A CHRISTMAS CAROL (1997)

One of the most magical Christmas experiences that I've ever had growing up as a kid was seeing "A Christmas Carol" at Madison Square Garden. I saw the "Radio City Christmas Spectacular" as well at a very young age prior to it, and grew to admire it as I got older, but as a kid, I didn't care for it in the slightest. I actually used to loathe it for having no real story, being way too off the charts cheery, and having so much singing and dancing with very little breaks from it that it was unbearable. When I saw "A Christmas Carol" as my next Christmas musical in New York City, I was absolutely in love with it! It hit me on all the emotions that I'm supposed to feel; the changes that were made for the musical were fascinating and creative; the use of special effects for on stage and off stage stunned me; and I was dazzled by every single song and dance sequence than being annoyed by them. However, the number 1 reason why it became so special to me was that it starred an actor who I loved at that age, and that was Tim Curry who was casted in the role of Ebeneezer Scrooge, who fit the role so perfectly that I never once in my young mind at the time thought that this was the very same guy who I'd always have a blast watching in films like "Home Alone 2: Lost in New York", and "Muppet Treasure Island". As happy as I am to have the memory of the show, apart from him appearing at the "Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade" with the rest of the cast from the play, I was never able to find footage of Tim Curry acting as Scrooge in the play or so much as a cast recording of it, which has disappointed me over the years because I've wanted to look closely at how Curry played the role after catching onto to his Curryisms as the years went by since I've seen him in the show. The closest that I could ever find myself watching Tim Curry playing Scrooge over and over, even as a small boy who was still getting goosebumps from the play, was in a straight-to-video animated musical film distributed by "DIC Entertainment".

I was first introduced to this film through my brother Jesse who saw it at his school (we were both in two different schools at the time) and he decided to show it to me after coming across it at "Blockbuster". The main appeal in the movie for us was Tim Curry as Scrooge, and his pet dog Debit (my brother was at the age when he was obsessed with owning a dog). We've rented the film once or twice after, to eventually owning a copy of a film. I have yet to revisit the film since my late elementary school years, so given the nostalgia factor for the cartoon and my love for Tim Curry; I chose this obscure animated feature of "A Christmas Carol" to cap off my holiday reviews. Please note that due to the lack of images I could find, this will be a picture-less review.

EBENEEZER SCROOGE

Out of the many qualities that Tim Curry provides as an actor is no matter what role he's given, he always puts on a show. It doesn't matter if he plays his role too over the top or is given a role that is so poorly written or in the film very little, because he always manages to entertain and bring as much life to his character as he possibly can. I say this because if there's one strong element in this cartoon that makes it worth seeing, its Tim Curry’s performance. His portrayal as nasty old Scrooge in the first 14 minutes of the film is simply fantastic on all levels of the character. He nails his cold and bitter personality down effortlessly by making his presence come off as intimidating, while also playing some moments up for a few laughs that don't feel out of character for how it stays true to the personality of Scrooge; like how he dismissively bids his nephew Fred "Good Afternoon" after being offered to join his family for dinner on Christmas, where his tone and mannerisms would shift to annoyed, to loud and cranky when Fred keeps on talking to him as he's about to leave. Curry doesn't make Scrooge appear to be completely bitter who just shouts "Bah Humbug", when he talks about Christmas being a time of year where people act like hypocrites, he sounds legitimately disgusted with the idea, feeling that he's the only honest person in the city who's not by pretending to be something that he's not for a certain time of year. However, Scrooge at one point does show a tiny bit of remorse when he sees Tiny Tim coming to pick-up his Father after almost nearly assaulting him, who is surprised at how tiny he is and that Cratchit is a family man. I do feel it’s way too early to be showing a bit of a sensitive side to this character, because the beauty of his encounter with the ghosts is we become more attached to him for how much we've learned about him and his life and see him act more and more sensitive through his life-changing experience that is incredibly different to the man we met earlier. I can't say that this moment is out of character because we know deep down inside that he isn't that heartless, I just find this kind of moment at this time to be very unnecessary.

