No matter what you celebrate around this time of year, there’s no denying that the holiday season is one of great nostalgia. For me, there’s nothing more nostalgic than indulging in holiday movies and television specials, animated ones especially. And when it comes to animated holiday specials, there’s no denying that the kings of dominating our childhood with these classics is the American/Japanese production company Rankin/Bass (named after the company’s founding animators Arthur Rankin, Jr. and Jules Bass).
Chances are you may not know the name, but you know their output — from “Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer” (1964) to “Frosty The Snowman” (1969) and “The Year Without a Santa Claus” (1974), this studio was known for their several animated Christmas specials and films, often using their special brand of stop-motion animation known as “Animagic” (there’s nothing much different about their stop-motion techniques from other films, except the designs and materials the of the models). Holiday season is almost incomplete without watching these classic specials and singing the songs from them, but which ones have had the biggest impact? Which ones have been remembered not just nostalgic throwaways but solid films in their own right? Well, pull up an ice block and lend an ear as we dive into the top 5 best Rankin/Bass holiday specials!
5. Rudolph’s Shiny New Year (1976)
A sequel to the classic holiday special made 12 years prior, “Rudolph’s Shiny New Year” is often forgotten when compared to its iconic predecessor. While it may not have quite the power or charm as the original, there’s still plenty to love about this joyful holiday special.
Taking place almost immediately after Rudolph’s famous sleigh ride, Santa discovers that Happy, the baby New Year, has run away due to everyone laughing at his abnormally large ears. With the storm that nearly caused him to cancel Christmas still going strong, however, he sends out Rudolph to find Father Time and get his help in finding Happy. Father Time then sends Rudolph to try finding the baby New Year on the Archipelago of Last Years, a group of hidden islands that represent a different year that has retired. From here, Rudolph, along with a group of new friends, travels to different islands looking for Happy while trying to also outrun the dastardly Eon, a giant vulture who can only live until he is one eon old, and with his eon almost up, must capture Happy in order to stop time.
As you can probably tell, the story has a lot more going on than the original “Rudolph” and when I first saw it, I was pretty annoyed by how much more meaty it was. I felt that a bit too much was going on, but after seeing it more and more, I really got into it. Rudolph’s development as a character shows, especially when he tries to make Happy feel better about himself despite his abnormalities, which is pretty heartwarming. The other new characters are also a lot of fun. The story’s narrator, Father Time (voiced by Red Skelton) is very charming and Rudolph’s new friends, O.M, 1023, and 1776, are all very funny and add a lot of charisma to the adventure. While I think Eon could have been a better villain in terms of his design, his motivations and wicked laugh really make up for it. The songs are also very fun to listen to, from “It’s Raining Sunshine” to “Turn Back The Years” to “Have a Happy New Year”, this soundtrack is easily one of Rankin Bass’ most catchy.
My only real problem with the special is that it doesn’t really have much continuity with the original, since Rudolph, who was nearly full grown by the end of the original, still looks like his younger version here, and characters such as Hermey, Clarice, Yukon Cornelius, and The Bumble are nowhere to be found and aren’t even mentioned. But that doesn’t take away from the overall enjoyment I get from watching this every year. At the end, this is still a Rankin/Bass special that will still have you laughing and singing all the way through!
4. The Little Drummer Boy (1968)
The shortest special on our list, “The Little Drummer Boy” is certainly not small on quality. The 25 minute special is one of Rankin/Bass’ few forays in the more religious side of Christmas, their other being the 1977 “Nestor The Long-Eared Christmas Donkey,” but this is easily their best attempt at it. Based on the famous Christmas song of the same name, the special expands upon the source material, focusing on a young drummer boy named Aaron who dislikes people after a band of bandits killed his parents, leaving him an orphan. Soon, a nasty desert showman named Ben Haramad kidnaps Aaron and his animal friends after discovering that the boy’s drum has the ability to make animals dance. After Aaron disobeys Haramad and makes a fool of him in the town, Haramad sells the boy’s camel to the Three Kings and Aaron quickly goes after them to get him back. However, after his lamb gets hit by a chariot, Aaron must play his drum for the new born baby Jesus in order to save him.
