Santa Baby!

Let’s review their very last animated original Rankin Bass Christmas film with Santa Baby!.

When people think the title, they think of that generic ABC Family Christmas Drama film that we’ll forget quicker, or a song by Eartha Kitt. In fact, Eartha Kitt did play Emerald the cat, not a human that turn into a cat that was saved by a mistaken order of Assembled Giant Trampoline. This was aired once on Fox 5 back when Fox used to air variety of Christmas specials such as Olive the Other Reindeer, Robby the Reindeer, and Cinder Elmo for some reason. Nowadays, Fox just airs mostly nothing of value and Christmas Story Live proves one of that points. This was released on DVD, but that’s hard to find. I know I spotted a whole rack of them at Beach Haven Library, but I didn’t have the credit card at the time of 2012. I got back to Beach Haven (or Long Beach Island I mostly called) 5 years later due to other places for vacation and one Hurricane. I got back to that same library, but both the place and DVD are gone. So I can only find the damaged film on youtube.

A partridge named Melody Birdsong tells a story how a little girl named Dakota is volunteering for the animal shelter in a rundown neighborhood. The Supervisor named Mr. Sweet wants to close the shelter down, because he hates animal, except for a lobster he hopes to cook. Dakota’s Dad named Noel (voiced by Gregory Hines) is having a block on writing new music for his job. Dakota wishes her dad to write a hit song, though not simple. Noel dressed as Santa as part of the wish. As time went on through trial and errors, the people in the neighborhood grow the Christmas spirit, except for Mr. Sweet. Anymore would spoil the story who may predict where it goes.

This was written by Suzanne Collins, the author of the Hunger Games. You can never the style difference with the specials tone vs. Hunger Games tone. This is the only Rankin Bass film with the all African American cast, as in the past they’re rarely a background character or Friday from Robinson Crusoe. The animation and style has gotten for last project. I would almost think the animals are a big distraction to the film, but they’re part of the story. If they didn’t speak, it either makes the film better or worst. I could say them mute would ruin the film as seen in King and I, but that’s bad because they’re unnecessary additions to focus on and don’t add the story. The music I’m really split on. When it’s Christmas, it’s decent. When it’s on the animals, it’s kinda annoying.

I like the arc that goes on with Noel. He had to go through effort of making music, but instead he unintentionally helps his town in need, just like Santa Claus. I can relate as this December, as I volunteer for Toys 4 Tots at the Salvation Army at Cary North Carolina to put the stocking in the slots, helped the Angel Runner, and moved the discarded boxes. It’ll give blisters to my feet, but that’s fast effort I give. That’s the best to describe Santa Baby; A little Christmas effort that may have some slow or cheesy moments that can make a lasting impression. I wish it can be seen more on TV as it desperately needs some variety for Christmas than little they can accept. It’s not bad, nor is boring, nor good, it mostly OK enough to be shown on TV than crap.

And folks, that was it for Rankin Bass reviews. It’s really emotional to see the rise and fall of their career. I’ll get to the Rankin Bass TV series, Wacky World of Mother Goose in the future when they’re available. If it’s possible for any specific film to move on to, I think I’ll cover films that the people in the production of Rankin Bass did such as Nutcracker Fantasy.

Here’s my Top 10 best and worst Rankin Bass to describe their strength and weakness. Not counting their related sequel. Let’s start with the worst list.

10. Mad Monster Party: Not a bad Halloween movie, but Felix, love plot, and padding are what break the reason to be full length.

9. Return of the King: Don’t tell about the war you survived in.

8. Pinocchio’s Christmas: A pointless reason to be a Christmas special.

7. The Wind in the Willows: Lose most of the music and you’ll get to be in the honorable mentions

6.  Twas the Night Before Christmas: A short story + a terrible story = A terrible story with a decent short ending and song.

