Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town (TV special)
Encyclopedia
Santa Claus is Comin' to Town is a 1970 stop motion
television
special, made by Rankin-Bass with models carved from wood (as with most Rankin-Bass specials). The film stars actor Fred Astaire
as S.D. Kluger, the narrator, and Mickey Rooney
as Kris Kringle
/Santa Claus
(a role which he would frequently play later on). The film tells the story of how Santa Claus and several Claus-related Christmas traditions came to be. It is based on the hit Christmas song of the same name
, which was introduced on radio
by Eddie Cantor
in 1934.
) is introduced. His mail truck breaks down, so he begins to tell the story of Santa Claus, in order to answer children's letters to Santa.
called Sombertown, which is ruled by the grouchy Mayor Burgermeister Meisterburger (Paul Frees
). A baby arrives on his doorstep, with a name tag reading "Claus" and note requesting that Burgermeister raise the child as his own. However, Burgermeister orders his right-hand man, Grimsby (also by Frees) to take the baby to the "Orphan Asylum
." On the way there, a gust of wind blows both sled and baby far away, to the mountains of the Whispering Winds. There, the animals hide him from the Winter Warlock
(Keenan Wynn
), a powerful wizard who dislikes anyone trespassing his land. They bring the baby to the other side of the mountain, where he is found by an elf
family by the name of Kringle, led by Tanta Kringle. They adopt him, naming him “Kris.” A few years later, Kris hopes that he can one day restore the Kringle family as "The First Toymakers to the King." However, the fact that the Kringles can't pass the mountains without coming across the Winter Warlock has kept them from doing so.
), a schoolteacher. She is rude to Kris, but likes him when he offers her a China doll
. However, the other townspeople are even frightened by Kris saying "toy." The children of the town have been put into labor, mostly washing their stockings. Kris decides to change that and begins handing out toys. Just then, the Burgermeister arrives. He almost arrests the children but Kris confesses it was he that gave them the toys. He tries presenting the Burgermeister with a toy, only for Grimsby to remind him that he's breaking his own law. Kris barely manages to escape the Burgermeister's forces.
fly. Jess gives Kris's reindeer friends some feed corn, and with the help of the flying deer, the Kringles, Kris, Topper, and Winter escape.
, where they eventually build Santa Claus's Castle and Workshop. Eventually, the Burgermeister regime ends and everyone realizes how silly his laws were. Kris' legend goes worldwide, and, having now become Santa Claus, he realizes that he cannot keep up with all the toy requests. This leads him to his decision to visit just once a year, on December 24.
and DVD
. VHS release dates include 1989, 1993, 1998, and 2001. DVD dates include 9/6/05 including a CD single of Mariah Carey
performing the title song, and most recently, 9/4/07. The special is available as an individual title, or as part of a box set including other famous Rankin-Bass Christmas titles. On October 12 2010, the special was released on Blu-ray disc as part of a box set including Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Frosty the Snowman, and Frosty Returns.
on October 1, 2002, the entire audio portion of Santa Claus is Coming to Town is available on CD along with the entire audio portion of Frosty the Snowman, the Rankin-Bass special produced in 1969. This edition contains the full dialogue and song audio of both specials.
The tracklisting is as follows:
Stop motion
Stop motion is an animation technique to make a physically manipulated object appear to move on its own. The object is moved in small increments between individually photographed frames, creating the illusion of movement when the series of frames is played as a continuous sequence...
television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
special, made by Rankin-Bass with models carved from wood (as with most Rankin-Bass specials). The film stars actor Fred Astaire
Fred Astaire
Fred Astaire was an American film and Broadway stage dancer, choreographer, singer and actor. His stage and subsequent film career spanned a total of 76 years, during which he made 31 musical films. He was named the fifth Greatest Male Star of All Time by the American Film Institute...
as S.D. Kluger, the narrator, and Mickey Rooney
Mickey Rooney
Mickey Rooney is an American film actor and entertainer whose film, television, and stage appearances span nearly his entire lifetime. He has won multiple awards, including an Honorary Academy Award, a Golden Globe and an Emmy Award...
as Kris Kringle
Kris Kringle
Kris Kringle is a name used in the United States and may refer to:* Christkind or Christkindl, the Austrian and Bavarian Christmas gift-bringer, the Christ Child....
/Santa Claus
Santa Claus
Santa Claus is a folklore figure in various cultures who distributes gifts to children, normally on Christmas Eve. Each name is a variation of Saint Nicholas, but refers to Santa Claus...
(a role which he would frequently play later on). The film tells the story of how Santa Claus and several Claus-related Christmas traditions came to be. It is based on the hit Christmas song of the same name
Santa Claus Is Coming to Town
"Santa Claus is Coming to Town" is a Christmas song. It was written by John Frederick Coots and Haven Gillespie, and was first sung on Eddie Cantor's radio show in November 1934....
