THE BEST OF THE BEST: CHARLIE BROWN, THE GRINCH AND MORE!

Here it is, Christmas Eve. As I should have guessed, the holiday just got busier as it got closer to Christmas. Katie and I have been so busy that posting on a daily basis has become quite hard.

We wanted to do full reviews of our top five favourite Christmas specials but had to rework our post to accomidate our hectic schedules. We are posting our top five favourtie Christmas specials today!

5: THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS

Tim Burton and Disney teamed up to bring us the story of Jack Skellington, a citizen of Halloweentown who stumbles into Christmastown and discovers its wonder and excitment. The stop motion animation is truly amazing and Danny Elfman penned some really touching and funny songs. I am a big fan of Tim Burton's style and this movie captures it perfectly.

This is my personal favourite Christmas movie but we couldn't place it number one because of a disagreement between Katie and me. She says this is not really a Christmas movie. She says that Jack messes up Christmas and realizes Christmas is not for him. He doesn't discover the true meaning of Christmas. He instead discovers that Halloween is where he belongs and what he does best. There is no big Christmas message (other than leave it alone) and therefore it can't be considered a Christmas Movie. I don't think so Katie.

-Kurtis

4: A PINKY AND THE BRAIN CHRISTMAS

This will not be one of those classic specials that gets shown every year because as the years go by, new generations will not know who Pinky and the Brain are. But this will remain atop of my must-watch list every year and I will make sure that my kids will know these two mice bent on world domination.

I have already review this special (which you can read here) but I just want to mention one thing I didn't already. Tom Ruggers score in this episode is a treat to listen to. Each episode is individually scored to give it the feel of the old Looney Tunes shorts. Listen as Tom drops samples of various Christmas songs into his score.

-Kurtis

3: FUTURAMA: XMAS STORY

Okay so maybe this is a weird one to go on the top 5 list. But I think what makes this "Christmas Special" unique is that it doesn't take itself seriously. It still gets across a message of love and togetherness but it does it in it's typical comedic style. Fry learns to put others before himself, Bender learns that people are easier to mug on X-Mas Eve, and the Professor learns you're never too old to sing naked X-Mas songs around the piano.

-Katie

2: A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS

This one is my favourite Christmas television special. I really wanted it to be number one but we decided to let The Grinch win that slot because the animation is so much better. And after all, this is an animation blog.

Charlie Brown captures every essence of Christmas spirit through the depresseing life of Charlie Brown as he sets out to discover what Christmas is. He finds out that it is not about the gifts or the aluminum Christmas trees, in fact, this special speaks out against commercialism; Linus tells the story of Christ's birth from the Bible; And ultimately the gang help Charlie Brown realize that friends and family make the simplist of things, like his underappreciated Christmas tree, seem extra special.

-Kurtis

1: HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS

Not only is this number one on our list because of story and characters... it has to be the best animation as well (2D animation anyways). Chuck Jones directed this cartoon, so it has a very Looney Toons feel to it. There are times that the Grinch's reactions or expressions remind me so much of Bugs. Chuck's timing is perfect and the characters (especially Grinch) have such personality, even in such a short Christmas special.

The message of this cartoon, although not quite as on the nose as Charlie Brown, is still really great. It speaks against materialism when the Grinch steals every last present and piece of food... the Whos still gather in the center of town and sing a thankful Christmas song. The Grinch learns his lesson (and of course everyone gets their presents back) and the Whos even accept him into their society.

-Katie

MR. HANKY THE CHRISTMAS POO

South Park has had a few Christmas specials over the years but the best one has got to be Mr. Hankey the Christmas Poo from its first season.

When the show debuted in 1997 it was met with a whirlwind of controversy. So when the creators, Matt Stone and Trey Parker, wrote the Christmas episode they decided to play off of the political correctness that everyone was trying to force down their throats.

