For me and my family the holidays would not be the same without watching all the classic holiday specials from Rankin Bass. Me and my husband both grew up watching Rudolph, Frosty, ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas and all those other special holiday classics. I am thrilled that my own children have the same love and appreciation for these movies as we do. I hope that one day I’ll be able to introduce these specials to my grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Many of the classic Rankin Bass holiday specials are now available on Blu-ray and DVD. I’m most especially excited about them being available on Blu-ray. I’ve seen a few of the classics on Blu-ray and they are truly amazing. The color and clarity is a sight to see.
One of the first holiday specials I had the chance to see on Blu-ray was ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas. Yes, I actually watched holiday shows in October. 🙂
When I was younger I honestly wasn’t into this special like I was the other ones. It wasn’t until I got married that I started to enjoy this holiday classic. It’s one of my husband’s favorites, and soon it became a favorite of mine too.
I LOVED watching this on Blu-ray. WOW! It’s so colorful. The whole special is crystal clear. It’s hard to believe this movie was originally released in 1974.
In this special the letters children of Junctionville find that their letters to Santa are returned to them. That is because someone in town was going around calling Santa Claus a fake. Albert Mouse is also very skeptical, that is until something magical changes his mind. But is it too late? Will Santa visit the people of Junctionville this Christmas or will he pass them over?
There is a bonus feature of an animated comic book that explores holiday traditions from around the world. I thought it was pretty cute and I actually learned a few things.
This is a great movie, but I think it would have been better suited included with other holiday movies rather then a stand alone Blu-ray/DVD set. The list price is $24.95. I don’t think I would pay that much for a movie that is less then a hour hour long.
If you are looking for a lot of Rankin Bass holiday specials on in one set then you’ll want to pick up a copy of Santa’s Magical Stories. This DVD collection features several holiday classics.
Disc One – The first DVD in the collection features the one special we look for on Thanksgiving – Dr. Suess’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas. I have never met a person who didn’t love this iconic holiday classic. It’s one of the first specials to officially kick off the holiday season. I love having it on DVD (we only had a VHS copy of the show). Also on this disc are lesser known holiday specials – The Leprechauns’ Christmas Gold and Pinocchio’s Christmas. I have never seen either of these shows. My husband has seen Pinocchio’s Christmas before. I really wasn’t impressed with either one of them. They didn’t live up to the other holiday specials in this DVD collection. They cannot compare to the ones we grew up with.
Disc Two – Year Without Santa Claus, Nestor the Long Eared Christmas Donkey and Rudolph’s Shiny New Year. Out of the three of them Rudolph’s Shiney New Year is the weakest of the group. I was never fond of the show. I don’t know why. A Year Without Santa Claus is a true holiday classic. That is one of my family’s favorite. Nestor the Long Eared Christmas Donkey is also a personal favorite of mine. Although it’s really sad it does have a very happy ending. “Ears Nestor“. LOL!
Disc Three – This DVD features Jack Frost, A Mister Brother’s Christmas and a bonus special, Rudolph and Frosty’s Christmas in July. Jack Frost is OK. It’s not a favorite but I don’t dislike it. Sadly the Miser Brothers featured in the Miser Brother’s Christmas are not like the ones in the Year Without Santa Claus special. Rudolph and Frosty’s Christmas in July was not exactly a favorite either. Out of the three DVD’s this was our least favorite.
Another DVD collection now available is Frosty’s Winter Wonderland, remastered deluxe edition. This is the cute Frosty special where the children build Frosty a girlfriend, Crystal, so that he doesn’t have to be lonely.
I feel the same way about this movie as I do the ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas DVD. The movie is only 24 minutes long. It seems like a waste to put in on one DVD. Perhaps they could have combined both of these movies on to one DVD? They are both great movies and a must have for any holiday collection. I just think they could have combined the two.
On the DVD Frosty’s Winter Wonderland you’ll also find some bonus features including an interesting look at Snowmen and the birth of Frosty.
All of these great DVD and Blu-ray collections are now available where DVDs and Blu-rays are sold. All of these titles are released by Warner Home Videos. Look for other great holiday titles from Warner Home Video.
Kimberly
*I received free product samples in order to do this review. There was no compensation. The opinions expressed are my own.