Christmas Movie Reviews

This episode of The Judy Garland Show is indeed my favorite of the 26. Judy seems to be at her best, with incredible voice (as always). Guest stars are Jack Jones, Mel Torme, Tracy Everitt, Liza Minnelli, Lorna and Joe Luft. Songs include, "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas", "Consider Yourself", "Little Drops of Rain", "Santa Claus is Coming to Town", "Where is Love?", "Alice Blue Gown", "Steam Heat", "The Christmas Song", "Lollipops and Roses", "Wouldn't it be Loverly", "Holiday Medley", as well as Judy's signature, "Over the Rainbow", which she sings with much love to her two youngest children, Lorna and Joe, at the end of the show on the couch in their nightclothes. Her affection to her kids is greatly shown in this film; constantly hugging and kissing them. This DVD is a must-have for any Judy Garland fan, or if a family is looking into buying a good holiday film to watch. It's a great film anyway. I recommend it highly!

I got this show on video when it first came out and when it came out on DVD, I jumped on it. I watch this show every year as a Christmas special to brighten up the season. It is a must for anybody that loves Christmas specials. It's a true delight to see this old classic on DVD, as is all her shows. They are perfect to watch in this day and age. All I can say in regards to all the shows out so far on DVD is this...Judy Garland, in my opinion, is one of the best performers in any area of entertainment there ever was, A true legend. Buyers will not be sorry.

The Christmas episode of The Judy Garland Show was unlike any other show in the series. The set design was based on Judy's actual house, and the whole feel of the show is of a party that you are attending, not just watching. No matter that it was video taped forty years ago and is in black and white; Judy's relaxed, "what the hell" attitude makes you feel right at home. Judy's three children, Liza Minnelli, Lorna Luft, and Joey Luft are there, and guests Mel Torme and Jack Jones drop in for some holiday cheer. Tracy Everitt, a dancer from the show whom Judy repeatedly refers to as "Liza's beau", adds to the entertainment. [I don't know if Tracy Everitt (the male dancer) is gay or not, but given Liza's propensity to marry men like Peter Allen, I suspect he was less a "beau" than a friend. My apologies to Mr. Everitt if I'm off base here.] The show is full of very natural moments--things that could actually happen at a party. While singing "The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasing on an Open Fire)", accompanied on the piano by Mel Torme, who wrote the song, Judy butchers the lyrics pretty badly. A bemused Mel replies, "Close!" Later on, while carrying a punch bowl to the table, Tracy hits his head on a hanging lamp. Of course the youthful Liza wows us with a few tunes, but it's little Lorna who really impresses with a powerhouse version of "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town." Despite a temporary crack in her voice, she proves that Liza is not Judy's only daughter. And then it's eight-year-old Joey's turn to sing. Here's where you really feel like you're at a party--you have to be polite when the hostess' son shrieks out a version of "Where Is Love?" from Oliver, which can only be described as heinous. It's no wonder he didn't go into show business like his sisters. Judy finishes the show with--what else?--"Over the Rainbow". Pure magic! All in all, this is a truly charming holiday special and deserves to be seen at least once a year. I defy you to attend a better party this holiday season!

What else can you say, kids LOVE Barney. Parents will want to insert ear plugs and pretend to watch - but kids just love the purple dinosaur. So, if it's holiday time - this is the video that will entertain your child time, after time, after time,....you get the picture. p.s. It's also educational - like ALL Barney videos.

Before we had kids, I swore Barney would be banned from our house. Well, I've learned to appreciate Barney and what he teaches. Our toddler son absolutely LOVES this video. He can sit through the entire thing and he rarely sits still for anything. I'm not big on letting him watch lots of TV or videos, but this video I don't mind. Definitely worth buying.

My 4 and 2 year old girls LOVE this video this year and they LOVED it last year too. They ask for this Christmas video more than any other Christmas video. Well worth your money!

I read the review for another version, that was the Region 1 version with the extra episode. Instead, I got just the movie in the Region 2 version (Japanese/Chinese). I liked it better this way because I mostly bought it just to see the movie anyway.

If you are a /Love Hina/ fan, you'll find this Christmas movie a pleasant addition to your collection. It's realistic (as far as /Love Hina/ goes, anyway), romantic, and fits in well any time around the holidays, although it does center around Christmas Eve. If you were considering buying this but not sure whether it's worth the price, I'll affirm that the bonus features are beyond expectations; you get an entire free episode (26) of /Love Hina/ alongside the movie; episode 26 is separate, funny and can be watched on its own as a treat. If you're simply collecting Christmas specials, I'm not sure whether you'll enjoy this as much without background knowledge of the characters, but as an addition to the /Love Hina/ series it's great.