Tim Curry's performance aside, there's nothing that I can say different about the portrayal of supporting characters that we meet here like Fred, the Portly Gentlemen, or Bob Cratchit (Michael York) that I haven't said about them in the past. Nothing about them that stands-out as anything different. The only supporting character who brings something new is Scrooge’s pet dog Debit (that sounds like he's shouting "Damn it" every time he angrily shouts the dog's name), a character not from the original story who was only created for the film because other animation studios big and small were trying to cash-in on the animal side-kick characters that Disney was doing at the time. And let's not forget that the famous Grinch who hated Christmas as much as Scrooge does had a dog for a side-kick too. However, unlike most pointless side-kicks in films not animated by Disney, I'll admit that it's a bit intriguing to see Scrooge have some kind of company at his side that isn't an object that he values. He (exactly like the Grinch) clearly doesn't show love for his dog either, he treats him just as nasty as the people he encounters, but seeing that dogs don't have the same capability as human's do and are trainable to meet his standards, he forces him to act as cruel as he is and uses him as his enforcer to frighten people away (like children and the Portly Gentlemen). Debit isn't entirely cruel because when Tiny Tim begins to play with him, he shows some actual happiness implying that he is a softie underneath his vicious tough bulldog image, however he must obey his master's commands and stick to what he's been taught to think and behave in order to eat and have a roof over his head. I'm not implying that Debit's presence is warranted, but for what they did (in this part of the film anyway), they didn't do a bad job. At least the film didn't go out of the way to make him look cutesy, that would lose all kinds of interest given to the character that would undoubtedly make him stand-out as a Max knock-off.

Tim Curry's Scrooge and Debit isn’t the only thing that prevent the scenes taken from the book to be new and interesting, some of the choices made from Scrooge's encounter with the people who visit him at his counting house add to the drama and character of the people interacting with Scrooge. For example, when Scrooge gives his infamous hate speech towards Christmas, he says it while scaring a mouse half-to death; and when Fred offers his merry views on the holiday, he says as it as he revives the mouse, which is a nice visual way of showing how both characters differ in their beliefs towards Christmas. There are indeed some little welcoming alterations to classic scenes that take place outside of the counting house during this portion. For instance one of Bob Cratchit's most memorable moments in the story showing his child-like innocence and glee for Christmas is when he goes sliding down frozen ice with a couple of kids. This cartoon nicely enhances that moment by this time having Bob sliding with Tiny Tim on his shoulders pretending to be horse, which also shows what a playful Father he is to his son. Of course there are plenty of moments during these scenes that add some comedy that range from boringly forced slapstick, to something as silly as Scrooge ordering Cratchit to "fetch" the coal he threw to scare a begger away as if he forgot that he has a dog, to having fitting character based jokes; and yet there are still one or two grim moments that I wasn't expecting from a straight-to-video animated film. They're not as excessively dark as say the "Christmas Carol" film with Jim Carrey, it's just Scrooge's treatment towards children and a homeless woman carrying a crying baby in the bitter cold are very harsh moments that don't go violent or overboard with the darkness of Scrooge's empty heart, they're handled rather maturely believe it or not.

It should be no surprise that the animation isn't going to be anything grand, given its home video quality status and being made by an animation studio that specializes in creating Saturday Morning Cartoons. Gazing at its quality right at the beginning, it feels like a combination of watching an animated TV show, and a Christmas film made from "Goodtimes Entertainment". It has some nice designs, pretty Christmas colors, and neat looking backgrounds, however the movements at times look uncanny to the point where’s it’s a bit off-putting, and the overall look is pretty generic. It's not boring to look at; it just looks ordinary with very little flair to make it visually interesting.

Let's not forget another trope in 90s animation films that tried to be like Disney films. I covered how this film forcefully gives Scrooge an animal side-kick, but a 90s animated film won't be complete without shoehorning in a few songs. To play on the whimsy of Christmas, the film opens up with narration from York that proceeds to a musical number called "Tell Me a Tale" sung by an off-screen chorus. It's really not bad way to get pulled into the film's atmosphere because it's nicely sung, the environment itself seems full of Christmas cheer, and we're experiencing it all with an orphan boy who will later encounter Scrooge's cruel nature towards children. The song itself even dives into the topics of wanting to hear a story and a song that ties into the title and where the story was adapted from, as Scrooge is mentioned in the middle of it resulting with our first glimpse of the miserable old miser. I can't say that the song itself is anything special, because it does feel like any typical chorus song to open up an animated musical (another trope that this film takes from Disney). Still I can't say that it didn't do its job getting me into the Christmas spirit. Let me put it to you this way, I won't be remembering this song as openers like "Virginia Company" in “Pocahontas", or "Frozen Heart" in "Frozen".

