Help! Christmas Specials on DVD

[DisneyFreak5282]

I've been looking into this for about 2 years and this year I want to finally go through with this. I want to buy some of those multi-disc box sets that contain several of the Rankin-Bass stop-animation Christmas specials. There are 4 box sets out there, and at $40 each brand new (or $25 used), it's way too much to be spending. So I did some research today. I know some of these are OOP, but my local FYE and Target have multiple copies of each of these sets already, so availability is not an issue for me.


1: The Original Television Christmas Classics [Plus a bonus Music Video and a bonus Christmas CD] http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/ ... eimprovemz



From what I understand, this includes:

a. This edition of Rudolph, which I bought last year: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/ ... eimprovemz

b. This edition of the Frosty/Frosty Returns double feature: http://www.amazon.com//exec/obidos/ASIN ... eimprovemz

c. This edition of Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town: http://www.amazon.com//exec/obidos/ASIN ... eimprovemz

d. And a bonus CD and extra Christmas specials.

2: The Original Christmas Classics [Limited Keepsake Edition] http://www.amazon.com//exec/obidos/ASIN ... eimprovemz



From what I understand, this includes everything set 1 does, but without the bonus CD and music video, plus a few new Christmas shorts.

3: Christmas Television Favorites http://www.amazon.com//exec/obidos/ASIN ... eimprovemz


From what I understand, this includes:

a. This edition of The Grinch: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/ ... eimprovemz

b. This edition of The Year Without a Santa Claus: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/ ... eimprovemz

c. This edition of Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July (and I assume Rudolph's Shiny New Year is on this DVD as well) http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/ ... eimprovemz

d. This edition of Frosty's Winter Wonderland: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/ ... eimprovemz

e. And more extra specials added as bonus features on some of these discs.


4: Classic Christmas Favorites http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/ ... eimprovemz


From what I understand, this includes everything from set #3, plus three new specials?


Are my assumptions correct as to which editions of these films come in which sets? Looking back at all this, the wise choice would be for me to purchase sets 2 and 4, but are they really superior? They're both the more recent of the sets (sets 1 and 2 being the originals, sets 3 and 4 being more originals plus the sequels). I heard that these specials have been cut down from their original TV airings and some of their DVDs are that way, so does anyone know which of these sets contain the most complete versions of these films?

[Escapay]

Are my assumptions correct as to which editions of these films come in which sets? Looking back at all this, the wise choice would be for me to purchase sets 2 and 4, but are they really superior?

Yes.

Yes.

They're both the more recent of the sets (sets 1 and 2 being the originals, sets 3 and 4 being more originals plus the sequels). I heard that these specials have been cut down from their original TV airings and some of their DVDs are that way, so does anyone know which of these sets contain the most complete versions of these films?

IIRC, "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" has never been released in its true 1964 broadcast because there were various cuts/edits/changes over the years. The DVD releases, as I understand it, are from the most "complete" version (culled together from the different versions), but still has a couple changes.

BTW, if you're looking into buying some Christmas specials, may I also suggest Will Vinton's Claymation Christmas.

Also, there's Bugs Bunny's Looney Christmas Tales which to date is only on DVD in the Looney Tunes Golden Collection, Volume Five.

albert

[slave2moonlight]

I agree, you've picked the right ones. I own those two as well, and you can find my review of the former among the 3 Most Helpfuls on its Amazon.com page under the name "Monty Moonlight".

[DisneyFreak5282]

BTW, if you're looking into buying some Christmas specials, may I also suggest Will Vinton's Claymation Christmas.

Also, there's Bugs Bunny's Looney Christmas Tales which to date is only on DVD in the Looney Tunes Golden Collection, Volume Five.

Thank you, Scaps! If my budget wasn't so tight this year I'd definitely look into those as well! I also have to buy The Santa Clause 2 on DVD along with the Rankin-Bass version of Jack Frost, plus A Meiser Brother's Christmas and the John Goodman/Delta Burke version of "A Year Without a Santa Claus" too! I'm also hoping to get the Peanuts Holiday Box Set, but that's not really a priority for me.

