'Twas the Night Before Christmas

I have always loved animation and Christmas specials. Rankin/Bass had already done some of my absolute favourites like Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer, Frosty The Snowman and Santa Claus is Comin' To Town, and I remembered Twas the Night Before Christmas from childhood. So I thought to myself, why not revisit it?

I am so glad I did. It really is a treasure. I personally would loved for it to be a tad longer, however the story still charms and the message still resonates. The animation perhaps is not the best I've seen from Rankin/Bass but it does have a certain warmth to it.

I just love the music. All the Rankin/Bass specials have great music, and Twas the Night Before Christmas is no exception. The incidental music sparkles and of the songs Even a Miracle needs a hand makes me sing along and I have to say I forgot how emotional Give your heart a try was.

Twas the Night Before Christmas has very good writing also, with the reciting of the poem Twas the Night Before Christmas bringing me back to my mum reading it at Christmas Eve to help us sleep and several parts coming across as touching. You really relate to the characters as well, even Albert, who wouldn't love talking mice though? The voice acting is very dynamic, with Joel Grey especially impressive. In conclusion, a Christmas treasure that brought all those memories back. 9/10 Bethany Cox

Actually, Joel Grey was the Father in the human family here, the clockmaker-it was George Gobel who played father Mouse. This one makes some good points about not being blinded by science and cynicsm, and keeping the faith when it, and only it, can work.

This also has Tammy Grimes and John McIver doing voice work, and adding to this show's quality.

It isn't shown on TV much now, but should be-a fine companion piece to 'Grinch' or 'Frosty.

I agree that this is a classic. I was born shortly before this cartoon was made, so it was a big part of my Christmas ritual growing up. The morale is great ("even a miracle needs a hand") and the songs are GOOD. They crept in my head at an early age and stayed there 'til this day. I see a lot of my adolescent, atheist, Ivy League self in the defiant Albert, who derides Santa as a myth, but also in Mr. Trundle, who works devotedly for something he believes in. I'm not talking literals here, people, but there's something nice about believing in something greater than yourself, or your known quantities.

This has got to be one of the most underrated, under-appreciated Christmas specials out there. Granted, the animation isn't fantastic, but the story and songs more than make up for that. I watch it every year and the songs "Give Your Heart a Try" and "Even a Miracle Needs a Hand" still make me tear up when I hear them. It's a simple message of following your heart instead of your head even when you should know better. It's not as well-known as Frosty or Rudolph (both of which I love, by the way), but given the choice among the three I'd watch "Twas the Night Before Christmas" every time. A great special not only for kids but for adults who want to feel like kids for 25 minutes or so.

'Twas the Night Before Christmas has always been one of my favorites. The story about a clockmaker who creates a singing clock to help convince Santa that people still believe in him might seem a little odd now, but the message is still clear. The songs are fantastic in this special. "Even a Miracle Needs a Hand" is one that I am singing year-round. As a kid, I always looked forward to watching this every Christmas. It wasn't until recently that I found it on VHS.

South Park did a parody of this show a few years ago in an episode of "A Crappy Christmas." I'm sure that 90% of the South Park audience didn't even get the parody, and that's a real shame.

'Twas the Night before Christmas stands tall right along with all of the other Rankin/Bass holiday classics.