Customer Reviews

Babar and Father Christmas [VHS]

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King Babar of the elephants realizes that Father Christmas (Santa Claus) has never come to Celesteville. For the sake of his children, Babar must find a way to let Father Christmas know about his country so that they can finally have a real Christmas. For fans of the Babar books, this is a faithful adaptation. American kids may find the European-style Christmas traditions a little strange but that's okay. Check out this little-known treasure!

I only watched this because it happened to be on when I had nothing better to do. But I was actually surprised at how good it was. The art work is fine, and the story is so well done, that you do not even realize that the actors are elephants. Babar's journeys through Europe, crowded traffic, the sky, and through snow on behalf of the children is quite touching. When Santa explains that he simply won't have the time to add Babar's kingdom to his list, Babar does not let the kids down. Rather, he himself takes on the role of Santa for the children. Ratexas' role is more complex than we might think. Like many of us today, he is taken in by the commercial aspects of Christmas and thinks only of what he can get. When his mischief is exposed, he is forced into making ammends. But after the ammends are made, he too is given a present that he wants. When he is forgiven and shown kindness, it is clear that he will change his ways.