Reviews

I really adore this movie and it deserves to be way more popularity than it has. It not only is in league with the likes of Rudolph, Frosty, the Grinch, and other animated tv classics, but it can shine better and brighter. It's a touching story about love, sacrifice for those you care about, and dreams coming true.

It is based on the legend that St. Nicolas gives not just children gifts but animals too; the ability to speak (God does in the original version). A calf named Annabelle is born on Christmas Eve and forms a friendship with the farmers mute grandson. She wants to fly and even have antlers like Santa's reindeer. However the boy's aunt seeks to take custody of him likely for selfish and prideful reasons. To keep the the boy on the farm with his grandfather Annabelle wishes to give her Christmas voice permanently to the boy Billy so that he can speak again.

Years later Annabelle's wish of flying is granted when Annabelle as an aged cow becomes a young reindeer leading Santa's team and her voice back. So much is right with this short film. The songs and score are excellent, the characters and their actions make sense, and the resolution is wonderful. It makes you cry happy. Yeah it is narrated by Randy Travis a country singer but it suits this movie well.

I really adore this movie and it deserves to be way more popularity than it has. It not only is in league with the likes of Rudolph, Frosty, the Grinch, and other animated tv classics, but it can shine better and brighter. It's a touching story about love, sacrifice for those you care about, and dreams coming true.

It is based on the legend that St. Nicolas gives not just children gifts but animals too; the ability to speak (God does in the original version). A calf named Annabelle is born on Christmas Eve and forms a friendship with the farmers mute grandson. She wants to fly and even have antlers like Santa's reindeer. However the boy's aunt seeks to take custody of him likely for selfish and prideful reasons. To keep the the boy on the farm with his grandfather Annabelle wishes to give her Christmas voice permanently to the boy Billy so that he can speak again.

Years later Annabelle's wish of flying is granted when Annabelle as an aged cow becomes a young reindeer leading Santa's team and her voice back.

Oh gosh is this one a disappointing and depressing doozy. It starts off promising with Splitoe the decedent of the donkey that carried the expectant virgin Mary to Bethelhem. A young donkey born with abnormally large ears is bullied mercilessly because of it. His mother even dies to keep him warm. He is given a mission to be accompanied by a cherub to be the steed of the holy family on their way to Bethelhem. Up until that time the story is just a boring bland rehash of Rudolph. I didn't rate it lower because it had to do with the real meaning of Christmas and Nativity. It would've been better had the main character not returned to his tormentors giving no reason with the sudden change of heart. The caretaker said he didn't care if Nestor froze to death. It would've been so much better is he remained the steed of the Son of God. Watch it once or twice to say you have. There are far superior Christmas movies and specials than this. No wonder it isn't well remembered. Watch Disney's Small One. It is done right.

A swell classic cartoon based on the original story by Robert May. This is the pure and simple version that isn't containing all that filler content that most filmmakers have to add in order to make it long enough (not that it is a bad thing). Rudolph the reindeer is bullied by his peers shows them up when he gets to guide Santa's sleigh during a super foggy night. His feature of amusement and taunts proves to be his biggest asset. He goes from zero to hero. Sadly it is also the ending of a dynasty with Fleischer Studio being sold off to Paramont Pictures shortly after its re-release with the song.

An extremely amateurish, half-baked project that makers had the gall to compare to Toy Story. Seriously this bland undeveloped plot doesn't stay true to its title. In fact much of the dialogue doesn't make sense or help the plot along nor do the few characters express any real emotion. They seem so wooden or plastic. You get about as much expression as dolls. The Christmas Light spoken of is barely mentioned and never shown or described in depth. None of the characters have any development or backstory other than Santa and the named elves due what pop culture and lore has given. Examples include what about the reindeer, why Santa uses an aircraft, and why he enlists the aid of some random girl? (He practically kidnaps her.) Heck the North Pole where the workshop is supposed to be resembles a national monument rather than what we expect. The score and singing don't improve it either. The plot is basically about some disgruntled elf Burton (aka the Lemon) who becomes an evil snowman through some mishap during a demonstration and is causing a bad blizzard that is a threat to Christmas. And some unseen Christmas Light makes it better. Rudolph is such a better story. This isn't as bright or stylized numerous older vintage cartoons show. At least those are fun to watch and examine. The animation and design looks rather unfinished and unpolished. It feels like you're watching an animation project made by some students. If this was the case I wouldn't be so harsh since that would make it a learning experience. Seriously many of the old Pixar shorts and early computer animated shows like Reboot and Beast Wars looked better. It is like they didn't have enough time, computers, or animators to do a better job. Gosh these visuals look dated at best. No wonder this is forgotten. It is just made to cash in on Toy Story's success.