5. The First Christmas: The most boring original Christmas film that Angela Lansbury can’t save.

4. Sleeping Beauty: The most recycling characters I’ve seen from them.

3. Tom Sawyer & Swiss Family Robinson: Either abridged version of the story that’s best to be abridged under 5 minutes than half an hour.

2. Mad Mad Mad Comedian: An animated stand-up that should sit down.

1. Red Baron: Never team up with Filmation, and rely entirely majority on pointless talking.

Now the Top 10 best!

10. Jack Frost: A nice spin-off with one of the best villains.

9. Mad, Mad, Mad Monsters: The best of the Halloween specials.

8. The Hobbit: The redefying film that help the none-Holiday Rankin Bass film.

7. Flight of Dragons: An underrated Middle Earth set animated film that deserves a blu-ray.

6. Life and Adventure of Santa Claus: A nice epic reboot to end, even if it’s the third time for Santa.

5. The Year Without Santa Claus:  A best of the sequels, even if it was unintended. Come for the Miser Brothers, stay for the songs and humor.

4. Frosty the Snowman: A charming snowman film. Once you hear the original dub, you can never unheard it.

3. Here Comes Peter Cottontail & The Emperor’s New Clothing: Both are great with Danny Kayes as I recommend them together.

2. Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer: The groundbreaking Christmas film that’s loved every year.

1. Santa Claus’ Comin’ To Town: The best redefying Santa Claus thanks to Rooney.

Thank you for watching my review, Merry Christmas and a have Happy New Year!

A Miser Brothers' Christmas

Apparently people still love to talk about the Miser Brothers from The Year Without Santa Claus and it’s remake that we get A Miser Brothers’ Christmas. 

Or maybe they got reminded from a terrible TV season that came out between the Remake film and this film with Moltar and Flurious from Power Rangers Operation Overdrive. Coincidentally, this was written by Power Rangers RPM writer for first half, Eddie Guzelian. This is the only Rankin Bass related sequel to be produced by Rankin Bass.

Ms. Claus tells the story how there almost is a year without Christmas. Santa does his usual inspection onto the elves and reindeer before Christmas. He gets to Tinsel, the youngest elf, who constructs the new super sled. Heat Miser (reprised by George S. Irving) and Snow Miser (this time voiced by Juan Chioran) go to the family reunion with Mother Nature. One of the siblings is the North Wind wants to take over Christmas (who I swear is the ghost of the villain from Corpse Bride, after he became a corpse.) Santa had an accident in the middle of the Miser Brothers brawl partly because of North Wind’s minions and unnoticed to the Misers. Santa is out of commission around Christmas. Mother Nature brings the Miser Brothers to punish them by taking Santa’s place.

The design was “intended” to combine the design of Rudolph’s phase designs and The Year Without Santa Claus’ phase designs. That explains why the elves and reindeers. Santa is closer to the original with Rooney’s voice. Though I kinds wish they stick to one phase on style, since this is either feels like a loose continuation or another reboot. It’s still the Miser Brothers, though I miss the insane energy Dick Shawn created for the original, as it was his own as shown in Mad. Mad, Mad World. This is the last time we hear both Mick Rooney as Santa and George as Heat Miser. It’s sad to lose them both.

The stop-motion was done by Cuppa Coffee Studios, who gladly continued Celebrity Deathmatch, and sadly created Glen Martin, DDS. They did an OK job for the animation, but I really miss the original style, wide expressions, and energy. Maybe if they used Stoopid Monkey’s production to do the animation. They proved it a little better with the Animated Elf Musical and Spongebob Christmas. They have experience doing Rankin Bass related in Robot Chicken. The background music can never top Maury Laws’ music. Then again, I ever recall good background music lately aside from Steven Universe and most of MLP:FiM. The only music that worked is the Miser Brothers music, but not much when they did a remix of it.

