The Life & Adventures of Santa Claus (1985)
The Great Ak calls a council of the Immortals to ask that Santa Claus be given immortality. And to justify it, he tells the history of Santa Claus. The Ak found an abandoned baby and gave it to a lioness and a fairy to raise, who named him Claus. When Claus grew up, the Great Ak showed him the evil and hardship in the world and Claus decides to live there and relieve some of the suffering. He decides to make toys for orphans, but King Awgwa, the ruler of the valley where Claus lives doesn't want the children to be happy, and there is a great battle among Immortals.
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Better Late Then Never
The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.
It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional
Watching it is like watching the spectacle of a class clown at their best: you laugh at their jokes, instigate their defiance, and "ooooh" when they get in trouble.
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.
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!
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.
**DEFINITE SPOILERS AHEAD**This is the story of the youth of the lad who became Santa Claus and how he was adopted by the faerie folk of an unspecified woods and eventually earned the right to be the immortal friend of all children in a suffering world.The story has moments of elegant insight. For example, at one point the young Claus is given a tour of the human world so that he can see how much misery and needless cruelty afflicts people throughout the world, particularly children. Like the better Rankin/Bass specials and the better stories in general, this tale does not shirk from the realities of human pettiness and suffering.But the story is ruined by moments of needless ugliness. This Santa Claus and his faerie friends encounters opposition from monsters, and Santa Claus deals with this opposition . . . by killing. He goes to war, and he kills his enemies in a battle which, while mild by adult standards, is gruesome for a children's 3-D puppetry special. Because of this, despite its wonderful beginning, I consider this and "The Leprechaun's Christmas Gold" to be two of the worst Rankin/Bass specials ever made.