Customer Reviews

The Original Television Christmas Classics (Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer / Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town / Frosty the Snowman / Frosty Returns / The Little Drummer Boy)

5 star:		(105)
4 star:		(21)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

This is it! The Quinticential DVD set for your collection! This contains some of the VERY BEST family films EVER MADE! You MUST OWN THIS DVD. It's GREAT that Rankin/Bass are getting credit for their work for a change. The films include:

1.) Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer - Who doesn't knoww this film? (Actually there are quite a few people who I have met who have NEVER seen this! ) I am shocked when I find people who have NEVER know the story about the Reindeer with the red nose, the Dentist Elf, the carzy prospector who looks for Silver and Gold, but ends up with a Peppermint Mine (It is in the NEW Director's Cut Edition), the Abominable "Bumble" Snow Monster of the North, the Island of Misfit Toys, the Skinny Santa Claus, it's all here! This is the stuff that dreams are made of! This story, along with EVERY other GREAT Christmas film (excluding the Grinch) was written by one GREAT man, Mr. Romeo Muller. He also wrote the Puff the Magic Dragon series and several other films as well. You can not go wrong with this man's GREAT work! The man was a genius who REALLY understood children! If you have earlier editions of this movie buy this Golden Books edition, because it has over 5 minutes of footage not seen since 1964, when it originally aired. (There is even stuff in this tape that was NOT shown on CBS in the publisised restored edition that has aired for the last 2 years.) If you have seen this movie, buy this version, if you have never seen this movie, I suggest that you buy it as well! I grew up on this story as a child! I watched it all year round and you and your children will too, with no doubt.

2.) The Little Drummer Boy - This is a FINE example of what Christmas is ALL ABOUT and not being too preachy. This is the story about Aaron, the Little Drummer Boy, who hates all people because his family was murdered by a group of Desert Thieves. Aaron is kidnapped by Ben Harmed, the greedy and crooked, self proclaimed "King of the Desert Showmen". (played superbly by Hosse' Ferrer) and his bubling assistant, Ollie. The story is told by Greer Garason, with a great air of dignanty. I cry every time I watch this story and there is good reason why (not tears of sadness, but tears of joy over the words of the African King about the Christ Child, because he is SO right!) This story was created by the GREAT Romeo Muller, who is the FINEST children's writer who EVER lived! You can't go wrong with a story writen by Romeo Muller. This one, in fact was his most favorite story that he ever wrote for Rankin/Bass Productions (his most favorite he EVER wrote was NOEL, which is also on video.) But I would HIGHLY recomend this film to anyone and everyone. It's VERY enjoyable and you and your family will love it.

3.) Fosty the Snowman - This 1969 Masterpiece was written by the GREAT Romeo Muller, the GREATEST writer who ever lived, the man REALLY understood children. This film has a lot for both parents and children to enjoy. It has Jackie Vernon, giving warmth and kindness to Frosty the Snowman, Jimmy Durante as the EXCELLENT narrator, and Billy Dewolf as the SILLY Professor Hinkle (one of my all time favorite characters of Christmas Mythology.) This film also includes my personal favorite recording of ANY Christmas Song, the Jimmy Durante rendition of the title song. (I must recomend that you purchase the spliced version on CD.) You just can't go wrong with this film. A great one for children just seeing it for the first time, or for parents who grew up with it themselves. You must also buy the sequel, "Frosty's Winter Wonderland" and the semi sequel "Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July", both buy Romeo Muller. PLEASE AVOID THE PIECE OF GARBAGE CLAIMING TO BE A SEQUEL ENTITLED "FROSTY RETURNS", ALSO ISSUED BY GOLDEN BOOKS and it unfortunately on this DVD. IT IS A POOR PLOTLESS ATTEMPT AT A CHRISTMAS SPECIAL INDEED AND HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE FROSTY THAT WE KNOW AND LOVE.

