Christmas Ornaments Movie Reviews

Vacation 1- 5 stars easily
European 2- 4 stars
Christmas 3- 5 stars!!!
Vegas 4- 3 stars..pretty funny, but not as good as the originals!

I hope these movies are digitally remastered, and in jewel keep case boxes this time.

A definite buy for anyone who has ever had a vacation to an amusement park across the country, European countries where your ancestors once lived, a Christmas vacation with all the grandparents, or to the wonderful city of Las Vegas. It doesn't matter, all through and through these movies are and remain funny because of their comedy, and all comedy is funny because it has a little truth, like having Grandparents over for Christmas.

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!

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".

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!

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".

Well, I waited. And waited. And waited. And finally, out of complete desperation, I just bought it.

Granted, none of the three main programs in the set are the greatest (I'm still waiting for the movies -- especially my favorite and the all-time greatest, Bon Voyage, Charlie Brown! -- and the masterfully done episodes from The Charlie Brown & Snoopy Show). And there aren't any extra features (unless you count the second episode on each disc).

But it's a great way to get all three of the first wave of holiday releases at once.

Even at $39, the box set is definately more expensive than if one were to purchase the DVD's individually. But if you search around, the set can easily be found for much cheaper.

Heck -- if you don't find a better deal, just pay the $39. It's expensive, but definately a box set to cherish.

Just please: don't pay the retail! It's not worth it.

Disk 1:

"It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown" (1966). Charlie Brown is delighted to be invited to his first Halloween Party. He goes trick-or-treating with Lucy, Violet, and several other children and gets rocks while everyone else gets candy. To Lucy's dismay, Linus has chosen to wait in a pumpkin patch all night for the Great Pumpkin to emerge.

"You're Not Elected, Charlie Brown" (1972). Charlie Brown is discouraged from running for school class president after Lucy conducts a poll; so Linus decides to run instead.

Disk 2:

"A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving" (1973). Charlie Brown is dumbfounded when Pepperment Patty invites herself and two other friends to Charlie Brown's home for Thanksgiving dinner. Charlie, Linus and Snoopy speedily put together a holiday feast, but it isn't what Pepperment Patty was expecting.

"The Mayflower Voyagers" (1988). The Peanuts gang portrays the first pilgrims that land at Plymouth Rock. They learn about the hardships of colonial life and have the first Thanksgiving.

Disk 3:

"A Charlie Brown Christmas" (1965). Charlie Brown is elected to direct a Christmas play for his school. After being asked to buy a big and beautiful Christmas tree, he returns with a puny one and is ridiculed by everyone. In the meantime, Snoopy is busy decorating his doghouse for the annual, neighborhood decoration contest. Of all Charles M. Shulz's shorts & feature-length films, this is the only one that contains a religious tone that non-Christians may or may not enjoy.

"It's Christmastime Again, Charlie Brown" (1992). Arguably not as good as the original, the message from this short is not as intense as the original. It focuses on Sally's minimal role in the annual Christmas play (as well as Pepperment Patty), and Charlie Brown wants to raise money for his girlfriend.

Though not all of the shorts contained in this three-DVD set are equally good, children and adults alike will more than likely enjoy Charles M. Shulz's legacy of characters brought to life in them. Therefore, I rate this three-DVD box set with 5 out of 5 stars.