The second song "Random Acts of Kindness" takes place in a tavern where Scrooge and Debit dine at to eat the cheapest meal on the menu that's led by the waitress serving them. This is one of the very few songs that I remember from the film, that's has an uplifting feel through the passion from the people around Scrooge singing about doing kindness for people on Christmas, that is until Scrooge interrupts them criticizing their phoniness as he insults a homeless man warming by the fire causing the song to take a bit of a downbeat turn. After his solo it then becomes a bit of a battle between Scrooge and the patrons through their beliefs, the patrons tell him to change, as Scrooge angrily defends himself. Scrooge's conflict with other people who love Christmas is already perfectly established, almost making this sequence unnecessary, but the points that Scrooge makes through Tim Curry's frustrated delivery in an environment where everyone is giddy around him add a few more layers to the character that give us a better understanding of why he can't stand the sudden change of heart that people have at this one time of year.

MARLEY'S GHOST

The opening to the film seemed promising (if you are forgiving for its Saturday Morning Cartoon look, and unneeded animal companion) until we see Scrooge's encounter with Marley at his door. At first glance the sequence looks chilling. It's quiet, the animation is darkened a bit, and the music is fitting. Then Marley's face appears on the door replacing the lion knocker who is given the same bright yellow color as the stoned animal, with a face that looks eerie. But that all gets ruined when Marley quietly scares Scrooge by saying "Boo" after Scrooge exclaims his name as if he just casually ran into him on the street, leading to Scrooge taking a very comical fall. The silliness doesn't stop there, if anything it’s just warming up. Following after the scene is Scrooge walking up the stairs in his dark home as the sound of chains are quietly rattling and a whisper of Scrooge's name is being heard. It sounds haunting, except that Scrooge isn't hearing any of this, his dog is the one mugging the screen reacting to it in a cutesy comical fashion. It's at that point where I start to find Debit's presence a bit annoying for how the focus of a scene to build tension is not on the character who should be witnessing this. The build-up gets even worse where it starts to get unintentionally funny. Marley's face appears again this time on one of the tiles around Scrooge's fireplace, and unlike before where his face was still, his face is constantly stretching as if we're looking at Marley in a funhouse mirror, with silly expressions that are meant to be scary, and a voice that's supposed to sound ghostly but instead sounds unbearably corny for how phoned in it is. Apparently Scrooge himself isn't fazed by this silly imagery either, he keeps hitting it with a book to the shut the spirit up that only adds to the unintentional comedy of this scene. Through a cheesy green lightning effect that seems like that Marley is going to rock n roll for how much it looks like a laser light show, we see the ghost in full. How does Scrooge react to it, he has Debit sick him, and comments how he has no heart when he puts his hand right through his chest. Those jokes aren't bad for how they fit the tone of the scene, but after already getting enough comedy both intentional and unintentional, it seems a bit of overkill at this point. I’ll admit that I do kind of like that Curry’s Scrooge acts a bit of a badass for refusing to put up with Marley’s hocus pocus, it’s only too bad that it only helps ruin the emotion that we’re supposed to get out of this scene.

Voicing Marley's specter is Ed Asner who's usually a good actor, but here he gives by far the weakest Jacob Marley performance I've ever seen. When he's not phoning in that silly ghostly voice, he gives a rather dull performance. He for the most part doesn't come off as a spirit who's in pain and is determined to intimidate his partner to help him change; he sounds exhausted, bored with everything, and is barely trying to frighten Scrooge to give him his attention. The moment when Marley screams is usually terrifying for the amount of anger and sorrow he has, but his scream in this film unfortunately is very soft as if Asner was told to tone it down to not scare the kids watching this. I can't be too hard on Asner's performance though, because when he talks about Scrooge's fate he does sound intimidating from his loud gravelly voice. And during his speech about the after-life there's a very chilling and depressing bit where two ghosts outside are trying to help the homeless woman and baby that we saw earlier only to find out that they can't because they are dead and aren't able to perform good deeds for the living. That whole bit in the middle is carried out effectively for how it builds fear in the fate that awaits Scrooge, but after that he's back to being dull and sounding silly again. Marley's design isn't anything special either. Usually Marley's design is very zombie-like for how frail, weak, and ghastly he appears, Asner's Marley doesn't look that way at all, if anything Scrooge looks more like a corpse than Marley himself does. 

