CHRISTMAS SPECIALS 2K19 - YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY CHRISTMAS SHIT

[Trilby]

still my totes fave arrangement of We Three Kings

For me, Joy To The World.

Here is a bit of a weird one that I distinctly remember watching several times as a kid. I don't remember where I saw it but I am pretty sure it was on tv but I can't say for sure. It's called Noel, it's about a Christmas ornament that has a "happiness" because the glass blower that made him cried a happy tear into him after getting some "good news" regarding his daughter. This makes him bubbly and annoying to the other ornaments in his box (who are surprisingly pretty grouchy) after being bought by some woman they get put onto the tree that is surprisingly wise and patient. After eventually being forgotten in the attic the house is sold after the husband and wife who bought him die and their kids sell the house. A new family moves in and throws away the other ornaments but keeps noel for some reason. The dumb ornament isn't careful and spins causing his top to break off and for him to land on the tracks of a model trains breaking in several pieces. After seeing the baby Jesus in a nativity scene he becomes this soul/second sun thing that is the embodiment of happiness and he goes out and seemingly conquers earth to make everone have a "happiness". It is really weird and really dumb. I had forgotten about it nut Phelous did a pretty funny review on it a few years ago, I first saw that review about a year ago and that reminded me of its existence. Since that last time I saw it would have been around 2006 or 2007. I don't seek it out every year but I thought I should share because someone might enjoy it. Links to the special and review are embedded below.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=Sp8q_b4Li1Y
https://youtube.com/watch?v=4T7YbWcXMAg

This would be the last special written by Romeo Muller, best known for having done the screenplay to Rankin/Bass's Rudolph and countless other animated specials over the years. Another one he made but never lived to see completed was "The 12 Days of Christmas", though not as fancy as Noel is, it did have Phil Hartman as one of the voices on it.

Can this include adverts? Because I love this parody of The Snowman:https://youtube.com/watch?v=4yZOab5gl-4

I was impressed they made a sequel!

You know, it's a coincidence that I just watched this last night. My VHS copy has Kermit, but he's only at the beginning.

There is a torrent out there for a version someone made that includes all the cut footage edited back together for a 30th Anniversary release.

Anyway, here is the obscure Ralph Bakshi special Christmas in Tattertown, which aired a couple times on Nickelodeon in the early 90s:

https://youtube.com/watch?v=AoiLlwH_YD0

It was classic and probably helped open Nickelodeon's interest in creating original animated productions to come.

 

[Agent Abe Caprine]

A Christmas Story. Even set a leg lamp out every year.

Don't own a bunny suit, so not obsessed with it.

 

[Pokemonquistador2]

I've seen obscure Rankin-Bass shit get brought up so how about The Leprechauns' Christmas Gold. Apparently it aired on ABC Family but I'd never heard of it until a couple years ago.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=8pCalD-CnIA

I remember watching this one. It was frighteningly easy how the witch woman was able to break up leprechaun society by manipulating the emotions of the womenfolk. Didn't know banshees were third wave feminists...

I second all of A Claymation Christmas as prime Christmas watching material, even if no one knows who the California Raisins are anymore... It was probably the most creative Christmas special ever made.

I've been hearing a surprising amount of hate for A Christmas Story lately. Sure, it's overplayed. Sure, it's acted too broadly during the "Ralphie imagines something" scenes. Sure, the humor isn't hard edged or modern. But it had a lot of cute moments. And it nailed the hell out of the kind of self-interested, hyberbolic mindset a kid Ralphie's age would have. It's earnest, and it managed to be a heavily memed movie long before the internet came around. It took effort to be quotable back in the days when word of mouth was the only thing that could drag a film out of Initial-Run Box Office Failure Hell.

 

[Steamboat_Bill]

I've been hearing a surprising amount of hate for A Christmas Story lately. Sure, it's overplayed. Sure, it's acted too broadly during the "Ralphie imagines something" scenes.

Isn't that the point? It's broad acting because it's his imagination.

 

[Trilby]

Isn't that the point? It's broad acting because it's his imagination.

That's what I thought, and those scenes work well to show his determination to get what he wanted from the start.

 

[Scarlett Johansson]

But you can’t go wrong with the standards:

https://youtube.com/watch?v=1YA3ZG8-MxY

Oh this is one of my favorites!

Her autobiography was interesting. She started in radio before being cast as Jessica.

 

[Pokemonquistador2]

Oh this is one of my favorites!

Her autobiography was interesting. She started in radio before being cast as Jessica.

I loved Jessica's song in that movie, and was always pissed when local TV stations would edit it out to make more room for commericals. I also like how Jessica's clothing and hair subtly changed during the song from drab grays to bright blues, yellows, and reds. When you're working with a primitive medium like stop motion, it's little things like this that help make a story feel richer.