Reviews (419)

Still one of my MOST favorite movies!!!
My mother tells me that when I was little, I used to make her rent this movie every week. I still remember what the old cover looked like. I have to say that I bought a copy a few years ago and I still watch it every once and a while. I know all the songs by heart - I can still repeat my favorite lines - This is an incredible movie for all ages that I think everyone should watch to get a glimpse of that magic of the imagination that we tend to forget exists after we've grown up!

The plot of the movie is based on the book by Peter S. Beagle(read it if you like fantasy!), but I have to say that I like the movie better. Of course, the author did the screenplay, so that might explain why the movie is so good. It's about a unicorn searching the world for others of her immortal kind. On her journey, she meets humans who help her on her path, like Schmendrick(sp?) the bumbling magician who transforms her into a human woman to carry out her quest, Molly Grue the cynical outlaw, and Prince Lir who becomes a hero for her sake. But some of those she meets, like Mommy Fortuna the witch and King Haggard with his castle by the sea, will try to stop her from solving the mystery of her lost people. Will she be able to hold onto herself long enough overcome the ominous Red Bull who drove the other unicorns down all the roads long ago?

Again, I say that this is one of the movies that defined my childhood, one of the things that convinced me I wanted to be a writer and believe in the magic of imagination. This is a great movie for kids, but there's plenty there for an adult to appreciate as well. Buy it and watch it!!! It's worth it.

An exquisite film... not quite for everyone, I believe
I recall seeing this movie on TV when I was like 8-years-old and its beauty and meaning really affected me. Not again a film has touched me the way this did. I am not giving away what is about, only thoughts and images. The journey of the last unicorn that runs thru the world to find her lost kin and finds love instead... A clumsy but noble magician named Schemndrick... A sad woman who has lost almost everything... A bitter and lonely king searching for hapiness and his adopted son, who will turn to be a hero... A haunting world with wonderful landscapes... An overwhelming score by Jimmy Webb and America... Let's just say that if you like fantasy and still carry with you that good old inner child and also have a taste for melancholy, this film will stay with you. But, if you are into happy endings, better stay away.
Even at that early age I saw this picture, I had a sense of loss and sadness when it ended. I think that actually, it changed me forever. A part of the innocence was gone, in a good way. It deals with deep and mature matters, kind of heavy and serious for an animated flick, but I think it's good for a child to learn to think and awaken sensibility.
I am not sure to recommend it for little children, 3 to 5... I think it's too much for them. From 7 and on, they can appreciate it more, and better for a 10 year-old. There's some middle cursing also, like "hell" and "damn", so very concerned parents should avoid it until their little ones are a little grown up.
The cast is great. Christopher Lee shines. Mia Farrow, Alan Arkin and Jeff Bridges are also here and deliver powerful performances.
Read the book which this movie was based on, written by Peter S. Beagle -who made the screenplay too, thank God, for it is perfect.
An unforgettable, beautiful, charming, touching, thought-provoking, heart-squeezing movie that you can fall in love with.

AVOID
This is a very good film that has yet had a decent video release here in the US. This DVD release is a disaster.

This particular print has several major defects. First this movie suffers more than most when cutting it from widescreen to full screen. But the pan-and-scan job (the technique used to make a widescreen film fit on a regular television) was also totally botched leaving many scenes showing only half a face or character.

There is also many color problems. The print is biased to red. Dark scenes, of which there are many, show a red tint. Related to this is that the greens are subdued. Many objects that should be green show as blue.

The print is also grainy showing more video noise than normal.

The soundtrack is extremely harsh sounding making it dificult to listen to.

I'd recommend you seek out the widescreen version which has none of these problems.

The Last Unicorn
I have seen this movie over 100 times and I really believe it is one of the greatest films of our time. I loved it as a kid and I don't know that I fully understood it, because now as an adult I appreciate the heart that goes into this film. It is a beautiful love/life story about being true to who you are. I cry almost every time I watch this, it is definetly worth buying.

good movie bad singing
It a good movie, with a good plot. The characters were good and well drawn. the only problem was the singing, now the songs were good. But they got people who thought they could sing who couldn't. But other then that a good buy. ... Read more

Reviews (53)

The Original "Monsters Inc."
If you grew up on "The Munsters", "The Addams Family", old MAD magazines, and "Monster Mash", don't miss "Mad Monster Party", a great and goofy animated monster spoof from the late '60s. I never heard of it until recently, but this is good stuff and quite sophisticated for its day. Rankin/Bass, known for their many holiday-season shows ("Rudolph", "Frosty The Snowman"), pulled out the stops here with their animatronic horror-movie characters. MAD regulars Jack Davis (artist) and Harvey Kurtzman (writer) were involved. So were Boris Karloff as Dr. Frankenstein, and Phyllis Diller as- well- Phyllis Diller in a Bride-of-Frankenstein cape! Trust me, it works. This is "Monsters Inc." three decades early, complete with cool Henry Mancini-ish monster-movie jazz and classic movie-monster caricatures. The unsung hero is Allen Swift, one of the best voice-over guys of the '60s and a fantastic Hollywood-legends impressionist. Allen does all the male voices except Karloff: Jimmy Stewart (for Felix, "Uncle Boris"' nephew), Bela Lugosi (for Dracula), Alec Guinness (for Dr. Jekyll), and an absolutely fantastic Peter Lorre (as "Yetch", Frankenstein's leering butler). All this and King Kong too! I think this might have gone right over the heads of kiddie-show audiences in the '60s, making it a cult item now. But I read that this was Tim Burton's favorite movie before he did "Batman" and other neo-monster hits.
Me? I'm not sure whether I want to follow up with the original
"Bride of Frankenstein", "Young Frankenstein", or go find "The Maltese Falcon" to see the real Peter Lorre! Anyway, if an animated movie from the '60s wakes up all kinds of memories for a big kid of 47, it's worth a look. "Mad Monster Party": it's the real "Monster Mash"!

A MONSTER MASH
This is a much sought after title by horror fans who grew up with the UNIVERSAL CLASSICS in the 60s & 70s. No FREDDY, JASON or MICHAEL here just good clean fun. TNT used to show this until there copy was stolen from there video archives & the film hasn't been seen on TV in several years. The movie is a RANKIN/BASS production (famous for their CHRISTMAS movies) from 1968, with monster designs by top "MAD MAGAZINE" artist JACK HARRIS. Originally BORIS KARLOFF was not to play himself but after he saw clips from the film he joined the team of creative talent behind the first true HALLOWEEN (""Animagic") cartoon. It's a classic tale of suspense, love & skullduggery with a lot of cornieness thrown in to boot. Hey it was made in the 60s! The plot involves DR. FRANKENSTEIN (who it just so happens has recently created the most deadly chemical compound to date) planning his retirement party. He along with his beautiful assistant FRANCHESSCA invite all the old gang (the old gang just so happens to be all the CLASSIC UNIVERSAL MONSTERS) to his island retreat in the middle of nowhere & also his normal human(?) nephew FELIX gets an invitation. FELIX of course has no clue what his UNCLE does nor who he keeps company with. The quirks of his shipmates goes completly unnoticed by him as he bumps into them one by one on the journey to DR. FRANKENSTEIN's castle. All goes well until DR. FRANKENSTEIN reveals who he's going to entrust his duties to upon his retirement. What ensues is a murder attempt on the unsuspecting heir by those that feel they should recieve DR. FRANKENSTEIN's duties. PHYLLIS DILLER gives a top notch-over the top performance as THE BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN as only she is capable of. DRACULA, THE WOLFMAN, THE INVISIBLE MAN, THE CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON, FRANKENSTEIN, THE BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN, THE MUMMY, A ROCKIN' SKELETON BAND, KING KONG (oddly enough refered to as IT...maybe to keep him a surprise or possibly avoid copyright infringment), ZOMBIES, DR.JECKYLL & MR. HYDE & even a nod to PETER LORRE as portrayed by the love struck-head loosing butler YETCH this movie has it all! It even has a TWILIGHT ZONE ending & big explosions. The trip to the island, the party scene & the sleeping arrangements are classic scenes not to be missed.