I agree, you've picked the right ones. I own those two as well, and you can find my review of the former among the 3 Most Helpfuls on its Amazon.com page under the name "Monty Moonlight".

Cool! Thanks! I'll go read it now!


By the way, doesn't Pinocchio's Christmas come in one of these box sets? Which one does it come with?

[Darby]

#2 and #4 are the way to go; I have both and love them! Pinnocchio's Christmas is on #4.

Darby

[Escapay]

I always loved Pinocchio's Christmas. We had it on a VHS tape and whenever we finished watching the Disney Pinocchio, we'd watch this next as we felt it really was the official continuation of the story!

albert

[DisneyFreak5282]

I always loved Pinocchio's Christmas. We had it on a VHS tape and whenever we finished watching the Disney Pinocchio, we'd watch this next as we felt it really was the official continuation of the story!

Yes, that's exactly why I love it so much!

[toonaspie]

It ANNOYS me how they always package Frosty the Snowman with Frosty Returns on TV and on DVD. The official sequel to Frosty is Frosty's Winter Wonderland which aired in 1976. Frosty Returns was not even produced by Rankin/Bass.

I'm sure there's a reason but I wonder what it is...did Frosty's Winter Wonderland get bad TV ratings maybe?

I really wish they would have a consistent Rankin/Bass collection of all the Christmas specials in one set (or in volume) but I know this will never happen in a million years. I will keep this thread in mind if I ever do buy them.

[DisneyFreak5282]

I ANNOYS me how they always package Frosty the Snowman with Frosty Returns on TV and on DVD. The official sequel to Frosty is Frosty's Winter Wonderland which aired in 1976. Frosty Returns was not even produced by Rankin/Bass.

I'm sure there's a reason but I wonder what it is...did Frosty's Winter Wonderland get bad TV ratings maybe?

I really wish they would have a consistent Rankin/Bass collection of all the Christmas specials in one set (or in volume) but I know this will never happen in a million years. I will keep this thread in mind if I ever do buy them.

Yeah, maybe it just wasn't as popular or something.

And yes, it would be nice to have all the specials in one box set, but unfortunately it's always more about money than what the fans want.

I ordered set #4 used online plus the live action John Goodman version of "Year Without a Santa Claus" and with a discount and shipping it came to a little over $21. Pretty good in my book! Wal Mart has sets 2 and 4 for $25 each so once I get some more cash (which will definitely be by Christmas), I'll pick that up, and all I'll need is the RB version of Jack Frost (which they have at Target for $10), and A Miser Brothers Christmas (which they have at Wal Mart for $13). Somewhere in the middle of all that I would like to track down the 2-Disc live action version of How the Grinch Stole Christmas (I'm getting sick of watching it on VHS and I want it in Widescreen with bonus features!). As well as three or more Christmas CDs I've been looking at.

[David S.]

Nice thread, everyone! Sorry for the late reply, I've been out-of-town and am now catching up.

I ANNOYS me how they always package Frosty the Snowman with Frosty Returns on TV and on DVD. The official sequel to Frosty is Frosty's Winter Wonderland which aired in 1976. Frosty Returns was not even produced by Rankin/Bass.

I'm sure there's a reason but I wonder what it is...did Frosty's Winter Wonderland get bad TV ratings maybe?

The reason has to do with rights issues.

Classic Media holds the rights to the first 5 Rankin/Bass Christmas specials, from pre-1974 (Rudolph the Red Nosed Raindeer, Cricket on the Hearth, Little Drummer Boy, Frosty the Snowman, Santa Claus Is Coming To Town).

The rights to the remaining R/B Christmas specials, made after 1974, are held by Warners. Since Frosty's Winter Wonderland is among this group, this is why it has never been paired with the original Frosty on DVD, and why the 2 Rankin/Bass produced Frosty shows are in different DVD collections.

I really wish they would have a consistent Rankin/Bass collection of all the Christmas specials in one set (or in volume) but I know this will never happen in a million years. I will keep this thread in mind if I ever do buy them.

I, too, would like to see a comprehensive R/B set. Due to the rights issues, this won't happen in terms of ONE set, but at least Classic Media has done their part and put the 5 out that they own (including the somewhat obscure Cricket On the Hearth) both individually and in their Christmas set.

