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Apologies for the Billy Joel reference in the title but I couldn't help myself. This is the final stop-motion special from Rankin/Bass. They certainly go out on a creative note here. This is one of their most different and interesting specials. Obviously influenced by the popularity of fantasy material in the '80s. Everywhere you looked you saw stuff with magical creatures or wizards or enchanted realms. Rankin/Bass had dipped their toe in this already with Rudolph & Frosty's Christmas In July several years before, as well as many traditionally animated cartoons based on The Lord of the Rings. Oh and, of course, The Last Unicorn. This special here was based off of a book by L. Frank Baum, the creator of Wizard of Oz.

It's a fairly involved plot for a Christmas special. A council of immortal beings must decide if Santa Claus should be given immortality. From here, we get the origin of Santa, as told by the Great Ak. To say this is different from the origin of Santa previously released by Rankin/Bass would be an understatement. This is pretty trippy stuff but also very fun.

The stop-motion animation is beautiful, as you would expect from Rankin/Bass. It's some of their most creative work and it's just a shame it came at the end. The story is imaginative and interesting. It's dark in places and certainly isn't the toddler-friendly specials of before. The voicework is terrific and the characters are enjoyable. The music is nice, though not their best. As with all Rankin-Bass specials, I of course recommend it. But I would give a special recommendation for this one to people who are fans of fantasy stories but perhaps don't normally watch Rankin-Bass specials.

This was one of my favorite Rankin-Bass productions. This particular telling of the Santa story is based on L. Frank Baum book of the same title: "The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus." The immortals are gathered by the Great Ak to decide whether or not the mortal Santa deserves the honor of becoming immortal (something the immortals can only grant once). The story is narrated by Ak and recounts how he found the young babe and watched over him as he was raised by some of the nymphs and animals that fell under Ak's jurisdiction.

As with any Rankin-Bass stop animation production the creature concepts can be wildly imaginative (and scary... the Nooks tend creep me out, but I wouldn't mind a plush version of one) and be sure that there are numerous musical outbursts as the story progresses.

This Baum story has also recently received an animated retelling. I am saddened that this particular version does not receive as much airing time, but I am very grateful that we always recorded Christmas specials when I was younger.

I recommend this to anyone who enjoys Rankin-Bass holidays escapism and has an imagination that enjoys being stimulated.

I would just like to comment on the last posting. This is NOT claymation! This was made with stop-motion puppets not clay. Yes there is a difference. Each puppet is painstakingly made by hand,First pre-production drawings of each puppet are made,an armature is created,Someone has to sculpt a character,molds are made,foam latex is put into molds then puppets are baked in an oven,Artists paint the details,clothing has to be made...so on. I want to educate people on this so there will not be any confusion in the future. Sorry if I am preaching...I take this seriously. In conclusion, I do agree this movie is quite enjoyable! Happy Holidays!

I thought this was a beautiful and surreal stop motion animated film. It's certainly superior to the cell animation version. I thought it was beautifully done by the Rankin / Bass people- who brought us such classics as Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, The Little Drummer Boy, Frosty the snow man, among many other holiday specials. I don't think this has been released to DVD yet and it's a shame that it hasn't been.

It's a true classic. It's based on the short story by L. Frank Baum, author of The Wizard of Oz. In fact, though neither movie tells you this, the immortal fairies in this story are the ones who enchanted The Land of Oz to begin with.

If you love beautifully done fantasies and stop motion animation I highly recommend this movie. I read another review that called this film pagan and frightening- I think this person was looking for reasons to hate it and simply didn't understand the fantastical creatures portrayed. It's not scary at all, it's quite beautiful, just not what you'd expect. You should keep an open mind when viewing it, it's quite beautiful.

when i first saw this movie, i completly loved the songs, but now that i've got it recorded and got another look at it, i found that i loved the storyline. the characters were amazing, i loved how they represented themselves, and the scenery, i just loved this film for........ everything it had.

It's rare that I would recommend a bad movie.

Throw all your notions about what Christmas was all about, because on this ride, there is nothing but pure anti-fantasy. OK, I could not stop looking at this while it was on, primarily because it is supposed to be a Christmas themed show....or so I thought.

The weirdness compounds at an exponential rate while not really knowing what this was about. Honestly, my young sons were laughing out loud at how bizarre this was. I'm surprised Hitler and Lincoln didn't mud wrestle in this strange attempt.

