pinocchio
This is the story of everyone's favorite wooden boy who's having his first Christmas. Things go very well, until Pinocchio goes to a puppet show to try and earn money for presents, and when he doesn't, he meets some girl the apple of his eye whose name is Julietta. Pinocchio steals Julietta from the puppet master and brings her to the forest of enchantment in hopes that someday she will come to life. While he and Julietta are having fun in the forest, a white glow comes and makes Pinocchio unconscious. Then the blue fairy brings him and Julietta to her throne room and Pinocchio tells her how he began to meet Julietta. Later on in the movie Pinocchio's wish about Julietta being alive comes true.

This movie, and Princess Mononoke are two state of perfection and promote good values, such as honor and love.

Another stop-motion holiday treat from Rankin/Bass
Filmed in Rankin/Bass's uncomparable stop-motion animation technique, "Animagic", this lesser-known special ranks right up there with "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" and "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town". Tricked by a mean fox and dim-witted cat, Pinocchio loses the money he planned to use to buy Pappa Gepetto a Christmas present (which he obtained by selling the arithmetic book Gepetto bought him). This begins a series of very amusing adventures. The Pinocchio character is so cute in this show....he's very mischievous but very lovable. Another colorful and warm special from R/B. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Not as good as I remembered, but ...
Saw this when it was first broadcast on television nearly 30+ years ago, as a "No School Today" presentation. I often would bring this movie up with friends of my generation and nobody could remember it. It had a catchy opening theme song, which I never forgot. So, imagine my delight of its release on DVD.The print is excellent, and the opening theme song is great as I remember it. But this movie soon went downhill after Mother Goose left for the Moon. Some of the storylines were just too much on the level for a five year old, and soon my wife and I couldn't take much more. But we managed to get through it somehow.Get "Mad Monster Party" instead.

Mother Goose and Travelin Tyke
i dont think this video is very good. With all the other great videos for your children out there, this one just didn't stand the test of time. Just my opinion. ...

Classic Rankin/Bass animated tale.
A great mix (and rearrangement) of several classic nursery rhymes, melded into one fine animated film that should keep any child interested today, just as it did in the late 60's when it was released. My 1 1/2 year old son loves this film and stays glued to it nearly all the way through. As a Rankin/Bass fan who loves the animagic more than the animation, this is one of their best animation stories and I have no trouble watching this one again and again with my son. Can't wait til all the Rankin/Bass stuff makes it's way onto DVD. How about Kid Power or The New Adventures of Pinocchio next!!!

Quite a family film!
Just received my copy of the DVD and my kids love it! Must have played it 10 times already!!! MOTHER GOOSE fairy tales with BRILLIANT animation by our favorite animators ARTHUR RANKIN JR. and JULES BASS! A hit with the entire family!

ANCHOR BAY provides an EXCELLENT print!
In the past, this film has been released from a very poor 16 mm transfer....finally, the 35mm becomes available. It will be like seeing the film for the first time. In a cel animated feature especially, you need to see it in vivid color and the 16mm print wasn't cutting it. There is some GREAT music in this 1966 RANKIN/BASS film too! AND surprisingly, it wasn't provided by MAURY LAWS (Who was busy with another project)...it was provided by GEORGE WILKINS. Once again, JULES BASS wrote the lyrics and Directed the film. Another RARELY seen film that involves RANKIN/BASS artist PAUL COKER, JR. for the first time! Glad to see this one restored for all to enjoy! ... Read more

Description

Long, long ago, the North Pole was ruled by the good fairy Lady Boreal and her enemy was the wicked wizard Winterbolt. To protect Santa Claus from Winterbolt's foggy fury, Lady Boreal grants Rudolph the Reindeer a magical, glowing nose. Years later, Rudolph and his friend Frosty the Snowman are called on to save a needy circus at a special 4th of July benefit. But their big-top act turns to big-time trouble when Winterbolt appears -- with a plan to steal Frosty's magic hat and extinguish Rudolph's legendary nose! Brought to shing Animagic life with the voices of Mickey Rooney, Ethel Merman, Red Buttons and Shelley Winters, this feature-length fable is a must-see for all seasons.