LOST CHILDHOOD
I have mixed feelings about this movie. Like everyone else I remember seeing this as a kid, but I only saw the last 15 minutes. I was mezmerized by it and for some years always searched for it on TV. It was my white whale. I never did see it until I purchased this DVD.

The quality is terrific. The colors are vivid and the image is crystal clear. There are great extras, a thick booklet and some monster cards. This is a bargain. An absolute steal.

Having said all this I was sorta disappointed in the movie. The story is just O.K., but nothing special. After all these years I guess I just expected to be blown away or have it rekindle memories. I still give it 5 stars, but I did not find my childhood in it.

My advice is that if this movie was special to you when you were a kid either don't purchase or buy it knowing it will not be as good as you remember.

A Rollercoaster of Monster Proportions
I had never seen a model/puppet movie before in my life because at first I thought they were rubbish but when my parents came home one day they had bought me Mad Monster Party on video , when I saw the box I was quite intrigued and put it on straight away and DAMN THIS MOVIE IS AWESOME its got everything a monster buff wants its got EERIE MUSIC , COOL SCENERY , (...), WELL MADE PUPPETS AND SOME ABSOLUTELY HYSTERICAL MOMENTS LIKE FOR INSTANCE WHEN THE MONSTERS MATE TOLD 'FANG' WHAT IS HE GOING TO DO WHEN CAPTURED BY IT AND HE BURST INTO TEARS this movie may be too scary for young children so I recomend an older person watch it with them first time through You have got too see it too believe it

Those Mad, Mad, Mad Monsters!
Doctor Baron Von Frankenstein has discovered the secret to total destruction, and, after previously discovering the secret of life, he now feels it is time to retire as head of the Worldwide Organization of Monsters. But who will be his successor? The Baron keeps it a secret that he intends to bestow that honor on his nephew, pharmacist/soda jerk Felix Flankin. He soon invites all his Monster friends to his secluded island home for a Monster Convention, where he will reveal their new leader. Dracula, the Wolfman, the Invisible Man, the Creature, the Mummy, and plenty of others show up for the wild event, including the level-headed, young Mr. Flankin. All seems to be going well for the Baron, but little does he know that his trusted assistant, the lovely Miss Francesca, is conspiring against his wishes. She wants to be the one who inherits the Doctor's position, and all his secrets!

Mad Monster Party was one of Rankin/Bass's rare, theatrically released Animagic feature films. While it doesn't quite have the charm or timelessness of their better known productions, such as the sacred Rudolph and Frosty classic specials, Mad Monster Party is still an entertaining treat, especially for R&B fanatics and classic monster lovers. The film is often mistakenly regarded now as a Rankin/Bass Halloween Special that somehow got lost, along with all those other classic Halloween Specials, until recently. But while the film was not made as an annual TV treat, and has no mention of Halloween, it certainly could be enjoyed as such. The DVD is excellent, especially for the price, including some nice extras on and off the disc. As for the cast, Boris Karlof is outstanding as always, and so is everyone else. But, while I sometimes do enjoy Phyllis Diller, I have to admit that I found her performance as the Monster's Mate a wee bit annoying, especially when she bursts into song early on. Some of the songs are as good as the beloved Rankin/Bass Christmas fare, but a couple didn't sit quite well with me, and Diller's was one of them. Aside from that, it's all great Monster fun and I highly recommend it to those feeling nostalgic for R&B or some classic monster comedy! And if this one isn't enough for you, look for Rankin/Bass's Mad, Mad, Mad Monsters! Made a while later, and sort of a Mad Monster Party prequel, it tells the story of the Monster's wedding to his newly created Mate in traditional R&B animation. Currently it can be found only on VHS. ... Read more

Amazon.com

This DVD contains three holiday titles from Arthur Rankin Jr. and Jules Bass.

The Year Without a Santa Claus
Even Santa can suffer a case of the holiday blues. In this 1974 stop-motion holiday family favorite, a sparkly eyed Mrs. Claus (voiced by Shirley Booth) sings and tells about the year her hubby felt too weary and too unappreciated to prepare for his annual Christmas rounds. Mickey Rooney stars as the voice of Santa, a rosy-nosed puppet who travels incognito to Southtown in search of his tiniest reindeer, Vixen, and two well-meaning elves. Seems Mrs. Santa sent them to find proof of Christmas spirit--but all they've discovered is ambivalence about Santa's year off. Luckily, when Santa arrives and befriends a buck-toothed lad named Ignatius Thistlewhite, spirits begin to lift rapidly. Adult fans of this cousin to the 1970 television special Santa Claus Is Coming to Town will remember it as the Heat and Snow Miser movie. Their vaudevillian theme songs, complete with trombone and piano riffs, are hard to forget, but other treasured musical moments include "I Believe in Santa Claus," "I'll Have a Blue Christmas Without You," and "Here Comes Santa Claus." --Liane Thomas

Nestor the Long-Eared Christmas Donkey
The wondrous story of Christ's birth is told by an unlikely source: Nestor, a gentle donkey with incredibly long ears and a first-hand knowledge of life in a stable. This simple tale, which takes place in the days of the Roman Empire, is about a humble couple about to take a long journey to Bethlehem and a small, insignificant donkey that is destined to help them along. By all outward appearances, Nestor does not deserve such a privilege. Stable animals tease him incessantly for his long appendages until, finally, he is cast out of the barn into the winter cold. Snow and ice bring about even greater calamity for Nestor until he receives a dose of divine goodness. Nestor meets Tilly, a heavenly cherub (voiced by Brenda Vaccaro) who imparts guidance to the despairing burro and tells him that soon he will be chosen to participate in a miracle involving a star, a baby, a lowly stable, and some travelers named Mary and Joseph. Short and sweet, this stop-motion Christmas gem from Arthur Rankin Jr. and Jules Bass is narrated by Roger Miller. Get out the hanky for an understated holiday classic that will appeal to families of all ages. --Lynn Gibson

Rudolph's Shiny New Year
Rudolph is legendary for saving Christmas, but did you know he saved the New Year as well? While Santa Claus is recuperating from his December sleigh ride, he receives a letter from an old friend, Father Time. Seems that Baby New Year is missing, and if the little tyke isn't found, Old Year will continue forever--a catastrophe for Father Time, whose job it is to keep things moving forward. A search party is essential, yet with such thick fog, there's only one reindeer fit for the job. "Rudolph with your nose so bright, you've six days left to set things right," says Santa. Trouble hits immediately when Rudolph discovers that Aeon the Terrible, a big-beaked monster bird, is also searching for the missing baby. Rudolph gets help from a giant whale and a good-natured caveman, who dish up plenty of song and dance in between narrow escapes in their race against the end of the calendar year. Sound far-fetched? Perhaps, but it contains as much magic as its predecessors, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town, all produced and directed by Jules Bass and Arthur Rankin Jr., and written by the esteemed Romeo Muller. The same stop-motion animation we've grown to love is here as well, and narrator Red Skelton has as trusted a voice as Burl Ives and Fred Astaire. While the New Year holiday will never be as celebrated as Christmas, this title is a welcome addition to any Rankin and Bass collection of holiday films. --Lynn Gibson ... Read more

Reviews (63)

3 Wonderful Reasons to buy this DVD
Wow, 3 Rankin/Bass specials on 1 DVD, and they are such great stories individually.

The First is "The Year Without a Santa Claus", when Santa gets the blues over humans attitudes towards Christmas. Narrated by Mrs Claus, it includes as usual a great soundtrack and excellent characters. Most fans loving the best, Heat Miser and Snow Miser. Jingle and Jangle, two of Santa's elves are pretty cute also.

The Second is "Nestor, the Long-Eared Christmas Donkey", which I think is the most touching movie of the R/B collection. It is a re-telling of the birth of Christ with a sweet twist. It brings tears every watching. If you haven't seen this, it is a must. Wonderful inclusion on this DVD, especially if you want a break from the commercialism of Christmas.