I didn’t like A Miser Brother Christmas when it first came out, but it got harmless with time, unlike a certain rotten egg (Peter Cottontail: The Movie). I like the backstory of the Miser Brothers they showed through the Naughty and Nice list. It’s just an average Rankin Bass related sequel with Rankin Bass involved, as it’s the last of the sequels. It has some of the spirit of the original, but the spirit of ABC Family and the stop-motion is sorta dragging it down. It’s not the last Rankin Bass film for me to review, that’s reserved for their very last original film.

The Legend of Frosty the Snowman

Will we get a better Frosty sequel than Frosty Returns? *sigh* No we don’t. While they learn their lesson in animation, Legend of Frosty is probably on par with Frosty Returns film. I didn't like this when it first came out, but it got slightly better by an ounce.

In the 50s town of Evergreen, the Tinkerton has a father as the rules strict mayor. (voiced by Tom Kenny. Crap, I’m getting a Peter Cottontail flashback.)

They go to school in an orderly fashion and have a strict principle Hank Pankley. (Voiced by Nutty Professor’s Dean, Larry Miller)

Tommy Tinkerton (voiced by Kath Soucie) was first noticed by a magical hat as it flies to the other kids of Evergreen. The magic hat came and drafted Walter, as once it placed on a pile of snow to create Frosty the Snowman. Frosty’s plan is for the kids are to have fun. He would later have fun with Tommy’s brother, Charlie and Sara (voiced by Tara Strong) to the point of being a secret society.

Tommy discovered the comic about Frosty, as it reveals the slightly different origin including boy in blue shirt and his father, Professor Hinkle from the original film. As Frosty has fun with the children, it’s chaos for Mayor Tinkerton, as its opportunity for Pankley to be mayor with a chance of getting Everlasting Gobstoppers. (General Zod approves in Shape of Water.)

The animation has gotten better, as it was the last 2D animated related sequel. It’s not as good it can, but it’s best to appreciate hand drawn animation before the later films would switched to bad flash animation or bad CGI that the film will be next year that shall not be spoken more than once.

It’s strange that Bill Fagerbakke voiced Frosty, and only gets Patrick out of him as it would make Frosty real dumb and only a shell. Even more strange that we already have a Patrick the Snowman in a Jimmy Neutron Christmas Short, and that’s actually funny! It does show something new with Frosty such as him absorbing snow, creating a double, and to name a few that’s minor to the film.

The kids here are split while the actors are good; Tommy is just there, Walter is either a jerk or wimp, Charles is a bully, and Sara is OK. I can’t tell if they’re better or worst. It’s usually one of the kids I like. If I had to like any kids in this film, it’s an extent of Tommy and Sara. It’s hard to top Karen and maybe Holly. Burt Reynolds, but he’s not an engaging narrator and singer here.

This film is a combination of the original Frosty and the Frosty comic that did exist. The advice of having fun is needed nowadays in what’s mostly a depressing and grim world, something I was advice twice this year by Arthur Burghardt (the voice of Devestator) and Walter Jones (the original Mighty Morphin Power Rangers) at two different convention.

The Legend of Frosty the Snowman is not bad, nor good. If you can’t stand one of those films where fun is taken away by a stick in the mud, then this is a film can just melt away.

Frosty Returns

After Rankin Bass ended their business, they wouldn’t have the money to create another film on their film unless they produced it. While that’s not entirely bad for them much, CBS desperately wants a Frosty sequel of their own they can air, since they weren’t allow to air Winter Wonderland and Christmas In July because Warner Bros. owned them, despite being aired on the Disney Channel, then Fox Family, as it became ABC Family and as currently as Freeform because of Disney. So the only solution was to make the start of the Rankin Bass related sequels; sequels from a Rankin Bass film not done by Rankin Bass.

So yay, Frosty Returns, again!

Its snow day in the town of Beansboro, the kids are playing out while the adults are miserable shoving away snow. Holly is a lonely girl, tries to be a magician with her only friend Chuck, but loses her hat to the wind. The magic hat landed on a snowman to become Frosty the Snowman to befriend Holly.

Meanwhile, there’s a businessman named (voiced by Brian Doyle Murray) who created a spray called Summer Breeze to instantly clear away snow.