Year: 1979 Directors: Arthur Rankin, Jr., and Jules Bass ... Read more

Reviews (11)

rankin-bass all stars reunited
If you are a Rankin-Bass fanatic like me, you will want to add this video to your holiday viewing schedule. While it's not perfect, the enjoyable parts outweigh the flaws. It's wonderful to see old friends like Rudolph, Frosty, Crystal (along with their two snow children), Big Ben, Jack Frost, and others all reunited. Winterbolt and his crew are without a doub the most scary of all Christmas villains and lend a chilling element to the story that adults will love, but which may be a bit too much for children. Though I do agree that it would have been even better to see Clarice, Hermie, and Yukon again too, the characters who DO appear are wonderful. I think you'll enjoy this one.

Sweet, fun claymation, love stories and good songs
I've given this video a less than perfect rating for it's misleading representation of circus life regarding animals. Many of the cute-looking animals we saw as living toys on the Island of Mis-fit Toys from the previous show were brought to life as circus performers. All the animals look content to have whips waved at them and perform uncomfortable acts... you don't see any cages, just animals that seem like they volunteered to be in the circus because it's nothing but fun. I know this is a kid's show and it wouldn't be appropriate to show what really goes on in the circus, but I wish a lot of the cheesy scenes w/ the "real" animals were just eliminated.

Now that I'm off my soapbox, I have to admit this was a fun film. It wasn't the same caliber story as the original "Rudolph" movie but still highly enjoyable and a fun diversion for kids who love claymation year 'round and not just in December. The songs are sweet, but not as catchy as the originals... but the most endearing part of the video is the love story between Mr. & Mrs. Claus and the love story between Frosty & Crystal. Sweet, sweet, sweet! The storylines were made to be enjoyable by all ages, and they indeed are.

f
realy like frosty cartoons all sequils especially the one i wrote the rare occasion of frosty by santas helper in 1995 if you havent read it it sells for $2.99 my email adress is norman54@hotmail.com

Christmas in July?
Finally, Rudolph and Frosty come together to share top billing in a Rankin/Bass animated feature! Winterbolt, the evil creature who caused the big snowstorm on Christmas Eve that year that Rudolph saved the day, decides to get his revenge. Apparently, Rudolph's glowing nose was a magical gift, but with a catch. Winterbolt finds out that if Rudolph ever uses his glowing nose for evil, it will go out forever! While Rudolph and Frosty(and his wife and kids) try to help out a failing circus by putting on a Christmas In July theme, Winterbolt and the rotten reindeer Scratcher try to frame Rudolph.
This is one of those things that for a long time I was unsure if it was real or a dream I had...I mean, they didn't show it anywhere for a very long time, yet somehow I remembered seeing a film with Frosty and Krystal, AND two snowkids, and I remembered Rudolph was in it too, and I remembered it was in the Puppet-animation style of the classic Rankin/Bass Rudolph, yet the Frosty characters were based very much on the traditionally animated Rankin/Bass Frosty. I still don't know if I saw it at school (they used to show us Holiday Specials, don't know if that's taboo in schools nowadays...), or if I saw it at the movies, or just on TV, but I didn't think it was a dream, so when I finally saw this being run on Cable again, I was happy to finally know. The original appeal it had for me was the fact that Frosty and Rudolph were together, and he had the fam and everything too! For me that was soooo cool! It's like House of Mouse, seeing all the Disney Characters together interacting! Or like in my all time favorite film, Who Framed Roger Rabbit! I love that sort of thing. But I admit that watching it again there is one thing that turns me off of it, and that's the whole "Christmas in July" thing. Even though I love Christmas, I'm not all that into the Christmas in July idea, it's silly. I wish it had been a new story that took place at Christmas again, but it's enjoyable nonetheless. I'm not sure though, when is the proper time of year to watch this, at Christmas or in July? For me though, I think I'd enjoy it better at Christmas since the mood is meant to be Christmassy so I don't think I'd be able to get into it otherwise...

