Couponing to Disney

When I was young, I used to love the holiday specials. I think in part it was one of the things that definitively told me it was growing closer to whatever day I was looking forward to. One of them was Halloween and the other was Christmas. There were a variety of animated specials, some of them based around whatever Saturday morning series was popular at the time, but there were others which weren’t tied into anything in particular and yet managed to become classics. Among these were the works of Rankin-Bass and although at such a young age I didn’t know who was behind the creation of the specials, they still have stayed with me all these years.

That brings us to The Original Christmas Specials Collection which has also been released in the past as the Original Christmas Classics. This isn’t the first time that these unforgettable animated specials have come to home video and it seems like each year there is a new version of the collection released to home video. This year it’s the Deluxe Edition which includes most of your favorite stories in high definition although there are a few that in some people’s opinions, myself included, should have been added as well.

The first Christmas special that Rankin-Bass produced was Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer which debuted back in 1964. What some may not know is that the song that most are familiar with wasn’t were Rudolph originated from and it also wasn’t some existing folk tale but instead it was creative marketing on the part of Montgomery Ward. Rudolph was in fact created for their annual Christmas coloring book and the character proved to be so popular that it resulted in songs and various animated versions of the story. It’s a story that everyone is familiar with these days thanks to at least one of the versions that appear in entertainment.

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer was one Rankin-Bass’ first attempt at doing stop motion animation. They might have revolutionized the world in the way that Laika Studios has today, but Rudolph has still become a classic. When you watch the series today, there are parts of it which are a bit questionable. The song itself does point out that Rudolph was bullied but, in this version, just about everyone is mean to him including Santa who seems to have more of an “I don’t really care” attitude about everything, at least until it looks like he isn’t going to be able to deliver presents on Christmas Eve.

In 1967 the studio would return to the world of Christmas specials, this time with their adaptation of The Cricket on the Hearth based on the story by Charles Dickens. Instead of stop motion animation, Rankin-Bass returns to traditional animation and apparently take a note or two from Disney but it’s a rather unmemorable tale. The Cricket on the Earth is plagued with third rather animation and there doesn’t seem to be enough of a story to fill a mere 30-minutes so instead the special resorts to having a song thrown in every few minutes. I didn’t recall ever having watched the special when I was little and now having sat through it I would assume that either it never aired much or I found it to be so horrible when I was younger that I blocked it from memory completely.

The next Christmas special produced by the company was The Little Drummer Boy. It is based on the song that most are familiar with although originally it was known as Carol of the Drum. The special expands on the premise of the song however and centers on Aaron, a little boy who dislikes humanity in general but is enlisted by Ben Haramed to be a part of his travelling carnival. During their travels they meet the Magi who are following the star to Bethlehem and Aaron is presented with the opportunity to change his outlook on mankind. This is another special though that doesn’t just not hold up after the decades since it’s release, but it also doesn’t have the same endearing qualities of the other Rankin-Bass specials.

1969 saw the release of another now classic story by Rankin-Bass which would come in the form of Frosty the Snowman. The story is of course based on the popular song originally sang by Gene Autry and has spawned numerous variations over the years. This is another widely known story about Frosty, a snowman who magically comes to life after the children who built him put a shabby hat on him. The always curious Frosty ends up locked in a greenhouse which melts him, at least until Santa arrives to save the day. The song was expanded as far as the story is concerned and the end result is another beloved Christmas classic.

Last in the collection is Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town which is yet another Christmas special based on a popular song but also works in the story of Saint Nicholas. This is among the most popular of the Rankin-Bass specials and is one that virtually everyone has seen along with Frost the Snowman and Rudolph. It’s another story which has become a classic and for many, it isn’t Christmas without watching it once.  The story is essentially telling the story of Santa although in a highly fictional manner. Going into the real backstory of Santa would probably bore most children to tears. It’s still a charming story however and one that really did help to give children yet another indicator that Christmas was just around the corner.

While this isn’t a bad collection, there is at least one special that I really was hoping would be included and that was The Year Without a Santa Claus. I honestly would have much rather seen this as a part of the set as opposed to The Little Drummer Boy and The Cricket on the Hearth, two specials which I really feel don’t necessarily have the same degree of magic that the other Rankin-Bass works do. There are a few extras included with the set. The Animagic World of Rankin/Bass is perhaps the best and it’s a look into the history of the company. Outside of that there are a few other tidbits but nothing that is nearly as impressive. The set also doesn’t include any digital copies of the specials despite some of them being included with single-disc releases.

These classics have been making an appearance back on television on occasion which shows that there is definitely still an audience for them outside of just those who remember them fondly. The mere “specials” I knew growing up have for some become a tradition of sorts and a part of the holiday viewing experience that includes these as well as a few other holiday specials. As previously written, The Original Christmas Specials Collection has seen a release or two in the past but with each passing year it seems that more and more of them are becoming a part of the world of high definition and hopefully years to come will see other variations of these classics come to home video for all generations to enjoy.

Mike is the resident reviewer for Couponing to Disney and his own site Underland Online. He has a toddler daughter and is obsessed with Haunted Mansion and all things Disney. You can read Mike’s complete bio here.