And Thirdly "Rudolph's Shiny New Year", which tells the story of time, our calender year. Rudolph is asked to help Father time, when Baby New Year Dissapears. This is a must have to keep your R/B appetite filled. When Christmas is over, and you have watched all your favourite R/B Christmas specials......oh no.......but wait, there's one more to keep you entertained!

This DVD is definitely coming out at my house this Season, and everyone there-after.

DESERVES MORE THAN 5 STARS!!
This DVD is great, all three of the featured Rankin Bass Christmas Specials are gems! The Year Without A Santa Claus is my favorite. Santa Claus gets a bad cold and also gets a case of the blues when he is convinced that no one really cares about him or Christmas anymore and there is no good will so Mrs. Santa Claus with the help of two elves Jingle and Jangle goes off to try and find some good will and Christmas spirit to cheer him up. Mickey Rooney and Shirley Booth provide the voices of Santa Claus and Mrs. Santa Claus and are wonderful, also like so many other reviewers I like Snow Miser and Heat Miser and their songs, everyone seems to like the Heat Miser more than Snow Miser but my favorite is the Snow Miser. Rudolph's Shiny New Year is not as great as Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer but it is good and has Rudolph searching for Happy the Baby New Year who ran away because people laughed at his big ears and if Happy isn't there to ring in the new year December 31st will go on forever. Nestor The Long Eared Christmas Donkey is a wonderful story about the true meaning of Chrstmas and like Happy in Rudolph's Shiny New Year, Nestor is teased about his ears which are very long. I recommend this DVD set very highly to anyone who loves Rankin Bass Christmas specials, I even bought this set before I bought my DVD Player.

Nestor
If you haven't seen this movie, then you haven't experienced a true joy at Christmas. This is a wonderful movie. I own it and can't imagine not letting my children know how truly important little Nestor was to the creation of Christmas and its true meaning.

I Can't Believe I'd Never Heard of this one before!!!
I'm 16. My mother and I were watching a Rankin/Bass Christmas marathon. For years we had known and loved "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" and "Peter Cottontail," and we'd seen a few minutes of "Jack Frost" here and there, but somehow we had let "The Year Without a Santa Claus" get passed up. Luckily we saw it this year and were thoroughly delighted; it's now among our favorites. This story was totally charming. Right from the beginning, those two dumb elves were funny. Mrs. Claus was awesome...I recognized the voice of "Hazel" the maid! I ALWAYS knew Vixen was a female reindeer...the only one on Santa's team, I might add. And Vixen is a central figure in this movie. She's adorable. A feminist Christmas special?! COOL! Santa and the elves travel to a hot southern town in Dixie that never gets any snow. Santa helps a non-believing but still very good little boy change his mind and believe in him (even though the boy doesn't know it's him!)

Okay, okay, so I'm going to say what everyone else already said and knows: The best part of this, the show-stealing scenes, were those with Snowmiser and Heatmiser. The two constantly bickering brothers who seem kind of villanous but are actually pretty nice. (They seriously reminded me of my own brothers.) Their songs are SO catchy, they had my mom literally up and singing them while dancing up a storm. (This was, mind you, the first time we'd ever seen this!) Soo...there you go. The children singing "Blue Christmas" to get Santa to come back to the job was a tender moment. And of course, the Mother Nature scene rocked the house. Again, we see a female taking the screen, and in her cute little house with a nice green lawn and rainbow too. Unlike some of the other stories in this 'family' of videos, this one doesn't-as someone pointed out-center on the historical meaning of Christmas. But it still gets its point across and manages to be a touching, enjoyable treat for all. And then there's the question, does it touch upon goddess-worshipping neo-paganism? Well, all I have to say is that never occured to me...but if it does...then ROCK ON RANKIN/BASS!! Or..well..you know what I mean. Keep being watched faithfully by fans each year. And the Miser Brothers can rock on, too. Ya gotta love it when Mother Nature starts talking about her two sons and they go calling her "Mother dear." She tells Mrs. Claus: "They gave you a hard time?" And Mrs. Claus says, "Yes, but I'm sure they didn't mean to..." And Mother Nature tells her honestly, "Oh, yes they did!" Great stuff. Great, great stuff.

Most Awesome Christmas Cartoon
The Year Without A Santa Claus is the most awesome Chirstmas show of all time. I have loved this one since I was a child myself. I was always disappointed that they didn't show it more often. Now that I have it on DVD I can watch it anytime I want and do. I love all the songs in the movie from the Heat Miser and Snow Miser songs to Blue Christmas although I absolutely love the I Believe in Santa Claus song and can't believe that someone hasn't recorded it on their Christmas CD. My family thinks I am crazy since I know every word of this show. I can recite it word for word and always do when watching it. It is totaly awesome. I give this show 5 stars. Everyone should see this show. It is the BEST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ... Read more

Description

A wonderous animated version of J.R.R. Tolkein's classic about the magical world of Middle Earth and the adventures of lovable Bilbo Baggins. Featuring the voices of Orson Bean and John Huston. Year: 1977 Director: Jules Bass, Arthur Rankin Jr. Starring: Orson Bean, John Huston ... Read more

Reviews (177)

The Hobbit
"The Hobbit" is a great animated movie for the entire family. It is filled with adventure, fantasy, and fun. There are a lot of fantasy characters brought to life from the author J.R.R. Tolkiens book "The Hobbit Or There And Back Again" which I have read. And those fantasy characters are: trolls, goblins, a terrible creature named Gollum, a dragon, a hobbit, a wizard, and dwarves. Some reviewers on this site are complaining about sound problems with the DVD version of "The Hobbit" and I totally beleive them because I own "The Hobbit" animated movie on both VHS and DVD. Well guess what? I happen to own the 1996 VHS version of "The Hobbit", and I have noticed that even the new 2001 VHS version also has sound problems too because I have watched the new 2001 VHS version with my friend, who owns it, at his house. Oh well, I guess that is just the way things are in the world. But the sound problems with the DVD and new 2001 versions of "The Hobbit" animated movie are not all that bad. All it is is that some sound effects from the older versions of "The Hobbit" have been cut out. It doesn't bother me much. All in all "The Hobbit" animated movie is a great classic for the entire family. I highly recommend you buy this movie for VHS or DVD if you are a "Lord Of The Rings" book or movie fan because "The Hobbit", as you probably know is a prequal to "The Lord Of The Rings" trilogy.

The Hobbit
"The Hobbit" is a great, classic, animated movie for you and the entire family! It is filled with adventure, fantasy, and fun. There, are, a lot of fantasy characters brought to life from the author J.R.R. Tolkiens book "The Hobbit or There And Back Again" which I have read. And those fantasy characters are: trolls; goblins; a terrible creature named Gollum; huge spiders; a dragon; a hobbit; a wizard; and dwarves. Some reviewers on this site are complaining about sound problems with the DVD version of "The Hobbit" and I totally believe them because I own "The Hobbit" animated movie on both VHS and DVD. Well guess what? I happen to own the 1996 VHS version of "The Hobbit", and I have noticed that even the new 2001 VHS version also has sound problems too because I have watched the new 2001 VHS version with one of my best friends, who owns it, at his house. Oh well, I guess that is just the way things are in the world. But the sound problems with the DVD and new 2001 versions of "The Hobbit" animated movie are not all that bad. All it is; is that some sound effects from the older versions of "The Hobbit" have been cut out. It doesn't bother me much. All in all "The Hobbit" animated movie is a great classic for the entire family. I highly recommend you buy this movie for VHS or DVD if you are a "Lord of the Rings" book or movie fan because "The Hobbit", as you probably know is a prequel to "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy.

Excellent movie; terrible audio
If it weren't for some issues I had with the audio on this DVD (which I'll get to), I'd be giving "The Hobbit" at least 4.5 stars, which would round up to 5 in any event. This is a fabulous adaptation of the book. Though a few plot elements were necessarily left out, what remains is faithful to the story. The voice actors are top notch. Sometimes while reading the books, I still can't help but imagine John Huston as Gandalf, Orson Bean as Bilbo, and Brother Theodore as Gollum. I'm a big fan of the music of this movie. Some people have a problem with Glen Yarbrough. Admittedly his ballad "The Greatest Adventure" is probably the weakest song here, and it permeates the film, but every other song is taken directly from verses in the book. The gallows humor of the goblins' songs is particularly fun.