THE GHOST OF CHRISTMAS PAST

As boring as Marley's design is, it at least stays mostly true to the character, unlike the Ghost of Christmas Past. Out of all ghosts in the Christmas Carol film adaptations, the Ghost of Christmas Past is the one who's always reimagined, while the other ghosts mostly remain the same in terms of design. In most portrayals this particular ghost would have it look like an actual specter that is humbly soft-spoken with tons of wisdom. And sometimes this spirit would be given a child-like design. This version is one of those cases where the spirit takes the form of a child with the voice talents of Kath Soucie. This isn't unexpected since films and specials of the story that were aimed for kids like "Mister Magoo's Christmas Carol" and "The Muppet Christmas Carol" did a great job at handling the concept by giving the spirit dignity. However, as those versions showed how to handle the ghost right when making it resembles and sound-like a kid, this version is a prime example of how to not to handle this concept. The spirit doesn't appear ghostly like the other adaptations I just mentioned, he's just a kid dressed in bright blue Christmas clothing (that's for some reason red on the cover), waves around his magic stick with holly on the tip of it like a wand, and fly in midair. There's hardly anything about this design that makes him appear ghostly. And his personality doesn't make-up for it neither because he's nothing more than a mischievous little boy who loves to fool around and mock Scrooge. This character can pass as a Christmas version of Peter Pan than as a wise supernatural being.

The first trip in Scrooge's Christmas past is his childhood at a boarding school. Like some of the best Scrooge's out there who have captured the character's nostalgia, joy, and despair when being reminded of his gloomy Christmas memories, Curry is no exception. He sounds completely fascinated and overjoyed to relive his childhood, right down to admiring the smell of his old classroom being the way he remembered it. That is until he sees his young self alone on Christmas because his Father didn't want him home, which sounds and looks soul crushing from Scrooge's tears and Curry's mournful delivery. The scene depicting young Scrooge's lonely Christmas years even takes an interesting turn. Scrooge was once obsessed with the storybook character Robinson Crusoe, and as he sits alone reading his book he sees a specter in the form of him greeting him to then suddenly vanishing right before his eyes, as the scene clearly suggests that he's been visited by spirits before, that's a little out of nowhere but still a sweet little moment playing on young Scrooge's isolation from people around him, and how fiction is his only escapism. After his brief encounter we are then given a song from young Scrooge of how he's not alone when he sees his shadow that make him feel like he's with somebody as he can also use his imagination to interact with them, until the fire dies down. It's a bittersweet sequence that's enchanting for how the shadows are animated to look like his fantasy's coming to life, but you're constantly aware of the reality surrounding this poor boy. I can't say that this sequence is as memorably depressing as "I'm All Alone in the World" from "Mister Magoo's Christmas Carol" because the song itself though it's sung nice, is as bland as the song "Where are you Christmas?" from the live action "Grinch", and "When Christmas Comes to Town" from "The Polar Express". Nothing about it stands-out except for what he's singing about. Young Scrooge's design is also very odd. Rather than appearing as a small boy, he looks like a small man in his late 20s and early 30s, and hearing a small child's voice come out of his mouth simply doesn't at all jell together.

Flashing forward to when Scrooge is near his adulthood, we see him still alone on Christmas holding his favorite book. Only instead of being depressed where only his fantasies can help him, he angrily tosses the book, and paces around the room with frustration being fed up with his surroundings on Christmas indicating that he has lost all sense of imagination, an excellent way of showing how much Scrooge has changed after all these years that says a lot in only a few seconds. This moment suddenly leads to the arrival of Scrooge's little sister Fan to bring him home for Christmas. Kath Soucie voices her as well, and usually she's perfect for voicing little cutesy characters, but her voice for Fan sounds so much like the other voices she puts on for most of those types of characters (like Lil from "The Rugrats") that it's distracting. Still I find it ambitious that a straight-to-video cartoon from “DIC” decided to talk about her death when giving birth to Fred, and how she still lives in him. I don't see too many versions aimed for little kids touch upon this part of the story.

Through a cheesy computer animated dissolve effect, we are launched to a Christmas party hosted by Scrooge's former boss Fezziwig. The scene plays-out as festive as the other versions that capture this scene, and Tim Curry's delivery of expressing what a great boss he is, only to discover that he himself is the total opposite of him is touching; however there are still a couple of problems that prevent this sequence from being great. When people think of Fezziwig they think of a fat jolly man wearing a powdered-wig, Fezziwig in this version is Santa Claus. I'm serious he looks like jolly old Saint Nick as if he didn't wear his red suit and hat, and cut off his white beard to grow a big mustache (he's not even wearing his traditional powdered wig). The actor voicing him gives a performance very similar to Asner's performance of Jacob Marley, for how half-baked and phoned in the character's jolly personality is. The animation for the people clapping and dancing gets very clunky at times as well due to how unnatural half of the movements are, as the editing and angles’ trying to make it look lively and upbeat just enhances the strangeness of how the people move. Scrooge doesn't encounter Belle at the party either. It's just glanced over. 