The result is brilliant! Not only does this episode contain everything that a Christmas special should be, including songs, togetherness, Jesus, Christmas trees, presents, acceptance and an epiphany, but it also draws on a lot of very important subjects, like the exclusion/inclusion of Jews during this holiday, the activists who are offended by Christmas but don't take into account the feelings of others, and schools that have to be overly politically correct.

Kyle is pulled out of the school play because he is Jewish and should not be taking part in a nativity scene. Kyle's mom then goes on a quest to rid the town of anything that is offesive to anyone. Meanwhile, Kyle meets Mr. Hankey, a Christmas poo that visits those with too much fibre in their diet. Together, they teach the town to forget about their differences and come together on this joyous holiday.

I am sick and tired of the way my country is taking out any meaning of the holiday. Department store clerks are not allowed to say "Merry Christmas" and no mention of nativity scenes or the birth of Christ are to be seen at schools or in malls. Most modern Christmas specials teach us to accept others, especially at Christmas, but the powers-that-be are bent on excluding religion and therefore go back on everything that they are trying to teach by making the holiday inclusive.

The most confusing this is that Christmas songs, including Christian carols, are still piped over radio stations and mall PAs and A Charlie Brown Christmas and Little Drummer Boy are still seen on TV every year! I guess we haven't quite reached the point that South Park did in Mr. Hankey the Christmas Poo but I'm sure we are close. South Park, as usual, hit the nail right on the head.

TOM & JERRY: THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS

The well-known and well-loved cat and mouse duo, Tom & Jerry, star in MGM's The Night Before Christmas, Tom & Jerry's third cartoon produced by animation legends Bill Hanna and Joe Barbera. The Night Before Christmas was released in theatres December 6, 1941.

While the narrator does read the first few lines of the famous poem, the cartoon does not follow the poem's plot, but rather creates a touching tale of how even the most unlikely pair can resolve their differences during the holiday season.

Jerry pops out of his mouse hole to see the whole house decorated for Christmas. He has his fun with the ornaments and toys but soon ends up in being chased by his arch-rival, Tom the cat. Tom locks Jerry out in the snow but soon realizes, due to the Christmas spirit being in the air, that it was mean and selfish of him to treat Jerry that way. Tom brings him back in and the duo share a nice Christmas together.

Since the beginning, Jerry's design has pretty much stayed the same. But Tom went through a few transformations before looking like the modern Tom we see now. Back in this short Tom was more of a real cat than a cat taking on human characteristics. He had paws rather than hands and walked on all fours most of the time.

This design was much more complicated for the animators. Tom was very furry; he had claws and light patches of fur such as the grey spot between his eyes. All of these traits looked good but were a pain for animators to reproduce frame after frame. By the time Chuck Jones got his hands on the characters in the 60s, Tom had been streamlined to look the Tom everyone recognizes.

The Night Before Christmas contains some of the best animation of all the Tom & Jerry cartoons. Real emotion was captured during Jerry's playful romp through the Christmas presents, and when Tom feels sorry for Jerry it really gets you right there. Sadly, the animators were not given credit for their work on this short. Neither was credit given to the music composer, Scott Bradley, who really set the mood with his reworking of Christmas carols such as The First Noel.

If you are looking for this short, pick up a copy of Tom & Jerry Spotlight Collection, Volume Two. It is the only Tom & Jerry Christmas episode ever made so don't be suckered in by DVDs like Paws for the Holiday which contain a bunch of winter themed cartoons but nothing to do with Christmas.

A GARFIELD CHRISTMAS

In 1987, and at the height of his career, A Garfield Christmas hit the air on CBS and quickly took a spot on the shelf of Christmas classics.

The Garfield comic strip, which debuted in 1979, had become a worldwide hit and the creator, Jim Davis, decided that it was time to bring Garfield to life. So in 1982, Garfield came to television with the special, Here Comes Garfield. It was a hit. Kids everywhere wanted more so every year a new Garfield special was made until Davis felt it was time for his cat to have his own tv show. Garfield and Friends ran from 1988-1995.