I was reading the reviews to this movie and some of them say that if you haven't seen any of the other episodes you will be bored. I haven't seen any of the other episodes except 25 and the Christmas special but more on that later, and I absolutely loved this and am going to get the other episodes!

Love Hina-The Christmas Special:
Before this I thought that the Charlie Brown Christmas Special was cool, but SCRATCH THAT! Love Hina's special is 10x better!

Love Hina- Episode 25:
This is the episode that really got me into this series. The episode is filled with very very funny scenes that are beyond hilarious!

Overall this DVD is really good. I am going to be picking up the other episodes of this show VERY soon.

Rated 13 and up: brief nudity, minor language, some violence and provocative humor.

Wow! Where to start? What a wonderful set! Well lets start with:

Santa Claus is Comin' To Town, an exciting look at how Santa began. Good to put on for young children to help answer those burning Santa questions. At some points, questions are actually asked by children about Santa, which are answered by the narrator Fred Astaire. I really like the character of BurgerMeister MeisterBurger who is one of the evil characters Santa must get past to be able to deliver his presents. The score is wonderful too, my fave being "Put one Foot in front of the Other".

The Little Drummer Boy, which is found on the same disc as Santa Claus is comin to Town is right up there with the tissue factor as another R/B special Nestor the Long-Eared Christmas Donkey. This story is about a little boy named Aaron who has had a huge tragedy in his life, bringing him to hate humans. His only friends, therefore, being a camel, donkey and lamb who dance to the beat of his drum. The strange foursome end up being a part of the very first Christmas on that very holy night.

Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer, is probably most R/B fans favourite. The Story based on the song of the same name, follows Rudolph as he battles to gain respect, due to his bright red nose. He is joined by Hermey, one of Santas elves who wants to be a dentist, not an elf, and together decide to be "a couple of misfits". It is narrated by Burl Ives as Sam the Snowman and probably has the best set of songs as a whole out of all the other R/B specials. Plus with so many other great characters, Yukon Cornelious, Abominable, Clarice, Donner and Mrs Donner and of course Santa and Mrs Claus, you can't go wrong.

Frosty the Snowman, although animated and not claymation, is still one of my faves every year. Also based on the song of the same name it follows Frosty's adventures after his birth "Happy Birthday" by a group of school children. In particular, Karen, who gets quite good friends with Frosty and tries to help him from melting. My only complaint, which I think is the same as many, is that it isn't joined by Frosty's Winter Wonderland, the proper sequel. Instead it is joined by Frosty Returns. Now, this isn't a bad effort, but when you are a big fan of R/B and you watch this, it is very dissapointing. The animation is totally different to that of R/B, the characters are all different except for Frosty and when you know there is a great sequel out there, this just doesn't cut it. I probably will watch it very rarely.

I am from Australia, and for some reason, our tv stations stopped playing all these specials that I grew up on. I was really upset, even though now I am in my twenties. Fortunately I ended up finding these through internet search, which of course led me to Amazon. I am so happy that I have these(and others) and enjoy them so much. If you have never tried Rankin/Bass before, please do!

Oh my gosh! Great little pack of movies! Good price, very enjoyable! My advice: Just buy it!

I had fairly new copies of the VHS versions of the films in this DVD set, and what a difference the DVD made. The new sound is clean and full; the colors are deep and rich with no signs of static or dirt. Thank you to the wonderful people who worked so hard to fully restore these classic treasures of childhood. We can now finally see these the way they were meant to be seen. So much care went into this new set. The shows are not in wide screen since that is the way they were originally made, being "made for TV". This set has no less than 5 classic TV specials, placed on 3 discs and each of the discs has its own hardcover clamshell case. The artwork on each of the DVD covers is the original photos and title art from the films. I remember that some of the VHS copies had cheap aftermarket art. (These are identical to the DVD's you can buy separately of the same films). There is a slipcover box to hold the 3 cases in.

