This is the best of the Rankin-Bass animated holiday specials, much more entertaining than Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, which is much better known. The songs are catchier, the invented story elements less silly and more pertinent, and the vocal performances more accomplished.
That's not to say it's perfect. The story is less silly than Rudolph, but it's still pretty silly in spots. Some of the appeal of this is a campy quality that applies to all of these shows. But the songs in this are catchy and memorable, much more so than the other shows. I think it's a shame that this has been relegated to minor cable showings while Rudolph still gets a network showcase every year.
Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town
1970
Adventure / Animation / Comedy / Family / Fantasy / Musical
Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town
1970
Adventure / Animation / Comedy / Family / Fantasy / Musical
Plot summary
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.
Uploaded by: FREEMAN
January 21, 2020 at 06:02 AM
Director
Top cast
Tech specs
720p.BLU 1080p.BLUMovie Reviews
Better than "Rudolph"
has a childlike charm
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.