The holdup for getting all the R/B Christmas material on DVD (both individually and in a set) is with Warners. I wish Warner would get on the ball and include the missing "Story of the First Christmas Snow", "Little Drummer Boy Book 2", and "Life and Adventures Of Santa Claus" on a future edition of their set. Those are the only classic-era R/B Christmas shows missing from the Warner set other than Jack Frost, but at least that one has it's own DVD. But the 3 I just mentioned IMO should definitely be included in future editions of the Warner set, by adding an extra disc if necessary, and Jack Frost could fit on there, too.

I see Life and Adventures Of Santa Claus is now available via the Warner DVD on demand-type program, but The First Christmas Snow and Little Drummer Boy Book 2 have never been on DVD at ALL as far as I know.

PS. Warner is also sadly sitting on the DVD rights to the wonderful R/B show, The First Easter Rabbit, but at least the other two R/B Easter specials are on DVD.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rankin_Bass

[Margos]

Is "The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus" on DVD at all? IDK, I like some of the more obscure R/B titles, like that and "Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July." Gotta love that trippy plot!

Anyway, slightly off-topic, this has been bugging me for a while.... Does anyone know of an R/B special about St. Patrick's Day involving a sailor boy, a bunch of leprechauns and a Banshee that turned into either a tree or a boulder for some reason? I know I've seen it, but no one else seems to remember it, and it was years ago that I saw this thing....

[DisneyFreak5282]

As I stated, I ordered set #4 used online from Wherehouse only to receive it to find out they placed the live action version of The Year Without A Santa Claus in the set rather than the RB version. I contacted them, they sent me a free replacement, and not only did that replacement set come with the live action version of YWASC, but it also came with two copies of Frosty's Winter Wonderland! They told me to send it back and now I have credit on wherehouse.com. It's probably my fault though. I ordered the version of the set that did not have any new copies available to order, because there was another edition that had new copies available. I assumed they pulled the defective copies and reissued the set, which is why I should have looked into it further before I ordered it. Oh well. I think I might end up getting set #3. I still have the spare copy of set #4 laying around. The only difference between the two is that The Grinch DVD in #4 was re-authored to remove Horton Hears a Who!, which was replaced by the 3 new specials. #3 simply repackages 2006's 50th Birthday Deluxe edition which includes Horton, which I've wanted to see.

I also ordered set #2 - what a great gift set this is! It's great to have and IMHO was money well spent.

[David S.]

Is "The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus" on DVD at all? IDK, I like some of the more obscure R/B titles, like that and "Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July." Gotta love that trippy plot!

Yes, through the Warner online archive series:

http://www.wbshop.com/Life--Adventures- ... html?cgid=

I'm a big fan of Christmas in July as well. It does have a trippy plot! And I like how Rudolph and Frosty and Santa are all featured.

Anyway, slightly off-topic, this has been bugging me for a while.... Does anyone know of an R/B special about St. Patrick's Day involving a sailor boy, a bunch of leprechauns and a Banshee that turned into either a tree or a boulder for some reason? I know I've seen it, but no one else seems to remember it, and it was years ago that I saw this thing....

That would be Leprechaun's Christmas Gold, from 1981, which is on the most current Warner set (#4 listed above)

[UmbrellaFish]

Anyway, slightly off-topic, this has been bugging me for a while.... Does anyone know of an R/B special about St. Patrick's Day involving a sailor boy, a bunch of leprechauns and a Banshee that turned into either a tree or a boulder for some reason? I know I've seen it, but no one else seems to remember it, and it was years ago that I saw this thing....

That would be Leprechaun's Christmas Gold, from 1981, which is on the most current Warner set (#4 listed above)

Which by the way, annually airs on ABC Family's 25 Days of Christmas (just rarely when anyone is watching). There's one and only upcoming date set for December 24th at 9 AM EST.

[Margos]

Thanks! That was really annoying me that I couldn't think of what on earth that was....

[DisneyFreak5282]

Can anyone answer me this?