Is Frosty safe from such a product?

This was done by Bill Menedez, the voice of Snoopy and part of the Peanuts Production, and the music was done by Mark Motherbaugh, the same guy who did the Rugrats music.

I remember watching this when I was young on Christmas, along with Rover Dangerfield and when I had a plastic tent. Don’t ask what kind of tent was it!

I liked it OK back then, but it has gotten a lot worst with time. It’s definitely because of the story. Anytime we have an environmental film, they’re usually predictable crap, unless you’re Wall-E, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Power Rangers RPM, and Sonic SATAM. Half the times you root for the villain and the heroes are mostly prissy. Has the plan to remove snow, which can, to the kids it’s destroying their enjoyment, as to the adults, he is doing them a favor. The only way he could be a bigger villain if he uses his Summer Breeze to remove all the snow in the entire world, even the Himalayas, Greenland, Iceland, the South Pole, and the North Pole. If he does success, then he and everyone would be drowned to death, alive while in boats or floating without being killed by sea life or going mutated into sea life or Kevin Costner.

John Goodman is the replacement voice since Jackie Vernon died shortly before the making. Not a bad replacement, you couldn’t tell its Goodman, but nowadays I get a Scoop T. Snowman vibe out of him. Jonathan Winter is kind of a pointless, as he can’t be involved much being the size of Papa Smurf. So pointless that CBS remove Jonathan on a snowflake from the beginning and end of the film. Holly might be the best human character of the Frosty film since Karen. What’s different than the others before and after is she’s not a perfect child, but a lonely smart kid, and so would I when living in this town. She played by Elizabeth Moss, who voiced Michelle in Once Upon A Forest, and her acting is still there as she grows in Mad Man. 

I could say this is a weak start to the related Rankin Bass film, but rarely do any of them go uphill from here. Much like a light flurry, Frost Returns is harmless at most with some salt for the safety sake than a Summer Breeze. It’s best to watch this film with FHE Christmas 1993 promo, as it gives some of the Christmas magic, including the artwork on the Tape Cover. This is just the calm before the storm of the Legend of Frosty the Snowman.

The Life and Adventure of Santa Claus

Let’s review their last stop-motion Christmas special with a film about Santa Claus. Wait, didn’t we have Santa Claus Comin’ To Town? Yes we do, but this story of The Life and Adventure of Santa Claus, written by Wizard of Oz’s creator, L. Frank Baum, and technically the story was made first.

It starts with an epic opening; all the Nordic Immortals arrived down the stair for the meeting that Great Ak about Life and Adventure of Santa Claus at the forest of Burzee. The opening is by far the most epic in terms of Christmas Special. The chorus is deep and grand as the appearance of the Immortals. The beat matches the characters pacing, and it feels important.

Great Ak found an abandon mortal baby Claus, as he left him to a lioness named Sheagra to mother him. One of the sprites named Necile steals the baby from Sheagra, because she sings about her loneliness for a child as she raised the trees. Peter Nook (voiced by Peter Newman) warns how he can’t control Sheagra, and he’s the master of animals. With some convincing, Great Ak allows Necile to raise Claus. Throughout the years, Claus grows up with the Sprite, Tingler the Sound Imp, and has the world view with Great Ak in their mostly cruel ways. (Apparently, first location they viewed was January Junction, as it’s the same peasants from Jack Frost.) Claus leaves the Immortals to the snowy Laughing Valley of Ho Ha Ho. Claus has bring joy to children over the years at the Valley. An orphan stumbles upon Claus (assuming from Kids Town.).  Claus made his first toy as a black cat.

King Awgwa of the Awgwa demands Klaus to stop making toys and joys to children. They kidnap Claus while being invisible in the middle of the night, but were saved by summoning the Knooks. After the Awgwa have stolen all of Claus toys, Great Ak and the Immortals have declare war with the Awgwa. (It does go not The Hobbit intense with the war here, but intense for a Christmas Special.)