Before I found out anything about it, I was saying to friends who had seen it, but wanted to hear my take on it, that it was as if Lord of the Rings went to the North Pole, and the battle for Middle Earth was fought where gingerbread men should have been baked.

This should be one forgetful show. The only reason I mention it is because, not knowing anything about it, looking at it from the perspective of someone who recognizes the "Rudolph" like animation, it takes you by surprise and leaves you saying "Huh?", "What the heck?", and "Oh My God!" so much, that it is actually entertaining.

It makes me wonder if there is a Russ Meyer Christmas Special hidden in some garage.

The only reason I ever even heard of this was by putting in blank VHS tapes out of boredom one day when I was about 10. For me this movie has special meaning because I used to watch it with my buddy when we were little. We could probably recite almost ever word and sing every song.

But about the movie itself, it is a rare gem that almost nobody has ever heard of. This is a side of Christmas that is so refreshingly different, bearing absolutely no resemblance to any other Santa story ever written, capturing the Christmas spirit in its own way.

This gets a full 10 from me for the stunning art-work of its creation and magical creativity that brought it to life.

Go get it! Journey with Clause from the forest of Berzee to the Laughing Valley of "Ho Ha Ho" in this one in a million production. Expect the unexpected with characters such as Peter Nook, the great Ak, and the commander of the wind demons.

In this adaptation of L. Frank Baum's story, produced by Rankin Bass, we see how Santa came to be, from his origin an immortal to his dedication to bringing presents and happiness to kids around the globe. It's a better story than the 'true meaning of Xmas' crud we're used to in Xmas Specials. Erasing th 'birth of Baby Jesus' angle was also a wise move.

I'd never heard of the novel until I saw this special, but it seems kinda similar to The Wizard of Oz. The music by Bernard Hoffer is also notably better than the usual medley of Xmas carols. I guess it doesn't rate too highly among the rest of the holiday clutter, but certainly worth watching.

AWESOME CLAYMATION Christmas CLASSIC...a must have for the Christmas holidays .It is unfortunate that the networks no longer show this tale of how Santa Claus becomes the symbol of Christmas. This tale has gods ,elves,fairies and Santa Claus . If you like the Lord of the Rings ,Harry Potter and other Rankin and Bass classics , then this will be a welcome addition to your movie collection.I have seen this movie so many times and every time I see something new. However, do not buy this UNLESS YOU CAN STAND SEEING IT YEAR-ROUND.This is sort of hard to find so get it when you see it .I OFTEN SEE THE WELL KNOWN OTHERS LIKE RUDOLPH THE RED NOSE REINDEER AND THE ABOMINABLE SNOWMAN but this one is sort of rare .

My brother put this on because he had heard that it's a good and underrated special. This was thoroughly not the case, but I'm still glad I watched it.

This special was clearly trying very hard to be the next big 80's epic fantasy. Right out the gate, you get a council of immortals and several fantasy races. The sheer absurdity of so much fantasy worldbuilding for a Rankin-Bass special about Santa Claus made me laugh. I really did enjoy watching this movie, but only because it's fun to make fun of. Everyone walks weird. Young Claus looks, sounds, and behaves like Pinocchio from that one animated movie where he's voiced by Paulie Shore. If you watch it on Prime Video with subtitles on, the sound effects are written out in all lowercase, so you get incredible lines like "roar" and "chime chime". I laughed so hard, I couldn't breathe. It was a blast.

That being said, the flaws of the movie were disappointing. It's very serious for a Rankin-Bass movie, and the plot isn't quite interesting enough to keep it from getting dull. The only intentional humor comes from Tingler (yes, that's his name), an elfy guy in the Jar-Jar Binks family of unnecessary comedic sidekicks. His only joke is saying words in multiple languages, which is inherently not a joke. In addition, none of the songs are very good or memorable. There are only three or four, or maybe five - it's hard to tell which ones count as songs. Discounting the ones that are extremely short or perplexingly long (the one where they chant "immortality" for like five minutes), the only real song is Big Surprise, an entire musical number about fifteen children all wanting one specific singular carving of a cat. I think it's because Santa Claus invented toys or something. And based on the structure of the plot, this movie should be retitled "The Life and Maybe One Very Short Adventure of Santa Claus". The only real conflict is resolved without Santa's help (though the fight scene is admittedly cool), and he achieves his goals very easily. The pacing is abysmal, to the point where I was baffled when I realized the film was over. There isn't even much in the way of explaining how the Santa lore came about, which is disappointing from the studio who brought us Santa Claus is Coming to Town.