Let's talk about Debit for a minute. Debit's presence in Marley's sequence kills the suspense leading up to his presence, and doesn't add anything to the scene that feels important. Debit's uselessness gets more annoying than before because all he does is try to interact with the shadows only to continuously discover that they aren't real, leading up to useless slapstick. It's not full of those moments thankfully, but these bits don't feel needed and aren't as funny and clever as say how Gonzo and Rizzo interacted in the past in "A Muppet Christmas Carol", that the film at one point rips from by having Debit being transported to the past with Scrooge by holding on to him as he flies away. There's only one bit involving Debit and Scrooge's relationship that was intriguing, and that's when Debit thinks he's going to be hit by his master only to discover that he's being gently petted for a change. It's moments like this that keep me from wishing that Debit wasn't in the film altogether at this point.

As usual, ending Scrooge's visit in the past is when he and his lover Belle break-up, that seems out of the blue since we never had a chance to see the two interact together as a happy couple, or at all. With that said, the scene is still downbeat. When young adult Scrooge (now voiced by Curry, whose voice doesn't match this past version of Scrooge's design either) tells Belle what he has for her, she thinks it’s a wedding ring from how he describes it, but is soon let down when she finds out it’s a gold coin after receiving his first business profit. Given how it’s almost a law to have Belle singing her farewells to Scrooge in most versions of the story aimed for families that take a musical route, we get a song sequence that suffers from the same amount of pros and cons that the last song had. It's wonderful to hear Tim Curry sing a duet with Jodi Benson for how their singing fits with the emotions that the characters are feelings, as the bridge that their standing on beautifully symbolizes the struggles of their relationship if they should cross-it together or not. But the song itself is generically forgettable. It's not on the same level of unemotionally boring as "When Love is Gone" from "A Muppet Christmas Carol", nor is it as emotionally devastating as "Winter Was Warm" from "Mister Magoo's Christmas Carol", it's just very middle of the road.

THE GHOST OF CHRISTMAS PRESENT

In most versions of "A Christmas Carol" the Ghost of Christmas Present is portrayed as a gigantic fat and jolly man with a long beard (pretty much like Santa), wearing a bright green robe. This version the spirit is a sassy black woman voiced by Whoopi Goldberg (who for some strange reason the ghost is white on the cover, which had always bothered me even as a kid) with a Christmas tree shaped hairdo. I'm not at all against this change of having the spirit being played by a woman, because the character's festive personality and wise nature is still kept within the character's alteration. And given how there have been so many alterations to the spirits in each adaptation, I'd say its about time that we had something different to this ghost as opposed to seeing the usual design that's been done to death. The only problem with the spirit is Goldberg's voice acting, that I find disappointing knowing how well she can play comical characters. The jolly personality that Goldberg brings to the character feels phoned-in for how lacking of energy and passion that she provides for the role. Most of that maybe because she sounds more concerned with getting her British accent right for how poor it is. Sometimes she'll even put on a Caribbean accent as well, almost as if she's still searching for the right voice to give to this character. It's so bad that it honestly kept me laughing at how awkward her delivery and constant change of accent is. The only times when Goldberg turns in a legitimately good performance is when she speaks about serious stuff in an old and frail voice as we see her slowly age through Scrooge's visit in Christmas Present. It sounds less goofy and very unsettling when she quotes Scrooge and speaks about the fate of Tiny Tim and herself.

The scene when Scrooge is taken to see Bob Cratchit's family at first plays out as it normally would, only at a rushed paced. After having dinner leading to Bob to make a toast for Scrooge, they take part in a (you guessed it) a musical number that's a reprise of "Random Acts of Kindness", that's okay but lacks heart and energy for how quickly it goes by. The song portion as well contains by far the freakest imagery I've seen in the film that only lasts for a millisecond, and it’s how Cratchit's children suddenly move their faces right close onto the screen with their unnatural happy faces asking "how". Nothing in the scene moved me as anything special, until when Tim heads on over to the fireplace to read a book. This image causes Scrooge to painfully remember his lonely years as a boy, until he sees that Tim is reading his favorite book that excites him so much that he begins interacting with Tim not caring if he can't see or hear him. This heartwarming moment expressing Scrooge's childish side immediately leads to him discovering Tim's sickness causing him to feel guilty for the things he said about people who are in need. This is by far the most emotional moment in the entire film because it flows at a nice pace to let all the different emotions sink in that Tim Curry magnificently sells.

