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I used to rely on ABC Family to show all those corny-yet-heartfelt old Rankin Bass Christmas specials that (with a couple of exceptions) no longer get broadcast on the non-cable networks.
Like 'Twas the Night Before Christmas. You know, the one that reveals the mice in the poem were actually heavily involved in the story? I used to watch it on CBS year after year. It had some great songs.
But...it apparently has been dropped this year in favor of made-for-ABC-Family tweenfare.
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The Muppet Family Christmas and A Claymation Christmas Celebration. I don't think either has been on tv for well over a decade, but my family still has both on tape, and they probably get watched at least once a year.
Posts: 2437 | Registered: Apr 2005
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Sadly, home-recorded versions of A Muppet Family Christmas are the only way anyone can see the complete, uncut special. Music rights issues have made all home video and region 1 DVD releases of it a hash, with songs (and comedy and character bits leading up to and away from said songs) deleted.
Plus, all three branches of the Muppet Family tree are owned by different companies these days, so Americans and Canadians are forced to rely on aging home-recorded versions and burned bootlegs of the non-region 1 DVDs.
Awww, man. I loved A Claymation Christmas Celebration so much! Is it on DVD?
quote:Originally posted by Puffy Treat: Sadly, home-recorded versions of A Muppet Family Christmas are the only way anyone can see the complete, uncut special. Music rights issues have made all home video and region 1 DVD releases of it a hash, with songs (and comedy and character bits leading up to and away from said songs) deleted.
Plus, all three branches of the Muppet Family tree are owned by different companies these days, so Americans and Canadians are forced to rely on aging home-recorded versions and burned bootlegs of the non-region 1 DVDs.
Awww, man. I loved A Claymation Christmas Celebration so much! Is it on DVD?
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You can watch 'Twas the Night Before Christmas at fanpop.com. There may be other places that have it too but that's the first one I ran across. That's what I had to do to get my Christmas mouse fix this year. It's my favorite Christmas special.
(Hi everyone. <waves> This is my first post but I've been lurking for a month or two.)
Posts: 1 | Registered: Dec 2008
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I miss The Christmas Toy. We recorded that off the tv and watched it many times. I don't know what happened to that tape, though. The DVD doesn't have Kermit, otherwise I'd just buy that. I don't want to spend money on a partial product.
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I remember back in the 80s that The Wonderful World of Disney used to show Mickey's Christmas Carol each December. While not a very faithful adaptation of Dickens' story, it had its charms. But the real highlight of each annual broadcast for the young me was the pairing of it with cool 1930s-1940s vintage shorts in order to pad out the hour. Usually stuff like Goofy's How to Ski or Mickey's Good Deed...any classic Disney character short that had a winter holiday theme. Posts: 6689 | Registered: Jan 2005
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We were in a hotel just yesterday and it turned out that ABC Family was having some kind of Rankin-Bass marathon. Including 'Twas the Night Before Christmas, the lesser-known Rudolph animations, etc.
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Amahl and the Night Visitors was an opera written specifically to be a TV special. It is gorgous. They used to do it every year. But, it was in B&W and I guess that isn't acceptable any more. I wish they would do a new one. We try to go each year to a live performance. But this year it dosen't look like there will be one eather in the Great American Desert, or the Wasatch Front. I will miss it. I do have it on LP wax and a picture book with the lyrics. But, my record player is in Nevada, and we are in Utah for the Holidays. So, no Amahl.
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quote:Originally posted by Puffy Treat: I remember back in the 80s that The Wonderful World of Disney used to show Mickey's Christmas Carol each December. While not a very faithful adaptation of Dickens' story, it had its charms. But the real highlight of each annual broadcast for the young me was the pairing of it with cool 1930s-1940s vintage shorts in order to pad out the hour. Usually stuff like Goofy's How to Ski or Mickey's Good Deed...any classic Disney character short that had a winter holiday theme.
We watched that earlier this week-- but it was instead paired with "Winnie the Pooh and Christmas Too."
Posts: 21182 | Registered: Sep 2004
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As kids, we loved Small One, the story of the donkey Mary and Joseph rode to Bethlehem. We still have it on an ancient VHS, but I've no idea if it can be bought on DVD now.
Posts: 2849 | Registered: Feb 2002
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quote:Originally posted by Puffy Treat: I remember back in the 80s that The Wonderful World of Disney used to show Mickey's Christmas Carol each December. While not a very faithful adaptation of Dickens' story, it had its charms. But the real highlight of each annual broadcast for the young me was the pairing of it with cool 1930s-1940s vintage shorts in order to pad out the hour. Usually stuff like Goofy's How to Ski or Mickey's Good Deed...any classic Disney character short that had a winter holiday theme.
You can get them on DVD if you look for them This DVD has Mickey's A Christmas Carol, Pluto's Christmas Tree, and Small One on it. It's too bad though, they used to broadcast them in a big 2 hour chunk that had several more shorts in them, but no longer. You'll have to hunt down the various classic DVD's that have been released to see them.
Posts: 1214 | Registered: Aug 2005
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Anyone remember a bizarre Chuck Jones-directed animated special starring Raggedy Ann and Andy? And a skate-boarding dog called "Raggedy Arthur"?
They fought a Wile-E-Coyote-esque wolf who was trying to take over Santa's workshop. They broadcast the special for several years when I was little, then in the 90s on the Disney channel...then I never saw it again.
Can anyone remember the title? Is it on DVD? Posts: 6689 | Registered: Jan 2005
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They showed "Twas the Night Before Christmas" after The Polar Express a couple of weeks ago, but it was an edited version.
Posts: 1794 | Registered: Jul 2002
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Various different old Nick Toon Christmas episodes. Nothing specific. I just remember some. And a few were pretty cool. Not so much specials though...
Posts: 6026 | Registered: Dec 2004
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