#earlhammond

[elizapdushku]

ThunderCats (1985-1989) #thundercats #larrykenney #earlehyman #earlhammond #peternewman #lynnelipton #bobmcfadden #gerrianneraphael #dougpreis #victortrujillo #tedtobinwolf #ripearlehyman #ripearlhammond #ripbobmcfadden #riptedtobinwolf #tvtuesday #tvtuesdays #tvilove #favouritetvseries https://www.instagram.com/p/CUGqCFIKGJT/?utm_medium=tumblr

[adamwatchesmovies]

The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus (1985)

L. Frank Baum wrote about more than the land of Oz. He also penned The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus, adapted in 1985 as a short film by Rankin Bass. While it's plenty weird… I’ll believe it more than most origin stories for the holiday mascot. The stop-motion animation is just so-so and more than one character annoying but it’s got a certain charm.

In the Forest of Burzee, a council of immortals, led by the Great Ak (Earle Hyman) debates whether an aging Santa Claus (Earl Hammond) deserves to be granted immortality. To do so, they must recall what turned him into the pillar of generosity we know today.

As an origin story for a character that never needed one, this is decent. It’s certainly creative, which goes a long way. You’ve got fairies, talking animals, present-stealing demons, magic and there’s even an epic battle between the forces of good and evil! All that's missing is the reason why the holiday is actually called "Christmas" but never mind that. The Rankin/Bass “Animagic” visuals give the picture a distinctly nostalgic feel even if you’ve never seen it before. This intangible virtue makes even the dodgy models are amusing. Some of the how-did-that-come-to-be reveals are strained though the small children this is intended for are unlikely to notice or mind.

I’d rate this holiday special higher if it weren't for a Sound Imp named Tingler (voiced by Robert McFadden) who uses every line of dialogue he’s given to annoy the viewers. Do they still do that thing in animated shows today where instead of giving a character a personality they give him a vocal quirk? I hope not. His gimmick is that he repeats everything he has to say in a variety of human and animal languages. It gets old immediately.

The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus lasts 50 minutes. A little more if you’re watching it on TV with advertisements. You could do much worse as far as holiday cartoons go. There’s also much better available. It’s no classic but it kept me entertained. (TV version, December 8, 2018)