Customer Reviews

The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus [VHS]

5 star:		(45)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

With all of the other DVDs of the old Rankin & Bass shows that are out, you'd think they would have found room for this one by now, but noooo...

Based on the novel by L. Frank Baum, creator of "The Wizard of Oz," this unique interpretation of the Santa Claus legend is a stop-motion animation film by the same people who created the classic versions of "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" and "Frosty the Snowman." Young Claus is a human child found and raised by fairies, battling monsters and finding joy in bringing gifts to children. There was a traditional animated version in 2000 which was okay, but this stop motion version is a real masterpiece if you can find it.

All I want to say is WHERE IS THE DVD!!! They put out all the other GREAT and FABULOUS stop motion DVDs and the animated Frosty but where is the Life & Adventures of Santa Claus?? That is by far my most favourite of any of the Rankin Bass collection!

I have loved this film since I was a little tyke and faithfully watched it every Christmas. While a little darker than the other R&B specials, it still has that almost tangible sense of wonder. My wife had never seen it growing up and when we watched it together she was amazed.

I have searched dilligently for the last 4 years for news of a DVD release. I finally have that news. According to Rick Goldschmidt of [...], The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus will be released as part of a Rankin & Bass box set in 2006. Of course, this could change but it is a positive step.

So be patient and hold out hope that this great special will be under your tree on DVD by the next holiday season.

This 1985 TV special was the last "animagic" stop-motion animation production from Arthur Rankin Jr and Jules Bass, who had been producing half-hour and hour-long TV specials at the rate of roughly one a year since 1964. I grew up on this stuff - I may well have seen Santa Claus Is Comin to Town when it first aired in 1970 when I was just entering school, and of course their first production, Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer was a staple of my childhood as well. By 1985 I was in college but I still had a lot of nostalgia for these shows - and still do. And I knew the name of L. Frank Baum, the writer of the first 14 "Oz" books, and of the 1902 book this was based on; in fact, I'd read and loved the book. Would the TV adaptation hold up?

It did, miraculously. Sure, the songs have that typical Rankin-Bass cheesiness, and don't really seem all that necessary, helping to eat up precious minutes that could have been spent on more of the plot of the book - but overall, this is more faithful in spirit than most fantasy film adaptations of the classics have been. The Great Ak (voiced by Alfred Drake, excellent) recounts the tale of Claus, a mortal who was abandoned in the Forest of Burzee, the domain of immortal wood-nymphs, and raised by one of the nymphs, Necile. Shown the depressing and warlike state of mankind by Ak as a young man, Claus grows up to devote his life to making children happy - he is thwarted many times by the evil Awgwas, but eventually prevails, and as an old man he is honored by being given the Mantel of Immortality, the only human ever deemed worthy to receive it.

THE LIFE & ADVENTURES OF SANTA CLAUS was an attempt by Baum to locate Santa Claus as a part of a central "American mythology" that he was trying to create out of nursery rhymes, his own Oz books, and 19th century tall tales. It didn't all quite come together, and sadly, apart from Oz, most of Baum's stories and ideas have vanished a hundred years later. But his central notions of fairness and equality as opposed to greed and the domination of the rich and powerful still come through in this story and this adaptation, which is very much in the typical Rankin/Bass house style - slow puppet movements, relatively simple backgrounds, bright colors. The songs are mostly in the first few minutes and obtrude less than in some of the other shows, and the voice talents in this case aren't provided by celebrities but rather by professional voice actors, which is all to the good I think. It might come off as a little bit odd to younger people today who don't know the writings of L. Frank Baum, and who perhaps didn't grow up on this kind of primitive stop-motion animation, which had hardly changed since the early 1960s - but it's heartfelt and full of joy for anyone who can get past the "dated" element. It's probably my favorite of all of these programs, and one I watch every year.

As many other reviews have stated, we've been waiting a long while for a DVD. Well, there is one available now, but unfortunately it's just a DVD-r that's part of Warner Brothers' pricey on-demand service. It comes with "Nestor" and you can find it here. Meanwhile if you don't want to shell out for that disc, this old VHS is perfectly serviceable - let's hope someone wises up someday and puts this out in a big deluxe package, maybe every Rankin-Bass Christmas special all in one box. Wouldn't that be a wonderful gift for the child in all of us?

