SCROOGE, OR MARLEY'S GHOST (1901)

It's Christmas and you know what that means; family, presents, and food, but also time for me to review an adaptation of Charles Dickens "A Christmas Carol". Since this is the first time I'm starting my "12 Days Of Christmas Reviews", I'm going to review the first adaptation of the story called "Scrooge, Or Marley's Ghost" made in 1901. This film is only a few minutes long and some of the footage to the actual film is missing, so this is going to be a very short review.

SCENE 1: EBENEZER SCROOGE

There's really nothing to talk about in this scene. We meet Scrooge, but we see no sign of his greediness nor does he look like a nasty person. In fact, he looks happy letting Bob Cractchitt leave to go home. In a very odd way as well, Bob Cractchitt' looks more like Scrooge than the Scrooge we're looking at. Pointless opening and no character identification what so ever.

SCENE 2:"MARLEY'S GHOST SHOWS SCROOGE VISIONS OF HIMSELF IN CHRISTMASES PAST"


Yes, you read it right. Marley's ghost doesn't send three spirits to help Scrooge, no, it's him who shows Scrooge his Past, Present, and Yet-To-Come. We also have no identification who Marley's Ghost is or who he was in his past life, the only way people would know who he is at the time is if they read the book. Marley by the way, doesn't look scary, he's just a guy wearing a sheet. However, I will give the film credit for the special effects because even though Marley's Ghost is just a guy in a sheet, you can still see right through him; his appearance and disappearance as Scrooge's door knocker was a nice effect and scary for the time; and I love the effect of how he shows Scrooge's past. Oh, and Scrooges past is not identified either.

SCENE 3: "VISIONS OF CHRISTMAS PRESENT. BOB CRACTCHITT AND FRED DRINK TO MISTER SCROOGE"
















We see Cractchitt's family having a great Christmas and I'm going to admit I love the image of the family together with little Tiny Tim and a huge sign that says "God Bless Us Every One", it looks like a Christmas card. Sadly, nothing special is really going on in that scene. When we see Fred drinking to Scrooge, it's only a few seconds long and again we have no identification who Fred is, unless if you read the book. Again. I do like the ghostly effect for Marley's Ghost and Scrooge being invisible.

SCENE 4: "THE CHRISTMAS THAT MIGHT BE. MARLEY'S GHOST SHOWS SCROOGE HIS OWN GRAVE AND THE DEATH OF TINY TIM".
 

Marley's Ghost shows Scrooge's grave and the rest of the footage is gone.  Yup, this is where the copy of the film ends. We don't see much of Tiny Tim's death, nor do we see a reformed Scrooge even though there's nothing wrong with Scrooge in the beginning of the film.

What can I say, it may be the first adaptation of the classic story, but it's also the poorest adaptation as well. It doesn't follow the classic traditional story like most of the future adaptations do; there's zero character identification; and the film only makes sense if you know the story. However, I will give the film credit for the special effects that were made for the film cause they were impressive for it's time and seeing this lost piece of film is like seeing a long lost ancient gem. Is it good, NO, but it's worth a look.

RATING 2/5

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

HOWDY DOODY'S CHRISTMAS (SHORT)

Howdy Doody, a classic kids show that was the "Sesame Street" of the 50's. Who could forget such iconic characters. The show stars a cowboy puppet named Howdy Doody, his cowboy friend Buffalo Bob, and the silent clown Clarabelle. Since this is near Christmas time, I'm going to review my first Howdy Doody episode...




Howdy Doody, Buffalo Bob, and Clarabelle the clown are celebrating Christmas Eve and are hiding to see Santa come down the chimney and leave them toys. Santa doesn't show up at Midnight (For a few seconds) and they suspect something's wrong. Really, there's something not right because Santa didn't come to their house at Midnight? Do they realize that he could be at another house? Well, without waiting a little longer, the trio take their Rocket to the North Pole and find out that Santa has been tied up by their friend Ugly Sam, who thinks Santa's the Bearded Bandit, coincidence?  Okay the story may not be that well written, but after reviewing "Elmo Saves Christmas" at least it's simple and makes sense...sort of.

