christmas cartoon time 2010

There are so many holiday specials, old and relatively new that are available on DVD or Blu-Ray, which wasn't the case even 5 years when we started the Shelf. Back then we were making the case that these shows should be available on DVD, or at least shown again on television. Other than Cartoon Network, ABC Family, and the big Nets showing the very few standards, you wouldn't find many on television either. In recent years I've discovered more being shown, newer holiday specials being created and even more cable channels getting into the act. So it almost seems somewhat difficult to find something to share with you that you couldn't easily find on DVD or television. Almost.

The Story of the First Christmas Snow is part of Rankin/Bass' holiday cannon that doesn't get much airtime, other than the occasional afternoon viewing on ABC Family's 25 Days of Christmas. It stars the voices of Angela Landsbury and Cyril Richards. While it was available on VHS back in the day, it is not available on DVD- one of a handful of Rankin Bass Classics that aren't available for some reason or another (The Mouse and the Mayflower is another classic not available). It's a sweet story that is beautifully animated in the classic Rankin/ Bass style. Perhaps the Nets don't air it because of the overt religious tone or sentiment (imagine that- at Christmas time no less!). I don't know- but that's OK. The magic of the interwebs have saved the day. It's available in parts on YouTube. So for today's Christmas Cartoon Time we present to you The Story of the First Christmas Snow, with bonus Christmas time commercials from the 1980s (AKA the good "old" days according to my son).

Part 1:



Commercial Break:



Part 2:



Commercial Break 2:



Part 3:



Enjoy!



The most beautiful snow is the snow that falls on Christmas.

christmas cartoon double feature

Hey there Shelfers- it's time for our weekly Christmas cartoon. And as a special bonus treat, we are making it a double bill. A great Disney short, then a Disney Christmas special from the 1980s.

First up the classic Disney short Toy Tinkers with Donald and Chip and Dale.



Now our feature presentation: A Disney Christmas Gift from 1982
Part 1



Part 2



Part 3



Part 4



and Finally Part 5



Hope you've enjoyed this week's Christmas cartoon installment for the 2009 Shelf Christmas Party. Stay tuned for more.



See what Santa has for you...and for you my little pal.

repost: you betcha virginia

Today we present a repost in our continuing 2009 Shelf Christmas Party, and for our Weekly Christmas Cartoon special. It's an old favorite, and much beloved special that seems to be inline for a remake (and, I am afraid, will lack the charm of the original). I continue to hope that it will be released on DVD.

One of my favorite Holiday specials that has never made it to DVD and is very difficult to find on VHS is Yes Virginia, There is a Santa Claus. It's a charming early 70's holiday animated special from Bill Melendez and narrated by Mr.Magoo/Mr. Howell himself, Jim Backus. One of the things I love about it, besides the animation (fans of Peanuts specials will, of course recognize the style) - is the message and story which really tackles the spirit of hope and goodwill of the season no matter what you believe. It is based on a true story (which you can read more about here) and set in 1890's New York City- and reflects the ethnic melting pot that America was becoming. In fact it's spirit of coming together to me is so much at odds with today's imputus to label and separate ourselves into categories, that I wish it was shown regularly like it was when I was younger.
So without further ado- our first entry, in what we hope will be a series, of Holiday Specials you don't see anymore on TV: Yes Virginia, There is a Santa Claus.

Part 1:



Part 2:



Part 3:



Enjoy!



The older you get, the less there is to believe in.

weekly christmas cartoon special

Welcome one and all to the 2009 Shelf Christmas Party. We hope to bring you articles, favorite Chirstmas posts of the past, more "behind the carol" articles (which we started with our last post on I Heard the Bells on Chirstmas Day) and of course our weekly Christmas cartoon!

Today we bring you an under appreciated Christmas Special from Rankin Bass: The Life and Times of Santa Claus, originally aired in 1985. It was the last Animagic special produced by Rankin-Bass and the next to last Christmas special ever produced by Rankin/Bass themselves; the last being the animated 2001 Santa, Baby! The more recent iterations using the classic Rankin/Bass characters, to my understanding, have been produced by other groups like Classic Media or Warner Brothers who own the rights to the characters. For example, Warner Brother's produced the most recent special, the 2008 A Miser Brothers' Christmas, which just didn't have the same flavor and warmth as the original Rankin/Bass output. Which is something to be said for the originality, warmth and general wonderfulness of the work by Arthur Rankin Jr. and Jules Bass.

While you can catch it sometimes on ABC Family, it no longer runs on Network television, and until just the past couple of weeks it was unavailable on DVD. Now you can order it through the Warner Brothers Archive MOD DVD shop, which I encourage you to do, as I have. It's a wonderful and unique special, that's based on an original story by L. Frank Baum (Wizard of Oz) from 1902, and tells a fantastical tale of how Santa Claus became...Santa Claus and immortal, and also provides the many origins of Christmas traditions. Enjoy!

Part 1:


Part 2:


Part 3:


Part 4:


Part 5:


Hope you've enjoyed this week's installment, and I hope you enjoyed the post on the story behind I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day. Stay tuned for more of the 2009 edition of the Shelf Christmas Party!



In all this world, there is nothing so beautiful as a happy child.

you betcha virginia

One of my favorite Holiday specials that has never made it to DVD and is very difficult to find on VHS is Yes Virginia, There is a Santa Claus. It's a charming early 70's holiday animated special from Bill Melendez and narrated by Mr.Magoo/Mr. Howell himself, Jim Backus. One of the things I love about it, besides the animation (fans of Peanuts specials will, of course recognize the style) - is the message and story which really tackles the spirit of hope and goodwill of the season no matter what you believe. It is based on a true story (which you can read more about here) and set in 1890's New York City- and reflects the ethnic melting pot that America was becoming. In fact it's spirit of coming together to me is so much at odds with today's imputus to label and separate ourselves into categories, that I wish it was shown regularly like it was when I was younger.
So without further ado- our first entry, in what we hope will be a series, of Holiday Specials you don't see anymore on TV: Yes Virginia, There is a Santa Claus.

Part 1:



Part 2:



Part 3:



Enjoy!



The older you get, the less there is to believe in.

christmas cartoons are here again....

Let's kick off today's installment with the 1936 Max Fleischer cartoon 'Christmas Comes but Once a Year' starring Grampy from the Betty Boop cartoons.




Retro commercial break time! Brought to you by Mcdonald's.




Next up: 'Pluto's Christmas Tree' (Pardon the subtitles. It's such a great cartoon and this was the only one I could find.)



Until Next time.....


Please feel free to comment if the need strikes you.




...and Mary Lou Retton as 'Tiny Tim'