This special is much darker than a lot of other Rankin/Bass films, down to the overall lighting and character design, made to look nastier and less colorful than the ones in their other works. The story is of no exception, especially with the murder of Aaron’s parents. However, by the end of it all, there is a sense of beauty and gratefulness from the most simple of kind gestures that you really want to feel around this time of year. The villain is also one of Rankin/Bass’ best. Just about everything from his voice (provided by Jose Ferrer) to his wicked actions to his catchy song number, “When The Goose is Hanging High”, make Ben Haramad one wicked crook. Speaking of which, all the songs, albeit very few, are also very well done with “Why Can’t The Animals Smile?” being a very fun number and the titular song performed by the The Vienna Boys’ Choir easily being my favorite version of the beautiful, soothing song ever performed. While the stop motion in this special is especially jerky, even for Rankin/Bass standards, there is still enough for people to really enjoy with this one and I highly recommend it.
3. The Year Without a Santa Claus (1974)
Have you ever wondered what things would be like if Santa decided to take a year off ? Well, Rankin/Bass decided to answer it with this colorful holiday classic. Between Thanksgiving and Christmas, Santa begins feeling sick and the doctor recommends he stay in for Christmas, also noting out that nobody really believes in him anymore anyway, so there wouldn’t be much of a difference. So Santa decides to do just that and cancels Christmas. Mrs. Claus, however, while understanding that her husband needs rest, also believes that there is still good will out there and sends out Santa’s two lead elves, Jingle and Jangle to find anybody who still believes in Santa Claus. The two, along with Vixen the reindeer, end up in Southtown USA, where they have difficulty finding anyone who believes in Santa. After Vixen gets caught by the dog pound, the two elves go to the mayor of Southtown to try and free her. Finding their story hard to believe, however, the mayor says that they must make it snow in Southtown in order to make him believe anything about their story. From there, Jingle, Jangle, Mrs. Claus, and a young boy they befriend named Iggy, must try to get Snow and Heat Miser to agree to make it snow in the South.
While there are plenty of perks to this special, including its fun soundtrack, playful designs, solid voice acting (particularly by Mickey Rooney, who voices Santa Claus), and creative premise, what has arguably helped this special stand out over the years are the characters of Snow and Heat Miser. Performed magnificently by Dick Shawn and George S. Irving respectfully, chances are you’ll be laughing at these two characters so much with their exaggerated animation, catchy song numbers, and comedic back and forth dialogue that you’ll forget that they’re supposed to be the villains. The two characters are so childish that they are finally convinced to work together to make it snow in Southtown when Mrs. Claus gets their mom (who, btw, is Mother Nature) to tell them what to do. It’s elements like that that really help these characters ultimately steal the show by the end. There’s a lot to enjoy, making this a Christmas classic.
2. Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964)
The classic TV special that made Rankin/Bass the powerhouse they are today and the longest running television Christmas special of all time, it’s not hard to see why generation after generation has fallen in love with the one and only “Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer.” The well-known story, based on the popular Christmas song, follows Rudolph, a red nosed reindeer who gets picked on and shunned by his peers for his abnormality. He soon meets Hermey, an elf whose dreams of becoming a dentist are also constantly squandered, and the two decide to run away together and find somewhere where they belong. The two then befriend the comedic prospector, Yukon Cornelius and, in an attempt to try avoiding the Abominable Snow Monster (aka The Bumble), the trio ends up on the Island of Misfit Toys. Here, they find a group of toys that, due to their abnormalities, have no children to love, and Rudolph and his friends agree to tell Santa to try giving them a home. Rudolph soon leaves his friends, fearing his glowing nose will get them in danger with the snow monster, and decides to go it alone. After some time, Rudolph decides to return home and must save his family from The Bumble. Once they all return back to Santa’s workshop, however, a huge snow storm is preventing Santa from seeing his way through the skies, and it is up to Rudolph’s glowing nose to lead them through the darkness.