Howdy Doody, Buffalo Bob and Clarabelle the clown are really funny and lovable as they are on the show. They're the reasons why this Christmas short is so special and if you haven't seen an episode of Howdy Doody, this would be a great episode to start out with, maybe judging them by today's standards the characters look kind of creepy, but at the time they were and still are iconic TV characters and as a kid and even now, I don't find them creepy in the least. Ugly Sam is just as funny as the trio and what makes him funny is he looks and acts tough, but is very idiotic who isn't threatening in the least. Santa Claus actually looks and acts like the real Santa, however, I do question where his elves and his wife are. By the way, how did Ugly Sam get to the North Pole? Alright, alright, yes the film does have some flaws and plot holes, but overall it's not bad. The characters are what make this short Christmas special so good; the cinematography brings a good Christmas look (Even if they use noticeable stock footage in between scenes); the humors funny; and the story is at least simple and decent. Whether you know the show or not, have a look and see what you and your kids or siblings think.

RATING 4/5

RANKIN/BASS FROSTY THE SNOWMAM

Well, it's the month of Christmas and I can't have a top 12 days of Christmas reviews without reviewing a classic Rankin/Bass Christmas special. Here's the Rankin/Bass Christmas special that I chose for this year..


Frosty is a Snowman who has been brought to life by a magic hat. He starts playing with the children who brought him to life, but the snow is melting and Frosty needs to get to the North Pole before he melts. Two friends help him get there; one is a bunny named Hocus Pocus and the other one is a little girl named Karen. However, Frosty is being chased by a bad magician named Professor Hinkle, who wants his hat back. The story is sung and narrated by Jimmy Durante.



Jimmy Durante's character is basically an animated version of himself, as he walks the streets and tells the story. Just like Burl Ives as the Snowman Sam from "Rudolph The Red Nose Reindeer" he brings a lot of charm and Christmas feel to the special. His narrating is charming and his singing voice is soothing. There are no other songs in the special, the only song is Frosty's theme song, sung by kids and Durante himself and to be honest, I consider this version of the song to be the best version.



Our main character and Christmas Icon Frosty is just as lovable as Rudolph. He's jolly; he's caring; he's funny; and surprisingly doesn't look as creepy as the Burl Ives snowman (But I still love him too). I'm actually surprised they didn't use their Stop-Motion for this Christmas special and to be honest the animation here brings the same amount of that Christmas feel you get from watching their Stop-Motion shorts. It's not great, if anything it's pretty wonky and limited, but just like their Stop-Motion Specials (that are also pretty crude) it does have its own you unique charm. Getting back to Frosty, he's not some annoying over the top childish character, he's actually a character you hope to meet on Christmas (Even though that's logically impossible). The characters a lot of fun and he for sure is a great Christmas Icon that will "Go Down In History".


The supporting characters are just as lovable as he is. First, we have the little girl Karen, who's so sweet and innocent that you just want to hug her. Then there's the silent funny Bunny Hocus Pocus who always gets a laugh whenever he's on screen. The villain Professor Hinkle is one of the funniest villains you'll ever see. Finally, there's Santa Claus who is portrayed better than that nasty Santa from "Rudolph The Red Nose Reindeer". Oh, if you're wondering where Trey Parker and Matt Stone got the idea for the "Woodland Christmas Critters", you'll defiantly find the original ones on here.

Frosty The Snowman is a timeless story, full of lovable characters; nice animation; and a trademark Christmas song that will not be forgotten. Oh, and "Don't You Cry", he'll be coming back again next Christmas for another review. 

RATING 5/5

DISNEY'S SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS

Disney, a company that was a big part of our childhood and the memories and films still gets better as we get older. This month I'll not only review Christmas films, I'll also be reviewing Disney films, live action Disney films, and Pixar films, I'll also review their modern day crappy shows and sequels. Now some of you are probably thinking that I'm ripping off Doug Walkers "Disneycember", to be honest, it inspired me to do it, but that's not my main reason why I'm reviewing Disney films this month. First off, if you haven't noticed, this is the month where channels show a lot of Disney and Pixar films and I figured that counts as Christmas movies in a way, also in the horror Christmas film "Gremlins", the Gremlins were watching "Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs" in a movie theater at Christmas time. My number one reason is it's the month where Walt Disney was born and we wouldn't have Disney. Say what you want about Walt, the company, the films and how you think it might be poisoning our minds; but that's not going to stop the thousands of people and kids for loving those films because it has inspired us in many ways, gave us a great childhood and brings you that feeling that only the Disney magic can bring. If you're against Disney fine, just don't force your opinion on the people who are trying to enjoy it. Come to think of it, anyone who forces their opinion on anything are jerks to begin with.

