The Year Without A Santa Claus

 How can you top Santa Claus Comin’ To Town? Make a sequel that’s written by a different writer, yet connect it to the first film with the same lead actor of Mick Rooney, the same painting of that Christmas Sky, and you get The Year Without A Santa Claus.

Santa Claus got sick, and grows doubts that kids don’t believe in him anymore. So Santa decided to cancel Christmas. Ms. Claus (voiced and narrated by Hazel’s Shirley Booth.) had a plan B to send Jingle and Jangle down to America to check on the kids if they believe in him. Her Plan A was Ms. Claus to be Santa Claus, but she’s couldn’t be convincing.

Getting through the mischief Miser Brothers, Jingle and Jangle riding on a young Vixen (don’t read that too deep) to South Town, USA. After Jingle disguise Vixen as a dog through hi-jinx, Jingle and Jangle got to the kids nearby with Iggy (as the focus kid of the film) to check if they believe in Santa, and they don’t. Vixen got captured by a Dog Catcher, as Jingle and Jangle tries to save her. Santa got up to wonder what’s going on, but after hearing about Jingle, Jangle, and Vixen’s whereabouts, he decided to go to South Town himself to find them and may hope there’s someone to believe in him in disguise.

The characters had a redesign, as assuming the models in Santa Claus Coming to Town was either unappealing to some, or Rankin Bass sold the models as gifts again, or the models didn’t survive in 4 years. Most of the characters got a rounder design, while someone such as Snow Miser is blocky to fit the ice motive. The elves got a uniform change to go from blue, pink, or green uniform to Santa’s suit to dark red suits with bells. It would be less confusing to have the elves to look like Santa since most of the Kringle Elves are bearded. I prefer the elves’ suits in Rudolph as it’s simple and unique that the Will Farrel film, Elf would use the updated design with some extra colors. Now where the Kringles went isn’t much for debate.

Everyone remembers the Miser Bros; Snow Miser and Heat Miser, voiced by Dick Shawn (best known as Sylvester in It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World) and George S. Irving (who would later be the Captain in Raggedy Ann and Andy: A Musical Adventure). They’re literally polar opposite of each other being a fat tempered hothead and a slim joyful iceman. No one can forget their theme song. Even Schumacher like it enough for Mr. Freeze to compose his henchmen.

All the music is as memorable. The song “It’s going to Snow in Dixie” is a perfect song whenever it snows in the south, and fittingly in North Carolina it did snow and I pass by a location named Dixie.

I was hoping that Ms. Claus was going to disguise herself as Santa Claus. That’s pretty bad when a witch in Gumby get to be Santa Claus, even if she scared her first two kids. Ms. Claus does make herself useful by getting to the Miser Bros.. It’s not much, but it’s more than I say about the live action version. If you’re going to watch the live-action version, don’t watch or else you’ll get a blue Christmas from it. Just like Frosty Return and Legend of Frosty the Snowman, I’ll save them at the end.

The other thing I’m starting to realize. What’s the age limit for a reindeer to pull Santa’s sleigh. Vixen is the youngest of the group, almost as young as or younger than Rudolph. Speaking of which, how does none of the reindeers speak in this film? It’s now established in next film review that reindeers can speak, and only Donner can speak in Christmas in July. That’s even stranger that Vixen is male in Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer and Santa Claus’ Comin To Town. We’ll assume there’s more than one reindeer named the same. Then is there only 10-15 reindeer names in the entire North Pole?

This is a joyful sequel to watch, as it might be my favorite of the entire Christmas sequel unintentionally, but definitely one of my favorite. While Santa and his family get redesigned, we’ll get to see his very special member at a Shiny New Year with Rudolph.