I don't think any kid in America went through a Christmas without watching one of the Rankin/Bass specials. And they made a lot. The Year Without a Santa Claus has always been one of my favorites.
The basic story is that Santa is feeling sick one day and decides that he shouldn't even bother delivering presents anymore because barely anyone believes in him anymore. Mrs. Claus tries to convince him otherwise by sending two elves, Jingle and Jangle, to see if any kids believe in Santa. They find one boy, Ignatius, who has almost given up on believing in Santa because he thinks it's too childish. He changes his mind when Santa himself shows up to retrieve one of his reindeer who has been disguised as a dog and sent to the pound.
They accept the fact that Santa wants to take a holiday and they decide to go ask the Miser Brothers to let it snow in Ignatius' hometown of Southtown. The Miser brothers(Heat and Snow) are reluctant but are convinced by their mother(Mother Nature) to compromise. All the little kids start to send Santa letters and presents since he won't be sending any to them. This and a letter from a little girl is able to tell Santa that people still believe in him and the Christmas spirit and he decides to cancel his vacation and deliver presents.
Is the plot predictable? Yes. But it's for kids so it's not supposed to be anything mind blowing. Obviously it's got the same animation you're used to with Rankin/Bass and the voice acting is pretty good(Mickey Rooney returns as Santa and the late Shirley Booth plays his wife)with the voice actors giving good performances in their own rights. One of the best parts of this special are the Miser brothers. They both sing a memorable ragtime-like song and have some of the funniest lines when they're interacting with each other.
On top of that, it's just a good special. It has the spirit of Christmas and the holiday season in general without being too preachy about it. When I was a kid I liked it for the Miser brothers. Now I like it because it has a theme of not letting go of your childhood and not to stop believing just because some see it as immature. It's high on my list of Christmas specials.
The basic story is that Santa is feeling sick one day and decides that he shouldn't even bother delivering presents anymore because barely anyone believes in him anymore. Mrs. Claus tries to convince him otherwise by sending two elves, Jingle and Jangle, to see if any kids believe in Santa. They find one boy, Ignatius, who has almost given up on believing in Santa because he thinks it's too childish. He changes his mind when Santa himself shows up to retrieve one of his reindeer who has been disguised as a dog and sent to the pound.
They accept the fact that Santa wants to take a holiday and they decide to go ask the Miser Brothers to let it snow in Ignatius' hometown of Southtown. The Miser brothers(Heat and Snow) are reluctant but are convinced by their mother(Mother Nature) to compromise. All the little kids start to send Santa letters and presents since he won't be sending any to them. This and a letter from a little girl is able to tell Santa that people still believe in him and the Christmas spirit and he decides to cancel his vacation and deliver presents.
Is the plot predictable? Yes. But it's for kids so it's not supposed to be anything mind blowing. Obviously it's got the same animation you're used to with Rankin/Bass and the voice acting is pretty good(Mickey Rooney returns as Santa and the late Shirley Booth plays his wife)with the voice actors giving good performances in their own rights. One of the best parts of this special are the Miser brothers. They both sing a memorable ragtime-like song and have some of the funniest lines when they're interacting with each other.
On top of that, it's just a good special. It has the spirit of Christmas and the holiday season in general without being too preachy about it. When I was a kid I liked it for the Miser brothers. Now I like it because it has a theme of not letting go of your childhood and not to stop believing just because some see it as immature. It's high on my list of Christmas specials.