Customer Reviews

Twas the Night Before Christmas [VHS]

5 star:		(34)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Rankin Bass presents "Twas the Night before Christmas" This delightful Christmas special is based on the poem by Clement Moore adapted and written for the show by Jerome Coopersmith and produced by Arthur Rankin Jr.It features charming songs by Maury Laws and lyrics by Jules Bass. Some of the most memorable songs are, "Even a Miracle Needs a Hand" and "Calling Santa," among others.

There is a reading of the poem in the beginning of the show and when it gets to the part of "..not a mouse was stirring," Father Mouse played by George Gobel catches us up on the events at hand. That being the hope that everything will turn out right in Junctionville and Santa will still visit and everyone can be happy again. Of course I could tell you all the details but you're better off watching it unfold yourself as to not spoil it if you haven't seen it before.

Now on to this deluxe edition at hand. On the special alone I would give this show 5 stars but being this is a remastered deluxe edition thus I am scrutinizing it more. Truth be known, I'm a bit fed up with the majority of these deluxe editions from WB because the extras have nothing or hardly anything to do with Rankin Bass and it's talents. Just who is WB marketing these deluxe editions to? Certainly not real Rankin Bass fans. It leaves me perplexed. They have removed the Frosty's Winter Wonderland special from the last incarnation on this dvd so basically they're asking us to double dip it seems on this special being remastered and the extras. So let's see 25 minutes and a bunch of so-so extras. Now give us some real extras like interviews and retrospectives with the creators, a talk and show with Paul Coker who did the character designs here as he did before in Frosty as well, maybe he could draw some of the characters in a quick sketch showing his brilliance. Let's hear from the actors and actresses on what this show meant to them, let's hear from Jules Bass and Arthur Rankin and Maury Laws on their experiences making these classics. Or have an interview with someone like Rick Goldschmidt who's a Rankin Bass historian. I would even say a round table with Rankin Bass fans on what this show means to them when they were a kid and what it means to their kids, grandkids etc..

If WB is not going to do these deluxe editions justice, except for "The Year without a Santa Claus" deluxe edition, those extras were quite good I say why not just release the remaining Rankin Bass Christmas specials in true dvd digital quality the fans want, especially "The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus" and also "The First Christmas," and "Drummer Boy Book II." I certainly don't feel to double dip on these kinds of lack luster deluxe editions. The people who are in charge of making these extras must have no clue on making Rankin Bass themed extras. It seems they have good intentions at first like contacting someone like historian Rick Goldschmidt but as soon as they would have to pay a little compensation they run for the hills. To think of all the money these specials have generated and generate year after year they could compensate the right people who had a hand in creating these Rankin Bass specials in putting together true Rankin Bass themed extras which are beloved by so many. Otherwise these deluxe editions are just a shell of what they should and can be!

Feel free to leave your comments if you agree or even disagree.

I just want lovers of this show to know that it did indeed get released on DVD...I have been waiting for a long time and never would have known had I not come across it by chance...It is not out on DVD by itself, rather, it is on the DVD "Frosty's Winter Wonderland" (The Rankin Bass Version If you want this DVD, check it out and pick it up, it will not let you down...It is the same version as we all know and love

UPDATE - October 15th 2011
Wow, just looking back at this comment I made 7 years ago...time flies. Back then, Blu Ray was not even a thought, however I just wanted to update this blurb here by saying this has now been exclusively released on Blu Ray for anyone who does not know and might be interested.

My fiance and I knew we were meant for each other when we discovered that this Christmas special was a favorite for both of us! I've loved it since I was a kid watching it on TV, and I wish they'd play it more now. It has lovely, catchy songs and a timeless message that's not overly sappy. The story is about a young mouse, Oliver, who doesn't believe in Santa and writes a letter to the editor of his local newspaper saying just that. Santa reads it and gets angry, sending back the letters of all the town's children and refusing to go there at Christmas. The young mouse soon learns the devastating effect of his disbelief when he realizes how much Santa's visit means to them all.