Since then, the franchise has gone crazy. Everything imaginable was made in to Garfield merchandise, including two feature films, and Jim Davis has become so busy with the business side of things that he no longer draws the strip. His company, PAWS, has a roster of Jim Davis wannabes that draw like him but miss the heart of the character. The strip hasn't been the same in years and I don't think it ever will be again. See previous post.

A Garfield Christmas invokes everything that I love about Garfield. He is a smart-alec cat who hates dogs and mushy stuff but really is a pushover when it comes to family and friends.


The sarcastic humour of the strip is translated well here without becoming rude or annoying, and Garfield gets many memorable lines: "Whoever invented Christmas trees should be drug out on to the road and shot."

This special also explores the relationship Jon has with his family. The family dynamics and traditions around Christmastime are such that we can all relate. Sadly, the Arbuckle family is never seen in the strip nowadays.


Jon, Garfield and Odie are headed to the farm for a Christmas with the Arbuckles. Jon is so excited to be a part of his childhood traditions. Garfield plans to bring everyone down with his bad attitude for being brought to the farm against his will but when Odie gives Garfield an extra special Christmas gift Garfield has a change of heart. It is here that Garfield says a line that will forever be a Christmas classic:

"It's not the giving, it's not the getting. It's the loving. There, I said it. Now get outta here."

Find this special on Garfield Holiday Celebrations

HE-MAN/SHE-RA - A CHRISTMAS SPECIAL

It's a birthday celebration for the royal twins, Prince Adam and Princess Adora! Friends and family have gathered together to join the celebration but the party gets interrupted when Orko accidentally blasts off in Man-At-Arms' dimension-jumping ship and crash lands on Earth. On Earth, Orko meets two children who are lost in the woods and with the help of He-Man and She-Ra, they are all brought back to Eternia. But Skeletor and Hordak have teamed up and are waiting for their arrival! They plan to kidnap the Earth children and stop the joy and happiness of the Earth-holiday known as Christmas that they are introducing to Eternia!


Fans of both He-Man and She-Ra will jump for joy when watching this Christmas special because it is the ultimate crossover special between the two franchises with almost every character showing their face at least once throughout the hour-long show! If anyone wanted to see He-Man and She-Ra join forces to battle Skeletor and Hordak, then this is the place to look!

I honestly have to say this special, like the rest of the series, is quite awful. The animation, due to the shoestring budget, is so bad that it makes [adult swim] shows like Aqua Teen Hunger Force and Harvey Birdman look like Disney.


The story isn't much better. When Skeletor asks the kids what Christmas is, the answer comes out sounding so ridiculous that an evil despot such as Skeletor wouldn't ever think of turning over a new leaf. The plot and dialogue, like so many of the series' episodes, are so shallow that even the youngest kids can understand them.

But that doesn't leave much for the older fans. In fact, the only real appeal I find in this show is nostalgia. I watched it when I was younger, had a bunch of the toys, but if I were to discover the show nowadays I would find it a laugh riot.

But the fact is that He-Man is a part of eighties culture and those who love it, love it a lot.

MICKEY'S CHRISTMAS CAROL

Thirty years after Mickey's appearance in The Simple Things in 1953, Disney decided to put their main star in another theatrical film. Mickey's Christmas Carol hit the theatres on December 16, 1983 before a re-issue of The Rescuers. It is a retelling of the classic Charles Dickens tale, A Christmas Carol.

Mickey stars as Bob Cratchet, an overworked, under-paid employee of Ebenezer Scrooge. Scrooge gets a visit from the ghost of his dead partner, Jacob Marley (played by Goofy) who tells his he will be visited by three ghosts who will tell him to change his life or else. The three ghosts are played by Jiminy Cricket, Willie the Giant and Pegleg Pete.

Nothing really spectacular came out of Disney in the eighties with the exception of Mickey's Christmas Carol. Disney's new batch of animators got a chance to strut their stuff and prove to everyone that they were ready to compete with the great 'Nine Old Men'. The result is beautiful scenery and charming animation. With such a solid story already in place, the animators got the chance to explore the emotion of the characters.