I must say I am sorely disappointed the Rankin/Bass people have yet to adapt this, one of their last, great contributions to Christmas stop-action puppet programs, to DVD. Growing up, while I always counted "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" and "The Year Without a Santa Claus" as the two best R/B Xmas shows, I also became a devoted fan of 1985's "Life and Adventures of Santa Claus". Perhaps because this tale is remarkably devoid of any sentimentality (unlike the other R/B adaptations) and embraces numerous issues such as class conflict (when Claus is shown the suffering of the poor in the mortal world) and the universal struggle of good against evil (the Great Ak and the Immortals against the Aguas [or however that's spelled, but it sounds like "Aguas"]).

I will state that "The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus" is indeed unique -- certainly both L. Frank Baum's story and it's Rankin/Bass adaptation are devoid of any Christian reference. Personally I find that regrettable, as in my opinion the "true" story of Santa Claus is based on the "life and adventures" of the real St. Nicholas, a 4th-century Roman Catholic bishop. However, as so many [misdirected] individuals in modern society are seeking a Santa Claus removed from the Christian tradition, this special supplies just that.

And to whomever has the power to make it happen -- PLEASE MAKE THIS SPECIAL AVAILABLE ON DVD!!! I own all the others and would be very happy to add this one it my collection!!! Thank you.

This is truly one of the great Christmas classics. Done with stop motion animation, it tell s the story of how Santa Claus the being became Santa Claus the immortal.Abandoned as a baby and left to grow up amongst the elves and other magical woodland creatures of the forrest, Claus' world was sheltered. When he is of a certain age, the Great Ack takes him a magical ride where he bares witness to the "humanity" of the mortal world. Others, particularly other children were not as lucky as he. So, he sets out to make a difference in this flawed world, to give hope to the hopeless. Over the years he overcomes many obstacles, bringing joy and merriemnt to the children of his town and the neighboring villages. Claus becomes an old man, tired and weary from his life's work. He has one last sleigh ride, and will not live to see another Christmas. The Great Ack must make a decision, along with the council of Woodland Creatures, reviewing whether or not Claus is deserving of their most precious gift, never before given to a being outside of their magic realm- the gift of immortality!

This is truly a wonderful tale- a story of man who loved the act of giving more than his self, a man who dedicated his life to the joy and innocence of children. The animation is beautiful. I had this on VHS as a child, and am waiting eagerly for SOMEONE to bring this classic Christmas tale to DVD.

Please... to whom it may concern... If you're reading this and care anything about the Millions of lives around the world that could be saved by putting this Classic Treasure onto DVD, Please do so NOW..... lol

Would really love to see a DVD version of this.... Perhaps the people at Rankin/Bass are reading and could make us all happy...

This is probably the most original of the Rankin Christmas classics, with a distinctly pagan slant on the Santa Clause legend. Don't be scared off by the negative reviews from the fire and brimstone bible thumping crowd. If they dug a little deeper into history, they would discover that most of our Christmas rituals and mythology stem from pagan sources anyhow.

I will admit that there are a few scenes that could potentially scare small children. But even the more well known Rankin classics also contain some scary scenes and villains such as the Abominable Snowman and the Winter Warlock. If you have an open mind and your kids aren't too easily spooked, I highly recommend giving this movie a chance.

This is quite possibly the best Christmas story out there on film. I fell in love with it as a child and am captivated by it still, fifteen years later as an adult. It cuts through to the beginnings of the Solstice celebrations around the world with a fine fiction about the life of Santa Claus and a refreshing Pagan twist, all while teaching a great lesson. You really need to own this video.

The Adventures of Santa Clause was my favorite Rankin-Bass holiday special and I have dvd's of them all but THIS one--WHEN is Warner Bros going to get around to a DVD release? Let's not hear about how pagan or irreverent it would be either--that doesn't wash anymore with the current holiday enteretainment out there for the public indulgence. No air time on TV makes me jonesing for a DVD of this delightful show more now than when I was a kid.