With that out of the way, I'm going to start by reviewing the film that started it all.



An evil Queen finds out from her Magic mirror that her stepdaughter Snow White is the "fairest one of all" and due to her jealously, she wants her dead. Snow White runs away and stays in a little cottage where 7 dwarfs live. Snow White dreams that a prince will come and take her far away to his castle where they'll live happily ever after.

 

Snow White is one of the most sweetest princesses in Disney history. She's kind to everyone; takes care of the Dwarfs; and never even yells or gets mad at anyone. A lot of people do find her annoying because of her voice, but to be honest, I think her voice matches the sweet innocent character that she is. Her singing voice is beautiful and adds to the characters charm. She's defiantly one of the best Disney princesses, maybe not as strong or as independent as the ones that Disney later developed, but she defiantly isn't a bad character. As for her Prince, I must admit he's very bland, forgettable and I'm really upset that the creators dropped the idea of him escaping the Queens dungeon.


 
The Dwarfs, what about them? If you picture the 4 Marx Brothers and the original Three Stooges together, you'd probably get this, funny characters who never have a dull or an unfunny moment. Doc the head of the gang is serious, but is very funny too, especially when he stumbles on his words. Bashful is very charming and you got to love his secret crush on Snow White. Sneezy provides a lot of slapstick with his powerful sneeze. Happy is charming, but he doesn't really have as much character as the other Dwarfs. Sleepy can be a bit of a bore, but hey what do you expect, he's always sleepin that's what makes him funny, I also love the fly that's bugging him (No Pun Intended). Grumpy, maybe the only serious and heartless one in the gang, but he has good character development in the film. Finally, there's the Dwarf everyone loves and remembers the most and that's Dopey. He gets most of the slapstick, he's cute, he's always funny, and the best part is he's the silent one. People praise the Dwarfs so much that they forget the animals that accompany Snow White. They really shouldn't because not only are they cute, but they share the same amount of laughs and fun as the 7 Dwarfs.

















Now the villain. The Wicked Queen is one of the most darkest and twisted Disney villains of all time. She tries to kill Snow White; she can create poisons; her design is creepy; and her old hag form is scary and psychopathic. I'm actually surprised that both forms of her are done by the same lady because both of their voices differ. She's also famous for causing one of the best deaths in cinema history. The face in the Magic Mirror she talks too is just a creepy and eerie as she is. Finally, you have her "Faithful" hunts men who not only looks scary when he tries to kill Snow White, but his scene leads to a very scary moment that made children pee their pants. She's really a great villain.

The songs in this movie are timeless and unforgettable. Snow Whites "Wishing Well Song","Someday My Prince Will Come" and "With A Smile And A Song" are all very beautifully sung and really haunts me when I hear them. The Dwarfs songs such as "The Washing Song" and "Yodeling Song" are always fun to listen to, and fun to watch. The Prince's song "One Song" is not only a beautiful song, but it's something you except to hear from your dream prince. The songs that I find the most memorable, catchy and timeless are Snow White's cleaning song "Whistle While You Work" and he Dwarfs theme song "Heigh-Ho".  As for the animation, it's really amazing. It can be beautiful; it can be scary; but most of all it looks like an actual fairy tale coming to life. The score is beautiful and always fits in at the right moment.

This is not only a classic Disney film, but it's also a the first full length animated film. It has great characters; wonderful songs; a scary villain; and excellent animation. Snow White is a Disney film that will not be forgotten.