The thing that stood out the most to me was the colour. I have always been a fan of Disney colour and their use of the Technicolor process. It always makes the scene so warm.

While Scrooge McDuck had a few cartoons before this one, it wasn't until now that Scrooge became a well known character. This cartoon set the tone for his character for years to come. In 1987, Scrooge went on to star in his own TV series, DuckTales where he used the lessons he learned in this Christmas classic in everyday life.

Fans of Disney animation will get a kick out of trying to spot the characters in the backgrounds. Classic characters like the Clarabelle Cow and the Three Little Pigs appear along side more modern characters like Lady Cluck and the kids from Robin Hood.

This is, and always will be, a classic to be viewed by generations to come. It is also a must see for any animation enthusiast. You can find it on various DVDs but the best viewing would be the original widescreen version on Walt Disney Treasures: Mickey Mouse in Living Color, Volume Two.

FUTURAMA XMAS

Xmas Story
It's Fry's first Christmas in the future. He misses his family and friends, but when he realizes that Leela never even had a family he decides he needs to buy her a Christmas gift. As he leaves to shop his friends warn him not to stay out past sundown. In 2801 a robotic Santa was built to determine which children had been naughty, and who had been nice and distribute gifts accordingly. But a calculation error caused Santa to label everyone as too naughty to deserve gifts. The Santa of the 31st century, therefore, is a murderous villain who you don't want to hear on your rooftop on Christmas Eve. In the end of course Fry and Leela both end up running from Santa through the streets of New New York and in the end, through a grand moment of team effort, Santa is defeated.

I love this episode for so many reasons. It's a Christmas episode but it doesn't feel any different than any other Futurama episode. The humor is the same, the characters are the same, and they even develope Fry and Leela's relationship just a little more.

John Goodman voices the robotic Santa, which is perfect. He's done quite a bit of voice acting in his career so it's not just a celebrity voice actor for the sake of having a celebrity. He blends in well with the rest of the cast.

Something else I love about this episode (and the entire series, really) is the attention to detail. Fry asks a question about "Christmas" to which the reply is, "What-mas?" The crew finally realizes that he means "X-mas"... he's just using some archaic pronunciation. Just like when he says "Ask" instead of "Aks." For the rest of the series, whenever someone says Christmas or "ask"... they use the pronunciations from this episode.

In the end the crew gathers around the piano to sing Christmas carols, and the Professor gives us a jolly, naked holiday greeting as only the Professor could do.

A Tale of Two Santas
Santa's back! And the crew has to deliver his letters to Neptune where his icy fortress is located. Fry decides that this is their opportunity to bring back what Christmas used to be. They travel to Neptune and trap Santa in the ice. Bender takes over as the new, kind Santa who delivers toys instead of death and destruction. Unfortunately no one trusts Santa anymore and Bender is shot at, lit on fire, and over all unwanted in peoples' homes. He's arrested and the crew has to bring back the real Santa to prove Bender's innocense.

I like this episode because, like the first Christmas special, it's just another episode of the show. The crew is always sent on these missions that are either ridiculously dangerous, or they get sidetracked on their way there.

One reason I absolutely love Futurama is for their geeky Star Trek references that only about 3 people get. In this episode it's Leela's theory that, because Santa is a robot, he will be destroyed if presented with a logical paradox. This "rule for robots" is from the Star Trek Original Series episode I, Mudd. I just thought I'd point that out for any Trekkies reading the blog.

This episode references Rudolph when Santa asks Bender, "Won't you join my slaying tonight?" It's great when Christmas specials reference each other.

In the end, the crew realizes that "Fear has brought us together! That's the magic of X-mas!"

INVADER ZIM - THE MOST HORRIBLE X-MAS EVER

This is probably one of the weirdest Christmas specials ever with a twist ending! Invader Zim is a short lived Nickelodeon show about a loser alien sent to a harmless planet (Earth) so that he can be kept busy trying to conquer it while the rest of his race take their armada to destroy planets elsewhere.