4.) Santa Claus is Comin' to Town - Even though this one isn't as popular as Frosty, Rudolph, and the Grinch, it's just as magical. I did not know it even exsisted until I was 9 years old, and I LOVED IT! I was introduced to this one fairly late in my childhood, but it still holds a special place in my heart right next to Frosty and Rudolph. This is the one with the evil Burgermeister Meisterburger, who "HATES TOYS!". I love this character MORE THAN the Grinch! This one also includes the Winter Warlock and Special Delivery Klugger, as well as a not so cocky (for a change) Mickey Rooney as Kris Kringle. This film is a true Holiday classic that keeps Christ in Christmas. There are MANY religious undertones in this film (just look at the Winter Warlock Character and watch his development from bad to good.) This is yet another materpiece by Romeo Muller, the GREATEST author who EVER lived! The man REALLY understood children. Some people say that this film is a bit dated, but I would have to disagree. I was born in 1980, and missed the 70's and it never seemed like it was out of place to me (It was 1989 when I first saw it.) It will fit right in with all of the other Holiday films your children watch. No Holiday video collection is complete without this Gem. The songs are GREAT, the plot is EXCELLENT, and the characters are OUTSTANDING! You can't go wrong with this one! Your children will enjoy it and you will too, garenteed!

If you love your children then YOU MUST BUY THIS DVD SET!

Wow! Where to start? What a wonderful set! Well lets start with:

Santa Claus is Comin' To Town, an exciting look at how Santa began. Good to put on for young children to help answer those burning Santa questions. At some points, questions are actually asked by children about Santa, which are answered by the narrator Fred Astaire. I really like the character of BurgerMeister MeisterBurger who is one of the evil characters Santa must get past to be able to deliver his presents. The score is wonderful too, my fave being "Put one Foot in front of the Other".

The Little Drummer Boy, which is found on the same disc as Santa Claus is comin to Town is right up there with the tissue factor as another R/B special Nestor the Long-Eared Christmas Donkey. This story is about a little boy named Aaron who has had a huge tragedy in his life, bringing him to hate humans. His only friends, therefore, being a camel, donkey and lamb who dance to the beat of his drum. The strange foursome end up being a part of the very first Christmas on that very holy night.

Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer, is probably most R/B fans favourite. The Story based on the song of the same name, follows Rudolph as he battles to gain respect, due to his bright red nose. He is joined by Hermey, one of Santas elves who wants to be a dentist, not an elf, and together decide to be "a couple of misfits". It is narrated by Burl Ives as Sam the Snowman and probably has the best set of songs as a whole out of all the other R/B specials. Plus with so many other great characters, Yukon Cornelious, Abominable, Clarice, Donner and Mrs Donner and of course Santa and Mrs Claus, you can't go wrong.

Frosty the Snowman, although animated and not claymation, is still one of my faves every year. Also based on the song of the same name it follows Frosty's adventures after his birth "Happy Birthday" by a group of school children. In particular, Karen, who gets quite good friends with Frosty and tries to help him from melting. My only complaint, which I think is the same as many, is that it isn't joined by Frosty's Winter Wonderland, the proper sequel. Instead it is joined by Frosty Returns. Now, this isn't a bad effort, but when you are a big fan of R/B and you watch this, it is very dissapointing. The animation is totally different to that of R/B, the characters are all different except for Frosty and when you know there is a great sequel out there, this just doesn't cut it. I probably will watch it very rarely.

I am from Australia, and for some reason, our tv stations stopped playing all these specials that I grew up on. I was really upset, even though now I am in my twenties. Fortunately I ended up finding these through internet search, which of course led me to Amazon. I am so happy that I have these(and others) and enjoy them so much. If you have never tried Rankin/Bass before, please do!

This set has 5 of the original Christmas classics.

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
Santa Claus is Comin' to Town
Frosty the Snowman
The Little Drummer Boy
Frosty Returns

I like 4 out of the 5. I would rather of had Frosty's Winter Wonderland than Frosty Returns. Frosty Returns is below the quality of the other 4 on this set. Frosty's Winter Wonderland is a much better match to the quality of the other videos to this set.

Otherwise this set is worth the money. My kids love watching the classics I grew up with.

I just want to let everyone know that the versions that they are selling this year (2005) of this set look exactly the same as least year's (2004) but have been altered! Some special content has been cut! Rankin's introductions are among the cuts. True, these intros were horribly corny and he failed miserably at trying to be intellectually profound in them but still it was part of the set's charm! Also, there are advertisements at the beginning of the discs now that can't be skipped!!!! If you're going to buy this set (which is otherwise great) do yourself a favor, go to ebay and buy a copy of last year's release. You can recognize it because it's packaged with a Rudolph figure.

