Fair warning there may be some minor spoilers for a few of the movies listed.
Some of my fondest Christmas memories include watching classic claymation movies such as “Santa Clause is Comin to Town” and Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer.” With this in mind I have decided to rank the claymation Christmas movies based on how much I enjoyed them. The criteria will include how memorable or unmemorable the movie is as well as how it stands out from other movies on this list.
- The Little Drummer Boy (1968)
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Although “The Little Drummer Boy” may be a favorite for some I can not say the same. The movie follows Aaron, a young boy who after a terrible childhood (I’m trying to not give away the plot too much) has a disdain for humanity. This disdain only increases after he is kidnapped and forced to join a caravan. Due to its very Christian story, the message of the movie is supposed to be how wonderful humanity is. I can attest to this Christian message as I watched this movie while attending a Catholic middle school. Besides that, since much of the story depicts Aaron going through so many hardships, including many that I did not mention as to not spoil the movie, the movie is not very fitting for children. This and the overall somber tone of the movie causes me to rank it very low on my list.
- The Year Without a Santa Clause (1974)
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“The Year Without A Santa Clauses” follows Mrs. Clause as she attempts to ensure that Christmas still happens in spite of a combination of Santa’s ailing health and his insistence of people not believing in him. She sends two elves named Jingle and Jangle as well as Vixen the reindeer to disprove such. However, the three accidentally land in Southtown due to the Miser Brothers constant feuding. Once they arrive in Southtown the three are surprised to learn that Santa’s assumption about people not believing in him is true. In order to prove them otherwise, the three with the help of Mrs. Clause attempt to make it snow in Southtown on Christmas Day. The movie is overall really fun and enjoyable mostly due to the introduction of the Miser Brothers and their comedic relief resulting from their catchy song. However, the movie is not as memorable as the other movies on this list. In addition to the fact that I find 2008’s “Miser Brother’s Christmas” much more intriguing; however, I opted to not include this movie on the list as I have not watched it in ages.
- Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer (1964)
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This is the part in which my opinions become a bit more controversial. If you do not know the plot of “Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer” from the famous song, it is essentially about Rudolph, a reindeer born with a red nose, attempting to find his place as a “misfit.” The movie is an enjoyable watch due to a few factors such as the interesting array of characters ranging from a Hermey the elf who desires to be a dentist to the adventrous gold minor of Yukon Cornelius. The film’s timeless message of how individuality should be praised rather than made fun of is of course another factor that adds into making the movie enjoyable. My one problem is that due to the number of times I have seen it, it no longer possess any of the magic from my first few watches.
- Santa Clause is Comin to Town (1970)
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Another classic in my opinion is “Santa Clause is Comin to Town” as it is an origin story of how Santa Clause goes from an orphan boy to a man who desires to bring happiness to children’s lives. It also echoes similar sentiments as “Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer” in regards to the misfit message. In my opinion what sets this movie apart from Rudolph is honestly the setting as well as there being an actually villain. Sombertown truly lives up to its name as well as offering a perfect place for Santa Clause to recognize his true calling. Burgermeister Meisterburger is the perfect villain due to his comedic relief, his constant determination and his intriguing backstory shared to the viewer in form of song. Regardless of all its positivites “Santa Clause is Comin to Town” suffers from the same condition of being too overplayed as Rudolph causing it to not be ranked higher.
- Jack Frost (1979)
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“Jack Frost” most obliviously follows Jack Frost; however, the plot thickens when he falls in love with a human girl, Elsa. With his desire to be with Elsa, Jack as well as his friends Snip the snowflake maker and Holly the snow gypsy with the help of Father Winter become human. The only catch is that in order to stay human he has to earn a house, a horse, a bag of gold and a wife before Spring. This may seem easy but becomes extremely complicated when Kubla Kraus, an evil king that lives in castle on Miserable Mountain, kidnaps Elsa. For me, this movie possesses one of the most interesting plots and intriguing villains. I also like the fact that it is not too Christmas oriented as it allows from me to watch it past Christmas.
- Rudolph’s Shiny New Year (1976)
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I understand that some may not think this is Christmas; however, New’s Year does fall within the Christmas season so I’m going to count it anyway. In “Rudolph’s Shiny New Year” Rudolph is tasked with finding Baby New Year in time for the new year after the baby ran away. On his journey Rudolph encounters Big Ben the Whale as well as other characters from the Archipelago of Last Years. The Archipelago of Last Years is an interesting setting as it features islands of previous centuries including islands such as 1023 Island that features fairytale characters like the three bears. Like its predecessor Rudolph movie, “Rudolph’s Shiny New Year” still echoes sentiments about misfits and how their flaws should be celebrated. The reason that this one ranks higher is definitely due to the characters, setting and that is a traditional New Years Eve watch for me.
- Rudolph and Frosty’s Christmas in July (1979)
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This is by far my favorite claymation Christmas movie due in large part to the interesting plot and villain. “Rudolph and Frosty’s Christmas in July” first starts longer before Rudolph’s movie with Lady Boreal defeating Winterbolt, a powerful evil snow wizard, and placing the last of her powers in Rudolph’s nose. Once Winterbolt awakens from his slumber after his defeat, he learns from his Genie of the Ice Specter about the powers of Rudolph’s nose. Meanwhile Milton the ice cream man is asking Frosty and Rudolph for their help to perform in a circus in order for him to able to marry Lainie, a circus performer who is the daughter of the circus owner, Lily Loraine. Winterbolt then uses this as an opportunity by offering to ensure that Frosty and his family will not melt from the heat of July. The plot becomes more complicated as the story continues so I will not elaborate further but rather offer you the opportunity to find out more yourself. The movie also presents itself to be more interesting from previous Rudolph movie as it attempts to educate younger viewers about morals such as honesty in the face of more tough situations.