The Most Horrible X-Mas Ever starts 2 million years in the future where kids are told of the awful tale of Zim and his holiday plan to destroy the world by disguising himself as Santa! But Zim's plan backfires when he realizes that the Santa suit he built reacts positively to candy canes, jiggly bells and happy, filthy child drool causing him to spread yuletide cheer.


If you are into the comic scene then you know of the twisted mind of Jhonen Vasquez and his creations Johnny the Homicidal Maniac, Squee and Fillerbunny. Invader Zim is also his creation so you can expect the same insane dialog, square-headed dirty children and moose ....so many moose.

The show also sports some pretty impressive animation. Outrageous expressions and vibrant colours dazzle the eyes and there is even some use of 3D animation in the same style as Futurama using Toon shading.

Also included in this special is the soon-to-be-classic Christmas song, Bow Down to Santa.


I find this show laugh out loud funny and this episode is no exception. It is one of Zim's most brilliant and elaborate plans and would make a great introduction for anyone who has never seen the show before. This episode can be found on Invader Zim, Volume 3: Horrible Holiday Cheer

SIMPSONS ROASTING ON AN OPEN FIRE

One of (if not) the most popular television show in history and the first hit for the Fox network, The Simpsons is a show about an average family living in an average town. The show has changed drastically over the years but after seventeen seasons they are still one of the most loved television families of all time.

The first season began with a rocky start. The intended first episode, Some Enchanted Evening, contained animation so bad that the premiere of the series was put on hold until some changes were made. It was planned to launch the series in September 1989 but the producers postponed it until December 17, 1989 with The Simpsons Christmas Special, also known as Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire.


The themes of the first few seasons dealt with real life situations, like Bart getting picked on by a bully and learning how to stand up for himself, and most often dealt with the fact that the Simpsons were a low income family. Many episodes had Homer losing his job, spending their savings or making a mess of his marriage. In this Christmas episode, Homer doesn't get his Christmas bonus and tries to hide it from the family by taking a job as a mall Santa to raise the money needed for gifts.

The animation is very crude, the voices have not yet been developed, and if you are used to the newer seasons you may find the pacing of this episode quite slow.

But when this show aired and the public was shown that Homer would do anything to give his family a good Christmas, everyone knew that this was a family that they cared about. They are the average family. They are your family. They are my family. Everyone can relate to the characters and this is the appeal of the show. Plus, it's really funny.


Simpsons Christmas episodes are becoming as common as their Halloween episodes but I wanted to talk about this one in particular because it was the world's introduction to the series, and while it is not a great episode, it is a classic.

It can be found in The Simpsons, Season One box set and the other Christmas episodes can be found on the compilation discs Christmas With the Simpsons and The Simpsons Christmas 2 and a brand new Christmas episode of The Simpsons, entitled Kill Gil, Vols. 1&2 airs on December 17, 2006, the 17th anniversary of Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire!

AN X-MEN X-MAS

HAVE YOURSELF A MORLOCK LITTLE CHRISTMAS (1992)

It's Jubilee's first Christmas with the X-Men and she is excited to be a part of the holiday cheer. Jean, with unwanted help from Gambit, is preparing a dinner for the family while Storm, Wolverine and Jubilee do some last minute shopping. But things don't go according to plans when the trio stumble upon the news that Leech, one of the Morlocks who live in the sewers of New York, is dying.

A far as Christmas episodes go, this one is quite awful. And as far as the rest of the series is concerned, this takes first prize for worst X-Men episode ever. There are two ultra sappy stories here. One focuses on Jubilee and how, since she is an orphan, she has never experienced Christmas with a family. I have no problem with this story. It is a good, wholesome, cliche Christmas message.

