This came out 10 years before I got married, and always thought that when I had kids some day, it would be one of their favorites. It wasn't.
Maybe it's because I'm an engineer and love clocks, but does anyone have any constructive criticism about this program?
I always liked the story and the music, although the animation is crude even by Rankin Bass standards.
Thoughts?
I think it was the end of their heyday (1970s). My mom taped it for us in early 1980s and I remember that a little bratty mouse got punished for repeatedly tampering with stuff he should not. But yeah it's not necessarily about the holidays as much as it is about obeying your parents and not harming others/the whole town.
Maybe the kid being the problem is why it never really caught on as a 'special'. The villians in all the other specials were adults who knew better and could be held accountable. Trying to hold a child to the same standards--even then (victorian?) is difficult.
This one's my favorite of all the children's Christmas specials. The music is what wins it for me, but I love the stupid things in it that one can make fun of as well. ...I'm old, in my late 30s, and I've been watching this since I was a kid. Was so excited when I found this on DVD many years ago, and I never fail to watch it each year.
shareYeah, it’s fallen out of favor, but I remember it fondly. I guess the hand-drawn animation hasn’t held up as well aesthetically as the old stop-motion stuff.
I liked the song and message of "Even a Miracle Needs a Hand" even though I was not particularly religious myself. The whole show, rather surprisingly for animated holiday specials of the featuring Santa, had religious overtones.
I don't see the religious overtones.
It's more Santa allegedly getting mad at a town who 'suddenly' does not believe in him any more, and refusing to deliver gifts' so they have to convince him they still support him. The plot is kinda thin (why would they suddenly stop believing one year after having received gifts the prior year)
but I like the music
> I don't see the religious overtones
Well, off the top my head, consider the lyrics of "Even a Miracle Needs a Hand." To begin with, miracles are generally considered to be the work of divine agency. Other lines from the song: “you pray and I'll plan” and “we’ll help our Maker to make our dreams come true”.
miracles can happen regardless of religion/if a person believes or not
ditto for planning....even agnostics (who don't necessarily believe in a faith) might hope for good wishes.
There is no specific deity mentioned. So, no I don't see it as 'religious' more like people working together on a larger project so it is successful vs. expecting one person to do everything.
The first dictionary definition of “miracle”: “a surprising and welcome event that is not explicable by natural or scientific laws and is therefore considered to be the work of a divine agency.”
https://www.google.com/search?q=miracle+definition&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-us&client=safari
Obviously, in the quoted lyric, it is the word “praying” rather than “planning” that has religious connotations.
Although it seems likely that it was the Judeo-Christian god (Yahweh) that the lyricist had in mind, it hardly matters if a specific deity is referenced. Most religious people don’t reference their deity by name and the creators probably intended to keep it non-denominational to widen its appeal.
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I watched this today for the first time in a long time. I watched this a lot as a kid and liked it (I'm 53 now). It just seemed like CBS (I think this aired on CBS, if I remember correctly) stopped showing this after awhile for whatever reason (maybe poor ratings?).
I always felt so bad for the mouse when he told his dad he messed up his clock. But cartoons back then were different...I remember crying as a kid during "The Little Drummer Boy" when Baba gets hit and almost dies.
Watching it today, I was nostalgic hearing George Gobel's voice again. This and "Hollywood Squares" were what I remember him being in. I enjoyed re-watching it again today, even with the crude animation.
My wife and I watched it again the other day, and we were discussing it. Some of the comments probably are on the ball - animation uninspired and maybe at the end of the day the story just wasn't that good.
The soundtrack I thought was very good for a Christmas special at least. Thanks for the comments.
There were a lot of specials made during the 1970s by Rankin/Bass and other studios that ran for only a couple of years and then disappeared.
For some reason the 1960s specials caught on, but the ones from the 1970s didn't. Programs like Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, A Charlie Brown Christmas, How the Grinch Stole Christmas! and Frosty the Snowman still air annually. How long has it been since specials from the 1970s like The Year Without a Santa Claus or 'Twas the Night Before Christmas were broadcast?
The Year Without a Santa Claus still runs many times every year.
But you're correct about the '60s. Maybe their still so popular because the kids at that time were more likely to enjoy them and they still run on nostalgia.
Where have you recently seen The Year Without a Santa Claus? I haven't seen it listed in years. Maybe I missed the listings.
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