The alterations are the only reason I rated this so low.

This wonderful, new DVD set, "The Ultimate DVD Christmas Pack" has all of the classic shows that have become so dear to us.
These DVD's were released before, but this set has brand new packaging, plus a Holiday music CD is included!
"Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer", perhaps the greatest Christmas show of all-time is in my view, the best part of this set.
A Puppet/Animated Snowman played by classic "Holly Jolly Christmas" Singer Burl Ives, tells us to "Pull up an Ice Block" and join him, as he tells us the classic story of how a Reindeer named Rudolph went from being a "misfit" to being the only one who could save Christmas from being canceled, due to the extraordinary Snowstorm.
Only Rudolph's shiny Nose (you could even say it glows) can illuminate Santa's view of the houses of all of the Good Boys and Girls, so that Santa can make his annual Christmas visit!
Lovable characters, and the classic moral story that all of us have importance combine to make Christmas magic!

In "Santa Claus is coming to town", we learn how Kris Kringle becomes Santa Claus, and what he has to go through to bring happiness to children all around the world.
We also see how Santa meets Mrs Claus! This is a wonderful story, told and sung by Fred Astaire, that adults and kids alike, will enjoy.

Who could forget the most famous Snowman of all?
I'll give you a hint....he had a special Hat that "magically" gave him life.
That's right! Frosty The Snowman!
This delightful cartoon, told and sung by Jimmy "Acha Cha Cha" Durante is considered by many to be right there with "Rudolph" as the most beloved Christmas show ever!
This set also includes the already classic sequel to "Frosty", called "Frosty Returns". If you thought that the original Frosty special had beautiful animation, check out "Frosty returns"!
Narrated by Jonathan Winters, Frosty (Voiced by John Goodman) befriends a young girl. Together Frosty and his new friend team up to save the magical Winter Snow from a new modern age snow melting spray!
The color on this special is beautiful!

And finally, also included in this set is the beautiful classic "The Little Drummer boy".
Based on the song, this delightful puppet/animated show depicts how a little boy, who had no other gift to bring to the newborn Baby Jesus, brought his drum and played for Jesus.
This special shows that we all have gifts. Even if we dont always consider them gifts. Someone else will.
Be there, as the little drummer boy plays his drums as we see Baby Jesus, and we see how Joseph, The Blessed Mother Mary and Beautiful Animals all rejoice to celebrate the birth of the Savior of All Living Beings. Jesus.
As good as the other shows on this DVD set are, "The Little Drummer Boy" captures the TRUE meaning of Christmas, and thus, must be considered possibly the most special puppet/Animated Christmas Show ever!

Rudolph, Santa, Frosty, and of course the Bright Shining Star of Christmas, Jesus, are all gathered in your home, as you and your loved ones (including your Four Legged Family Members) can, over and over again, enjoy watching what truly is, "The Ultimate DVD Christmas Pack".
Merry Christmas!

I just received this in the mail and was fortunate enough to pre-order it so I got the 30% discount. Even with the price it's at now it's still a bargain compared to the individual price of each DVD if you were to buy them separately.
I actually owned the 1st issue DVD's and bought this set "blind" hoping that Sony Wonder had made some sort of effort to clean up and perhaps re-digitize the picture on all five of the shows. Alas, after a quick view of each one, it seems they used the same old, tired, scratched, specked copies as were used previously.
But I'm still glad I have this set because the packaging is awesome. The "box" flips out just like the Lord of the Rings Extended set -- and I'm happy to report all discs were secure in their holders without a scratch on any of them. When closed, it can stand upright on it's own and the "spine" actually looks like a Christmas book -- as opposed to a DVD set. Really nice touch.

