5 comments about The Year Without a Santa Claus.

1. How can you lose, Heat Miser and Snow miser, mother nature, Santa and mrs. claus. It also has Rudolphs Shiny New Year and a cute lesser known Christmas Donkey one. My son is still singing the songs from this movie this deep into January!



2. I really only wanted the Year without a Santa Claus, but found that all three movies were amazing. I had forgotten about Rudolph's shiny new year, having loved it as a child, and was thrilled to realize what it was. My kids love all three, and watched them over and over and over...



3. Glad to find this on DVD and at such a great price! A family tradition for me and my son! Certainly recommend!



4. I was looking for this movie for a while and am glad to share it with my family and friends for years to come. It happens to be my daughter's favorite and she thinks the original christmas shows are the best.



5. Christmas gift for a friend's sister... she loves the old school cartoon... brings back memories!

5 comments about Nuttiest Nutcracker.

1. I'd just like to say that while I didn't think this movie rated very high, my daughter, who saw it the first time when she was 7 1/2 is crazy about this movie and since that who I bought it for, I am happy she likes it!



2. I loved the humor, and the Rat, err, Mouse King's antics, but what I couldn't stand was the religous stuff. It's not advertised on the front, and it's not mentioned in any of the reviews i read on this, or even in the preview trailer. It kind of bugs me to have this great christmas classic tarnished everytime Peabo Bryson decides to sing us a song. In every scene that accompanied his songs, it seemed like Marie and the gang were in church. I actually had to watch it again to make sure i wasn't imaging them. Now if I wanted VeggieTales, I'd buy it. Other than that, it's a goofy movie that keeps my kids plenty entertained.



3. We got a copy from the library and my daughter insisted we buy it! I think she is destined for Broadway! she just loves acting out the mouse king and even created her own costume so she could march around the house like him!! We are going to see the Nutcracker play together now and she is sooo excited. If this crazy movie can inspire an interest in plays and creative play on her own,,, I'm all for it! My little boy is also crazy about it! they are 4 and 2 yrs old.



4. If this was a movie meant for me, I wouldn't be able to rate it very high. But my son has been watching it for over 2 years now. He doesn't just reserve it for the holidays, either. Every few months, he drags it out and watches it a bunch. In fact, it's mid-January now, and he's still watching it 2 or 3 times a day some days.
   I really don't like it that much. It's certainly no "Nemo!" The music is a bit too gospel for me, and the story and animation are not spectacular. However, it has it's moments.
   The most important thing is that, out of all the Christmas movies we have, my son loves this one the best. His entertainment is the sole reason I bought the movie, so I have to give it two thumbs up. Besides, anything that brings my son so much joy has a special place in my heart.
   The following is my son's own review: "The nuts are funny, the Mouse King dances with one of his army men, and some little red fruits have gas and stink up the whole place and make their own men and a lot of black-eyed peas have to go to the hospital."
   And there you have it!



5. This is an adorable little movie. It is an updated version of "The Nutcracker", with assorted colorful characters and a Clara with 'Tude. I especially adored her; she was quite the scene stealer, if a cartoon character could possibly do that. Of course Phyllis Diller as the Fairy was a scream as well. It is a refreshing take on a classic fairy tale, and one that children can relate to. The computer-generated graphics are amazing.
   This is fun family fare for the holidays. I recorded it on VHS when it played on Primetime TV, so I'm glad the DVD is out. Even adults will find it entertaining and amusing. (...).

No comments about Navidad Con Amigos.

No comments about Littlest Pet Shop - Do Not Solve Until Christmas.

5 comments about Frosty the Snowman/Frosty Returns.

1. Great Christmas time movie for the whole family. Old school animation brings this movie to life. Story line is great and it will not let any age down as far as being a worth while Holiday flick!



2. My three year old daughter loves this...it was one of my favorites growing up too so I don't mind watching it over and over and over again with her.



3. Frosty the Snowman is a wonderful story! A classic! Frosty Returns was horribly disappointing! Other reviewers already mentioned the socio-political agenda which was obvious, but I would like to add that the music was BAD, BAD, BAD! Not only were they melodically boring, but the lyrics sounded like they were written by a 4 year old. The fact that the characters couldn't carry a tune in a bucket didn't help either! They could have at least found people who can sing!!!
   