The rest goes Santa Claus’ Comin’ To Town in how Santa operates minus a tyrant.

The cast are mostly from the Thundercats. Santa Claus is voiced by Mumm-ra’s actor, Earl Hammond. King Awgwa is voiced by Panthro’s actor, the late Earle Hyman. Queen Zurline is voiced by Cheetara, Lynne Lipton. The Commander of the Wind Demon is voiced by Lion-O and Sonny of Cocoa Puffs, Larry Kenney. Fun fact: I met Tygra’s voice actor, Peter Newman at Retrocon. I was talking to him with the films he was in I liked. I forgot the character he voiced in Life and Adventure of Santa Claus. I was thinking about the character throughout the convention, until I remembered it was Peter Nook. I got back to his booth to remember the name, and coincidentally Peter Newman was signing The Life and Adventure of Santa Claus on VHS. This was so funny, Pumyra’s voice actress, Gerrianne Raphael was laughing hard at this moment, and she was next to Newman.

Santa Claus has the deep mighty voice, but I do prefer Rooney’s role. Try to do a counting game how many times Claus says “Must”. I like the film, but since Santa Claus’ Comin To Town came out first and had the bigger magic. Think of it as the John Carter effect where the book came first, a film influence by the book was made, and then the originator was came out with lesser spirit than the influenced made more.

There’s another version of Life and Adventure of Santa Claus, two different animated versions; one was part of an episode of Oz Kids, and the other is done by Mike Young’s Production. The Mike Young’s version filled the holes that Sheagra died from old age, Santa’s connection to one of the child that grows up with him, and they showed the Spirit of Death. However, the Awgwa are made really stupid.

The Life and Adventure of Santa Claus is a nice ending Christmas special for Rankin Bass. However, their career is mostly over for a while after Wind In The Willow, but there are sequels made with little to no approval from Rankin Bass, as you’ll figure which out is next.

Leprechaun's Christmas Gold

Let’s celebrate something in Ireland with Leprechaun’s Christmas Gold. I have this special on VHS as it’s shown after Frosty’s Winter Wonderland.

Art Carney plays a leprechaun named Blarney Kilakilarney, as he tells the story how a human sailor Hermy named Dinty Doyle was going to get a pine tree at an Ireland island that barely inhabited by leprechauns. When Dinty pulled out the pine tree, it freed a banshee, as her the storm happened. He got across Blarney at a hidden cavern, where he guards the gold. Blarney inceptionally tells the story how he had a married life with a shoemaker named Faye. The Banshee tries her best to steal the leprechaun’s gold with her shape shifting powers, but it failed the gold miners when she took the form of the poor woman, but not Faye as she took the form of Lady Borealis or a guardian angel. Blarney and his wife split up with my favorite line of the film.

Blarney: “You’re daff, that’s what!”

Faye: I’m what?

Blarney: I’m what?

Faye: I’m warning you, husband!

Though I thought he said “Deaf”, which would make the scene longer in a loop and he’s an idiot.

After Blarney was kicked out from his wife, he went to the mines alone as the rest of the miners became shoemakers. The Banshee got to Blarney, but the Earthquake happened to split Blarney’s location from Ireland.

The Lord of the Leprechaun has tricked the Banshee to take the form of water, as Blarney seal her with dirt and assuming seeds, as the Pine Tree sealed her in, until the where this story begun.

After Blarney tells the story, he got drugged by the Banshee. The effect has Blarney to surrender his gold, but to whom?

Why does Klarney need to tell the story if he’s going to tell the story in the story? That kind of story telling is almost on par with Return of the King’s storytelling, but it’s not worst enough since that film is an action war film where the ones telling the story are alive while the rest are dead or MIA.

Many could call this special dull, but that’s what The Frist Christmas is fully reserved for. I can call this entertaining with 3 out of 4 songs; the opening theme is relaxing, Kilakilarney Shoes is fun, and Christmas in Kalarney is memorable enough that Big Crosby’s version is played today.