The "Frosty the Snowman" disc is an animated cartoon, and the story is driven by the unforgettable song. There is a nice introduction by Arthur Rankin on this DVD, describing the process of creating this gem and what the film meant to the producers and creative staff. There is also an animator's pencil test of the film, which shows how the cartoon is made. Unfortunately they did not include the original Frosty sequel, "Frosty's Winter Wonderland". For some strange reason the disc includes a project that was made by another studio and does not look anything like their stuff called "Frosty Returns". It's really poor quality compared to everything else in this set.

The next item is the Animagic blockbuster champion of Rankin/Bass TV specials, "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer". This is one of the best family holiday films of all time, with great music, action, suspense, comedy, and adventure. The snow monster scared the heck out of me as a kid. What other show dealt with a monster by having a dentist elf pull his teeth? At 40 years old the story holds up very well. This disc is special since it returns the missing scenes and footage that the TV network had cut out over the years, to make more room for commercials. The disc has great supplemental extras too, such as a music video of the alternate song "Fame and Fortune", the original TV trailer, and a trivia game. Also has a neat caption reading alternate version you can use to help your kids with reading. The color and clarity of this disc is so good it looks like it is being played out in your living room. The stop-motion Animagic process predates the computer graphics we have today, and yet looks just as 3 dimensional. I prefer the Animagic; it gives the characters so much life and personality. And you can't help singing along with the wonderful songs; it is amazing how every word comes back to you. Tons of great songs like "Silver and Gold" by Burl Ives! The show is based on the title song that is much older than the show.

The 3rd disc does not have extras, but it has 2 specials making it a great deal. I had purchased one of the shows on VHS last year, "The Little Drummer Boy". If you have a copy in that format, throw it away. I am not kidding; the difference in the quality of the color, picture, and sound is astounding! The new DVD looks like it was filmed yesterday (while my VHS version was so blurry and static and colorless I honestly could not enjoy it). The Vienna Boys Choir performs the title song. This show is a tear-jerker, but well worth watching. By the way, this show had a sequel but it is not on this disc.

Also on the 3rd disc is "Santa Claus is Coming to Town". This is the storyline to show the history of Santa Claus, from a kid to the jolly old elf himself. What an adventure he has, battling the forces of evil to bring toys to the kids. Romance, comedy, mystery, it is all here. The Winter Warlock is still scary to me. And the cast includes Mickey Rooney, Fred Astaire, & Keenan Wynn. The musical score (background) compliments the film perfectly, and the great songs help carry the storyline. The Westminster Children's Choir sung in this film. This DVD version was also re-mastered to look like new, and it is beautiful indeed.

In closing, I was born in 1963, before we had full time cable TV, satellite, VHS, cartoon network, etc. The Rankin/Bass studios made the best holiday specials. It was a time when kids and even whole families plopped down to the TV specials at Christmas and it was an EVENT! We only had kid shows on Saturday mornings back then, and you had to wait a whole year to see these great shows again. We are very lucky to be able to buy these now and to enjoy them without the tons of commercials. I remember rushing to get snacks or bathroom breaks during commercials too. Now my son is enthralled with these shows that have passed the 40 year test of time.

If you want to see more treasure by this great studio, search for films by Arthur Rankin, or Jules Bass. Some are animated, some are Animagic but they all have great story, design, and music. Not all have made the jump to DVD yet, but buy the ones that have so they will be encouraged to release more of their library. I highly recommend:
"Here Comes Peter Cottontail"; "The Easter Bunny is Coming to Town"; "The Hobbit"; "The Year Without a Santa Claus" this DVD also has a rare treat "Nestor the Long-Eared Donkey"; "The Flight of Dragons"; "The Mad Monster Party" (a 90 minute theatrical film); "The Daydreamer"; "The Wacky World of Mother Goose"; Little Drummer Boy Book 2"; "The Emperor's New Clothes"; "Rudolph's Shiny New Year"; "Mouse on the Mayflower"; "Twas the Night Before Christmas"; "The Stingiest Man in Town"; "The First Christmas"; "Jack Frost"; and more all available at Amazon.com.

There are also 2 books sold here that I know of on this studio and their films, "Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer: The Making of The Rankin/Bass Holiday Classic", and "The Enchanted World of Rankin/Bass".

Wow! Where to start? What a wonderful set! Well lets start with:

Santa Claus is Comin' To Town, an exciting look at how Santa began. Good to put on for young children to help answer those burning Santa questions. At some points, questions are actually asked by children about Santa, which are answered by the narrator Fred Astaire. I really like the character of BurgerMeister MeisterBurger who is one of the evil characters Santa must get past to be able to deliver his presents. The score is wonderful too, my fave being "Put one Foot in front of the Other".