   Buy it for Frosty... Chuck Frosty Returns in the garbage! Don't waste your time!



4. The original FROSTY THE SNOWMAN is a true Christmas classic. Jimmy Durante is the perfect narrator for this clever holiday cartoon from the early 50's. The story has humor, suspense and even pathos (who can forget the sight of our friend Frosty turned in to a big puddle of water on the greenhouse floor?) as well as themes of rebirth and friendship. And of course there's that wonderful title song.
   
   Unfortunately FROSTY RETURNS is inferior to the original in every respect. There are so many technical goofs in the animation I at times wondered if this was supposed to be self mocking. I have always found Jonathan Winters annoying and his performance here does nothing to change my opinion. As other reviewers have said the kid characters have strange similarities to certain friends of a beagle named Snoopy and I swear at least one of the adults was a Mr. Magoo clone. The songs are nothing special and it is never a good thing when an adult finds the plot of a children's cartoon difficult to follow.



5. While it is a total joy to have the classic Rankin and Bass Christmas classic "Frosty the Snowman", on DVD what is disappointing is that it is unfortunately paired on this DVD with a dour "update", of the adventures of the most famous Snowman in the world titled "Frosty Returns", that is a clear victim of "politically correct", agendas. The original 1969 classic "Frosty the Snowman", is a story beloved by generations of television viewers with its catchy tunes, beautiful animation, likeable characters, and unabashed celebration of Christmas and all its traditions. "Frosty Returns", however is seemingly driven by a desire to down play the importance of Christmas traditions altogether, indeed Christmas amazingly is never even referred to once in the story, being instead replaced by a rather unfortunate "Winter festival". Imagining Frosty the Snowman without Christmas is like trying to picture Rudolph without his shiny nose! While the original has charm aplenty "Frosty Returns", also displays a number of less than charming characters, namely Frosty himself who in this story is more sarcastic and jive talking and far less jolly than in the memorable original. This sequel also has some of the most woeful animation and songs in it that you could imagine which only succeeds in making the original classic shine ever more brightly. Seeing these two features side by side on this disk made a number of decades apart clearly illustrates the often discussed "war on Christmas", that seems to be taking place in our western culture and after one screening of the "update" "Frosty Returns", I know I'll be sticking with the original classic "Frosty the Snowman", which still charms all these decades after it was produced by the legendary team of Arthur Rankin and Jules Bass.

5 comments about The First Christmas.

1. This is a very good Christmas movie for your collection. ABC Family rarely shows it anymore, so if you can get a copy, consider yourself fortunate. The story is a good one for the family. It is typical Rankin-Bass work - classic!
   
   Like many of the Rankin-Bass specials, I am hoping that this show will be made available on DVD.



2. The First Christmas Snow is a cute and touching Christmas special from Rankin and Bass and features Angela Lansbury as the voice of a nun who helps take care of a little blind shepherd boy and though this is shown every year on The Fox Family Channel (It was show about two or three times so far this December of 2005) I wish it would be transferred to DVD!



3. This is a truly unusual cartoon, by today's standards. It is less concerned with what one may get from Christmas than what one may give. It brings home the true meaning of the holiday, yet is still festive and entertaining.
   
   Take home this classic treasure, and you'll look on giving with a whole new attitude. It will leave you feeling warm and fuzzy inside!



4. I rate this film 5-stars because the animation is spectacular and is an excellent family film to watch, during the Christmas season.
   
   Rankin/Bass Productions made a winner with this delightful Christmas film.
   
   Of course anything with Rankin/Bass on it is almost always a good thing!
   
   A DVD version needs to be released.



5. I can't wait to share it with my husband and my children who have never seen it. Husband thought I was hallucinating when I told him about it and couldn't find it online.

No comments about Jacques Pepin's Thanksgiving Celebration.

5 comments about Paris Holiday.