Anyway, on to the audio problems. Having watched this movie since I was a kid, I'm still able to remember it in great detail. I first noticed something was wrong at about the time Bilbo was battling the spiders in Mirkwood. Certain elements of the audio track are completely missing from this DVD version! Most of the missing audio consists of sound effects and background noises, but sometimes even dialogue falls victim. It's possible that someone unfamiliar to the movie won't even spot any problems, but to those who have seen it even a few times, the omissions are glaring. The worst instance of audio flaws comes during Bilbo's meeting with Smaug. The sense that Smaug is a huge, threatening presence is lost without all the various boomings and rumblings that normally attend him. And imagine my annoyance when the arrows of the Lakemen bounced off Smaug with narry a ping!

You'd do best to purchase "The Hobbit" on VHS. The audio track is completely intact, and you won't be missing out on any special DVD features.

"THE GREATEST ADVENTURE..."
"The Hobbit" is one of the finest animated films ever produced. It features some beautiful music, as well as some fine talent in the voicing of the characters (including John Huston as Gandalf and Orson Bean as Bilbo). Where Ralph Bakshi's "The Lord of the Rings" fails due to some lackluster animation, the scenery and characters in "The Hobbit" are beautifully rendered! Any Tolkien fan will not want to miss this!
Grade: A+

Good Introduction For Kids But Not Great
In all honesty this is a very good movie. The problem is that the book is rather dark for children. So it would be rather difficult to do a cartoon movie adaptation. However, having said that. The movie isn't so bad. I think it is a good classic for kids and a nice way to introduce the author to kids. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Not only does the incurably sleepy Hans "Chris" Andersen dream in fullcolor, this future storyteller also dreams in "Animagic." From the award-winningteam that delights youngsters annually with their 1964 classic Rudolph theRed-Nosed Reindeer (Arthur Rankin Jr. and Jules Bass), The Daydreamerblends animated, roly-headed puppets with live-action talent including JackGilford (Cocoon) and Margaret Hamilton (The Wizard of Oz). Ahunger for knowledge sends young Chris Andersen searching for the elusive Gardenof Paradise. But the Sandman (a wavy shadow, voiced by Cyril Ritchard) castsChris into a magical puppet world where he breaks a little mermaid's heart,humiliates an emperor, and causes big trouble for tiny Thumbelina. Screenfavorites like Hayley Mills, Tallulah Bankhead, Burl Ives, and Boris Karlofflend their voices to the fantasy. Best suited for sentimental Rudolphfans and kids who adore lengthy song-and-dance classics like Willy Wonka andthe Chocolate Factory, this visual candy store runs 99 minutes. (Ages 6 andolder) --Liane Thomas ... Read more

Reviews (10)

Charming but uneven
As has been previously written, this film is by Rankin and Bass the team responsible for the holiday classics Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer and Santa Claus is Coming to Town. This fillm is more ambitious and more uneven than either of those two favorites. They simply expanded on holiday legends/songs in a bright highly satisfying way. This film is a partial live action drama which features Chris (Paul O'Keefe) a young Hans Christian Anderson, whose father (Jack Gilford) is a penniless cobbler, escaping his desperate life to search for the Garden of Paradise and dropping into three Hans Christian Anderson stories (The Little Mermaid, The Emperor's New Clothes and Thumbelina all in the company's signature puppet inspired Animagic) on the way. This material has a lot of potential and the film does have some lovely sequences particularly during the Little Mermaid and Thumbelina sections. Maury Laws' songs don't reach the heights of Santa Claus or his wonderful work on The Little Drummer Boy but are tuneful and create a mood of wistful wonder. The character of Chris is fascinating too in that he initially seems simply a good hearted boy but often unintentionally betrays and abandons the characters around him and the animated sections have a darker tone than most children's programming. The religous tones (which are true to the Hans Christian Anderson original tales) in several of the stories also make this darker than the usual Rankin and Bass holiday fare.

There are problems. Often the film resorts to silly musical comedy routines to pull the audience out of the darker edges of the animated material. Jack Gilford performs in an almost vaudevillian broad comedy style and seems so powerless and impotent as Chris' father that one hopes that Chris is never forced to return home. Ray Bolger's charm is utterly wasted in his performance as the pieman and Paul O'Keefe's pleasant voice is undermined by the improbability of the situation (he's been captured for poaching and being led by rope down the middle of the town's square as the townsfolk cavort in the clearly underfunded big production number) that he's found himself stranded in. And the questions about Chris' character and his family's desperate financial straits are never resolved.

Still despite these qualms the film has undeniable charm and a certain magic pull in places. I still felt a magic shiver when Chris, caught in a seemingly inescapable situation, spies a flower magically opening up to reveal Thumbelina and a way to escape. I would certainly recommend this film to families to view together--just don't expect a seamless masterpiece or a film even as satisfying the Rankin and Bass Christmas specials.

I remember seeing this film as a child on television. I remember, even then, the print being muddy and the colors being washed out and skips cutting out moments of dialogue. What a pleasure it is to see this new DVD version of this film. The colors are full and bright and there is no bleeding and the sound is free of any pops and scratches. Not quite the labor of love their Mad Monster Party disc was but does include a brief history of the film in the insert.

Fascinating! Not your typical animated kiddie fare
This film was produced by the wonderful Rankin/Bass team - best known for their holiday masterpieces "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer", "Frosty the Snowman" and "Mad Monster Party", just to name a few. The wraparound story (which is live-action) deals with a young Hans Christian Anderson struggling to find The Garden of Paradise. On his journey, we are treated to four haunting stories, each filmed in Rankin/Bass's trademark stop-motion "Animagic". The stories are unusual in that they all end on a low note rather than a typical "Disney happy ending" - keeping true to Anderson's original tales. Included here are "The Little Mermaid", "The Emperor's New Clothes", "Thumbelina" and "The Garden of Paradise". Once again Arthur Rankin and Jules Bass have created a fantasyland of wonder and imagination filled to the brim with beautiful tunes.

Ah, to daydream...
This is another wonderful childhood movie, full of the joys and woes that come to a young boy who dares to daydream, perhaps a little to obsession. He gets into all sorts of adventures and trouble. What also trully shines is Ray Bolger as the pieman, who dances around like a playful kitten, darting about the rest of the cast with his armful of pies, and his humerous gestures. You also get to see a little Rankin/Bass version of Ray, which is equally as charming. Great movie, great to watch when you're bored, or with he family, all year round.

The Enchanted World of Hans Christian Andersen
"The Daydreamer" has some really cool animagic sequences. Boris Karloff's song and dance bit with the Rat and the Mole is one of the best things I have seen from Rankin/Bass. The underwater sequence is great, with Burl Ives, Hayley Mills and Tallulah Bankhead playing the leads of The Little Mermaid, Father Neptune and the Sea Witch.

However, overall "The Daydreamer" is a mediocre film. The live action bits are pretty bad, with nothing really passing for acting or a storyline on display. The producer went the wrong direction, buy banking on the large cast of stars who are mostly unknown today.