RATING 5/5

ELMO SAVES CHRISTMAS

HA, WE'RE STILL ALIVE! TAKE THAT TO THE PEOPLE WHO THOUGHT AND BELIEVED THE WORLD WAS GONNA END! Okay, now that that's out of the way, here's my review. "Sesame Street" was a big part of our childhood and since I didn't review a children show yet, I thought it be nice to start with the master of all children's shows.  What better way to start reviewing a children show is reviewing a Christmas special.


Since this is a time travel adventure on Christmas, I'm going to break the review into parts, like I did for my review on "Back To The Future". As all good (Or most) time travel adventures start, lets go to the present.

ELMO'S CHRISTMAS WISH
 

The story is simple, really. Elmo gets a magic snow globe from Santa Claus and Elmo wishes it was Christmas every day. Santa has a reindeer in training named Lighting to take Elmo to the future to show him the consequences of what he wished for. The story is narrated by Maya Angelou who gives a great narration throughout the special.

In the opening scene, it's Christmas Eve on Sesame Street and every Muppet and human is there singing a jolly Christmas song "It's Christmas Again". I'm not kidding, almost every character from the late 90s is in this special such as Big Bird, Snuffy, Cookie Monster, Kermit, The Count, Grover, Baby Bear, Zoey, Telly, Oscar and our star Elmo. Wait, where's Bert and Ernie you might ask, oh they're barley in it, shocker isn't it and they don't even say anything. You also have the human characters who you may remember growing up with in the 90s such as Bob, Gordon, Maria and Luis and their daughter Gabi, Mr.Handford and even the 14 Karat Soul singing in great Harmony. All of them especially Elmo, are exactly how we know them growing up, they're sweet, lovable, funny and cute.

Elmo's new friend Lighting is just as lovable as all the other characters on the show. He's not just a new friend, but he also hopes to one day pull Santa's Sleigh and if his mission works, he will get the chance. Lighting is so fast that he can travel through time like Superman. Yeah, if you weren't too happy about how Superman saved the world and Lois in the first movie, chances are you're going to be pissed. Me, I don't find it that big of a deal cause he's Superman but I'm a bit ticked that they ripped off Superman as well as the theme song. Santa is played by two time Oscar nominee Charles Durning whopreviously played the villain Doc Hopper in "The Muppet Movie". His portrayal of Santa lacks the jolliness in the character, but for some reason I can't help but feel that his performance brings a bit of a twinkle as he plays Santa. He also makes me smile and get a bit emotional when he sings the song, "Every Day Can't Be Christmas", it’s just heartwarming.

Now that the present is covered lets go to Christmas in the FUTURE!

CHRISTMAS IN SPRING TIME




Its Christmas in Spring on “Sesame Street” and almost everyone is happy. Maria and Luis are happy not to be working; Count is happy to be counting Christmas days; and the choir and the people of "Sesame Street" are singing "It's Christmas Again" in a Spring time tune. The Easter Bunny (Who I'm hoping is a mascot) played by Harvey Fierstein brings a fun performance as he sings and dances, while selling his "Christmas Eggs" to a catchy song called "Give Your Friend An Easter Egg For Christmas". However, Grover is nearly out of Christmas Trees and is selling "Previously used ones" with no needles. Big Bird is sad that Snuffy is spending Christmas time in another city and keeps writing letters to him however, the Post Office is closed. This is really sad, but has he tried calling him, he better be doing that in the next visit. Come on, lets go BACK TO THE FUTURE!


CHRISTMAS IN JULY

It's Christmas in July and everyone seems unhappy, even the choir who are singing a patriotic Christmas tune of "It's Christmas Again". Count is getting annoyed of counting Christmas (Shocker); Maria and Luis want to work again; Grover is making Christmas Trees out of raw material; Santa and his Elves are stressed ;and Oscar is for once loving Christmas. This is all sad even if it has funny moments, but lets see how Big Bird is doing. Finally Big Bird tries to call Snuffy, but he gets an answering machine, we then go to a sad musical number with Big Bird. He leaves a message by singing "All I Want For Christmas Is You", looks around at all the toys he has, but is still very sad and he even dances while leaving the message telling Snuffy what kind of dance he's doing. This scene is so sad and depressing that I haven't seen such sadness from Big Bird since he did "The Blue Bird Of Happiness" act. Well Big Bird can always try him later. Come on, there's one more Christmas future left to see.