Scrooge wishing that he had a family like Bob's smoothly transitions to his visit to his nephew’s Christmas party. Like the scene with the Craitchit's, it plays out normally with Fred and the guests mocking Scrooge that of course hurts him and wishes to leave until the spirit forces him to stay. Scrooge then discovers that Fred doesn't hate his Uncle but actually defends him because his Mother loved Scrooge very dearly believing that it’s his greed that has corrupted him, and will continue to invite Scrooge to his Christmas parties in memory of Fan. Scrooge becomes so touched by his nephew's unconditional love for him that he starts to see how much of Fan is inside him, making himself feel hurt about his treatment towards him as if he was doing this to his own sister. Again, another bittersweet heartwarming moment that feels touching through the pacing, writing, and the actor's delivery. Afterwards we get another musical sequence involving Fred and his guests singing a song that Scrooge and Fan loved singing when their Father wasn't around (I'm beginning to wonder how he knows all this about his Mother since she wasn't alive to raise him) "Santa's Sooty Suit" (You know, I expect Gonzo the Great at this point to randomly pop-in and whisper to Fred that Santa in Britain is really Father Christmas). This along with “Random Acts of Kindness” is the only two songs I remember from the movie. I remember "Santa's Sooty Suit" for how fast, catchy, and festive it is, as well as Scrooge's enjoyment for the song and laughs he used to have singing it with Fan. The animation unfortunately shines at its worst here. There are times when everybody's happy faces and movements (especially Scrooge's) get a little too happy and energized as if they are possessed; the CGI for the ornaments on the tree showing the reflections of the characters looks like the animation for a menu screen on an old DVD; and the animation bits of Scrooge clapping along and stomping are obviously recycled animation from Fezziwig's party.

At this point I'm sure your wondering what Debit is doing during this visit to the present, the short answer is nothing. The long answer is he's back at Scrooge's home munching on a turkey leg given to him by the spirit. It's as if the writers at this point didn't know how to work in Debit for the rest of the encounters with the ghosts, and decided to just leave him out for a while rather than cutting the character out altogether. This sudden action of sidelining Scrooge's Kanine companion fully emphasizes his uselessness to the film. At first he was interesting, but overall he (big shock) has little to no relevance to the entire story where he only exists as the forced comic relief as bate for kids who love dogs (very much like in "Scrooged" when Robert Mitchum forcefully threw in door mice to attract the cats watching the televised showing of "A Christmas Carol").

THE GHOST OF CHRISTMAS YET-TO-COME

After the death of the Ghost of Christmas Present, Scrooge is surrounded in total darkness full of fear, and meets the final spirit "The Ghost of Christmas Yet-to-Come". The spirit's appearance is the traditional grim reaper design who doesn't say a word. However, while being faithful to the source material, the ghost’s animated design in this film isn't scary. It looks like a typical Saturday Morning cartoon villain then it does as a legitimately frightening spirit. When I look at its body shape, color scheme, and movements that seem suitable for TV, I keep expecting to see Skeletor's face to pop-out at any second. Look I get that this is a cartoon for kids made on a smaller budget, but the spirit's design looks very standard. Try comparing this design to another Christmas Carol cartoon with limited animation that's meant for kids "Mister Magoo's Christmas Carol". The ghost's design doesn't look like any other design from a cartoon made at the 60s for how eerie and gothic it appears as opposed to being part of a typical over the top scheming villain who always gets foiled. It looks terrifying, and whenever it does certain movements we hear the sound of loud kettle drums to give its presence a ton of weight to indicate that the shadows of things to that may come are grimmer than Scrooge can imagine. There's nothing within this ghost's design or presence that seems different for how generically safe it is.

The first shadow of the future that Scrooge sees is two men at the business exchange talking about a diseased colleague of theirs, that pretty much follows the source material word for word, except for when Scrooge tries to ask one of them of who died. Then we have the charwoman and the undertaker (I think) stealing the possessions from Scrooge's corpse. The voice acting for these two characters is a bit too goofy for a scene that's playing itself as serious, and does water the scene down a notch for how hard it is to take seriously (the Muppets take it more seriously than this). Still I give props for this family friendly cartoon for showing them stealing from Scrooge's body, as Scrooge himself is afraid to uncover the sheets on top of the body to see it who it is. It's a dark part of the story that I don't see too often in most adaptations that are aimed towards kids. Usually it just goes to the aftermath when they trade-in the stolen goods to Old Joe (a character I wished to see in this version).