But the second story told here is the tale of the Morlocks, mutants whose mutation has altered their looks to the point that they cannot live amongst the public like the X-Men. This is Fox's way of sticking in a Public Service Announcement about helping those less fortunate than yourself. This is fine and noble cause but since NO ONE CARES about the Morlocks we find ourselves rooting for the Grim Reaper when Leech's pulse drops!

And what the heck is up with that blood transfusion anyway? Logan's blood can not heal anyone. That is not how it works! And if that were the case, why didn't they use Wolverine's blood to heal everyone who gets hurt on any of their missions from that point on? And why was Wolverine so stuck up about donating blood? They say he let someone down in the past but they never explain it!

The animation is rushed, the dialogue is terrible and the story rushes around so fast that you feel like you've accidentally hit fast forward on your remote!

Since this episode is not available on DVD and I think it is a must see just to see how terrible it is, I've included a youtube link for you. The first part is embedded below and part two can be found here.

ON ANGEL'S WINGS (2001)

Once again, just like I pointed out in yesterday's post, everything that was wrong about the first X-Men Christmas episode was corrected here.

On Angel's Wings aired during the second season of X-Men: Evolution, a modern retelling of the early years of the X-Men. In this story, a new hero is seen in Manhattan rescuing people in trouble. His name is Angel and he is a mutant, but the public doesn't know it. But when the public does find out, and the very people he had saved quickly turn into his persecutors, it drives home Xavier's need not keep the identities of the X-Men a secret.

Having this episode reiterate the mission statement of the series instead of getting overly Christmasy was a good idea. It doesn't stand apart from the series as a special episode but it does deliver a heartfelt story. The animation is also on par if not better than most episodes. Nothing was rushed so that they could get this out on time and the result is vibrant colours and beautiful backdrops and really nice movements.

If you wish to see this episode, it is included in X-Men: Evolution, Season 2, Volume 2 - Powers Revealed.

THE FAT ALBERT CHRISTMAS SPECIAL

Fat Albert and the gang are going to be kicked out of their junkyard clubhouse by the junkyard owner, cranky old Tyrone. But when a young boy named Marshall shows up with his parents, who have just moved to town with no job and a wife who's expecting a child any minute, the crew set out to save the clubhouse so that their new friends can have a place to stay on Christmas!

This special is a cross between A Christmas Carol and the Nativity story bringing together the most uber-Christmas tale you could ever tell. It has everything: A mean old Scrooge, a Christmas pageant, presents, cute kids, Santa (sort of), a puppy, a down and out family in dire need of Christmas cheer and an assortment of Fat Albert style funk Christmas tunes!

The Fat Albert Christmas Special aired on December 18th, 1977, at the height of Fat Albert's popularity. It even got an Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Children's Special in 1978.

This show offers no surprises in terms of animation quality and voice work. The animation is just as limited as any other Filmation cartoon and Bill Cosby does most of the voices. In fact, a few new characters are introduced in this special with voices so similar that you wouldn't be able to tell who was speaking if you closed your eyes!

These days the only Fat Albert you will see on tv is this special at Christmas time so watch if you can. It is a great treat if you remember the old show, and it is a great Christmas special. It is also available on DVD.

CHRISTMAS IS COMING!

December is always a slow month for new animation news. One one really makes big announcements until January. The only thing going on is that every Christmas movie, tv special and obligatory Christmas episode will make its way to the tube.

What I have decided to do is watch as many of those Christmas themed shows as I can and write a review for one every day leading up to my top five countdown five days before Christmas.

I will be reviewing classics like A Charlie Brown Christmas and How the Grinch Stole Christmas; I will also review movies like The Polar Express; But the bulk of the reviews will be the more obscure Christmas episodes that every cartoon had in the late 80s to the present. A few of the show you will see here are Spongebob Squarepants, X-Men, Invader Zim, Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids and some anime like Love Hina.

I hope you enjoy this month! Tomorrows' Thursday Theme Song will be the last week for November and there will be no Thursday Theme Songs for December but I am sure that you won't even notice that it is gone!

Is there any Christmas show that you would like to see here? Leave a comment and I will do my best to accommodate you!