Matcollis This Movie Can Only Be Described With One Word.

Supelice Dreadfully Boring

Ogosmith Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

Cody One of the best movies of the year! Incredible from the beginning to the end.

utgard14 Apologies for the Billy Joel reference in the title but I couldn't help myself. This is the final stop-motion special from Rankin/Bass. They certainly go out on a creative note here. This is one of their most different and interesting specials. Obviously influenced by the popularity of fantasy material in the '80s. Everywhere you looked you saw stuff with magical creatures or wizards or enchanted realms. Rankin/Bass had dipped their toe in this already with Rudolph & Frosty's Christmas In July several years before, as well as many traditionally animated cartoons based on The Lord of the Rings. Oh and, of course, The Last Unicorn. This special here was based off of a book by L. Frank Baum, the creator of Wizard of Oz.It's a fairly involved plot for a Christmas special. A council of immortal beings must decide if Santa Claus should be given immortality. From here, we get the origin of Santa, as told by the Great Ak. To say this is different from the origin of Santa previously released by Rankin/Bass would be an understatement. This is pretty trippy stuff but also very fun.The stop-motion animation is beautiful, as you would expect from Rankin/Bass. It's some of their most creative work and it's just a shame it came at the end. The story is imaginative and interesting. It's dark in places and certainly isn't the toddler-friendly specials of before. The voicework is terrific and the characters are enjoyable. The music is nice, though not their best. As with all Rankin-Bass specials, I of course recommend it. But I would give a special recommendation for this one to people who are fans of fantasy stories but perhaps don't normally watch Rankin-Bass specials.

TheLittleSongbird I love Rankin' Bass Christmas specials and have done so since childhood. I love Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer, Frosty the Snowman, Santa Claus is Comin' To Town, The Little Drummer Boy and Nestor The Long-Eared Christmas Donkey, and while The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus is not quite as good it still stands on its own as a Christmas classic. The stop-motion is gorgeous to look at, the settings are some of the most beautiful and imaginative-looking I've seen and the characters move easily. The music is tuneful and memorable, it is very original while maintaining that feel of Christmas sparkle. Ora E Sempre is really powerful stuff. The script is thoughtfully written and engaging, with some heart-warming sentiment and important themes without beating the audience around the head with them. The story is imaginatively done and interesting, there are some dark moments(though nowhere near as nightmare-inducing as other films/shows/specials I've come across) but also some moving ones as well. The characters are really memorable, Claus is immediately likable and a character to root for, Weekum and Blinky are cute, Tingler is amusing, The Great Ak is a firm and kindly storyteller and the fairies are sweet and have great personalities, but I find Commander of the Wind Demons to be the character I remember most. The voice acting is really excellent as well. In conclusion, just as much as I do with other Rankin' Bass Christmas specials I love this. 10/10 Bethany Cox

grubby_d The only reason I ever even heard of this was by putting in blank VHS tapes out of boredom one day when I was about 10. For me this movie has special meaning because I used to watch it with my buddy when we were little. We could probably recite almost ever word and sing every song.But about the movie itself, it is a rare gem that almost nobody has ever heard of. This is a side of Christmas that is so refreshingly different, bearing absolutely no resemblance to any other Santa story ever written, capturing the Christmas spirit in its own way.This gets a full 10 from me for the stunning art-work of its creation and magical creativity that brought it to life.Go get it! Journey with Clause from the forest of Berzee to the Laughing Valley of "Ho Ha Ho" in this one in a million production. Expect the unexpected with characters such as Peter Nook, the great Ak, and the commander of the wind demons.

zordon42 when i first saw this movie, i completly loved the songs, but now that i've got it recorded and got another look at it, i found that i loved the storyline. the characters were amazing, i loved how they represented themselves, and the scenery, i just loved this film for........ everything it had.