I knew of this movie from when I was young, when it was occasionally aired before Christmas. The characters, including a family of sweet mice, are adorable. The story is short but heartwarming, and the songs will leave you singing them to yourself long after the holidays. Everything about this cartoon fits together extremely well, and children of all ages will be delighted by it. This video is hard to find in stores, so do yourself a favor and order it!

I gave this 5 stars for two reasons....they issued it with a nice cover (Although, I would have used the PAUL COKER, JR. lettering for the logo) AND they put the RANKIN/BASS logo (Drawn by my friend Patrick Owsley and taken from my first book)! BRAVO for that! Now, SUPERDAVE80s is right...where is the content? They actually removed FROSTY'S WINTERWONDERLAND from the disc we had before and put nothing on here for extras? I am sure WARNER BROS has the money to do these things correctly and put nice documentaries on all the discs issued. They should all actually be put into one big box set and they would make tons of money BUT these are the people that are putting COURAGE THE COWARDLY DOG season one out instead of SECRET SQUIRREL and ATOM ANT???!!!! Enough said!

I remember watching this as child, and have been searching for it for a few years now. This was one of my favorite Christmas cartoons, and I used to love when the whole family sat down to watch it: fire going, pajamas with the little feet on them, hot chocolate, and then that fun CBS twisting logo that let you know a cartoon was coming.
The story begins with a town having all their letters to Santa returned. It turns out someone has printed a letter in the newspaper stating that they don't believe in Santa, so he is not coming to the town this year. Everyone is besides themselves until the town clockmaker has an idea - he will build a huge clocktower that, just when Santa is flying over, will play a beautiful song of children singing, asking him to come. But, when they unveil the clock, it is broken. Can they fix the clock in time? Who broke it in the first place? And who wrote the letter? You'll have to watch to find out.
Some of the cutest characters that you will ever see, and some great songs ("You wish, and I'll whittle. You pray, while I plan. We'll do what's necessary 'cause, even a miracle needs a hand!). Plus, at the end there is a reading of the original "'Twas the Night Before Christmas" story.
Definitely worth getting and sharing with the family.

As a child I used to scan the tv guide every Sunday in December looking for the Christmas specials. I had my favorites, and this was one of them. Its artwork, and the artwork of all of the Rankin/Bass specials, is superb. The songs stay in your heads (and hearts) forever. I still sing along like I did almost 30 years ago when I first learned the words "Christmas time is calling Santa, Santa"...And I especially loved it this past Christmas when my then 16 month old's attention was captured by this cartoon, especially when the music played. I look forward to many more viewings with my son (and his soon to be born sister), and will gladly use them as an excuse to watch a childs show that I consider a classic and fondly remember from simpler times - CHILDHOOD!!!

This is a classic Christmas Cartoon that I watched every year for as long as I can remember. Each time I see it somewhere I get so excitied and it brings back such great memories.
This is an adorable movie, that I'm sure anyone would love and help restore the Christmas spirit.
"big words.. big words...."
"Christmas time is calling Santa.. Santa.."
"Even a Miracle needs a hand..."

I used to watch "Twas the Night Before Christmas" every year when I was little. I never missed it. Suddenly it stopped coming on, and I was disappointed. I couldn't believe that they took it off the air. A few years ago I was lucky when I heard it was going to be on Fox Family. I decided to record it off the television, but missed the first part of the show. I wanted the whole special and went to see if I could find it on the internet(you can't find it in stores). I found it ... and could not believe it. This special shows some of the many meanings of Christmas. It showed that there are miracles on earth and that if you really believe and hope in something, then those miracles can happen. If you don't have this video, then I suggest you add it to your collection.

When they stopped playing alot of the Christmas cartoons that I grew up with, I kind of forgot about them. Then I seen in the stores that they were selling the Rankin/Bass Christmas videos. Twas The Night Before Christmas was one that I was looking for. It took me awhile to find it, but I finally did!
I love to watch this movie at Christmas time and enjoy it immensely. I have a daughter that will be almost 2 by Christmas this year and I am so looking forward to sharing this classic tale with her. I hope that she grows up to enjoy these wonderful Christmas cartoons as much as I have!
Thanks to Rankin/Bass for making such wonderful memories to all of us!