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Audience Rating: G (General Audience) Binding: VHS Tape EAN: 9786301760348 Format: Animated, Color, HiFi Sound, NTSC ISBN: 6301760344 Label: Warner Home Video Manufacturer: Warner Home Video Number Of Items: 1 Publisher: Warner Home Video Release Date: September 26, 2000 Running Time: 50 minutes Sales Rank: 448 Studio: Warner Home Video Theatrical Release Date: December 17, 1985
Amazon.com: This bizarre, pagan take on the Santa Claus legend, which is based on a story by L. Frank Baum (The Wizard of Oz), was produced and directed by Rankin and Bass, the reigning kings of the Christmas special (Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer), using their brand of puppet animation. In the forest of Burzee, the immortals gather to discuss the fate of Santa Claus. Found when he was an abandoned baby by the Great Ak (a wizard with big wooden horns on his head), the boy was named Claus because that means "little one" in the language of the forest. Raised by immortals and knowing nothing but peace and harmony, the adolescent Claus is taken on a tour of the mortal world by the Great Ak, and he discovers the world is rife with misery and injustice. This is when he decides he will dedicate his life to making kids happy, and he learns the best way to do this is to give them toys. After years of service, the immortals must decide whether or not to give him eternal life. Indeed, this is a very strange Christmas tale. --Andy Spletzer
Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
Rating: - Another Warner Bros Boxed set of Holiday Classics??
I heard a rumor that WB was going to put out another DVD BOXED SET of Christmas "lost" classics - ALL Stop motion Rankin/Bass!!
1. Life and Adventures of Santa Claus
2. Pinocchio's Christmas
3. The First Christmas
4. The Little Drummer Boy: Book 2
5. Leprechaun's Christmas Gold
But what about Jack Frost?? Hopefully that will be included too. Seems to me that Jack Frost should be included in this set. Wow do I ever hope this is true! I'll stand in line for this Boxed set!!
UPDATE: A new WB Box set is out (OCT 08), BUT...it is the same as last year's ... Read More
Rating: - Hear, hear on the push for DVD!
Similar to the rest of us here, I'm looking forward to a DVD version of this film! I had forgotten about it until today when my brother and I racked our brains trying to come up with the name of the film. Finding it is great... owning the DVD would rock!
Rating: - Please bring this to DVD!
Of all the Rankin Bass productions, this is my favorite. I dig out my VHS copy every Christmas, and every Christmas I search Amazon in the hopes that the DVD will finally be available. But not so far. When I see some of the dopey and horrible things that ARE out on DVD, I can only hope that sooner or later good taste will prevail and we'll finally be rewarded with this one!
Rating: - When will they put this on DVD?!
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 ... Read More
Rating: - An excellent Christmas DVD
This is an old animated feature in the style of Rudolph and Santa Claus is coming to town. It is based on a story by the Wizard of Oz author, Frank l. Baum and is an interesting twist on the generic versions of the origins of Santa Claus.It deals with the origins of Claus without religious trappings and has always been a favourite Christmas special. I would encourage an open mind when watching it as it sends a message of one man trying to help the helpless in the world and how can that be anything but positive?
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