Every year about this time I write a column about a favorite Christmas holiday film. I know you're all probably tired of hearing me extol the virtues and greatness of ITS A WONDERFUL LIFE but what can I say? How about something different this year?
For those of you who have finally joined the blu-ray revolution you can now own a great collection of some of your favorite Christmas classics on blu-ray. From ClassicMedia pick up THE ORIGINAL CHRISTMAS CLASSICS. This set includes for holiday favorites from the folks at Rankin-Bass, three of which I feel deserve to be called classics and a fourth included because it's a sequel.
On the low end you have FROSTY THE SNOWMAN, a fairly decent look at the character from the song about a snowman who comes to life when a magic hat is placed upon his head. I say low end because this is traditional TV animation here with a focus more on transforming a story into a modern setting and that almost never succeeds. It does so here but not completely. Rather than just have fun with Frosty only to see him melt away until next year we have a story of a despicable lame magician whose hat it was that made Frosty come to life. Wanting to keep the only successful piece of magic he has, he continues to pursue the hat while little girl Karen keeps trying to save Frosty by getting him to the North Pole. It's a cute movie that the kids will enjoy and parents can ignore.
The worst piece included here (sorry it's true) is FROSTY RETURNS. While the main character is the same the entire story and way it's told is far from festive. Frosty comes back but the problem this time around is an evil corporate inventor who has created a product that melts snow. This way folks don't have to shovel drives or deal with the white stuff, they can just spray it away. This movie is Christmas as seen through the eyes of the sixties protestors, out to save the environment and bring down the evil corporate giants who want to ruin things. In so doing they ruin the meaning of Christmas and create a cartoon that lacks anything worth watching.
On to the good...no the GREAT stuff. First off is SANTA CLAUS IS COMING TO TOWN. This is one of the animated puppet films that the Rankin-Bass studios were known for. It tells the whole story behind Santa Claus, how he got his name, why he wears red, how he got to the North Pole...almost anything any child could ever ask. If you've enjoyed this over the years you'll know who I'm talking about when I mention the bad guy's name, Burgermesiter Meisterberger. His attempts to stop children from playing with toys is famous but so is Chris Kringle's ability to continue to deliver toys made by elves. While most kids and teens today will have no idea who Fred Astaire is, he narrates the entire thing with help from Mickey Rooney as Santa (yet another actor lost to this generation).
I've saved the best for last. This four film box set comes with the greatest of all Christmas time TV shows, even better than A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS or HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS. Those may be two and three on my list but how could anyone NOT love RUDOLPH THE RED NOSED REINDEER? Once again the Rankin-Bass studios used animated puppets to tell the tale of a couple of misfits found in Rudolph with his glowing nose and his friend Hermy, the elf who wanted to be a dentist. Their adventures after leaving the North Pole and finding things like their friend Cornelius the gold digger, the Island of Misfit Toys and the terrible creature known as the abominable snowman later to be called the Bumble are legendary. At least to kids who grew up after the shows premiere back in 1964.
To this day kids watch this show on a yearly basis when it comes on TV. And while it's great to wait for that day it's even better to be able to watch a pristine version on your TV via blu-ray. The crisp colors and sharp focus make this show a treat for the eyes and the songs you've come to know and love make it one for the ears. It is a Christmas gift that you can enjoy whenever the mood strike this way. You may end up watching it more than during winter months!
There is a simple pleasure in waiting to watch your favorite shows as they play out in real time on television. And that can still happen. But it's also nice to know you can have these in your collection to watch when you want to, perhaps even on Christmas Eve before putting the kids to bed. It might even make them head there sooner so they can lay awake, to excited to sleep, waiting to hear the bells of Santa's sleigh with Rudolph in the lead. It might.
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