Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town

Mailman Special Delivery Kluger (Fred Astaire) introduces the tale of Santa Claus. In the sad city of Sombertown ruled by the grumpy Burgermeister Meisterburger (Paul Frees), a baby named "Claus" is left to him to raise but he sends him to the Orphan Asylum. While transporting there, a wind blows the sled with the baby to the mountain of Whispering Winds. The forest creatures hide him from the Winter Warlock (Keenan Wynn) and bring him to the Kringle elf family. They name him Kris. He wants the Kringles to be the royal toy makers again but they can't get pass the Winter Warlock to bring the toys to Sombertown.

The stop-motion animation is elementary which gives it a childish charm. They're almost like little toy figurines. Even the age adds to its charm. The story is a little weird but it's a good Santa Claus origin story. I'm not that impressed with most of the songs with the exception of the title song "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town". It is one of the classic Christmas TV specials and it still holds up.

This is my favorite of all the Rankin/Bass specials (and they are all excellent). Many people get all the "Animagic" cartoons confused...so I'll try to pinpoint this one. This is not the one with Rudolph ("...the Red-Nosed Reindeer") and not the one with the Heat Miser and Snow Miser ("Year Without A Santa Claus"). This is the one with the toy-hating Burgermeister Meisterburger and.....the Winter Warlock!!

We get to see Santa Claus go from an orphaned baby raised by elves to a groovy, red-haired hip young adult who is outlawed for delivering toys to finally becoming the toy making/giving king of Christmas! We also get to see Mrs Claus as a groovilicious babe in her own right and she finally gets a name, Jessica.

Some charmingly dated scenes only add to the warm innocence of this show: like when Jessica realizes "her own town has turned against her" and begins singing of her love for and desire to be with Kris Kringle....transcending into a cornucopia of hippy-trippy flowers, swirls and polka-dots and finally catching a glimpse of her paper cutout reflection in the water fountain in the center of town. Remarkable!!

But, the show's main message is one of love and the courage to follow your heart and do what you know is right regardless of the obstacles that come in your way. A wonderful Christmas special that no holiday season is complete without.

I love the Rankin'/Bass Christmas specials. They are so timeless and relaxing to watch, and make you feel so cosy and warm, which is lacking in most Christmas movies of today. As of now, Santa Claus is Comin' To Town is one of my favourites, along with Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer and Frosty the Snowman. There are so many things to like about this special, whether it is the animation, the music or the writing.

The animation is really lovely, perhaps a tad dated, but it does have this sophisticated look that adds to the special's innocence. The music is just gorgeous, the song that Jessica sings is just beautiful beyond words. As for the writing, I agree with anyone who says this one has the best writing out of the specials to come from Rankin'/Bass, a bit like I consider The Little Drummer Boy to be the most poignant. There are some sweet moments, but other parts are very funny, whether it is the interaction between the narrator and the children which was very entertaining, or the dialogue of the toy-hating Burgermeister Meisterburger such as "Ooooooouuu, I've been bamboozled". And anything Winter says borders on hysterical, like "you mustn't mind the tree monsters. Their bark is worse than their bite".

The characters are wonderful, with Santa really charming here, and Burgermeister Meisterburger a sophisticated enough villain and a funny one too. And then we have the narrator, a wonderful one with some truly entertaining lines. And the voice work is outstanding, particularly strong work from Paul Frees in multiple roles including the villain of the piece Burgermeister Meisterburger. Mickey Rooney is his charming self as Santa/Kris Kringle, so he was an ideal casting choice, and Keenan Wynn was superb as Winter. And Fred Astaire, all I can say is like Rooney an inspired choice, and he was note-perfect. All in all, I am running out of things to say to praise Santa Claus is Comin' To Town, so little more to add than a 10/10. Bethany Cox

Great show. I loved it as a kid and my kids love it too. It's VERY early 70's from Santa's (or Kris Kringle's)Bobby Sherman-like haircut to the psychedelic song sung by Jessica (aka the future Mrs. Claus). I just saw it again last night and it was a trip. It's very cute and very innocent and I absolutely agree with the other posters here that this is from another time. I'm cynical also but I appreciate something that is done with the best intentions and with heart. Today's "holiday" fare has to be hip with lots of pop references and such. Nothing like that here. The animation here appears ancient by today's standards but the show believes in itself and it's overall very charming. But that song that Jessica sings. Whoo boy...right back to '70 alright.

This one is good, right in keeping with the others Rankin Bass did at the time. Personally, I have always liked anything with Keenan Wynn, Fred Astaire or Mickey Rooney-and the Burgomeister with Paul Frees doing the honors-is a riot.

Rankin Bass did a fine job retooling the Santa myth here, and I think that this oughta be shown more. Certainly worth your while.