The Little Drummer Boy, which is found on the same disc as Santa Claus is comin to Town is right up there with the tissue factor as another R/B special Nestor the Long-Eared Christmas Donkey. This story is about a little boy named Aaron who has had a huge tragedy in his life, bringing him to hate humans. His only friends, therefore, being a camel, donkey and lamb who dance to the beat of his drum. The strange foursome end up being a part of the very first Christmas on that very holy night.

Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer, is probably most R/B fans favourite. The Story based on the song of the same name, follows Rudolph as he battles to gain respect, due to his bright red nose. He is joined by Hermey, one of Santas elves who wants to be a dentist, not an elf, and together decide to be "a couple of misfits". It is narrated by Burl Ives as Sam the Snowman and probably has the best set of songs as a whole out of all the other R/B specials. Plus with so many other great characters, Yukon Cornelious, Abominable, Clarice, Donner and Mrs Donner and of course Santa and Mrs Claus, you can't go wrong.

Frosty the Snowman, although animated and not claymation, is still one of my faves every year. Also based on the song of the same name it follows Frosty's adventures after his birth "Happy Birthday" by a group of school children. In particular, Karen, who gets quite good friends with Frosty and tries to help him from melting. My only complaint, which I think is the same as many, is that it isn't joined by Frosty's Winter Wonderland, the proper sequel. Instead it is joined by Frosty Returns. Now, this isn't a bad effort, but when you are a big fan of R/B and you watch this, it is very dissapointing. The animation is totally different to that of R/B, the characters are all different except for Frosty and when you know there is a great sequel out there, this just doesn't cut it. I probably will watch it very rarely.

I am from Australia, and for some reason, our tv stations stopped playing all these specials that I grew up on. I was really upset, even though now I am in my twenties. Fortunately I ended up finding these through internet search, which of course led me to Amazon. I am so happy that I have these(and others) and enjoy them so much. If you have never tried Rankin/Bass before, please do!

Oh my gosh! Great little pack of movies! Good price, very enjoyable! My advice: Just buy it!

I had fairly new copies of the VHS versions of the films in this DVD set, and what a difference the DVD made. The new sound is clean and full; the colors are deep and rich with no signs of static or dirt. Thank you to the wonderful people who worked so hard to fully restore these classic treasures of childhood. We can now finally see these the way they were meant to be seen. So much care went into this new set. The shows are not in wide screen since that is the way they were originally made, being "made for TV". This set has no less than 5 classic TV specials, placed on 3 discs and each of the discs has its own hardcover clamshell case. The artwork on each of the DVD covers is the original photos and title art from the films. I remember that some of the VHS copies had cheap aftermarket art. (These are identical to the DVD's you can buy separately of the same films). There is a slipcover box to hold the 3 cases in.

The "Frosty the Snowman" disc is an animated cartoon, and the story is driven by the unforgettable song. There is a nice introduction by Arthur Rankin on this DVD, describing the process of creating this gem and what the film meant to the producers and creative staff. There is also an animator's pencil test of the film, which shows how the cartoon is made. Unfortunately they did not include the original Frosty sequel, "Frosty's Winter Wonderland". For some strange reason the disc includes a project that was made by another studio and does not look anything like their stuff called "Frosty Returns". It's really poor quality compared to everything else in this set.

The next item is the Animagic blockbuster champion of Rankin/Bass TV specials, "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer". This is one of the best family holiday films of all time, with great music, action, suspense, comedy, and adventure. The snow monster scared the heck out of me as a kid. What other show dealt with a monster by having a dentist elf pull his teeth? At 40 years old the story holds up very well. This disc is special since it returns the missing scenes and footage that the TV network had cut out over the years, to make more room for commercials. The disc has great supplemental extras too, such as a music video of the alternate song "Fame and Fortune", the original TV trailer, and a trivia game. Also has a neat caption reading alternate version you can use to help your kids with reading. The color and clarity of this disc is so good it looks like it is being played out in your living room. The stop-motion Animagic process predates the computer graphics we have today, and yet looks just as 3 dimensional. I prefer the Animagic; it gives the characters so much life and personality. And you can't help singing along with the wonderful songs; it is amazing how every word comes back to you. Tons of great songs like "Silver and Gold" by Burl Ives! The show is based on the title song that is much older than the show.