Tedium interrupted by the brilliance of Ethel Merman
I am certain that someone thought this was a great idea. Let's take two classic holiday cartoons and make a long, tedious, poorly written musical cartoon out of them. There are more plot twists than a soap opera, and they are written about as convincingly. The only high point here is the appearance of Ethel Merman, doing a take-off of her famous Annie Oakley characterization. It is obvious that this project had been re-tooled over many years, as Merman's voice sounds younger, stronger and in complete control through most of the film. In the last part, you hear the age and wobble evidenced in Ethel's voice in her later years. Merman fans will love this; everyone else will snooze. ... 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 (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 (6)

Bravo for the release of this obscure Rankin/Bass gem!
What ever made this show get released on DVD prior to all the other more popular Rankin/Bass specials is beyond me, but I am quite pleased to see it nonetheless. I don't even think this was ever out on video, so it's here first in all DVD splendor.

Nice to see Danny Kaye in Denmark with all the kids. My son loves the animagic the most, but has no trouble paying attention to Danny and all the kids having a grand ole time in great Danish settings.

The Enchanted World of Danny Kaye
Lacking the charm of the classic Rankin/Bass Holiday specials, "The Enchanted World of Danny Kaye: The Emperor's New Clothes" is still good fun to watch and has some really great animagic action in it, including perhaps the only fully nude animagic puppet ever made.

The mix of live action and animagic is not great, and the special would have been better as a pure animagic feature, but it was meant to launch a series of specials with Danny Kaye supplying the star power and Rankin/Bass providing the magic. Unlike the Holiday specials, this one is dated by the live action. Danny Kaye is awfully "70's." However, this is a small complaint as the special is maybe 90% animagic with only a few lead-ins by Danny Kaye. The animagic portion is charming and Romeo Muller did a great take on the traditional Hans Christian Anderson story. Imogene Coca is the voice of the flighty Princess Jane Klockenlocher, and makes for a good romantic foil for Danny Kaye's tailor. The nude Emperor's stroll through town makes this story.

The big problem with this DVD is its lack of punch. Ringing in at just under an hour, "The Enchanted World of Danny Kaye: The Emperor's New Clothes" is not enough feature to carry an entire DVD on its own. There is a short 6-minute making of documentary, which is interesting. Paired with Danny Kaye's other Rankin/Bass outing, "Here Comes Peter Cottontail" would have made for a great DVD. As an extra feature to a DVD of Rankin/Bass's other Hans Christian Anderson feature "The Daydreamer" would have been even better. As it is, probably my least favorite Rankin/Bass DVD.

This is a RANKIN/BASS Special Special!
What a GREAT find! Seeing this RARE 'ANIMAGIC' Special in DVD format is beyond words and that MAKING OF documentary is really something! With it being a RAREly seen special, my hat goes off to CLASSIC MEDIA for issueing it for all the RANKIN/BASS fans to enjoy! DANNY KAYE is wonderful in this special and glad he did another special for RANKIN/BASS besides the wonderful HERE COMES PETER COTTONTAIL! Some GREAT music in here too! You can't lose!

One of the VERY BEST family films I've EVER seen!!!
This new fully restored DVD release of "The Emperor's New Clothes" was the first time I had ever seen this Romeo Muller story, and what a gem it is!!! It has all the charm and fancy of "Santa Claus is Comin' to Town", "Here Comes Peter Cottontail", "Frosty the Snowman", "Puff the Magic Dragon", and some of his other better stories. The originality and imagination put into this story is beyond belief! It is beyond belief because it has not become a widely loved piece of entertainment. It is a shame that the other episodes in this TV series were never produced. Given how well this one turned out the other stories in this anthology series would most likely have been of equal stature. You'll be doing your family a dis-service to your family if you do not add this film to your library.

