Category: Animated

This is the absolute greatest Rankin-Bass special. What could easily be thought a sequel to Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town, Mickey Rooney reprises his role as Santa: physically sick, tired, and feeling uncared for after giving his all for yet another year. On advice from his doctor, this year he decides to take a holiday and Mrs. Claus scrambles to find a way to still get the gifts delivered. Based on the book of the same title, it’s an entirely unique story that features delightful characters, most memorably the Heat and Snow Misers and their little minions. I don’t let a year go by without watching this one. 

This qualifies as one of the top notch Rankin-Bass shorts. It attempts to explain as many Santa Claus myths as possible from his infancy and discovery by the Kringles to his marriage and the beginnings of his snow white beard. It’s almost an hour long, yet most of the story is so brisk that it feels much shorter than Rudolph. While it has a lot of supporting characters, particularly the delightful Burgermeister Meisterburger, none of them outshine or pull away from Santa Claus’s tale, the main attraction. It’s only slightly eye-rolly when they try to shove the Jesus story into an otherwise secular Christmas tale. Bonus points for the voice work of Fred Astaire as the narrator, Mickey Rooney as Santa, and Keenan Wynn as Winter.  

Since I enjoy Once Upon a Christmas so much, I every so often make an attempt to like this one and am always completely disappointed. Disorientingly using computer-animation on traditionally animated characters, this sequel of sorts is unpleasant to look at. Worse still the characterization of these characters is mean-spirited and ugly as well with much of the goodwill seen in the previous special smashed to bits. Minnie and Daisy become mean and catty towards each other as they compete in an figure skating competition. Huey, Louie, and Dewey forget the lessons in the previous anthology and break into the North Pole to remove themselves from the Naughty list. Mickey kicks Pluto out of the house after he knocks over the Christmas tree. The only slightly good short of the lot is the penultimate episode where Donald is obsessed with cuddling down with a cup of hot cocoa. It’s not good, but it at least is consistent to Donald’s general character. 

All three of the stories in this classically animated Disney film are wonderful in their own right. The first has Huey, Louie, and Dewey wishing they could have Christmas every day, but discover that until they learn the holiday is more about giving to others than receiving for oneself such repetition can become a nightmare. The second features Goofy and his son Max and revolves around believing in Santa Claus. I really enjoy the depiction of their relationship here over the one portrayed in A Goofy Movie. Goofy’s youthful energy is better matched with a younger Max while still allowing Goofy to be the adult in the relationship. Lastly is Mickey and Minnie in a variation of The Gift of the Magi. It’s very predictable, but it’s still delightful to see Mickey and Pluto paling around as they try to earn money for a gift for Minnie. Overall the compilation is enjoyable and a yearly Try to See.  

In this animated special, Tangie is a stuffed bear whose smile was stitched on upside down during a factory mishap. Like a piece of ugly fruit, he’s rejected by all the shopping mall customers and winds up in a resale shop with an array of other misfit anthropomorphic objects. It’s a sweet little Christmas film about found family rendered in simple but colorful traditional animation that doesn’t overstay its welcome. The only weirdness is that every time I watch I think Tangie is voiced by Michael J. Fox and am surprised to discover it’s really later (pre)teen idol Jonathan Taylor Thomas.