The 3rd disc does not have extras, but it has 2 specials making it a great deal. I had purchased one of the shows on VHS last year, "The Little Drummer Boy". If you have a copy in that format, throw it away. I am not kidding; the difference in the quality of the color, picture, and sound is astounding! The new DVD looks like it was filmed yesterday (while my VHS version was so blurry and static and colorless I honestly could not enjoy it). The Vienna Boys Choir performs the title song. This show is a tear-jerker, but well worth watching. By the way, this show had a sequel but it is not on this disc.

Also on the 3rd disc is "Santa Claus is Coming to Town". This is the storyline to show the history of Santa Claus, from a kid to the jolly old elf himself. What an adventure he has, battling the forces of evil to bring toys to the kids. Romance, comedy, mystery, it is all here. The Winter Warlock is still scary to me. And the cast includes Mickey Rooney, Fred Astaire, & Keenan Wynn. The musical score (background) compliments the film perfectly, and the great songs help carry the storyline. The Westminster Children's Choir sung in this film. This DVD version was also re-mastered to look like new, and it is beautiful indeed.

In closing, I was born in 1963, before we had full time cable TV, satellite, VHS, cartoon network, etc. The Rankin/Bass studios made the best holiday specials. It was a time when kids and even whole families plopped down to the TV specials at Christmas and it was an EVENT! We only had kid shows on Saturday mornings back then, and you had to wait a whole year to see these great shows again. We are very lucky to be able to buy these now and to enjoy them without the tons of commercials. I remember rushing to get snacks or bathroom breaks during commercials too. Now my son is enthralled with these shows that have passed the 40 year test of time.

If you want to see more treasure by this great studio, search for films by Arthur Rankin, or Jules Bass. Some are animated, some are Animagic but they all have great story, design, and music. Not all have made the jump to DVD yet, but buy the ones that have so they will be encouraged to release more of their library. I highly recommend:
"Here Comes Peter Cottontail"; "The Easter Bunny is Coming to Town"; "The Hobbit"; "The Year Without a Santa Claus" this DVD also has a rare treat "Nestor the Long-Eared Donkey"; "The Flight of Dragons"; "The Mad Monster Party" (a 90 minute theatrical film); "The Daydreamer"; "The Wacky World of Mother Goose"; Little Drummer Boy Book 2"; "The Emperor's New Clothes"; "Rudolph's Shiny New Year"; "Mouse on the Mayflower"; "Twas the Night Before Christmas"; "The Stingiest Man in Town"; "The First Christmas"; "Jack Frost"; and more all available at Amazon.com.

There are also 2 books sold here that I know of on this studio and their films, "Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer: The Making of The Rankin/Bass Holiday Classic", and "The Enchanted World of Rankin/Bass".

You can never go wrong with Angela Lansbury. I've always known it I guess, but, when you watch this movie and wish you still believed in Santa because of Mrs. Claus, it kind of reminds you!;)
Really, the songs are terrific, and you can watch the movie over and over again! I watched it four or five times the first day I got it! It's just one of those movies you can memorize the dialouge for, and yet, still sit, watch, quote and enjoy!(Probably mostly due to Angela!)
I was a little shocked at first that the movie was taking place in 1910, but the costumes were incredible! I especially loved the exquisite red dress "Mrs. North" (Mrs. Claus...Angela) wears at the Policemen's Charity Ball!!! Coincedentally, that's also when she sings one of the best songs in the film.
The plot is easy to follow, and it really holds your attention. You just can't wait to see what Mrs. Claus will do next!

"Mrs. Santa Claus" is a holiday musical delight that features Angela Lansbury (who else?) in the title role. In an attempt to try to imitate musicals of the '40s and '50s, Mrs. Santa Claus takes a spin with the sleigh and reindeer to test her new route Santa (Charles Durning). She becomes stranded in New York City after Cupid is injured. She then becomes entranced and enchanted as she is now part of the world of Avenue "A". In New York, she becomes a sort of a governess at Tavish Toy Factory, where Tavish uses children for his toymakers. Why? It's like they're his slaves. She desparately tries to stop tavish in his tracks, and not have the children work in such conditions. At a Christmas party on Christmas Eve, Cupid is finally healed, because back home Santa, Arvo, the head elf (Michael Jeter) wonder and are worried about where she is at. Will she make it back in time? I'll let you in on a little secret...she does!! Then, Santa takes her this year on his annual trip! Kids will probably enjoy this one a lot!