Given that this is a mediocre film, I would have wished for a better DVD to make up the difference. "The Daydreamer" just doesn't have the punch necessary to pull of a DVD without accompaniment. Paired with "The Enchanted World of Danny Kaye: The Emperor's New Clothes" and you would have had a must-buy. The addition of any other Rankin/Bass animagic special would have been appreciated.

animation parts are fun, live action puts you to sleep
I know there are a lot of people who love this movie. I personally enjoyed all the talented people who lent their voices to the animated characters. And sure, the DVD image is as flawless as a new release print can be. Yet the combination of several Anderson Fairy Tales and poorly written live action dialogue connecting all the animation left me wishing that about 15 minutes had been trimmed. The story of a real boy who learns about how to become an unselfish person is basically a good one and he meets lots of interesting animated characters along the way, but some actors are wasted (Ray Bolger & Margaret Hamilton). It feels like the producers had access to these people and tried any way they could to fit them into the production, unfortunately at the expense of good pacing. If you are a Rankin/Bass completist, then pick this up, you won't be disappointed. Otherwise for most of us it will make a decent rental. ... Read more

Reviews (113)

Return for Deposit
This unfulfilling animated feature takes up in the middle of nowhere as the last entity in 3 movies that make up the HOBBIT/ LORD OF THE RINGS movie series. With the exception of the HOBBIT, the story structures do not take well to cinema as the structure would have to be discarded to have a Hollywood story. Otherwise, you just get a mishmash of ideas. And that is result. All three films were questionable in areas, THE HOBBIT in its crude movement animation and elementary level songs; LORD OF THE RINGS with its boring character design and overuse of 'live action' tracing and now THE RETURN OF THE KING with its weak story structure and a boring sense of adventure. this is the worst of them all even though it bares a strong resemblance to the original HOBBIT movie. Lets hope that the live action films deliver better.

A bad movie!
This movie cracked me up. Songs like "Wheres there a whip, theres a way!" and funny lines from Bilbo Baggins like "bless my soul!" This movie is a crackup! However, despite its stupidity it really does not have the drama and climax that the Hobbitt did (this was the previous movie made by this studio).

Don't overlook this one
I have to confess that I have a great deal of affection for this animated version of ROTK. In some ways it conveys the spirit of the book much better than the Peter Jackson film, particularly in the parts with Frodo and Sam. The character of Sam comes across as more complex and convincing than Sean Astin's portrayal in the film, although I don't want to criticise the actor as I suspect this was mostly the fault of the screenwriters. And Frodo's sense of resignation is also well captured here, again much more true to the book than his terrified portrayal by Elijah Wood in the film. Much more of Tolkien's original dialogue is preserved here, which helps a lot. For instance, more of Denethor's best lines are preserved in this 90 minute cartoon than was the case with the 3+ hour movie. I also think that the music overall helps to convey the heroic and lyrical tone of the book, compared to the unrelenting horror-movie feel of the Mordor scenes in the live action film, even though much of it is admittedly silly, although even the much ballyhooed "Where There's a Whip There's a Way" has some basis in the text. I think the voice actors were excellent overall, even though I didn't particularly care for Casey Kasem as Pippin, and the Nazgul Lord did sound a little too, well, cartoonish. Still, John Huston's Gandalf will forever be the voice I hear when I read the books; a classic performance. Even though you can poke holes in this version if you want to, I suppose my only real complaint is that it failed to establish any connection between Aragorn and Frodo. Since the entirety of "Fellowship" and "Two Towers" was summed up with something to the effect that Frodo and Sam had "come far and through many brave adventures," I don't think it would have been unreasonable to provide some similarly cursory treatment to establishing that the the march on the Black Gate was for the purpose of helping Frodo and Sam. One final word: I don't mean to come across as overly critical of Peter Jackson's films. In fact I enjoyed them tremendously. However, I think this version also has a lot to recommend it. Also, please forgive me for coming across as a "Tolkien geek" but I couldn't help myself.

There seems to be a bit of confusion
The review here dated May 24, 2004 from an anonymous viewer in NJ (my home state) has CONFUSED this animated movie with the recently released Peter Jackson- Return of the King DVD.

THESE ARE TWO ENTIRELY DIFFERENT FILMS MADE MORE THAN 20 YEARS APART.

The animated Return of the King was a TV special released in 1980. For its time, it was an entertaining look at the last segment of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Keep in mind that this was targeted at a younger audience, especially those who watched the animated Hobbit film. I recall watching this in middle school, my first taste of the fantasy genre.

And I will admit, I did compare one scene from the animated Return of the King (1980) with the live-action Return of the King (2003). It was the scene with Eowyn facing off against the Lord of the Nazguls. The animated movie hewed closer to the book in that more of the actual dialogue was used.

Eowyn's speech is a bit wordy and seems more at place in a stage play than in a fast moving battle. But I did enjoy how it paused the momentum of the Battle of Pelenor Fields and you get this beauty standing on the battlefield with her long blonde hair flowing in the wind like a banner of courage. I was hoping for equal treatment from Peter Jackson, but he kept this scene short. It is a critical moment in Eowyn's character development.

PETER JACKSON DROPPED THE BALL!!!!
WHAT HAPPENED?!?!? So I see this in the video store and think 'Wow, ROtK came out already? Where's the hype, the hoopla? Oh, well, lucky me" and buy the DVD on the spot. BIG MISTAKE!

Apparently the genius who made Fellowship of the Ring & The Two Towers has gone the George Lucas route and SOLD OUT to the kiddies!!!

1 He decided to finish his masterpiece trilogy as an ANIMATED film!! WHY?!?!? And the animation SUCKS! He could at least have done it Anime or CGI!
2 He fired the original cast and replaced them with NO NAME tv voice actors! WHA-?!?!?!
3 He DUMBED it down for kids and added MUSICAL numbers. HUH??!? Since WHEN was LOtRs a friggin' MUSICAL?!?!?

I guess he decided to cash in on the rerelase of the awful 80s cartoon movie. WHY OH WHY?!?!

Peter Jackson - you dropped the ball!!! ... Read more

Amazon.com

Frosty's Winter Wonderland
It's no secret that sequels to classic TV specials rarely stack up--they're usually guilty of getting too fancy with characters and story lines, causing irritating fissures to form in our perceptions of the originals. Lucky for a new generation of holiday viewers, that's not the case with Frosty's Winter Wonderland. In fact, lining up a Frosty double feature at home in which the original is directly followed by the new title is a fully cringe-free proposition, thanks mostly to the down-homey, pleasant narration of Andy Griffith and the near-perfect portrayal of the Frosty we all know and love by Jackie Vernon. The Wonderland dialogue doesn't trouble itself with tiresome throwbacks, and even the plot isn't overly ambitious: Frosty, lonely at the North Pole, is bent on keeping his famous promise to the kids that he'll be back again someday, so when the news of a snowstorm in their town reaches him, he waddles off. But once the belly-whopping's run its course, he's lonely again. The children, hoping to salvage Frosty's stay with them, hit upon a solution: they'll build Frosty a wife. Crystal fits every snowman's fantasy of a dream bride, but will jealous Jack Frost sabotage their wintry wedding? For all classic Christmas special fans who harbor hopes that the fun can continue, it's worth finding out. Kids 2 and older will love the songs and the still-intact dribbles of silliness. --Tammy La Gorce

Twas the Night Before Christmas
Animators of all things Christmas, Arthur Rankin Jr. and Jules Bass (Frosty the Snowman) take on the famous poem by Clement Moore. Narrated by Joel Grey, the story opens on the night before Christmas, but the reading of the poem must be stopped when two creatures in the house begin to stir: family men Mr. Trundle and Father Mouse. Their restlessness stems from the fact that Santa is angry at the residents of Junctionville, returning all their letters without even opening them. The reason? Somebody wrote a letter to the editor of the paper saying that he doesn't exist. In an attempt to fix the situation, Mr. Trundle, a clockmaker, comes up with a plan to lure Santa into town with a clock that will sing an enchanting song at midnight. When the clock doesn't work on its first test, the townsfolk lose all faith in him. Turns out the cause of all the trouble is Albert, a book-smart young mouse who thinks he knows the truth about Santa Claus. There are a few good songs in the 23-minute program, whose the moral is: don't believe the kids on the playground if they say that Santa doesn't exist. --Andy Spletzer ... Read more

Description

Long, long ago, the North Pole was ruled by the good fairy Lady Boreal and her enemy was the wicked wizard Winterbolt. To protect Santa Claus from Winterbolt's foggy fury, Lady Boreal grants Rudolph the Reindeer a magical, glowing nose. Years later, Rudolph and his friend Frosty the Snowman are called on to save a needy circus at a special 4th of July benefit. But their big-top act turns to big-time trouble when Winterbolt appears -- with a plan to steal Frosty's magic hat and extinguish Rudolph's legendary nose! Brought to shing Animagic life with the voices of Mickey Rooney, Ethel Merman, Red Buttons and Shelley Winters, this feature-length fable is a must-see for all seasons.