Art Carney is a kind soul, and the Banshee fun to watch. The rest are forgettable, and I swear one of the leprechauns has Kris Kringle’s head.

Much like films starting with Pinocchio’s Christmas, there’s little to no reason to connect Christmas to this story. However, this can work for this film culturally; we can see how Christmas is celebrated in Ireland. However, whenever we have leprechauns, it’s either a St. Patrick special or a horror film with Warrick Davis. This film can be seen as a lesser Disney’s Darby O’Gil and the Little People with a less scary Banshee. The best way to stop a Banshee is to shut the door on her face, as Binky Barnes demonstrates that in Arthur.

Leprechaun Christmas Gold isn’t really much Gold film, but it’s more Silver, Copper, Mur, or Peppermint kind of film. Perhaps we should be close to Christmas with the help from the great and powerful Baum. 

Pinocchio's Christmas

From the beginning, Rankin Bass started their stop-motion and general career with The Adventure of Pinocchio. A TV Show I’ll review later, with the limitations that episodes are rare to find and youtube only showed the first few episodes. There could be a theory that Pinocchio was to be rebooted with the episodes close to Collodi’s books, but stop-motion TV shows are mostly rare in the 80s in America. Best solution would be a short special, and add Christmas to the runtime and you get Pinocchio’s Christmas.

A lumberjack chops down a tree from an enchanted forest, who gave the lumber to Gepetto (voiced by Heat Miser’s George S. Irving). There was something so sacred, something magical that Gepetto can make a puppet out of it. Thus he made Pinocchio as his son.

Within a year later, it just happened to be Christmas. Gepetto had a talk to reflection to think what to get Pinocchio for Christmas without telling him he’s cheeky.

*Gepetto’s reflection turns into Snow Miser.*

“Mind your blood pressure. Mother warns you about that hot temper.”

-Snow Miser from The Year Without Santa Claus.

Pinocchio had a math book as a gift from his father, Gepetto He gets persuade by a Fox and Cat to bury his coins to grow a money tree (as it was from the book.) Pinocchio lost the coins to Fox and Cat, as he works for a puppet master named Fire Eater (voiced by Alan King, who I swear is Kublai losing weight.) as his puppet. Pinocchio steals one of Fire Eater’s female puppets and ran into the middle of the Enchanted Forest. After Pinocchio had a fun musical encounter with Fox and Cat, he got to the place where the Blue Fairy and the Cricket (he kicked out months ago) are at.

This is the first of the pattern I noticed in this era of Rankin Bass Christmas films, namely Christmas became an afterthought. You can argue that Christmas In July and Jack Frost started that phase, but the thing is both of those films have Christmas characters to tie it to Christmas that without them isn’t a Christmas film. Pinocchio isn’t a Christmas characters. If you take Christmas and Santa at the end out, it’s just Pinocchio’s Birthday. Hell, there’s more Cricket Christmas than Puppet Christmas, excluding the Muppets. This is part of the reason I don’t include this film as part of continuity, as more reason why I wouldn’t care for this film aside from good performances that stands out.

This is the last time we hear George S. Irving (for a while) and Allen Swift (who voiced the Fox). In fact, this is at this time of Rankin Bass when most of the actors are either retiring, moving on to other project, or being part of Rankin Bass TV shows, Bob McFadden is one of them who remain.

Much like Wind and the Willow and most of the Festival of Family Classics, I mostly wanted to avoid this film because of a famous Disney everyone praises. For every forgettable versions are made, the Disney version as well as all of their films gets better as others get worst. If you want a better Pinocchio Christmas, then go watch Two Ronnie’s sketch of Pinocchio 2, as part of their Christmas special. There’s even an anime series that had a Christmas episode. It’s a weird world we live in.

Regretfully for me to say to this film there are strings pulling for Pinocchio’s Christmas, but not in a good way. Let’s move from Italy to Ireland and too see if Christmas still means a thing.