I recently bought this video online. I found it delightful. It has the flavor of an old time musical. Angela Lansbury, who never disappoints, was especially delightful in this film. The other members of the cast put in an excellent performance as well. In addition, the music, costumes, and the set were terrific. I highly recomnend this enjoyable, charming movie.

Awesome. If you like Christmas, then you'll like this movie. Just as the original by Dickens, it teaches us the true meaning of Christmas. I have been hooked since seeing this movie as a young adult and it still delivers. I enjoy the American twist on Dicken's story. You won't get a Victorian town in England, but you will get a simpler America and the American entrepreneurial spirit. Henry Winkler gives a commendable performance and the supporting cast works well. All in all, a must see for Christmas.

Henry Winkler stars in this remake of the classic tale of Scrooge. This one is set in post-Depression era America and is oneof the best I've ever seen. Winkler is equally at ease as a young man with a girlfriend or an old man with an attitude. I watch this every Christmas and was delighted to discover it on DVD. You'll love it!

Like many other reviewers, I first saw this as a kid on television in '79 and Henry Winkler's "Fonzie" persona was still so much a part of the cultural fabric that it was somewhat shocking to even think of him, much less see him, as anything else.

However, I was transfixed by this adaptation on the Dickens story and was genuinely moved by Winkler's ( Benedict Slade ) transformation at the end. Winkler is simply superb: believable, funny, dramatic, and imminently likable even as the curmudgeon. The supporting cast is wonderful as well even though most of them, with the possible exception of David Wayne, will be unknown to most viewers. The actor who plays Thatcher (the "Cratchit" character in the Dickens novel) does a wonderful job of being as compassionate as the role demands without being too "soft".

The actors playing the roles of Mr. Brewster and Helen Brewster also hold their own and give Winkler solid performances to react to even with limited screen time.

The movie looks and feels like I would imagine turn of the century and Depression era New England to look and feel like to an outsider: quaint, majestic, proud; yet tired and despairing.

My only problem with the movie, and this is REALLY nitpicking, is that they simply made Winkler look too old for the latter Slade ("Scrooge") part. the movie does an excellenet job of letting us know when things are happening, even in the Christmas Past scenarios, e.g., we know Slade and Helen broke up around 1917 because of the backdrop of the war effort (WW I). The contemporary story is set in 1933 and Slade looks like he has aged forty years instead of only 16 or so. He looks MUCH older than his contemporaries. However, maybe they intended to achieve this effect to accentuate his gnarliness. I just thought it was too much. The only other thing is that many of the actors are obviously Canadian born (Mr. and Mrs. Thatcher and Helen , for example)and several times their Canadian tones and speech patterns come out. This is noticeable particularly against the distinctive New England accents employed throughout the rest of the picture.

I recommend this DVD highly for anyone who loves the Christmas season, the Dickens novel in particular, Henry Winkler, or just any good heartwarming story. I looked for this on DVD and/or VHS for almost twenty years.It was worth the wait.

In the 1980s Disney released Disney's Sing Along Songs: Very Merry Christmas Songs on VHS. This program featured Christmas songs with scenes from Disney cartoons on screen along with the words, often highlighted by a Mickey Mouse head. It lasted 30 minutes and had the following songs- Deck The Halls, Up On The Housetop, Joy To The World, Let It Snow, Sleigh Ride, Winter Wonderland, Here Comes Santa Claus (At Disneyland), Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer, Jingle Bells, Silent Night and We Wish You A Merry Christmas.

In 2002, Disney released Disney's Sing Along Songs: Very Merry Christmas Songs on DVD. Unlike what the ... Editorial Review states, this version lasts 54 minutes, and not just 30 minutes. This new DVD edition features the same songs from the VHS version, along with some additions. These include- a new version of Jingle Bells, Toyland, All I Want For Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth, The Best Christmas Of All, White Christmas, Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree, Jingle Bell Rock, As Long As There's A Christmas and Seasons Of Giving.

This program on DVD is just great for the children just as it was on VHS so I do recommend it. The special features which include a Words Of The Season Vocabulary Game, a Very Merry Musical Game and Create-A-Card Activity are also great fun for the children and very appropriate for this kind of DVD.

Buy Disney's Sing Along Songs: A Very Merry Christmas and have a very merry Christmas!!