Year: 1979 Directors: Arthur Rankin, Jr., and Jules Bass ... Read more

Reviews (11)

rankin-bass all stars reunited
If you are a Rankin-Bass fanatic like me, you will want to add this video to your holiday viewing schedule. While it's not perfect, the enjoyable parts outweigh the flaws. It's wonderful to see old friends like Rudolph, Frosty, Crystal (along with their two snow children), Big Ben, Jack Frost, and others all reunited. Winterbolt and his crew are without a doub the most scary of all Christmas villains and lend a chilling element to the story that adults will love, but which may be a bit too much for children. Though I do agree that it would have been even better to see Clarice, Hermie, and Yukon again too, the characters who DO appear are wonderful. I think you'll enjoy this one.

Sweet, fun claymation, love stories and good songs
I've given this video a less than perfect rating for it's misleading representation of circus life regarding animals. Many of the cute-looking animals we saw as living toys on the Island of Mis-fit Toys from the previous show were brought to life as circus performers. All the animals look content to have whips waved at them and perform uncomfortable acts... you don't see any cages, just animals that seem like they volunteered to be in the circus because it's nothing but fun. I know this is a kid's show and it wouldn't be appropriate to show what really goes on in the circus, but I wish a lot of the cheesy scenes w/ the "real" animals were just eliminated.

Now that I'm off my soapbox, I have to admit this was a fun film. It wasn't the same caliber story as the original "Rudolph" movie but still highly enjoyable and a fun diversion for kids who love claymation year 'round and not just in December. The songs are sweet, but not as catchy as the originals... but the most endearing part of the video is the love story between Mr. & Mrs. Claus and the love story between Frosty & Crystal. Sweet, sweet, sweet! The storylines were made to be enjoyable by all ages, and they indeed are.

f
realy like frosty cartoons all sequils especially the one i wrote the rare occasion of frosty by santas helper in 1995 if you havent read it it sells for $2.99 my email adress is norman54@hotmail.com

Christmas in July?
Finally, Rudolph and Frosty come together to share top billing in a Rankin/Bass animated feature! Winterbolt, the evil creature who caused the big snowstorm on Christmas Eve that year that Rudolph saved the day, decides to get his revenge. Apparently, Rudolph's glowing nose was a magical gift, but with a catch. Winterbolt finds out that if Rudolph ever uses his glowing nose for evil, it will go out forever! While Rudolph and Frosty(and his wife and kids) try to help out a failing circus by putting on a Christmas In July theme, Winterbolt and the rotten reindeer Scratcher try to frame Rudolph.
This is one of those things that for a long time I was unsure if it was real or a dream I had...I mean, they didn't show it anywhere for a very long time, yet somehow I remembered seeing a film with Frosty and Krystal, AND two snowkids, and I remembered Rudolph was in it too, and I remembered it was in the Puppet-animation style of the classic Rankin/Bass Rudolph, yet the Frosty characters were based very much on the traditionally animated Rankin/Bass Frosty. I still don't know if I saw it at school (they used to show us Holiday Specials, don't know if that's taboo in schools nowadays...), or if I saw it at the movies, or just on TV, but I didn't think it was a dream, so when I finally saw this being run on Cable again, I was happy to finally know. The original appeal it had for me was the fact that Frosty and Rudolph were together, and he had the fam and everything too! For me that was soooo cool! It's like House of Mouse, seeing all the Disney Characters together interacting! Or like in my all time favorite film, Who Framed Roger Rabbit! I love that sort of thing. But I admit that watching it again there is one thing that turns me off of it, and that's the whole "Christmas in July" thing. Even though I love Christmas, I'm not all that into the Christmas in July idea, it's silly. I wish it had been a new story that took place at Christmas again, but it's enjoyable nonetheless. I'm not sure though, when is the proper time of year to watch this, at Christmas or in July? For me though, I think I'd enjoy it better at Christmas since the mood is meant to be Christmassy so I don't think I'd be able to get into it otherwise...

Tedium interrupted by the brilliance of Ethel Merman
I am certain that someone thought this was a great idea. Let's take two classic holiday cartoons and make a long, tedious, poorly written musical cartoon out of them. There are more plot twists than a soap opera, and they are written about as convincingly. The only high point here is the appearance of Ethel Merman, doing a take-off of her famous Annie Oakley characterization. It is obvious that this project had been re-tooled over many years, as Merman's voice sounds younger, stronger and in complete control through most of the film. In the last part, you hear the age and wobble evidenced in Ethel's voice in her later years. Merman fans will love this; everyone else will snooze. ... Read more

Reviews (13)

A Christmas Classic
This is such a wonderful Christmas video for the family. While it may seem that the little drummer boy hates everyone, it's not true. He's just upset that his parents were killed and he's an orphan. But he learns in the end that not everyone is bad, and learns to love people. It's a great movie with great morals.

This is a must have video especially for Christmas.

A Childhood Favorite!
The Little Drummer is a wonderful claymation Christmas special from Rankin and Bass, it is about a little boy named Aaron who has hardened his heart after witnessing an act of cruelty that takes the lives of his family and he thinks that all people are bad but soon he begins a journey that leads him to the stable where baby Jesus is laying in his manger and it is a heartwarming story narrated by classic movie actress Greer Garson and featuring the voices of June Foray, Jose Ferrer and Paul Frees and I think they were all great and I think Greer Garson was wonderful, very dignified! I watched this as a young child many many times and I never found this movie scary. I thought what happened to Aaron's family was sad but the rest of the cartoon is very heartwarming and I highly recommended it!

Don't even think about letting kids see this
It horrified me as a kid. I still can't listen to the song, to this day, some 30 years later. There are several scenes that are just too much for children. There is a scene where the boy actually watches his parents BURN to death in the house, and another where a lamb is run over by a charriot. What a nightmare. I'm just grateful they don't play it on tv anymore.

Ba rump a pum pum
... This film--whether on video or Digital Versatile Disc--is haunted by--possessed of--its own stop-motion-born unease, or darkness. In order to understand this video, one must answer this question: have you ever felt a certain "hauntedness" in old Christmas decorations? That Santa from 1938 that seems unpleasant--possibly too strict? That seems more weighed down by the specter of past-reality than uplifted contemporaneously by all things made good by cultural irony and really cool new technology? (The same gray "vibe" often emanates from elderly folks' knick-knacks--uncleansed by light or anything new or hip or worthwhile in decades; sitting there, daring you to, by attempting to find them ok, at once enter the abyss of isolation and despair.) That is what is captured in and by The Little Drummer Boy; especially as via his countenance, particularly his mouth. If this sounds like what you want to do, say, 22 December, than, by all means, BUY THIS VIDEO! But if you want to do something better, then consider another video--something lighter. Something that is light and makes you forget about the very themes at play in this classic: death; nutty, strange gifts; mangers.

Too heavy handed for young children
This 1968 stop-motion animated short adapted from the song of the same name has positive and negative points. On the plus side, we have the beautiful music of the Vienna Boys Choir and a story that draws clear lines between good and evil. On the minus side, the presentation was excessively heavy handed and preachy, especially for very young children. For a young boy to proclaim repeatedly that he HATES all people is a portrayal of psychologically disturbed behavior. Going on to explain his motives by illustrating that his parents were murdered does not put this film in the category of festive holiday videos suitable for young children in my view.

Regardless of the outcome and moral of the story (that love conquers hate), many of the scenes presented here require mastery of complex emotional concepts that are beyond the sway of most kids younger than about eight to ten years. Showing scenes of the forceful abduction of a little boy and murder of his parents, animated or not, has great potential to frighten young children who will not fully comprehend that this is intended to be allegorical.

