Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town (1970)
A postman, S.D. Kluger, decides to answer some of the most common questions about Santa Claus, and tells us about a baby named Kris who is raised by a family of elf toymakers named Kringle. When Kris grows up, he wants to deliver toys to the children of Sombertown. But its Mayor is too mean to let that happen. And to make things worse, the Winter Warlock lives between the Kringles and Sombertown.
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Best movie of this year hands down!
Good concept, poorly executed.
The joyful confection is coated in a sparkly gloss, bright enough to gleam from the darkest, most cynical corners.
It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.
For my family, Christmas is never complete without some Rankin-Bass holiday specials. They can be corny and their animation is a little rough, but they possess such heart, innocence, whimsy, and good faith that's all too rare nowadays in a market infested with hip cynicism.Santa Claus is Comin' to Town is dated in a way that the other R-B specials are not, yet this is not a flaw at all. If anything, the streak of late 1960s sensibilities on love and peace make this cartoon all the more interesting as the years go by. Kris, Jessica, the Winter Wizard, and the Kringles are all colorful non-conformists who rebel against a tyrannical society and must operate outside of it. That Mr. and Mrs. Claus do not get married by a priest or justice and essentially say their vows before God in the midst of nature as they flee society feels mildly hippie-ish. And that's not to mention Jessica's groovy, psychedelic number in the town square.Even without all of that, this is a great special. Its characters are human and memorable, and the story of the young Santa promotes the best qualities of Christmas: love, compassion, and hope for mankind. It's too lovely to pass up, required Christmas viewing.
A really wonderful Christmas special from Rankin and Bass. I kind of wish I had these growing up, but I'm glad they are still around today. Fred Astaire plays a mailman that decides to educate us about the origins of Santa Claus. This was done in a very original way, and handled a lot of the traditions in a way I hadn't heard before. In the town of Somber, toys are outlawed. Enter Kris Kringle, a man raised by Elves that love to make toys and have no way of delivering them. We are introduced to some wonderful characters, such as The Winter Warlock and Topper the lost penguin. The songs aren't as memorable as other specials, but the film has so much creativity and charm that I was taken in by it all. Will certainly be promoted to my yearly watchings.
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
Well you better not pout or cry cause Santa Claus is coming to town...This animated classic that chronicles the birth and life of Santa Claus as he fights conformity in order to deliver toys to the children of the world. So will Santa overcome the dreaded Burgermiester or the Evil Warlock? Well now you should check it out.This movie is really corny and the voice acting is pretty bad but at the same time this movie actually has a plot to it and entertaining sing along songs for the children. As movies go this belongs as a Christmas classic and therefore though my least favorite of the classic animated films I have to give it props and it is a million times the quality of some of the ones I've viewed. So if you have a family to watch this with you should definitely enjoy this film.