While the film definitely takes a lot of liberties from the original song, the changes made add a lot of fun to the basic story. With the collection of colorful characters, such as Sam the Snowman (performed wonderfully by Burl Ives), Yukon Cornelius, whose booming voice and rugged attitude are all too enjoyable, the Bumble, who admittedly scared a lot of us as children but is a fun villain regardless, and the several odd toys on the island, along with what are arguably Rankin/Bass’ best songs including “Holly Jolly Christmas,” “Jingle, Jingle, Jingle,” “The Most Wonderful Day of The Year” and many more, it is no wonder as to why “Rudolph” has charmed millions all over the world. What has ultimately resonated with audiences over the years, however, is the touching message that no matter what you were born like, you can still accomplish great things and for that, Rudolph really has gone down in history.
1. Santa Claus is Comin’ To Town (1970)
So what special could top such a monumental film like “Rudolph?” Only what is easily Rankin/Bass’ most heartwarming, creative, and fun-filled special, “Santa Claus is Comin’ To Town.” Based on the classic song, special delivery Kruger (voiced by Fred Astaire), answers the questions that kids send in about Santa such as why he where’s a red suit, why he leaves toys in stockings, why he comes down chimneys, and many more by going into his backstory. Here, Santa, (voiced to pitch perfection by Mickey Rooney), is an orphan who is raised by a family of toy-making elves known as the Kringles, who have no longer been able to deliver their toys due to the evil Winter Warlock not allowing them to go over the mountain into town. As an adult, the orphan, named Kris Kringle, decides to deliver the Kringles’ collection of unused toys to town, barely escaping the Warlock’s path on his way. He makes his way to a place called Sombertown, a depressing place ruled by the mayor, Burgermeister Meisterburger, who has outlawed toys after an incident he had with one. From here, Kris must find several ways of outwitting Burgermeister in order to deliver toys to the unhappy children of Sombertown and the many traditions associated with Santa are born.
There is just too much to love about this special. The story is just great. The ways that the film interweaves Santa’s backstory and all the traditions don’t feel forced and the story knows how to pace itself out with some heartwarming sequences and fun musical numbers, such as “The First Toymakers to the King,” “Be Prepared To Pay,” and especially “Put One Foot In Front of the Other.” The characters are also fantastic. The film takes a risky move, showing Santa as a young man throughout the majority, but it works given his fun-loving and absolutely joyous personality, which comes a lot through Mickey Rooney’s energetic voice performance. The Winter Warlock is also a great character, starting off as a rather terrifying villain, but after receiving a toy from Kris and learning to appreciate the kind gesture, becomes a funny yet sympathetic sidekick who helps Kris pull off many of his traditions, such as making his reindeer fly and lighting Christmas trees. Burgermeister is easily Rankin/Bass’ best bad guy. He is both intimidating and hilarious, with his over exaggerated animation and accent, and has one killer villain song with the number “No More Toymakers to the King.” However, what surprised me was the very ending with Kruger’s speech about why Santa exists. The speech always succeeds at warming anyone up inside and makes you realize why your parents told you about those wonderful myths on Santa Claus growing up. That’s really the best way to sum up this special-it makes you feel warm inside. With its creative premise, spectacular assortment of characters, catchy song numbers, and heartwarming message, “Santa Claus is Comin’ To Town” remains Rankin Bass’ best and is a holiday classic that you can’t miss.
Mikael, 18, is a freshman at the Savannah College of Art and Design in Atlanta. Mikael has made a host of stop-motion and claymation short films, including his popular Donald Trump VS webseries and his award-winning short film “The Tree That Refused To Fall,” which can all be found on his YouTube channel, Cyclops Studios.