Overall, this forgotten special is forgotten for a reason. If you're looking for a new holiday tradition, this special isn't for you. But if you're looking to riff on a bad movie with some friends or family? Maybe give this a watch. (And remember to turn on subtitles!)

The 1980s were truly an odd time for Christmas specials, and this one has got to be one of the strangest ones I have ever seen. This time, Rankin and Bass have decided to make a special based on the fever dream that was originally written by L. Frank Baum, the author of The Wizard of Oz. I'm sure the source material was already just as weird. The characters in this special are rather frightening in appearance, so this probably wouldn't be a good viewing experience for young children.

The basic idea of a mortal man like Claus being considered for immortality by a council of God-like creatures was an interesting concept, although I think it could have been made more family friendly. And in this version, Claus is raised by these God-like creatures all his life and sees the human world from a different perspective, never wishing to leave. Watching this special, the designs and dark themes reminded me a lot of Lord of the Rings, and the Great Ak kinda resembled Gandalf.

It's also in this special that Santa Claus suggests to his elf and animal friends that they could commemorate his memory each year after his death by decorating a tree, which is a theory about where the modern Christmas tree came from. That's a great way to de-commercialize the whole Christmas tree issue I suppose.

i gave this movie a 1 out of 10 because there was no option for a zero. the original print and all copies of this movie should burned.

my first impression was "only a D&D fan could enjoy this." but D&D fans, however strange to the rest of us, have wonderful imaginations, which the creators of this movie do not. cheesy creatures with goofy, meaningless names do not make a story.

Christmas stories fall into two categories: secular and religious. this movie defines a whole new category: crap.

please don't waste your time on this movie. you will never get the hour back.

If you prefer fantasy to holiday hokum, you'll want to check this one out. A little dark at times for very little ones, this stylish take on the Santa story will appeal to older children or little ones accustomed to fantasy and fairy tale themes. Alive with Faerie folk of all kinds it offers a colorful journey through Santa's life. Santa is not spared the horrors of the human world, however, and this story illustrates how he developed compassion for the human race. Very moving in parts, this story gets to the heart of the Christmas spirit, without getting preachy or religious.

The synopsis of this movie I will leave alone for now, as the previous comment pretty much had that down pat. As a child of the 80s myself, this movie is easily my best Christmas memory. The fantasy, the unexpectedly dark plot, beautiful imagery...all of these things make this one of the most memorable Christmas movies I could think of.

For those of you looking for a classic movie full of love, warmth, cheer, and all of the other TYPICAL feelings associated with a Christmas movie...I would pass this one up. The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus throws in elements of suspense, fear, sadness, and eventually relief...not commonly associated with a Christmas flick. Agreed, it IS a bit on the dark side for a holiday movie. However, would I recommend this for a truly unique and unexpected treat for older viewers? Without a doubt. The younger kids may not be able to sit still, but the older kids (including my generation) won't be able to shut up about it afterwards.

If you want something TRULY indescribable and unforgettable in your movie collection, I'd go for The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus.

In the Forest of Burzee, The Great Ak gathers the council of Immortals to consider granting immortality to Santa Claus. It's his last night unless he becomes immortal and continues his yearly ride. The Great Ak recounts his life. He is found as a baby and raised by a Wood Nymph named Necile. After seeing the suffering of people and the violence of the world, he sets off to give joy to the world.

It's Rankin/Bass animated special. It's a lot of myth making and a little complicated. Quite frankly, I would like a simple story and probably a story not told in a flashback. On the other hand, it has the appeal of good over evil. I'm sure that people who saw this as children would have some nostalgia. I'm not one of those. This is fine.

This movie was excellent, very original and thought out. This movie another Rankin Bass classic (In my mind) is for once a dark Rankin Bass film! It's a holiday from the sweet happy go lucky film. It show how the man we all love (Santa) struggle to begin his career and later on becomes immortal. This show the side of Santa's life that we never see. Far from stereotypical I gave this movie a 9 rating. Although this is not very popular as say Rudolph, Frosty, The Year Without a Santa Claus, that doesn't mean it's any worse. If they made this movie on to a DVD format I would encourage anyone to go out and buy it. I'm sure you'll agree with me once you watch this wonderful masterpiece stop animation.

I remember watching this one all the time after my folks taped it. As a Rankin-Bass production, and after watching the original 1980s Thundercats I started to see multiple parallels. The voices were similar (the villain is voiced by the same guy who did Panthro and also Bill Cosby's TV dad from The Cosby Show) and even the music sounds like Thundercats.