, which was introduced on radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
by Eddie Cantor
Eddie Cantor
Eddie Cantor was an American "illustrated song" performer, comedian, dancer, singer, actor and songwriter...
in 1934.
Plot
Special Delivery "S.D." Kluger (AstaireFred Astaire
Fred Astaire was an American film and Broadway stage dancer, choreographer, singer and actor. His stage and subsequent film career spanned a total of 76 years, during which he made 31 musical films. He was named the fifth Greatest Male Star of All Time by the American Film Institute...
) is introduced. His mail truck breaks down, so he begins to tell the story of Santa Claus, in order to answer children's letters to Santa.
Baby Claus
The story begins in a gloomy small townTown
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
called Sombertown, which is ruled by the grouchy Mayor Burgermeister Meisterburger (Paul Frees
Paul Frees
Paul Frees was an American voice actor and character actor.-Biography:He was born Solomon Hersh Frees in Chicago...
). A baby arrives on his doorstep, with a name tag reading "Claus" and note requesting that Burgermeister raise the child as his own. However, Burgermeister orders his right-hand man, Grimsby (also by Frees) to take the baby to the "Orphan Asylum
Orphanage
An orphanage is a residential institution devoted to the care of orphans – children whose parents are deceased or otherwise unable or unwilling to care for them...
." On the way there, a gust of wind blows both sled and baby far away, to the mountains of the Whispering Winds. There, the animals hide him from the Winter Warlock
Warlock
The term warlock in origin means "traitor, oathbreaker".In early modern Scots, the word came to be used as the male equivalent of witch ....
(Keenan Wynn
Keenan Wynn
Keenan Wynn was an American character actor. His bristling mustache and expressive face were his stock in trade, and though he rarely had a lead role, he got prominent billing in most of his film and TV parts....
), a powerful wizard who dislikes anyone trespassing his land. They bring the baby to the other side of the mountain, where he is found by an elf
Elf
An elf is a being of Germanic mythology. The elves were originally thought of as a race of divine beings endowed with magical powers, which they use both for the benefit and the injury of mankind...
family by the name of Kringle, led by Tanta Kringle. They adopt him, naming him “Kris.” A few years later, Kris hopes that he can one day restore the Kringle family as "The First Toymakers to the King." However, the fact that the Kringles can't pass the mountains without coming across the Winter Warlock has kept them from doing so.
A Town with No Toys
When Kris is old enough, he volunteers to deliver the toys to Sombertown. Meanwhile, the Burgermeister has outlawed all toys in the town, having being injured by tripping over a toy duck while walking out of City Hall. He declares that anyone found possessing a toy will be arrested and thrown in the dungeon. Before Kris makes it into the town, he meets a lost penguin who he names "Topper." Once Kris enters the town, he meets Miss Jessica (Robie LesterRobie Lester
Robie Lester was an American Grammy-nominated voice actress and singer.-Early years:Lester was born in Detroit, Michigan and raised in northern Ontario, Canada. After a few years in Detroit, she joined the US Army Air Corps before attending UCLA with a major in music...
), a schoolteacher. She is rude to Kris, but likes him when he offers her a China doll
China doll
A china doll is a doll made partially or wholly out of glazed porcelain. The name comes from china being used to refer to the material porcelain...
. However, the other townspeople are even frightened by Kris saying "toy." The children of the town have been put into labor, mostly washing their stockings. Kris decides to change that and begins handing out toys. Just then, the Burgermeister arrives. He almost arrests the children but Kris confesses it was he that gave them the toys. He tries presenting the Burgermeister with a toy, only for Grimsby to remind him that he's breaking his own law. Kris barely manages to escape the Burgermeister's forces.
Magic from the Winter Warlock
As Kris and Topper pass through the forest, the Winter Warlock's magic trees capture Kris and Topper. Kris tries to get out of trouble by offering the warlock one of his toys. He gives him a toy train, and melts the warlock's evil heart. Touched by this act of kindness, the warlock, wanting to call himself Winter, turns to human form and befriends Kris. To repay him, Winter shows Kris how to make a magic snow globe, showing that Jess is searching for him. Kris finds Jess, who informs him that the Burgermeister destroyed all of the toys and the children now request new ones. Kris becomes burdened every night with the ever increasing demands, while the Burgermeister implements harsh measures to ensure that he does not succeed. When Burgermeister hears that Kris is going to bring more toys, he orders all doors to be locked, before their houses searched. Kris then uses the chimneys to get inside. The children to hang their stockings by the fireplace so that Kris could put their gifts inside, so that Burgermeister can't find them. Growing frustrated with his inability to stop Kris, the Burgermeister sets a trap for him as he makes another delivery, as well as jails the Kringles, and Winter. Jess escapes from being arrested, and visits the dungeon. She tries pleading Winter to use his magic to break everyone out, but the old warlock despondently feels that he has no more magic left except for a few items, including magic feed corn, but it can only make reindeerReindeer
The reindeer , also known as the caribou in North America, is a deer from the Arctic and Subarctic, including both resident and migratory populations. While overall widespread and numerous, some of its subspecies are rare and one has already gone extinct.Reindeer vary considerably in color and size...
fly. Jess gives Kris's reindeer friends some feed corn, and with the help of the flying deer, the Kringles, Kris, Topper, and Winter escape.