But let's talk about this "bonus" holiday CD that's included. You're really led to believe that the CD is a compilation of the original songs from the 5 titles that are in this set. Great! What a neat thing to include! Oh wait, on the CD in small print it reads: New Songs By The Silver And Gold Singers. Uh oh.
Let me give everyone some advice before they even think about playing this CD. Throw it out. Burn it. Break it. Recycle it. Use it as target practice.
Just don't play it. I can't even begin to describe how bad the singing is. But what's even worse is the alleged singers recite some of the dialogue from the shows that lead into the song. But the singing. . . . . .how can I describe it? If you're familiar with Mark Harris, who was Martha Rae's "husband" at the time of her death, you'll know how all the songs are performed. For those who still don't know, the best way I can describe the singing is Liberace crossed with a male Judy Garland impersonator. . . . .drunk. To say the performances are "flamboyant" is. . . .well, it would be an understatement. It's embarrassing, really. I own close to 100 Christmas CD's including a freakin' Barney the Dinosaur Christmas CD (hey, I've got kids!) and nothing. . . NOTHING is as bad as the CD they've included in this set.
Okay, you've been warned.
Despite that huge flaw I STILL have to recommend this set because of the price savings and the excellent packaging which I'm still marveling over -- when not throwing up from thinking of the singing.
Happy Holidays!

Anybody who has ever seen any of the television shows contained in this set knows how cheesily good they are. It's not like I'm giving you information you don't already have. If this set was rated just on the merits of the content, five stars without a doubt.

However, making me sit through eight minutes of previews...not even previews...make that eight minutes of "behind the scenes" of some completely unrelated cartoon, complete with interviews, is absolutely insulting. I understand that the $5.99 DVD's at Wal-Mart are going to have previews, but even those allow you to bypass them with the menu button. Not here. Fortunately, this is just on the first dvd (Rudolph).

Whoever included the forced "behind the scenes" preview should be ashamed. This is a nicely boxed, very well executed collection of Christmas television shows, and tacking on a commercial to the front is just insane. How insulting!

It's just not the holidays without the animagic puppets singing and dancing and telling the familiar holiday tales. Now, we don't have to wait for the T.V. channels to decide to air them or not. It's Rankin/Bass on demand.

This set contains a smattering of the best holiday specials put out by that creative team. Unlike previous VHS releases, this collection pays full homage to the original releases including the font used on the DVD covers as well as photo covers to let viewers know which is a cartoon and which is animagic.

The most famous reindeer of all is the most famous Christmas special of all. This is a great DVD with the almost-complete "Rudolph the Rednose Reindeer" special. Over the years, this special has been edited down to make room for more commercials. This version restores most of the lost footage, only clipping the shots of Yukon Cornelius firing his gun into the air. There is a nice introduction by Arthur Rankin as a feature, as well as the alternate versions of a few songs and scenes.

"Santa Claus is Coming to Town" and "Little Drummer Boy" is the best value DVD of the set, with two full specials. These are both highly enjoyable, with excellent performances and animagic. Great DVD

"Frosty the Snowman" is the bad apple DVD. While the original special is a delight and wonder, the non-Rankin/Bass special tagged onto this DVD is a real bomb. Cheap in every manner of the word. I predict you will watch it once, out of curiosity, and then never again. Still, you can't go wrong with the original Frosty.

All in all, a great way to own all of these hits. This is just a small portion of the Rankin/Bass catalog, and I say keep 'em coming!

This 3 disc set is a winner. I had fairly new copies of the VHS versions of all of the shows in this DVD set, and what a difference the DVD made. The new sound is clean and full; the colors are deep and rich with no signs of static or dirt. Thank you to the wonderful people who worked so hard to fully restore these classic treasures of childhood. We can now finally see these the way they were meant to be seen. So much care went into this new set. The shows are not in wide screen since that is the way they were originally made, being "made for TV". This set has no less than 5 classic TV specials, placed on 3 discs and each of the discs has its own clamshell case. The artwork on each of the DVD covers is the original photos and title art from the films. I remember that some of the VHS copies had cheap aftermarket art. There is a slipcover box to hold the 3 cases together.

The 1st disc is "Frosty the Snowman" a traditionally animated cartoon, and the story is driven by the unforgettable song. There is a nice introduction by Arthur Rankin on this DVD, describing the process of creating this gem and what the film meant to the producers and creative staff. There is also an animator's pencil test of the film, which shows how the cartoon is made. Unfortunately they did not include the original Frosty sequel, "Frosty's Winter Wonderland". For some strange reason the disc instead includes "Frosty Returns" that was actuall made by another studio and does not look anything like the Rankin/Bass work. It's really poor quality compared to everything else in this set.