So last year I didn't have enough money to buy Box Set #2 on my list, and Rudolph was the only special I had missed on TV, so I bought the individual DVD release. The release had just Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer plus a trivia game, the TV trailer, music videos and a few other things. The disc in Set #2 looks almost identical to the individual DVD release of Rudolph, except it contains the Cricket on the Hearth special. I assumed that was the only change. I compared the discs to find out that the special features were dropped from the disc, presumably to make room for The Cricket on the Hearth". It seemed logical, but CotH and Rudolph both run under an hour each, so at the same time it didn't really seem all that logical. Also included in the set are Frosty the Snowman (with Frosty Returns on the same disc), and Santa Claus is Comin' to Town! (which has Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol and The LIttle Drummer Boy on the same disc). All these specials have been released on separate DVDs, including the ones that were tacked on to the main discs. So I was wondering, what special features have been dropped from each disc? I didn't realize the discs were re-authored, I just assumed they were repackaged. I would have rather them just repackaged the discs or port all the special features over onto a bonus DVD rather than have that (somewhat pointless) 7-track bonus CD.

[David S.]

There have been many individual releases of these titles on DVD, some released by Classic Media; others by Sony Wonder. The bonus features differ. Some versions of Santa Claus Is Coming To Town had an introduction by Arthur Rankin and this is sadly not included in the boxed set #2. Also, other versions had a Mariah Carey music video, also not included in the boxed set. Some seem to have no features at all.

The only bonus feature in the box to have been carried over from previous releases is the pencil test from the Frosty DVD. Apparently some versions also had an introduction by Arthur Rankin which is missing from the set.

I'm not sure how accurate this linked info is, but here's a rundown of some the different releases from Allmovie.com. See the menu button for a rundown of bonus features for each edition. Strangely, box set #2 doesn't appear to be listed:

http://www.allmovie.com/dvd/releases/sa ... town-42837

http://www.allmovie.com/dvd/releases/fr ... wman-18809

http://www.allmovie.com/dvd/releases/ru ... deer-42267

The individual releases for Cricket On the Hearth and Little Drummer Boy appear to have no bonus features.

[Barbossa]

I wish they could put out a definitive Rankin/Bass collection, with all the popular cartoons and the more obscure ones that don't seem to ever get a release.

[disneyboy20022]

I wish they could put out a definitive Rankin/Bass collection, with all the popular cartoons and the more obscure ones that don't seem to ever get a release.

Yes...that would be nice....but I don't think its happening this holiday season......

Perhaps 2010 ? or 2013 if the world doesn't end in 2012 of December

Maybe they should do a seasonal one.... Halloween (which I am not too familiar if Rankin/Bass has a good amout of Halloween specials and one for Easter


Although are you saying this proposed dream set should have all of them in one big kitten kaboodle dvd set? Regardless of Holiday or even the non-holiday related ones....

[DisneyFreak5282]

There have been many individual releases of these titles on DVD, some released by Classic Media; others by Sony Wonder. The bonus features differ. Some versions of Santa Claus Is Coming To Town had an introduction by Arthur Rankin and this is sadly not included in the boxed set #2. Also, other versions had a Mariah Carey music video, also not included in the boxed set. Some seem to have no features at all.

The only bonus feature in the box to have been carried over from previous releases is the pencil test from the Frosty DVD. Apparently some versions also had an introduction by Arthur Rankin which is missing from the set.

I'm not sure how accurate this linked info is, but here's a rundown of some the different releases from Allmovie.com. See the menu button for a rundown of bonus features for each edition. Strangely, box set #2 doesn't appear to be listed:

http://www.allmovie.com/dvd/releases/sa ... town-42837

http://www.allmovie.com/dvd/releases/fr ... wman-18809

http://www.allmovie.com/dvd/releases/ru ... deer-42267

The individual releases for Cricket On the Hearth and Little Drummer Boy appear to have no bonus features.

Thanks! I was mainly referring to the editions released by Classic Media, since the prints from those discs seem to have been taken and used for the box set, as that was also released by Classic Media. But I was also looking to find out what kinds of bonus features were released on every individual release of these movies, just to see if there are any noteworthy bonus features. Plus it's not like I can go to the store and read on the back what kinds of bonuses there are, since the Rudolph DVD I own doesn't list any bonuses on the back.