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tdimitriou
Reviews
The Life & Adventures of Santa Claus (1985)
Psychedelic Tale Of Santa's Beginnings
This is one of my favourite Rankin/Bass offerings. I think this was one of the last of the Christmas Classics they made. Basically, Santa is raised by wood elves and wild animals, fights off an ogre army, then has to go to trial for the mantle of immortality so he can continue delivering his gifts. Honestly, I think they were high on mescaline or something to come up with this wild tale.
Wonderful battle scenes of the hellbent ogres attacking the peaceful elves. There are many deaths in this children's cartoon, but do not despair, Santa wins in the end.
Highly recommended for:
- the Great Ak and his clan
- most deaths in a Rankin/Bass Christmas special
Highly Recommended!
The Snowman (1982)
Classic Christmas Animation
A bittersweet tale, emotions we have all felt as children. You put your heart and soul into the perfect snowman, only to see it crumpled and melted in the morning (at least here in Seattle). But aside from the heartache at the end of the film, it has some endearing qualities... here are some of my favourite scenes:
- Snowman puts father's dentures in his mouth: this is terrifying on many levels. 1) the father looks to be only 40-50 years old, if he has a full set of dentures already he hasn't given proper attention to oral hygiene. This is a red flag, but it is made in the UK so maybe normal as they have bad teeth. 2) why would snowman need teeth? With due respect he did spit them out and put them back in the solution
- Motorbike ride: the snowman recklessly endangers the child through dangerous areas, disrupting the sleep of various animals, who I'm sure are waiting for Santa as well. As the snowman can fly, this is an unnecessary move, presumably in an effort to show machismo.
- The Santa Party: simply, many snowmen and snowwomen are indulging in ale and pipe smoking. This is why I give the movie 10/10 rating. I wish my snowman would have flown me to a beer party to meet Santa.
Highly Recommended!