It was so lame that the network that aired it never aired it again and even denied its airing and existence. The production company has not made another show/movie since. The special starts off promising with a narration about how special Christmas is. The opening scene talks about an evil headmistress over an orphanage who gambles away the donations meant for the kids that live there. You can tell something's off with the dead vacant stares, expressionless faces, monotone voices, and bare bones animation. Why orphans? Probably a classic and easy way to get audiences to sympathize with them. Then it takes a weird turn with these kids naming a large pine tree Mrs. Hopewell and gather around the tree asking the pine to help them practically worshiping it. Help does come in the form of Judy a new hired assistant to help at the orphanage and the she really improves the orphans' quality of lives. Eventually Judy more or less figures out about her boss Ms. Mavilda misuse of money and mistreatment of children. Ms. Mavilda in turn plots to frame Judy to get rid of her since she's gaining a lot of admiration from the orphans and the rest of the community. Judy's own two children march up to the bear ridden Subarctic with a stray dog they adopted just to get help from Santa with the girl getting separated/lost with Judy taking the news surprisingly well and Ms. Mavilda planning on cutting down Mrs. Hopewell just because she's evil. Then the mayor shows up seeing the poor quality of the clothes the kids are wearing and realize that the head keeper of the orphanage is a greedy woman using the funds for her own pleasure. Then out of extreme hate filled rage and spite, Mavilda tries cutting down the tree just to be struck by lightning by a creepy Santa who returns the missing girl and a lesson announced that you always win when you're good. (Mavilda isn't adequately punished for her misdeeds.)

The flaws of this special are many and there's nothing special about it other than how lousy it is. Watching this should be a form of punishment. The animation is uncanny and unpleasant to watch barely qualifying as animation, the eyes are dark and soulless, and the editing was poorly done too. Now the sound and voice acting is so abominable and sounds like the actors aren't trying at all. In fact they including the ones for the kids sounded like they were drunk or so garbled. Seriously didn't they try more than one take or was their recording equipment not working? Oh gosh was that moral a doozy with no justice that being good automatically makes you a winner? Why not "Tis better to give than to receive, The Savior's birth, Help those in need, or this is time for gathering and family? Good golly the dialogue doesn't help either. This movie is just total garbage because it is so poorly made, lazy, misses the point, and barely has a thing to do with Christmas. It is in league with the Star Wars Holiday Special beating out tons of stiff competition. Heck it still holds its own against the latest and lamest to date.

Being a great admirer of Rakin/Bass I was surprised that I never heard of it. Then to my great pleasure to disappointment I was able to watch it. The stop motion is stunning like previous one and the plot had promise but then it just got bland. Jack Frost a winter sprite giving joy in January falls for a human girl who's family and other people are being oppressed by a cruel leader. Jack is able to become human for a short amount of time but in order for it to be forever he must get a house, a horse, a pile of gold, and a wife. Jack fails to gain a wife because the young woman he falls for goes for a knight that she barely met causing him to become an immortal sprite again. Oh and the whole story is being told by a groundhog on why we get six more weeks of winter or have an early spring.

The visuals are quite nice but the story is bland, tedious, and less than engaging. The characters aren't that likable, relateable, or memorable. If you must watch it, watch it once or twice just to say you have. I got bored with it and it was becoming a chore to watch.