Not every Rankin/Bass Special is worth seeing...
I had only just received my wonderful copies of 'Rudolph: The Red-Nosed Reindeer', 'Santa Claus is Coming to Town' and 'Here comes Peter Cottontail' when I saw that this title would soon be availble. In my Rankin/Bass lovin' haze I quickly purchased. Now I'm no Rankin/Bass historian or nothin' ....but I do consider myself a fan. But even I couldn't find a way to be happy with this purchase. If you have kids then maybe pick it up (maybe I should have kids). Kids might like it. But any 20yrs+ people out there looking for some funky R-B nostalgia... don't waste your money. Stick with the animagic titles I mentioned above and wait for 'The Easter Bunny is Comin' to town" to be released.

This title gave me the creeps. Glad I didn't have to sit on Danny Kaye's knee. Classic? They should have kept this one in the vault. Not recommended if you haven't figured that out yet. ... Read more

Description

As ing, A and Geppetto prepare for Christmas, Pinocchio joins a puppet show to earn money for a present. There he meets and elopes with the beautiful girl puppet Julietta, leaving Geppetto alone and worried. Featuring the voices of Alan King and George S. Irving.

Year: 1980 Directors: Arthur Rankin, Jr., and Jules Bass ... Read more

Reviews (8)

Painfully Bad!
Yikes! I love watching Christmas cartoons but I didn't love watching Pinocchio's Christmas, it was painfully bad and really lame and I can't believe it's a Rankin and Bass production. It Must have been an off day for them when they thought of this one!

Pretty bad for Rankin/Bass
This is, plainly put, simply awful. I hated how Pinocchio, thinking only of himself, wouldn't let that puppeteer make the girl puppet into a wise man for that Nativity play. That would be more important than making her into a wife for himself. I gave it two stars only because "It's the Truth" is a hilarious song, sung by the fox and the cat.

I Really Enjoyed This.
While not the kind of masterpiece that "Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer" or "The Year without a Santa Claus" were, this story is completely decent. It deviates from the normally accepted version of Pinnochio, but overall it's not bad at all. The best character is the ditzy, feeble-minded but generally kindly cat who for some reason is stuck working with the sly fox. "Jiminy cricket" has an odd accent and comes in during the second half of the story to attempt to guide Pinnochio, who just can't help getting into trouble. In the end, he has a very merry Christmas with Gepetto and his new little girlfriend puppet. Cute.

Finally a claymated version of Pinocchio
This is the story of everyone's favorite wooden boy who's having his first Christmas. Things go very well, until Pinocchio goes to a puppet show to try and earn money for presents, and when he doesn't, he meets some girl the apple of his eye whose name is Julietta. Pinocchio steals Julietta from the puppet master and brings her to the forest of enchantment in hopes that someday she will come to life. While he and Julietta are having fun in the forest, a white glow comes and makes Pinocchio unconscious. Then the blue fairy brings him and Julietta to her throne room and Pinocchio tells her how he began to meet Julietta. Later on in the movie Pinocchio's wish about Julietta being alive comes true.

This movie, and Princess Mononoke are two state of perfection and promote good values, such as honor and love.

Another stop-motion holiday treat from Rankin/Bass
Filmed in Rankin/Bass's uncomparable stop-motion animation technique, "Animagic", this lesser-known special ranks right up there with "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" and "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town". Tricked by a mean fox and dim-witted cat, Pinocchio loses the money he planned to use to buy Pappa Gepetto a Christmas present (which he obtained by selling the arithmetic book Gepetto bought him). This begins a series of very amusing adventures. The Pinocchio character is so cute in this show....he's very mischievous but very lovable. Another colorful and warm special from R/B. ... 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 (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 (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 (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 o