CHRISTMAS ON THE 25TH

This sequence is so sad, so depressing that I can't even talk about it or even show a picture. I'm telling you, I haven't seen a broken down town on Christmas so sad since the "Pottersville" sequence in "It's A Wonderful Life". It's so sad that Big Bird can never see Snuffy again. Hold the phone for a second! Did Big Bird try to keep calling him, if he misses him so much why not go on a journey to the city where Snuffy is? As a matter a fact, why didn't Snuffy try to call or make a journey to see Big Bird, Big Bird's always at his nest weeping and trying to contact him. Some friend Snuffy is, I'd tell Big Bird to forget about him at this point.

ELMO SAVES CHRISTMAS

I really don't think I'm giving anything away since the title clearly says "Elmo Saves Christmas", a clever title would be "How Elmo Ruined Christmas". Like I said, if you didn't like the ending to the first Superman movie, you're going to be pissed cause this is the route they take to save Christmas. Once again, I'm ok with that,  however, I do have a few questions. How did Lighting manage to take Elmo to same exact spot, same position, and same clothing he was wearing the night he saved Santa? Did Lighting take Elmo sometime earlier on Christmas Eve, well if that's the case, shouldn't there be another Elmo somewhere. Maybe he and Lighting emerged into their past selves body, but wait, did they also emerge into their future selves bodies, cause everyone looks like they've seen Elmo before instead of asking him where he's been?  Also where did Santa get the Moobunny from, he made it in the future not the present? Oh by the way, guess where Snuffy was the whole time? He was in “Sesame Street” cause his Granny came to see him and you didn't see Big Bird because... screw it, Snuffy's a nasty friend. I also question why everyone has to celebrate Christmas every day, is the world going to end if they don't celebrate? It's not like someone is making them celebrate Christmas every day, why not treat it like a normal day and celebrate Christmas on the day it should be celebrated?  Man, no wonder this film confused me as a kid?
 

Before I end the review with my final thoughts, I just want to point out I loved the use of footage from "It's A Wonderful Life". In the specia,l it's on TV all the time on Christmas (Kind of like how "A Christmas Story" is on TV all the time during Christmas) and not only do they choose classic clips from the film, but they show them at the right moments. Before Elmo meets Santa who knows everything about him, he's watching the scene when George meets his guardian Angel who tells him he knows "Everything about him". Before Kermit announces its Christmas everyday on the news, the people at the store are watching George tell Mary what he's going to do "Tomorrow, the next day, and the year after that" and after the announcement the TV cuts back to film where George saying "This is a very interesting situation".  They also play the scene when George is yelling "Merry Christmas" to everyone when Elmo finds out that there's nothing else on TV (Really...okay). The best moment is when Bert and Ernie are watching a blurry broken TV as they hear their names being shouted at by George and when they hear their names, they're in shock (I guess they're the only ones who don't know about the film's 24 hour run). The scene where that scene is taking place is during the "Pottersville" sequence, while “Sesame Street” and Christmas looks like trash.

 The film has tons of plot holes, betrayal of good characters, makes you feel puzzled after watching the film, and I still watch it. It's very rare of me to still like a film or TV show I use to watch as a kid that has tons of flaws and rubbish such as "Teletubbies", "Barney","Inspector Gadget The Movie","Scooby Doo The Movie" and so on, but as flawed as the film is, it still brings that Christmas feel. The casting of celebrities is fine; the story may not be well written, but it still manages to get it's moral across; the songs are unforgettable; the appearances from The Muppets are fun, cute, and nostalgia; and on a personal note, I wouldn't be watching  "It's A Wonderful Life" as a kid if it wasn't for this film. I also get chills when all the characters would stand around the Christmas Tree and sing the classic "Sesame Street" Christmas song "Keep Christmas With You" and after the credits, you see a classic clip from "It's A Wonderful Life" and Elmo wishing you a "Merry Christmas". It's not great, but it's not terrible either, it’s a love or hate film but it's mostly a guilty pleasure.

RATING 3/5