Sure there are classics like almost the ENTIRE Rankin Bass lineup of movies (minus a few that either aren't Christmas themed or are just outright bad) or others like "A Charlie Brown Christmas." Sit down, folks. Allow us to tell you about some of the specials I grew up with!
The third generation of "My Little Pony" came out around the time I was born, and I wouldn't be introduced to the franchise until 3 years later when a family member gave me two figures. Of course, what three year old WOULDN'T become instantly hooked after receiving colorful horses. Shortly after was when I started getting all the animated movies on DVD (one was on VHS, but we lost it, we later found out the episode on that VHS was on a DVD of mine). One of these specials happened to be "A Very Minty Christmas."
This animated special is about all of the ponies coming together to celebrate Christmas. They apparently worship a giant candy cane that's put on the giant Christmas tree each year (that's how dad has always seen it at least). And Minty BREAKS the candy cane on accident later in the episode. So she makes it her mission to try and "fix" Christmas by giving all of her friends socks as Christmas presents. Yay?
Wish that'd be the same with Mustard Pancakes... Anyways, moving on!
A pretty underrated special if you ask me! I first saw this special on TV when I was 5 and didn't see it again until I was 8, where my family recorded it on DVD for me. It's a very unique spin on the story of Santa and his reindee- oh I'm sorry, "Flying Forces." The story is about a reindeer named Niko and his dreams of wanting to be one of Santa's Flying Forces. We see him taking flying lessons not too far from his home (with the company of his flying squirrel friend, Julius). Apparently, Niko's father is on the Flying Forces, but we don't know who it is. So Niko runs away from his tribe to look for his father.
There was a sequel released in 2012 (wasn't marketed well in America) called "Niko 2: Little Brother Big Trouble" where Niko's mom introduces her son to his new step father and step brother (Niko is still in contact with his dad after the events of the first film). I actually didn't know about this sequel until last year! I wound up watching it on Kisscartoon one night (and managed to get past the endless ads) and it wasn't too bad! All the actors came back and reprised their roles from the first movie and the story managed to keep my attention. There are also rumors of a "Niko 3" being in production right now...
If you remember Hoops and Yoyo, you'd remember that they were a Hallmark franchise mostly used for e-cards and physical cards. Took them 8 years to actually get around to making a full Christmas special (and a Halloween special later on). The story in this 30+ minute film is Hoops and Yoyo are waiting for Santa, but when the jolly man arrives at their house, one of the protagonists sneaks into his sleigh and the three protagonists follow. They're then sucked into a wormhole and various antics ensue.
We also have a recording of this movie on DVD. Just gonna scramble for it.
The next special isn't really from my childhood, but my dad and I watched it a few years ago and we really liked it!
This was another interesting adaptation on how Santa Claus came to be. The animation\art style was nice! The team behind this special used 3D to try to emulate more 2D, traditional animation. Since we're gonna be snowed in this holiday season, I think it would only be fitting we give this special a rewatch! (We can't forget the Netflix adaptation of Scrooge either).
And THOSE are some of the childhood Christmas specials that resonated with me. Care to share your thoughts, dad?
It was 1962 when I saw the initial airing of "Mister MaGoo's Christmas Carol." I was four years old and it was the first time I heard the "Bah, humbug!" line. I watched it on many repeat airings until it just kind of disappeared from yearly broadcasts. I got a DVD of it a few years ago and... it just wasn't as good as I remembered it being. 😢
1965 saw the debut of "A Charlie Brown Christmas!" Suddenly, at age seven, I became a Peanuts fan. My sister says that our Dad got a big kick out of watching me watch this the first time it aired. It was magical.
No comments:
Post a Comment