Conclusion
After having spent months of being an outlaw, Kris returns to the woods, where he grows a beard as a disguise. Tanta suggests that he return to his real name "Claus" for safety. Kris asks Jess to share the name Claus with him, as his wife. After the marriage, the group travels to the North PoleNorth Pole
The North Pole, also known as the Geographic North Pole or Terrestrial North Pole, is, subject to the caveats explained below, defined as the point in the northern hemisphere where the Earth's axis of rotation meets its surface...
, where they eventually build Santa Claus's Castle and Workshop. Eventually, the Burgermeister regime ends and everyone realizes how silly his laws were. Kris' legend goes worldwide, and, having now become Santa Claus, he realizes that he cannot keep up with all the toy requests. This leads him to his decision to visit just once a year, on December 24.
Epilogue
The film ends as S.D. Kluger reflects on what Santa's real meaning is all about. Just then, though, S.D. remembers that he still has a load of letters to deliver to Santa. Then, joined by Topper, Winter and a parade of children, S.D. begins to sing Santa Claus is Coming to Town. The film's closing scene has Kris and Jess in silhouette, as he puts his old hat back on his head. Then, Santa steps out of his Palace, revealing himself in full splendor.Creation
Santa Claus is Coming to Town was created using stop motion animation. All of the creatures and people were made out of wood and plastic and animated one frame at a time.Musical Numbers
- "The First Toymakers to the King" sung by Tanta and the Kringles
- "No More Toymakers to the King" sung by Burgermeister Meisterburger and Grimsby
- "Be Prepared to Pay" sung by Kris
- "One Foot in Front of the Other" sung by Kris and Winter
- "My World is Beginning Today" sung by Jessica
- "Wedding Song" sung by S. D. Kluger
- "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town" sung by S. D. Kluger and the Westminster Children's Choir
Home video releases
Beginning in 1989, the special has been released numerous times on VHSVHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
and DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
. VHS release dates include 1989, 1993, 1998, and 2001. DVD dates include 9/6/05 including a CD single of Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. She made her recording debut with the release of her eponymous studio album in 1990, under the guidance of Columbia Records executive Tommy Mottola, whom she later married in 1993...
performing the title song, and most recently, 9/4/07. The special is available as an individual title, or as part of a box set including other famous Rankin-Bass Christmas titles. On October 12 2010, the special was released on Blu-ray disc as part of a box set including Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Frosty the Snowman, and Frosty Returns.
Soundtrack
Released by RhinoRhino Entertainment
Rhino Entertainment Company is an American specialty record label and production company. It is owned by Warner Music Group.-History:Rhino was originally a novelty song and reissue company during the 1970s and 1980s, releasing compilation albums of pop, rock & roll, and rhythm & blues successes...
on October 1, 2002, the entire audio portion of Santa Claus is Coming to Town is available on CD along with the entire audio portion of Frosty the Snowman, the Rankin-Bass special produced in 1969. This edition contains the full dialogue and song audio of both specials.
The tracklisting is as follows:
- Medley: Santa Claus is Comin' to Town...Be Prepared to Pay 25:18
- Medley: Put One Foot In Front Of The Other...Santa Claus is Comin' to Town (finale) 24:55
- Frosty The Snowman Theme & Narration (Beginning) 13:45
- Frosty The Snowman Theme & Narration (Conclusion) 11:48
- Santa Claus is Comin' to Town (Soundtrack version) 1:50
- Frosty the Snowman (Soundtrack version) 1:04
Cuts for modern television airings
- For many years, the special has been cut for network television to make room for more commercials. "First Toymaker To The King" and "No More Toymakers To The King" as well as the wedding scene are often truncated, Jessica's song "My World Is Beginning Today" is nearly always cut, and "If You Sit On My Lap Today" is sometimes dropped as well. (ABCAmerican Broadcasting CompanyThe American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
and its sister cable network, ABC FamilyABC FamilyABC Family, stylized as abc family, is an American television network, owned by ABC Family Worldwide Inc., a subsidiary of the Disney-ABC Television Group division of The Walt Disney Company...
currently run this special annually.) Also cut from most airings is the scene with the Burgermeister setting fire to the pile of toys as it seems unsettling to smaller children. They also cut the scene where Rudolph is mentioned in some airings. However, the DVD release is fully restored.
Other media
- A video game, Santa Claus is Comin' to Town!, was released November 1, 2011, for the Nintendo DSNintendo DSThe is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
and WiiWiiThe Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
.