Product Details

• Actors: Fred Astaire, Mickey Rooney, Keenan Wynn, Paul Frees, Joan Gardner
• Directors: Arthur Rankin Jr., Jules Bass, Takeya Nakamura
• Writers: Romeo Muller
• Producers: Arthur Rankin Jr., Jules Bass
• Format: Color, Dubbed, DVD, NTSC
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 2.0), Spanish (Dolby Digital 2.0)
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Classic Media
• DVD Release Date: September 24, 2002
• Run Time: 85 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00006II5M
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #51,241 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #24 in	Movies & TV > Kids & Family > Puppets
  #48 in	Movies & TV > Classics > Classic Stars > Astaire, Fred

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town
This 53-minute, 1970 animated film may be the most delightful of those sundry, stop-motion animated Christmas perennials that show up on television during the holidays. The clay animation production, boasting a wonderful musical score and art direction that occasionally underscores the flower-power era in which it was born, tells the story of Santa's origins, in which Kris Kringle decides to get toys into the hands of poor children in gloomy Sombertown. Charmingly narrated by Fred Astaire and featuring voices by Mickey Rooney and Keenan Wynn, Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town presents a nice bridge between two generations of entertainment, the classic and the hip. --Tom Keogh

The Little Drummer Boy
The model animation techniques in this 1968 Rankin and Bass TV chestnut are primitive by today's standards, and picky kids may reject them out of hand. The story, however, which elaborates on the popular Christmas song about a shepherd boy who plays his drum for the baby Jesus and makes the animals dance, is a little more tough-minded than you might expect. The kid begins the story as what we'd now call a neglected child, a surly urchin who says he hates all people. He's pulled back from the brink, first by learning to make music, and then by his encounter with the Christ child. The underlying message alone--that everybody has something worth contributing--qualifies the show for holiday-perennial status. The big-name voice performers, Jose Ferrer and Greer Garson (who narrates), may be a little too ponderous for the occasion, but the familiar cartoony tones of Paul Frees (aka Boris Badenov) and June Forey (aka Rocket J. Squirrel) help liven up the proceedings. It's only 23 minutes long, so it's worth a shot for younger children. --David Chute

Product Description
Studio: Genius Products Inc Release Date: 09/16/2003 Run time: 85 minutes Rating: Nr

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Yipee!! Two favorite Rankin/Bass Christmas specials on DVD, August 31, 2001

By	Zack Davisson "All Good Things" (Seattle, WA, USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town/The Little Drummer Boy (DVD)

I am so pleased to see these two Christmas specials packaged on one disk. What a great holiday treat.

"Santa Claus is Comin' to Town" is an animagic classic. Fred Astaire pulls up the holiday express to narrate the story of young Kris Kringle (Mickey Rooney)and the children of Sombertown, and the story of how Kris became known as Santa Claus. Kris meets the evil Winter Warlock and melts his icy heart. The Burgermeister Meisterburger will not be so easy. This is a true holiday treat, and covers all of the familiar ground. Why do reindeer fly? Why does Santa climb down chimneys and leave toys in stockings? Why does he wear a beard and red clothing? How does he know if you've are sleeping, know if your awake? And what is Mrs.. Claus name, anyways? Find out in this DVD.

"The Little Drummer Boy" is based on one of my favorite holiday tunes. Aaron, the little drummer boy, is filled with hatred for all people. His parents have been murdered and his home burned to the ground. However, his gift for drumming enchants the animals and they dance about when he plays. Based on this talent, he falls in with a bad crowd when he meets Ben Haramed, the King of the Desert Showmen. How do things turn out for Aaron? Listen to the song, and watch the DVD. Bah-rump-bum-bum-bummmm.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful DVD transfer + "Little Drummer Boy", September 18, 2001

By	Jim Jr (Buffalo, NY United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town/The Little Drummer Boy (DVD)

In a previous review of the tape version of this wonderful Christmas show, I told all the reasons this is my favorite holiday show. Now it has been released on DVD in a wonderful remastered version. I won't repeat all the great things about the story and delightful songs, but will comment on the wonderful DVD transfer. The picture is excellent, crystal clear with deep rich colors. The sound is excellent. A viewer can now appreciate the details of the puppets and sets more than on the tape version.

A bonus for the DVD over the tape is that "Little Drummer Boy" is included on the disk. While it is stated on the case that this is a remastered version, the color and picture are not as sharp as in the remastered "Santa". However it is much better than the tape version. The two commercial tapes I have of this production do not have really sharp pictures and the color is a bit washed out. On the DVD, the color is better than the tape, but not as good as might be wanted. Since both the tape and the DVD pictures are not the best quality, I suspect that there is no longer a really top notch master available from which to make the tapes and DVDs. Even with the less than perfect pictrure, it is still a great show.

Even if you have these two stories on tape, the DVD is the version to have. Getting the two productions on a single disk is a definite plus.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars quite the classic, November 17, 2003

By	silver (Dallas, Texas United States) - See all my reviews

The old, separate, VHS versions of these two holiday movies were what I watched when I was in the single digits, and now they're better than ever on a timeless DVD.

Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town is a humorous new twist on the entire life of one Santa Claus, and is worth the viewing for kids and adults alike.

Me, though, I bought the DVD for the Little Drummer Boy, which is what I think is one of the best Christmas movies, EVER. Hands down.

So, come on down, and spend a little money on a couple mini-movies that have already survived for decades and are sure to last for many more to come.