Product ReviewsThe Year Without a Santa Claus (DVD, 2000, Includes Two Additional Christmas Shorts)

The Year Without a Santa Claus

Arthur Rankin and Jules Bass produced several puppet animations during the 1970's, but it is unlikely that any are better than this one.
Santa has a bad cold and he thinks that no one believes in Christmas anymore. But Mrs. Claus has a plan. She will send a couple of elves to get evidence to prove to Santa that people still believe. Mickey Rooney is the voice of Santa and Shirley Booth narrates and is Mrs. Claus. There are some issues with Snow Meiser, who controls the amount of snow that falls, and with Heat Meiser, who wants everything to be warm for Christmas. She has to finally get Mother Nature involved. And Vixen the reindeer is mistaken for a dog and taken to the dog pound. So Santa himself gets involved, and eventually discovers that people still believe in Christmas.
There are plenty of things for children to like in the presentation. The songs, lyrics and music are catchy. And of course the animation is excellent.
There are also two special features included. "Nester, the Longeared Christmas Donkey" and "Rudolph's Shiny New Year." The latter was reviewed on e-bay previously. Nester is another fine puppet animation from Rankin and Bass. It is narrated and sung by Roger Miller, and the main voice is Brenda Vaccaro. Nester is a longeared donkey who is always tripping over his ears. All the other animals laughed at him because he couldn't earn his keep. Disgusted with him, his owner turns him out in a snow storm. He travels to Jerusalem and has several adventures along the way. He finally has a chance to prove himself and he does.
This is very similar to "The Little Christmas Burro" narrated by Lorne Green. Both are done well, but for the little children, I would recommend "The Little Christmas Burro." It is a kinder, gentler version. For example, Nester's mother dies trying to protect him in the snowstorm. It may be a little unsettling for the younger ones in the family.
"The Year without a Santa Claus" is one of the best features Rankin and Bass ever produced, and the main feature itself is worth getting. It is appropriate for children no matter what their age.Read full review...

A Year Without A Santa Claus

This movie is like a beloved childhood memory that I can hold in my hand. I can remember sitting down with my older sister around Chrsitmas and waiting until the ABC channel played this movie. Not being home during the scheduled time was unexcuseable and not permitted. Unfourtnatly, last year my sister moved out for college and we were not able to view the movie as we had always done as children. I wouldnt let that happen again. I searched and searched and when I finally found it, I quickly bought it and waited anxiously for my sister to recieve it at her house. It arrived in 2 days. She called me in tears after she opened the box, we cried together. I look forward to watching this movie with my sister around Christmas or whenever we have some time together.Read full review...

Great product

All movies are great. Nothing wrong with the discs or any of the scenes. Very pleased with this product. Some of my favorite Christmas classics!

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: decluttr_store

A childhood memory

As a child, I looked forward to watching all the Christmas specials, and The Year Without a Santa Claus was always my favorite. When I became a mom, I began a collection of Christmas classics for my children. Unfortunately, I could never find this one. When I found it on Ebay, I jumped at the chance to buy it.

What I like most about this movie is the message that no matter who you are, it's nice to know that you are important to others, but even more important to show those special people in your life how important they are to you.

The one thing that I did not like about this product is the outside case. Instead of being made of the hard plastic most cases are made of, it is paper, which means less durability.Read full review...

best christmas movie of all time

i dont think there is another animated christmas movie out there that brings as many great childhood memories then this movie, i looked forward to this movie coming on every year on tv and it set the christmas tone and spirit for the rest of the holiday season, years later with kids of my own i brought this for them so they can feel what i felt while watching this movie ,i think its a must have for christmas, we have the movie on vhs tape that we recorded from tv but once you watch it on dvd and see how crisp and clear the sound and colors are there is no going back to tape on this one its like comparing apples to oranges :) this is a must have in anyway you can imagine possible :)Read full review...

Family Favorite

A Christmas tradition in our home. We love this movie, my son and daughter are crazy for heat mizer, they get quite a laugh out of him.
I grew up watching this every year. Good choice to share with the whole family!Read full review...

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: lasttry14

The year WITH Santa

I loved this movie as a child, but could not find it anywhere, and the re-released ones are so lame. They dont include Heatmeiser and Snowmeiser as some "certain groups" found these characters very devil like. This movie is as fantastic as I remembered it 31 years ago. Now I can share thios great classic with my now 3 year old son. Also included are 2 other graet classics, that my son just loves. A great Xmas classic from a great seller.Read full review...

Exactly what I wanted

Nestor, The Long Eared Donkey loved by my little granddaughter

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: carolinaonlines...

If you love the holiday classic Rudolf, you will love these 3 stories too!

A very sweet classic holiday dvd right up there with Rudolf the red nose reindeer and Frosty the snowman!! Same type of stop animation as in the Rudolf classic. Great stories that makes one feel nostalgic and Christmas traditional favorites we wanted to add to our holiday dvd collection. A long playing dvd with 3 stories. We bought off-season to get a better eBay price.Read full review...

Nestor is a wonderful Christmas story to be enjoyed by all ages.

I purchased this for Nestor the Long-eared Christmas Donkey. It was my favorite as a child and also my childrens' favorite. I now have gandchildren and wanted them to watch it. It is a genuine Christmas story that shares the true reason for the season. It is one of a kind that can be handed down through the generations and appreciated by all.Read full review...