The 2nd disc has "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer", the Animagic blockbuster champion of Rankin/Bass TV specials. One of the best family holiday films of all time, with great music, action, suspense, comedy, and adventure. The snow monster scared the heck out of me as a kid. What other show dealt with a monster by having a dentist elf pull his teeth? At 40 years old the story holds up very well. This disc is special since it returns the missing scenes and footage that the TV network had cut out over the years, to make more room for commercials. The disc has great supplemental extras too, such as a music video of the alternate song "Fame and Fortune", the original TV trailer, and a trivia game. Also has a neat caption reading alternate version you can use to help your kids with reading. The color and clarity of this disc is so good it looks like it is being played out in your living room. The stop-motion Animagic process predates the computer graphics we have today, and yet looks just as 3 dimensional. I prefer the Animagic; it gives the characters so much life and personality. And you can't help singing along with the wonderful songs; it is amazing how every word comes back to you. Tons of great songs like "Silver and Gold" by Burl Ives! The show is based on the title song that is much older than the show.

The 3rd disc has two specials, "The Little Drummer Boy", & "Santa Claus is Coming to Town". Both are made in Animagic. If you have a copy of Drummer Boy in the vhs format, throw it away. I am not kidding; the difference in the quality of the color, picture, and sound is astounding! The newly remastered DVD looks like it was filmed yesterday. The Vienna Boys Choir performs the title song. This show is a tear-jerker, but well worth watching. By the way, this show had a sequel but it is not on this disc. Also on the 3rd disc is "Santa Claus is Coming to Town". This tells the history of Santa Claus, from when he was a baby up to beoming the jolly old elf we know today. And what an adventurous life he has had, battling the forces of evil to bring toys to the kids. Romance, comedy, mystery, it is all here. The Winter Warlock is still scary to me. And the cast includes Mickey Rooney, Fred Astaire, & Keenan Wynn. The musical score compliments the film perfectly, and the great songs help carry the storyline. The Westminster Childrens Choir sung in this film. This DVD version was also re-mastered to look like new, and it is beautiful indeed. This disc does not have extras.

In closing, I was born in 1963, well before we had cable TV, satellite, VHS, etc. The Rankin/Bass studios made the best holiday specials. It was a time when kids and even whole families plopped down to the TV specials at Christmas and it was an EVENT! We only had kid shows on Saturday mornings back then, and you had to wait a whole year to see these great shows again. We are very lucky to be able to buy these now and to enjoy them without the tons of commercials. I remember rushing to get snacks or bathroom breaks during commercials too. Now my son is enthralled with these shows that have passed the 40 year test of time.

If you want to see more treasure by this great studio, search for films by Arthur Rankin, or Jules Bass. Some are animated, some are Animagic but they all have great story, design, and music. Not all have made the jump to DVD yet, but buy the ones that have so they will be encouraged to release more of their library. I highly recommend:
"Here Comes Peter Cottontail"; "The Easter Bunny is Coming to Town"; "The Hobbit"; "The Year Without a Santa Claus" this DVD also has a rare treat "Nestor the Long-Eared Donkey"; "The Flight of Dragons"; "The Mad Monster Party" (a 90 minute theatrical film); "The Daydreamer"; "The Wacky World of Mother Goose"; Little Drummer Boy Book 2"; "The Emperor's New Clothes"; "Rudolph's Shiny New Year"; "Mouse on the Mayflower"; "Twas the Night Before Christmas"; "The Stingiest Man in Town"; "The First Christmas"; "Jack Frost"; and more all available at Amazon.com.

There are also 2 books sold here that I know of on this studio and their films, "Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer: The Making of The Rankin/Bass Holiday Classic", and "The Enchanted World of Rankin/Bass".

I watched these every year on TV as a child and I have passed that tradition on to both of my kids.
The Holidays just wouldn't be the same without these.
Now that they are on DVD we never have to worry about missing them again.
Also my kids can watch them every night if they wanted to.
I would tell anyone that has fond memories of these shows to purchase them ASAP. Your never to old !!!!