1. I have been wanting to see this film for years, because I'm a fan of Hope's early films and the ones with Crosby, and this one has the reputation of being better than the losers he began to crank out in the '50s and '60s; because Gerd Oswald directed the superb (long unavailable because of the dreadful remake) A Kiss Before Dying; and because Preston Sturges appears in it as an actor. I should have known when I saw the low price tag and the unknown logo (Brentwood) that this would be a bargain basement ripoff. To begin with, it's pan and scan; just the credits are letterboxed--then you apruptly switch to seeing only a third of the Cinemascope image. The print itself in not good, a lot worse than a decent VHS tape, with drifting colors. As for the movie, I lasted midway; the jokes are definitely late Hope, smirky and obvious, and the action is slowed considerably by the fact that Hope plays opposite Fernandel, who speaks only French--you have to wait while another character translates what he says or watch him looking confused. Still, is the movie really as deadly as it seems? I'm not sure. Oswald proved in his others pictures that he knew how to fill a Cinemascope screen and it's possible that that in the correct aspect-ratio this picture as some style; the letterboxed pre-credit sequence is certainly more watchable than what follows. What's really troubling is that this same company is putting out a bunch of Hope's films, including some of his best (ie The Seven Little Foys). Are all the DVDs in the series as lousy as this? Has anyone made the mistake I made with this one, of actually buying one? Let's hear from you.



2. Ha! People are allowed their own opinion i guess. I, personally, loved Paris Holiday. My 3rd year French class watched it today, and it was perfect. There was just enough French in it to make it extreamly interresting... Plus, the really cheezy story line and special effects really made it worth while.. It's just one of those old crummy flicks that you grow to love.. the bad guys after the good guys... the good guys winning it all in the end.... only to find out that they may not really have won.. Plus all the pretty girls. It's a great movie, if you like the type!!!! :D



3. Overall, I thought "Paris Holiday" was a very funny movie. It was the first film I'd seen with Bob Hope, and i was very pleased. I could not stop laughing during that ridiculously cheesy helicopter scene!
   However, one of the main reasons I got the movie was because I thought Anita Ekberg, of whom I am a big fan, was a main character. She was one of the stars to get top billing, so naturally, I thought she would be in the film quite a bit. This was not the case. Her character is important to the story line, but she is not shown much, which was a little disappointing.
   Overall, the movie was very good, VERY funny, but I wouldn't recommend it to someone looking for an Anita Ekberg movie.



4. Bob Hope (1903-2003) co-starred with Famous French Comedian: Fernandel (1902-1971) in Paris holiday . Hope plays Robert Hunter , an actor traveling to Paris to purchase a screenplay , only to find himself mixed up counterfeits . While Hunter has his eye on diplomat Ann McCall (Marta Hyer 1924- ) , a sexy spy named Zara (The luscious Anita Ekberg 1931 - Miss Sweden 1950) has an eye on the screenplay . Hope produced the film penned the original story . The movie are produced on place in paris , Superb and Razor sharp transfer , so dont be afraind to buy this movie! . Higly Recommended



5. I love Bob Hope movies, but this has to be the worst I ever saw. Maybe Bob was just getting old and slowing down by 1958. This movie has a very slow, confusing, disjointed plot, dreary locations, the action drags, the lighting, camera work, and microphone placement all seemed second-rate, and the only funny thing happens at the very last when Bob Hope dangles for a while from a rope ladder attached to a Korean War-era helicopter, which provides some sight gags. The actors all seemed distracted throughout, and I got bored watching them. I kept wishing it would end. In fact, I got so depressed by it all I was about to abandon it until the helicopter took off. If I were the director of this movie, I would have demanded some energy and focus from these actors. Editing has a lot to do with the finished product, of course, and in my opinion about a third of this movie should have ended up on the cutting room floor, to at least speed things up. No joy for me in this movie. If you get this movie, go straight to the helicopter scene at the end--the rest of it is not worth sitting through.

3 comments about Winter Dreams: Moods for Relaxation and Meditation.

1. I was very let down as to the quality of this dvd. The scenes are all the same and the snow is not real. I was expecting real snow scenes and real snow fall. The music was very good, only thing that was worth buying.



2. I was expecting winter scenes of real snow, but it was animated and all four tracks were extactly the same. Don't waste your money.



3. Put this on the TV screen during holiday parties. Big hit! But I chose to turn off sound and play Christmas carols in the background.

No comments about Jacques Pepin's Christmas Celebration.