Unlike many, I don't object to the Christian theme. Religion is a pervasive part of the human condition and it needn't be censored or excoriated just because it makes certain people uncomfortable. However, the film is liberal in its use of name-calling and makes numerous highly intolerant value judgments (perhaps we weren't so enlightened in 1968, but it was abrasive by any standard).

Another thing that struck me as wrongheaded is the way giving is presented as a bargaining tool. The drummer boy doesn't play his drum as a selfless gift to the baby in the manger; he plays because he wants the baby to heal his lamb. This turns giving into a transaction, giving only to get something in return. I will grant that his motives were good, but is transactional love a message we want to send to our kids?

Overall, I would rate this film a 5/10. It is good and instructive for older children and adults, but I would strongly urge parents of children under ten years old to view it before showing it to their children to determine if its themes are suitable for their maturity level. ... Read more

Reviews (26)

Frosty's the Greatest
When Frosty the Snowman (voiced by Jackie Vernon) is magically brought to life thanks to the magic of a hat that belongs to an evil magician (voiced by Billy DeWolfe) the children couldn't be happier. But when Frosty explains to him that he will melt if it gets too hot, they decide that it's up to them to help him get to the North Pole, so he won't ever melt. On their journey they meet many new friends, and adventures, but they also have to avoid the evil magician, for he has decided that he wants his magic hat back, even if he has to melt Frosty to get it.

While the other Rankin / Bass holiday movies such as RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER and SANTA CLAUS IS COMIN' TO TOWN, are filmed with clay-type animation, FROSTY THE SNOWMAN is not. It is done simply in the form of a regular cartoon, and even so, it is still one of the most enjoyable holiday movies for children of all ages. Frosty is a kind snowman who wants to please the children more than anything. Karen (the main child chracter) loves Frosty so much, and will do anything to help him. And Hocus (the rabbit who belongs to the evil magician) is very imaginative and intelligent. As well as a hilarious addition to the cast. A must-have movie for all this holiday season.

Erika Sorocco

Made Me Cry
When I was in the first grade my friends from Pittsburgh sent us a mix video tape with several different christmas movies on it. This was easily one of the best. The movie starts at a class christmas party with a selfish magician (Professor Hinkle). Then at the end of the day the kids build a snowman in the schoolyard. Somehow Professor Hinkle's hat gets lose and the children find it and it brings Frosty to life. To make a long story short, young Karen thinks it's necessary to get frosty to the north pole before he starts to melt. So they hop a train with a refrigerated boxcar to the north pole. The magician hops aboard and wants his hat back.

Some parts are sad like when Frosty melts in the green house, Jimmy Durante does a wonderful job of narration and singing. It gets emotional at the end when He sings "Frosty the snowman had to hurry on his way, but he waved good bye saying don't you cry. I'll be back on Christmas Day!"

A GREAT CLASSIC!
The 5 stars go for the great classic of "FROSTY" not for "FROSTY RETURNS". It's still nice to have, but the classic is why you should buy this DVD. It aired on Sunday night at 7:30 - 8:00 on
CBS 12/7/69 right after another holiday classic which aired 7:00 - 7:30 on CBS..."A Charlie Brown Christmas"

Hurray for Frosty! Blah for Frosty Returns.
I'll chime in and agree with many of the other reviews I've read. Bought this disc this holiday season (as our tape is getting a bit worn - 4yo's watch Christmas specials all year long. Hehe.) Was looking forward to seeing Returns since it's not on the tape and was quite disappointed. Still, the original Frosty is as excellent now as it was when I first saw it as a child, and the DVD transfer is great.

Frosty - *****
Frosty Returns - ***

The First with Jimmy Durate Is A Classic - The 2nd - Well.
Frosty The Snowman is a great animated classic by the Author Rankin Jr. and Jules Bass people. They did all the clamiationa nd animation Holiday Favorites. This is one of the ones that was actually hand celled and animated for release.

Starring the narative talents of Jimmy Durante (It's A MAd, Mad, Mad, Mad World, Little Miss Broadway) as the story teller of how that Snowman came to life.

The story is that of the magic hat that brought to life than man mad of ice. He taught children love and the spirit of Christmas. A warm fuzzy feeling for the whole family. The songs are great and you'll be tapping your feet to the rythms of the music and especially Jimmy Durante singing the title song himself!

It includes the wonderful voice talents of Frosty himself voiced by Jackie Vernon (Chips, Night Gallery) and the many talents of Paul Fries (Jack Frost, Osmonds, Dudley Dooright) as the voice characters of Santa Clause, Traffic Cop and the incredible voice talents of June Foray (Looney Toones Back In Action, Rockie and Bullwinkle) as the voices of the Teacher and Little Karen herself. Billy De Wolf (The Doris Day Show, Tea For Two, Dear Ruth) does the amazing voice of the Evil Professor Hinkle.

The second feature on here is called FROSTY RETURNS, this sequal doesn't have the smae punch or warmth as the first and relied too much on the slapstick animation with no real story. The songs are a little weird for me. John Goodman (Rosanne, Monster's Ink and Emperiors New Groove)is the voice of Frosty and the narrator is Jonathan Winters (Swing, Arabian Nights, It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World). Andrea Martin (SCTV, Deep SPace 9)is Miss Carbucle the teacher.

The DVD extras include an introduction by the producers, behind the scenes drawings, concepts and even the original promos.

This is a greta one for the whole family. A must for all the kids to watch every Holiday Season! (12-11-03) ... Read more

Reviews (18)

Join Peter on his bunny trail
First of all, it's a Rankin/Bass animagic special, so I think I could just stop there, because that says it all!
This is a great Easter movie, with Peter Cottontail learning about responsibility in order to be the head bunny. The Characters are wonderful as usual, An evil bunny, french caterpillar, and a talking Easter bonnet joining Peter in his journey back in time. It is Set in the beautiful April Valley and narrated by Sassafras(Danny Kaye), with, as always, great songs. My faves being "Here Comes Peter Cottontail" and "If I could Only Get Back to Yesterday".
Also, as extra value for money, you get one of R/Bs cartoon features, "Puss In Boots". I don't know how many of you would remember these cartoons, but the introductions starts with a book spiralling into the centre of the screen. It then opens up and says Rankin Bass presents.......whatever cartoon it is, then all the different characters walk over a rainbow. When I started watching it, all these memories started flooding back to me from when I was little, it was such good fun to watch. Definitely worth having.
I am in my twenties and still enjoy watching R/B productions, true, that is because I grew up with them, but anybody who hasn't tried some Rankin/Bass, please do, you will be pleasantly suprised!

Hippity Hoppity goodness
"Here Comes Peter Cottontail" is another great Animagic treat from Rankin/Bass. The picture on the DVD is great, and does full justice to this classic.

Vincent Price's Irontail is one of the best villains in any holiday special. There is a special evil flair to the character, a dark bunny who rides on a giant bat and only wants to deliver mud-colored eggs. I love Danny Kaye, who does a great job as the narrator Seymour S. Sassafras.

The best scenes are Peter trying to deliver holiday-themed eggs during competing holidays. 4th of July eggs, Valentine's Day eggs, Christmas eggs and green St. Patrick's Day eggs spring from his basket. Our plucky little hero tries his best, and overcomes his self-inflicted follies in true holiday style.

Sadly, the accompanying feature "Puss in Boots" is very low-quality Rankin/Bass. It is a cheaply animated feature and does not fit well with "Here Comes Peter Cottontail." There is no Easter theme to the cartoon, and I cannot see myself watching it more than once. A better fit would have been "The Easter Bunny is Coming to Town" or "The First Easter Rabbit." This tacked-on extra keeps the DVD from getting 5 stars.

Other than that, great DVD! More please.