Growing up as a child, I saw this video every Christmas season. It was almost to the point where it wasn't Christmas until this was watched. It has a lot of great Christmas songs with many clips from old Disney favorites.

It's great for the whole family, and the children will love it.

I recently bought this video for my 3 year old and he watched it over and over and over (although I think I have the 2002 release). The Disney characters sing all the true classic christmas songs and the animation is wonderful. The words appear at the bottom of the screen, so even I was able to fine tune my holiday yule vocabulary! The ending is absolutely spectacular and includes integration of most of the Disney film characters. I really enjoyed watching this video as well.

This film is neither preachy nor commercial, despite it's name and cover art. I happened to see this on HBO one afternoon while still in college eight years back, but the impression was lasting. Most specifically the scene when Jessie's father reads the story to her which allows a healing and a renewed bond between them. I was just a selfish kid then and have no idea why this film spoke so strongly to me, but I think often of that moment. With a six-month-old son now I see everything with different eyes and wish for him to be able to live as long as possible in Jessie's world because it is rough work in the apple orchard. Already I can see in his eyes that heart of childhood that had started to seem for me so gray and distant, and I look forward to watching this movie with him one day when he's old enough as I believe its message will endure.

Up in Randolph, NY, I met the REAL Star of "Prancer", BOO! He is one of several reindeer kept by a Nice man who dresses as Santa Claus and also goes with a Sleigh to libraries, schools, and nursing homes. What a Thrill to meet a real, live Movie Star like Prancer(BOO), and find out there is also a real nice man who owns him, and other reindeer. Also, another reindeer, Dancer, starred in a movie "A Christmas Secret" and you might like it as much as I liked "Prancer". 5 out of 5 Stars!

"Prancer" is the story of young Jessica (Rebecca Harrell) who truly believes in heaven and in Santa Claus. After a wooden reindeer falls from above the street after Santa's wooden sleigh and wooden reindeer are hung above the street, the reindeer is Prancer. There is a gap where Prancer used to be. Jessica later finds a reindeer in the woods, and she realizes it is the real Prancer. She tries to nurse it back to health after he's injured despite what her father (Sam Elliot) thinks. Later the whole town hears about it. After she's involved in an accident while trying to free Prancer after being put into captivity when her father sells him, the whole townspeople from the gruff veterinarian (Abe Vigoda), to a lonely aging bright red-haired neighbor (Cloris Leachman) give a party for her. Her father understands then, and they take Prancer up to Antler Ridge for Santa to come and get him. This is a perfect film for everyone to enjoy around the holidays.

A glitzy "Hollywood Musical" version of The Nutcracker.The children take the spotlight and they are basically a self-conscious bunch.The beloved Nutcracker without a soul.

The first act of this is completely boring, with no good dancing or acting. Macauley Culkin is (as always) blah, and since he is not a ballet dancer, he doesn't fit the role. Jessica Lynn Cohen is also boring as Marie.

However, the second half is very good. Darci Kistler is incredible at her age, and Damian Woetzel does some magnificent jumps and a superb turn section. Kyra Nichols' triple pirouettes are perfect, and Tom Gold radiates energy as the candy-cane.

Worth buying, I would say, but I always fast-forward through the beginning.

I can easily give this DVD four stars- maybe even five in time. This tale is interesting to dissect, because there are apparently two camps for this very famous, 110 year-old ballet: those who like it as a children's story and those who like it as an adult's. It's been staged both ways in the past, as others have already mentioned (and I won't repeat here, I promise). This version, which allows the kids to be front and center, has some stellar 'adult' moments in it: the Act 1 finale dance of the snowflakes, while not adult in content, is the personification of sophistication and beauty with its ice-blue lighting and costuming and multiracial corps de ballet. A beautiful sequence of dance which stands on its own, and which you'd enjoy replaying. The other moment comes in the second act, when the relatively innocent dances of various sweets give way to the Arabian solo of Wendy Whelan. The pink-and-purple lighting, the floating camera work, and the dancer's sexy, serpent-like movements (jeeez!!) do not resemble any other moment in this already polished film, and one can't help but think that either the director or the choreographer wanted it that way. (It's like watching Ann Reinking, Vicki Frederick, or Carol Haney on the Broadway stage.) As far as Macaulay Culkin- it didn't bother me since he was the right age (12) at the time of filming, and, frankly, he looks bored in *most* films he's in. What're you gonna do?