The Year Without a Santa Claus 1974

The Year Without a Santa Claus is a claymation Rankin/Bass Christmas special about the year Santa Claus woke up with a cold and decided to take a vacation. Mrs. Claus enlists the help of Heat Miser and Snow Miser to cheer Santa back up.

Fast Facts

1. Based on the 1956 book by Phyllis McGinley
2. Original Network: ABC
3. Current Network: ABC Family
4. First Aired: December 10, 1974
5. Starring: Mickey Rooney, Shirley Booth, Dick Shawn and George S. Irving

Movie Goofs

1. Mother Nature tells Snow Miser to let it snow in Southtown and Heat Miser to allow a spring day at the North Pole. Each of those instructions is directed to the wrong Miser.
2. During the "Blue Christmas" song the little girl is writing the word blue Christmas with a crayon. As she writes the word Christmas, the letters appear to appear before she writes them.
3. When Mrs. Claus is talking about how all the children from around the world were making gifts for Santa, she says "from east (they show a child dressed like a cowboy) and from west" (they show a little child from the orient). They should be switched - west-cowboy, east-oriental.
4. When Jingle Bells, Jangle Bells, and Iggie are sitting on the bench after Santa went to the pound, Jingle Bells clock's hands are pointing at 10 and 2 in the first shot, and then they change to 10 and 6 in the next.

Reviews

"The Year Without a Santa Claus has all the ingredients of the traditional Rankin/Bass holiday special: clever, sweet songs, charming stop-motion "animagic" animation, a simple, clear storyline, and some top-flight voice work from veteran pros." - DVDTalk.com

"The creatures Rankin & Bass brought to life in their animated holiday specials are so much a part of my psyche that I no more think about their nature than I pause to consider what constitutes the air I breathe." - Flick Filosopher

Categories