Christmas Is

I LOVE this movie and miss viewing it every Christmas, the Easter Is version is very well put together too. Just the kind of shows needed for kids today, without the violence so prevalent now.

First and foremost, I'd like to state that I never forget the true meaning of Christmas-ever! Also, I vaguely remember seeing the video for this TV special somewhere. But I never saw it-until YouTube, that is.

Anyway, this Christmas special is about Benji, who is tired of playing a second shepherd for two Christmas plays in a row. While reading the Christmas story at home, he daydreamed that he and his dog Waldo were in Bethlehem thousands of years ago, I believe. I really loved this special after watching it. And it was nice to hear one of my favorite voice actors, Hans Conried, as the innkeeper.

So that is all I have to say: I love this special and the Easter special that came out in 1974, "Easter Is." And I really wish both specials were on DVD, not the crappy M. O. D. Discs.

This is a really good Christmas special.

Waldo is a good little dog My sister's cat Chloe is sick but I hope she makes it to another Christmas.

"Christmas Is" - not as this animated TV short portrays it. But that's okay, because this 1970 film was probably meant as a sort of educational piece to encourage the children who always get the lesser parts in the Christmas play. Most live action movies about Christmas pageants show kids as the star, sheep and other animals, and shepherds - rather than the leading roles of Mary and Joseph and the magi. And, those kids are usually quite happy or okay with their roles.

Well, in this animated tale, Benji is a boy who's upset about having to be the second shepherd two years in a row. The school is at its last rehearsal and his big dog, Waldo, is at the rehearsal and makes a little mess. On his way home, Benji tells his neighbor, Jimmy, who thinks it's funny that he will be playing a shepherd.

But at home, Benji starts reading about the first Christmas. It must be a story book, because it differs from the Bible with lots of busy-ness from extra people. Pretty soon, Benji and Waldo become part of the story he's reading and he finds them there. As the nativity scene unfolds, he has a conversation with the second shepherd and discovers that his role was important in the story. Then back at home Benji is all excited and runs out to hurry back for the play that night. He runs into Jimmy and tells him he must go see it.

The film ends with the school children presenting the play and Benji reciting his line as the second shepherd.

This was the first of four shorts that Lutheran Television produced in the early 1970s that centered around Benji and his sheepdog Waldo. A lot of people put these specials down due to the limited animation style they used. Despite that the producers were able to hire a lot of talented people as the voices, it wasn't enough to save them from obscurity. Still, this is a half-decent look at the true meaning of Christmas when Benji and Waldo are transported 2,000 years back to the birth of Jesus Christ. Worth a look.