Product Description
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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.
.com
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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 y/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." "ie 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
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Set Contains:
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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
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