Product Details

• Actors: Earl Hammond, Earle Hyman, Larry Kenney, Roger Miller, Brenda Vacarro
• Directors: Jules Bass, Arthur Rankin Jr.
• Format: Color, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Warner Bros.
• DVD Release Date: November 17, 2009
• Run Time: 74 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (44 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B002VA5A0M
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #37,746 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "Life And Adventures Of Santa Claus/Nestor The Christmas Donkey (Double Feature)" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Studio: Warner Bros. Digital Dist Release Date: 06/17/2011

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus (Rankin-Bass Productions), December 15, 2009

By 

Gregory W. German "Mass Pop Media Collector" (Olympic Peninsula, WA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Life And Adventures Of Santa Claus/Nestor The Christmas Donkey (Double Feature) (DVD)

I was very pleased to finally have this Rankin/Bass animagic film on DVD. I've waited over a decade to replace the poor quality bootleg VHS copy I had.

I would say that of all the Rankin/Bass Christmas-related stop motion "animagic" work this one is the most strikingly unusual. It has some excellent qualities that are lacking in other productions by the company.

A thumb high up for the script by Julian P. Gardner that manages to reduce the original source material by L. Frank Baum into a concise and remarkably true-to-spirit reworking.

The score by Bernard Hoffer is excellent. Including original songs (with lyrics by Mr. Gardner) that are a welcome departure from other productions that employ Jules Bass as a lyricist. I have no complaint with Maury Laws, the musical director of works like "The Year Without A Santa Claus", his work is always of a high standard. Unfortunately, Mr. Bass often produces labored and strained-for-a-rhyme lyrics to Law's melodies. After Johnny Marks work on "Rudolph The Red-nosed Reindeer" the bar was raised high and everything subsequently produced by the Laws/Bass team pales by comparison. There is always a striking distance between the song the piece is based on ("Frosty The Snowman", "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town") and the new songs. (I will credit them in one regard, I much prefer the Laws/Bass team's work to the horribly forgettable music written for the "Rudolph" sequel, "Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer and The Island of The Misfit Toys". But that isn't much of a compliment.)

Other areas where this piece work very effectively are in the actors chosen for voice work: Alfred Drake (noted Broadway musical actor) makes an admirable "Ak", Master Woodsman of The World. As does Earl Hyman (The Cosby Show, Thundercats)make an ominous and threatening King of The Awgwas. And the overall character and production design are beautiful and markedly original in conception. The look of the piece is as magical as the subject matter.

I have given the product itself 4 stars rather than the 5 stars I believe that "The Life and Adventures of Santa Clause" deserves. The reason? Because of two things: Firstly, Warner Brothers failed to digitally remaster this work as they have done with "Jack Frost" and as has been done with most all of the other Rankin/Bass work available on mainstream DVD. I suspect we will see a digitally remastered version of the piece in the coming years and it will certainly be presented in a Blu-ray disc someday. The only drawback to digital remasters is that the clarity revels the black wire (string?) used to prop up and control the puppets and the seams of backdrops and sets. If these films were Disney productions you could be assured that those lines would have been made invisible.

Secondly, I feel the pairing with "Nestor, The Long-Eared Donkey" on this DVD is just plain odd. "Nestor" would make a fitting partner to "The Little Drummer Boy". Those two works share themes and are decidedly more religious in nature than "The Life and Adventures", which has a magical and almost pagan or earth spirit center. "Nestor", though not a personal favorite, is well done and has decent original songs and narration by Roger Miller ("King Of The Road", etc.)

I feared this adaptation of Baum's 1902 work would never be released again as it presents Santa Claus (Saint Nicholas) in a very non-Christian characterization. Still, the lessons and philosophy Baum imparts are very worthwhile. It is an enchanting and, yes, magical retelling of the Santa Claus mythology. I am happy to have it added to my collection and in place with the other stop motion animagic classic, "Rudolph". If it weren't for that original work in the series of Christmas specials from Rankin/Bass Productions I would definitely consider "The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus" the best of the lot.

The primary question about this work is: "Will children like or love it?". Of that I am certain. I do and I am a child at heart in a great many ways.

Do yourself a favor. Get a copy of this DVD and allow yourself to succumb to its many charms. It is a perfect addition to your Christmas library of films.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is one of only three stop motion Christmas classics left to be released, December 11, 2009

By 

Captain "javaray" (Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Life And Adventures Of Santa Claus/Nestor The Christmas Donkey (Double Feature) (DVD)

This movie is a Rankin/Bass classic and should be treated as such. (This is a DVD-R, unrestored version). About two years ago, WB finally released The Leprechaun's Christmas Gold and Pinocchio's Christmas in a boxed set with other Rankin/Bass classics.

The only Rankin/Bass stop motion Christmas classics that have not been restored and released on DVD as of today (Dec 11, 2009) are:

1. The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus

2. The First Christmas (aka The Story of the First Christmas Snow)

3. The Little Drummer Boy Book II

All three are owned by WB. Sooooo, hopefully these three will be released in a new Christmas boxed set - perhaps as early as next year - Christmas 2010!!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus: Weird and Wonderful!, January 22, 2010

By 

A. Haus - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Life And Adventures Of Santa Claus/Nestor The Christmas Donkey (Double Feature) (DVD)

For afficionados of the Rankin-Bass franchise this strange story is a must-own.

This stop-motion version of L. Frank Baum's wild tale of a group of mythic immortals who (along with Shiegra the lioness) raise the child who will soon be known as Santa Claus is nothing less than a fantastic head trip.

Other reviews have already noted noted the high caliber of the script and score, and I couldn't agree with them more.

For children of the 70s and 80s, however, 'The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus' is probably one of the Christmas specials you've seen once or twice over the years on TV, but not enough times to necessarily remember it in its entirety. Decidedly, fabulously pagan in nature, it wasn't aired with the regularity other Rankin-Bass shows were over the years.

I rate this highly for it's unusual subject matter, and the care with which the story was told with respect to the source material by Baum. The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus will tickle the recesses of your memory and transport you back to your youth with it's mythic magic.

I suggest this product for Rankin-Bass fans wanting to complete their collection, those who appreciate a rich reinvention of a well-known tale, or anyone who wants to watch a seriously trippy show.