Scrooge makes another visit to the Cratchit's house to find himself discovering that Tiny Tim has died. The way the scene plays out in this version is hit and miss. The dialogue from Mrs. Cratchit (also voiced by Kath Soucie, only this time her voice is unrecognizable) of how Bob carrying Tiny Tim was no trouble in response to the sister exclaiming how slow her father walks is a bit of a tear-jerker. However it's not as tear-jerking when Scrooge not only sees "a vacant seat, and a crutch tenderly reserved" by the fireplace where Tim once sat, but the "Robinson Crusoe" book he read that made Scrooge so happy, now on top of his chair, suggesting that this was his favorite story too, adding more to Scrooge's regret. The misses from the scene mainly come from the voice acting, particularly from York as an emotionally shattered Bob. When he talks about the place where Tim is buried he sounds sad, but when he quickly starts breaking out in tears sobbing over his loss, the pacing for it feels forcefully rushed as York sounds like he's pretending to be sad rather than actually broken-up by all of this.

After being disappointed of how lacking of terror from the ghostly appearances of Marley and the last ghost, I was quite impressed with the design of the graveyard where Scrooge is taken too. Though the TV quality animation is still present, it’s use of colors, backgrounds, and music creates a bit of a surreal nightmarish environment that's so foreboding that it doesn't come across as a safe and generic creepy atmosphere as "DIC" would usually show. Just the reveal of the place alone instantly gave me the heebie jeebies for how sudden and subtly it appears. We then get to see Curry perform Scrooge's break-down when he sees his future tombstone that isn't played out as big as one would think. When many of us think of Tim Curry, we think of him as an actor who loves to play things big, whether it being for drama or comedy. This is one of those times when he plays his emotions softly. He's not dramatically pleaing towards the spirit to take him back to the present, he sounds weak and humble where you're still able feel all the guilt and pain he feels inside him that feels as if Curry is given a bit of a Shakespearean performance.

CHRISTMAS DAY

When Curry plays the reformed Scrooge by sounding happy and giddy, it’s not played up as over the top silly as Curry would usually do when playing as an eccentric character either. As he's expressing all this joy, he comes off as warm, sweet, and gentle, almost if you want to hug him. I was quite impressed how this version of Scrooge's change of heart doesn't try to go for some kind of exaggerated comedy given its target demographic. He does however get a song that's a reprise of the first song heard in the opening, which again isn't anything memorable but Curry does sell-it for his singing and sweet sentimental connection to Christmas that feels genuinely earned.

Before entering Cratchit's house to aid his family, we have the usual scenes from this part of the story, such as Scrooge paying the kid to get him the biggest turkey at the butcher shop, and paying the Portly Gentlemen after apologizing to them, with a few added material to make them different. For instance, the orphan boy that we saw in the very beginning of the film who Scrooged frightened away would later be paid to get Scrooge the turkey. This isn't necessarily the first time that the boy that Scrooge would meet on Christmas day would be someone he wronged in the past (remember Bean Benny in "The Muppet Christmas Carol"?), but I'm glad that this idea is being used in other versions, and here I like that they build a bit of a connection as the kid starts out hesitant and runs away from Scrooge after recognizing him, to then stopping when Scrooge kindly asks him to come back (as he for some reason teleports in front of his house after running out of sight and halting dead in his tracks without turning around). Unfortunately if you’re expecting to witness Scrooge interacting with the poor woman and her baby, or the waitress at the tavern, well they’re just as tossed aside as victims for Scrooge’s cruelty as the orphan carolers in “Mister Magoo’s Christmas Carol”.

The final scene that takes place at the Cratchit's home doesn't only involve Scrooge's relationship with Bob and his family, because this version decides to have Scrooge embrace Fred as he's embracing the Cratchit's. I'm not against the idea of Fred spending time with Scrooge and the Cratchit's (again, like in a "A Muppet Christmas Carol" that this version likes to steal a lot from) since Scrooge pretty much adopts the Cratchit's as part of his family. I just wish that Scrooge asking for his forgiveness was its own individual scene, because with these two relationships combined in one scene it would be more than likely that one relationship is going to be focused more than the other, and that's certainly the case here. Most of the focus in that scene is Scrooge connecting with Bob's family, as we get only one short scene of Scrooge connecting with Fred. That doesn't mean nothing is felt when Scrooge apologizes to Fred because we were still able to form attachment to him for his kindness and how much we sympathized with Scrooge for realizing how wrong he was to treat him. It just would've been so much powerful if this scene played out on its own and had Scrooge later asking Fred to show-up at the Cratchit's house for their big surprise. But for what we have as a final scene, it isn't bad at all. It captures its message of the spirit of giving and good will towards men enchantingly well, where Scrooge does more than provide a turkey, a better income, and good health for Tim. He provides a violin player to recreate the same festive atmosphere that his old boss used to do on Christmas, inviting the orphan boy in to join the party and hand-out toys, and promises to teach the kids his sister's favorite song with Fred. The film closes with Tim and Scrooge saying the most iconic line from the story, York provides the closing narration as we gaze at the city of London, and we head to the credits that look so much like the end credits to the cartoon "Madeline" that I'm anxiously waiting to hear Madeline and friends sing "There isn't any more".