But back to the Christmas special. It wasn't until later I learned that the special was originally a novel by Oz creator L. Frank Baum. I read that book a while ago and really enjoyed it. It's like a Christmas version of The Lord of the Rings. All of the characters in this one were very unique and had personality. Yes, it's a little dark and it has nothing to do with Christianity but if you're sick of religious overtones this may be the perfect remedy.

What I'd really like now is to see this one brought back to TV or at least put on Apple TV's streaming service. I'd watch it in a second. Maybe the dark themes turned a lot of people off and that's why it's not on anymore. Still, it's a nice second viewpoint of the Christmas story.

I originally gave this a 1 but after the battle scene I decided to double the rank. During the battle, the forces of good basically put on a clinic. We see disintegrating, flower transformation, elven branch conflagration, and shrinking. The invisi-gang were totally defeated. After the battle, I totally forgot the plot of this movie. Wait, there is no plot.

First let me state that I consider each entry in Rankin/Bass' library of holiday-specials nothing short of excellent and time has proven them to be iconic as they are permanently woven into the fabric of the Christmas season. However, I prefer the style of their earlier work which was firmly rooted in fairy-tale fantasy and classic Christmassy vibes. As time went on, they seemed to veer more and more into the wizardry/magic/sci-fi side of the fantasy world; ultimately culminating in this, their last Christmas production, which almost completely tosses aside all the things usually associated with Santa Claus and instead thwarts him into a Lord-Of-The Rings type universe. (Let's pause here to remember that R/B produced some of the earliest film versions of Tolkien's tales in "The Hobbit" and "Return Of The King").

Taking place in "The Forest Of Burzee" with a cast of wood-creatures and green-haired-nymphs who each control different elements of their world, all under the rule of their leader "The Greak Ak", this special tells a different tale of the child mysteriously dropped off into that forest who eventually grows up to be Santa Claus. And the plot revolves around his impending death!? I kid you not! Should the forest creatures vote to bestow the "mantle of immortality" upon him or no? Well, let the Great Ak tell you the entire strange alternate Dungeons-and-Dragons version of the life story of St Nick, including getting on the bad side of some evil monsters who can make themselves invisible, eventually building up to an all-out war against the inhabitants of the Forest of Burzee. Whew! Pretty crazy, huh?

The "Animagic" stop-motion animation is, as always, breathtaking and so beautifully detailed and immersive that sometimes the plots don't even matter. These are fantasy worlds that seem so real, you want to jump right into the screen and explore them. At this trait, Rankin/Bass only improved as time went on, even if the stories did get a little less charming and a lot more bizarre. The songs also follow suit and are less catchy and jingly-jangly than those in "Rudolph, "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town" or "Frosty", with the exception of "Big Surprise" which is a great catchy Christmas tune in the style of the best offerings from the pantheon of wonderful timeless tracks from these specials. But the rest of the music is still enchanting, albeit in a more ethereal kind of way.

Even though it isn't my favorite from R/B (or even in the top 10) I still regularly rewatch this one almost every year. As I stated, the entire library from these masters of enchantment are fantastic with even the least of their output being magical and heads-and-tails above 99.9% of anything produced in the last four decades. And it may actually be more appealing to some others who love that early 80's sci-fi fantasy world encompassing things like He-Man, She-Ra, Smurfs, and two anime series produced by R/B themselves: Thundercats and Silverhawks!

I have watched this movie since i was little, and for all i do admit the subject and the themes used in the movie are slightly darker then the average kids movie, it is one of the best i have seen. I've always loved the entire premiose of the story, and the characters are brilliant, especially the Commander of the Wind Daemons (The Bat like Creature) and Blinky the Cat.

As a child, this was my favorite Christmas movie. It is visually stunning and exhibits great artistry in claymation and storytelling. I was enthralled by the characters and enjoyed the tale of how "Santa Claus" came to be. This story is one of compassion and empathy. It really emphasizes the message of giving to those less fortunate and understanding the plight of others. A definite must see for my kids. The movie also has fun songs and funny characters to lighten the mood. I would not say this film is too dark. It has a villain and a conflict no more fierce than any others in children's films. I believe if you give this movie a chance they won't be disappointed. Anyone who enjoyed The Wizard of Oz or fantasy stories such as The Hobbit would really enjoy this take on a classic Christmas character.