The Original Christmas Classics Gift Set

Description

Four original holiday favorites make the perfect stocking
stuffer for the young and the young at heart. Includes Rudolph the Red-Nosed
Reindeer (Burl Ives. 1964/65 min.), Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town (Fred
Astaire, Mickey Rooney. 1970/55 min.), Frosty the Snowman (Jimmy Durante.
1969/30 min.) and Frosty Returns (Jonathan Winters. 1992/25 min.). Animated. 2
Discs. Color/NR. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: This classic 1964
television special featuring Rudolph and his misfit buddies set the standard
for stop-motion animation for an entire generation before Tim Burton darkly
reinvented it in the early 1990s. Burl Ives narrates as Sam the Snowman,
telling and singing the story of a rejected reindeer who overcomes prejudice
and saves Christmas one particularly blustery year. Along the way, he meets an
abundance of unforgettable characters: his dentally obsessed elf pal Hermey;
the affable miner Yukon Cornelius and his motley crew of puppies; the
scary/adorable Abominable Snow Monster; a legion of abandoned, but still
chatty, toys; and a rather grouchy Santa. In addition to the title song that
inspired it, this 53-minute tape is crammed with catchy tunes such as “Silver
and Gold” and “Holly Jolly Christmas.” Those who grew up looking forward to
watching Rudolph every Christmas season will undoubtedly be able to recite the
quotable quotes (“I’m cuuuute. She said I’m cuuuute.” “Herbie doesn’t like to
make toys.”) as well as any Casablanca cult audience. –Kimberly Heinrichs
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 Coming to
Town presents a nice bridge between two generations of entertainment, the
classic and the hip. –Tom Keogh Frosty the Snowman: Jimmy Durante narrates
this Christmas story that is based on the song of the same name. To make up
for the fact that her students are in school on Christmas Eve, the local
schoolteacher hires the magician Professor Hinkle to entertain the kids.
Unfortunately, he’s not a very good magician. Frustrated in his attempt to
pull a rabbit out of his hat, he throws it away in anger. Outside, the kids
build a snowman (what to call it? Harold? Oatmeal? Frosty!), and when the hat
blows onto it–Happy Birthday!–it comes to life. Professor Hinkle decides he
wants the hat back so he can make money off of its newfound magical
properties, but the kids want to save Frosty. When the temperature starts to
rise, a new problem threatens Frosty’s existence. Karen, the leader of the
children, comes up with a plan to save him: take him on a train to the North
Pole, where it’s always cold. With a cameo by Santa Claus, and the promise of
Frosty’s return every year, this story of life, death, and holiday cheer is
glazed with the sweet frosting of hope and happiness. A true holiday classic.
–Andy Spletzer Frosty Returns: n the same way that many a Hollywood sequel
has little to do with the first film, Frosty Returns has almost nothing in
common with the original Frosty the Snowman, aside from a man made of snow.
The biggest difference is that this Frosty doesn’t need a magic hat to come to
life. The story: In the town of Beansboro, old Mr. Twitchell has invented an
aerosol spray that can remove snow without the hassle of shoveling or plows.
This frightens Frosty, who enlists the help of amateur magician Holly and her
friend Charles to stop the old coot. Made in 1992, Frosty Returns has an
animation style that looks like a cross between the old Schoolhouse Rock and
Peanuts cartoons, with voice talent that includes Jonathan Winters, Andrea
Martin, Jan Hooks, Brian Doyle-Murray, and John Goodman as Frosty. The story
may be divisive, pitting children against adults and a pro-snow contingent
against anti-snow people, but the songs are catchy and the message is one that
ultimately empowers kids. Like a hero from an old Western, this Frosty is a
wanderer who leaves when his job is done so he can work his magic elsewhere.
–Andy Spletzer Additional Features Holiday favorites Rudolph the Red-Nosed
Reindeer, Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town, Frosty the Snowman, and Frosty
Returns are now available on Blu-ray, and the burning question is, is it worth
replacing the regular DVD set with the Blu-ray version? The short answer is
maybe: there were some noticeable differences between the versions in Rudolph
the Red-Nosed Reindeer, a slight difference in Frosty the Snowman, and
virtually no distinguishable differences in Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town and
Frosty Returns. First the technical specifics: the comparison was done by
playing the 2002 three-DVD collection on an up-converting DVD player alongside
the new Blu-ray collection played on a Blu-ray player, both of which were
hooked up to the same high-definition television. The Blu-ray version of
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer was quite a bit lighter and the colors were
much brighter, though certain colors changed completely (Yukon Cornelius’s
jacket appears green in the Blu-ray version, but in the 2002 version it was
the same blue as his blanket roll). While viewers probably aren’t likely to
notice the color changes without viewing the two versions side by side, the
overall sense of brightness and vividness of color is definitely a plus. The
Blu-ray version is also slightly less grainy than the 2002 DVD version, but
again, viewers probably won’t notice the difference unless they compare the
two versions side by side. Frosty the Snowman also looks brighter on Blu-ray,
but it may just be a little too bright and colorful. In some portions of the
film, the magician’s skin glows positively orange, and his hat and coat change
from grey in the beginning of the film to forest green when the kids are first
building the snowman, and then back to the more traditional grey later on.
It’s a personal call, but some may find all that color a bit disconcerting.
Close comparisons of Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town and Frosty Returns in the
two formats yielded virtually no distinguishable differences in picture
quality or color. This limited keepsake edition also contains a bonus seven-
track Christmas CD with Burl Ives singing the classics “Rudolph the Red-Nosed
Reindeer” and “A Holly Jolly Christmas,” Brenda Lee’s rendition of “Rockin’
Around the Christmas Tree,” Jimmy Durante’s “Frosty the Snowman,” the Jackson
5’s “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town,” and other iconic Christmas songs by
Smokey Robinson and the Miracles and Bobby Helms. –Tami Horiuchi

Features:

Product Details:

• Aspect Ratio ‏ : ‎ 1.33:1
• Is Discontinued By Manufacturer ‏ : ‎ No
• MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ Unrated (Not Rated)
• Product Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 0.7 x 7.5 x 5.4 inches; 8.8 Ounces
• Item model number ‏ : ‎
• Director ‏ : ‎ Jules Bass, Arthur Rankin Jr.
• Media Format ‏ : ‎ NTSC, Animated, Blu-ray, Full Screen
• Run time ‏ : ‎ 2 hours and 30 minutes
• Release date ‏ : ‎ October 12, 2010
• Actors ‏ : ‎ Burl Ives, Fred Astaire