Best Easter mini-movie Ever!!
Every year I watch this. It's amazing. Seymour S. Sassafrass is totally lovable. Peter Cottontail and Bonnie are too cute. Antoine the inchworm is adorable too. Vincent Price is wonderfully evil as Irontail. The story is thoroughly enjoyable as Peter sails through all the holidays of the year trying to save April Valley by giving out more eggs than his rival, Irontail, and become Chief Easter Bunny. I love the music, especially "If I could only get back to yesterday." (And he can, with the Yester-morrowbile.) I love Sassafrass's colorful garden and Irontail's little bat and Halloween bash. This tape is incredible. All the quotes are so memorable, everyone knows what you're talking about when you mention them. I guess everyone's seen these videos at some point or other. And who couldn't like 'em?

worth a watch
Made by the same team of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, this is worth watching just for the animation. The animals in here are beyond cute. The first part is all right but with packing all of the holidays in, well I think they could have come up with something else. The songs aren't too memorable in this, except for one, about one night stands...I mean one day romances. The female bunny is added again at the end to ease the viewer's mind.

This is such a great movie!
I remember seeing this movie on TV as a child and I loved it. I loved the imagination of the story, the characters, the songs, the wonderful and vibrant colors and tapestry and the humor that makes this an outstanding and memorable movie. Just writing this brings back warm memories! If you liked the Rudolph and Frosty the Snowman movies, you will definitely like this one. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Bravo for the release of this obscure Rankin/Bass gem!
What ever made this show get released on DVD prior to all the other more popular Rankin/Bass specials is beyond me, but I am quite pleased to see it nonetheless. I don't even think this was ever out on video, so it's here first in all DVD splendor.

Nice to see Danny Kaye in Denmark with all the kids. My son loves the animagic the most, but has no trouble paying attention to Danny and all the kids having a grand ole time in great Danish settings.

The Enchanted World of Danny Kaye
Lacking the charm of the classic Rankin/Bass Holiday specials, "The Enchanted World of Danny Kaye: The Emperor's New Clothes" is still good fun to watch and has some really great animagic action in it, including perhaps the only fully nude animagic puppet ever made.

The mix of live action and animagic is not great, and the special would have been better as a pure animagic feature, but it was meant to launch a series of specials with Danny Kaye supplying the star power and Rankin/Bass providing the magic. Unlike the Holiday specials, this one is dated by the live action. Danny Kaye is awfully "70's." However, this is a small complaint as the special is maybe 90% animagic with only a few lead-ins by Danny Kaye. The animagic portion is charming and Romeo Muller did a great take on the traditional Hans Christian Anderson story. Imogene Coca is the voice of the flighty Princess Jane Klockenlocher, and makes for a good romantic foil for Danny Kaye's tailor. The nude Emperor's stroll through town makes this story.

The big problem with this DVD is its lack of punch. Ringing in at just under an hour, "The Enchanted World of Danny Kaye: The Emperor's New Clothes" is not enough feature to carry an entire DVD on its own. There is a short 6-minute making of documentary, which is interesting. Paired with Danny Kaye's other Rankin/Bass outing, "Here Comes Peter Cottontail" would have made for a great DVD. As an extra feature to a DVD of Rankin/Bass's other Hans Christian Anderson feature "The Daydreamer" would have been even better. As it is, probably my least favorite Rankin/Bass DVD.

This is a RANKIN/BASS Special Special!
What a GREAT find! Seeing this RARE 'ANIMAGIC' Special in DVD format is beyond words and that MAKING OF documentary is really something! With it being a RAREly seen special, my hat goes off to CLASSIC MEDIA for issueing it for all the RANKIN/BASS fans to enjoy! DANNY KAYE is wonderful in this special and glad he did another special for RANKIN/BASS besides the wonderful HERE COMES PETER COTTONTAIL! Some GREAT music in here too! You can't lose!

One of the VERY BEST family films I've EVER seen!!!
This new fully restored DVD release of "The Emperor's New Clothes" was the first time I had ever seen this Romeo Muller story, and what a gem it is!!! It has all the charm and fancy of "Santa Claus is Comin' to Town", "Here Comes Peter Cottontail", "Frosty the Snowman", "Puff the Magic Dragon", and some of his other better stories. The originality and imagination put into this story is beyond belief! It is beyond belief because it has not become a widely loved piece of entertainment. It is a shame that the other episodes in this TV series were never produced. Given how well this one turned out the other stories in this anthology series would most likely have been of equal stature. You'll be doing your family a dis-service to your family if you do not add this film to your library.

Not every Rankin/Bass Special is worth seeing...
I had only just received my wonderful copies of 'Rudolph: The Red-Nosed Reindeer', 'Santa Claus is Coming to Town' and 'Here comes Peter Cottontail' when I saw that this title would soon be availble. In my Rankin/Bass lovin' haze I quickly purchased. Now I'm no Rankin/Bass historian or nothin' ....but I do consider myself a fan. But even I couldn't find a way to be happy with this purchase. If you have kids then maybe pick it up (maybe I should have kids). Kids might like it. But any 20yrs+ people out there looking for some funky R-B nostalgia... don't waste your money. Stick with the animagic titles I mentioned above and wait for 'The Easter Bunny is Comin' to town" to be released.

This title gave me the creeps. Glad I didn't have to sit on Danny Kaye's knee. Classic? They should have kept this one in the vault. Not recommended if you haven't figured that out yet. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Bent on enslaving an entire land of nursery-rhyme characters (to minediamonds!), the dastardly Count Warptwist sneers and chortles his crooked waythrough The Wacky World of Mother Goose. According to Arthur Rankin Jr.and Jules Bass (famed creators of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer), suchcan be expected when Mother Goose leaves King Cole in charge while she visitsher ailing sister. Contorted as it sounds, the premise allows Rankin and Bass toconcoct possible backstories on literary curiosities like Little Jack Horner,Peter Pumpkin-eater's wife, and the dish who ran away with the spoon. It alsomeans an eclectic soundtrack, frequent eyebrow-raising lyrics not meant for thepreschool set, and an occasional nursery rhyme belted out by a resounding, RayConniff-esque chorus. Digital remastering for the DVD edition restores wide-awake colors, an odd juxtaposition to the sleepy characters first conceptualizedby legendary artist Paul Coker Jr. (MAD Magazine). (Ages 6 and older) --Liane Thomas ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Not as good as I remembered, but ...
Saw this when it was first broadcast on television nearly 30+ years ago, as a "No School Today" presentation. I often would bring this movie up with friends of my generation and nobody could remember it. It had a catchy opening theme song, which I never forgot. So, imagine my delight of its release on DVD.The print is excellent, and the opening theme song is great as I remember it. But this movie soon went downhill after Mother Goose left for the Moon. Some of the storylines were just too much on the level for a five year old, and soon my wife and I couldn't take much more. But we managed to get through it somehow.Get "Mad Monster Party" instead.

Mother Goose and Travelin Tyke
i dont think this video is very good. With all the other great videos for your children out there, this one just didn't stand the test of time. Just my opinion. ...

Classic Rankin/Bass animated tale.
A great mix (and rearrangement) of several classic nursery rhymes, melded into one fine animated film that should keep any child interested today, just as it did in the late 60's when it was released. My 1 1/2 year old son loves this film and stays glued to it nearly all the way through. As a Rankin/Bass fan who loves the animagic more than the animation, this is one of their best animation stories and I have no trouble watching this one again and again with my son. Can't wait til all the Rankin/Bass stuff makes it's way onto DVD. How about Kid Power or The New Adventures of Pinocchio next!!!

Quite a family film!
Just received my copy of the DVD and my kids love it! Must have played it 10 times already!!! MOTHER GOOSE fairy tales with BRILLIANT animation by our favorite animators ARTHUR RANKIN JR. and JULES BASS! A hit with the entire family!

ANCHOR BAY provides an EXCELLENT print!
In the past, this film has been released from a very poor 16 mm transfer....finally, the 35mm becomes available. It will be like seeing the film for the first time. In a cel animated feature especially, you need to see it in vivid color and the 16mm print wasn't cutting it. There is some GREAT music in this 1966 RANKIN/BASS film too! AND surprisingly, it wasn't provided by MAURY LAWS (Who was busy with another project)...it was provided by GEORGE WILKINS. Once again, JULES BASS wrote the lyrics and Directed the film. Another RARELY