OVERALL THOUGHTS

It doesn't shock me why this version is usually overlooked and is often regarded as one of the mediocre adaptation to the story for how generic it is, and forced a lot of elements in it are. The animation from "DIC" is very average looking that at times can head into uncanny valley from the strange movement of the characters and derp facial expressions; the songs though are sung nicely and have some really good ideas, feel like they weren't given the time to fully bloom into something as special as they could've been; the ghosts are disappointing by either having a boring design, an annoying personality, or bad voice acting; some of the scenes and acting feels rushed and hokey; the comedy doesn't overall fit with the film's tone for how serious it usually takes itself; and the addition of giving Scrooge a dog is so annoyingly pointless that it's no wonder why we don't see Scrooge have some kind of side-kick in other versions. That doesn't mean there's nothing to enjoy from it because there are. There are enough times where it can come across as emotional; I like that "DIC" doesn't completely sanitize this film by showing some of the dark stuff that isn't in most versions for kids; and I love the "Robinson Crusoe" motif to play on Scrooge's child-like joys and innocence that he still has deep inside him that help him connect and sympathize for Tim. But if there's one thing in this movie that makes it worth seeing, it's definitely Tim Curry as Scrooge! Not caring if it’s animated on a low budget or not, Curry gives it his all, who doesn't feel like he's just quoting lines from the book in a different voice, or trying to phone-in the character's emotions where it feels corny or over the top. You feel practically everything he says and feels (with the exception of a few poorly directed and paced scenes, mainly regarding his encounter with Marley’s ghost), for how much effort he puts into it without feeling the need to play it as big and loud as he usual does, making him to be one of the best overlooked Scrooges out there. The film is overall as hit and miss as the 1935 film with Seymour Hicks, and the Zemeckis motion-capture film with Jim Carrey; but if you want to see Tim Curry play one of the most famous Christmas characters of all-time, than you'll enjoy the film fine, if not walking out loving it or amazed by it. 

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

THE SNOWMAN

Tired of seeing Frosty everywhere during this holiday season, how about looking at another Snowman film that's loved by many but not as widely celebrated or marketed as Frosty that's simply titled...



Based on a children's book by Raymond Briggs that was told through only its illustrations, a young boy named James builds a snowman on Christmas Eve, only to discover that the snowman he built has come to life at midnight. What follows afterwards is pretty much the kid just interacting with the snowman. In terms of plot it's a very simple story, but the simplicity of it is what makes the story and film so heartwarming, as well as offering many fun, whimsical, and imaginative scenarios. We go from experiencing the joys of winter as the kid rushes outside to build his snowman; to seeing James show the snowman around his house as they get into one shenanigan after another; to having them ride James' Father's motorcycle in the woods; to witnessing them fly to the North Pole where a bunch of other snowman are having a party with Father Christmas. Each and every one of those scenes in the film play out the emotions and whimsical element so perfectly that you feel connected to the characters and are in complete awe and enchantment of the things they do all throughout the film. The bond between James and the Snowman is just wonderful. Mainly because that the Snowman has a childlike wonder and innocence, while the boy serves as an older brother or Father-like figure (considering that he made him) as the character himself still has carries the qualities that a kid should have, instead of acting way too mature for his age. And what I admire most about it is they are both experiencing things that are new and exciting to them. The snowman gets to explore James’s house that’s full of wonders he's never seen before, and James gets the experience to fly to a magical place he's only heard of, as he interacts with the mystical characters partying there. The relationship between them is so cute and touching as you're witnessing all the magic that you don't care about little things that are illogical and questionable like why is the snowman alive, how can he fly, how does he not leave puddles or snow inside the house, how can he drive a motorcycle for the first time without crashing (he's driving it through the snow), how do the parents not so much as hear the sound of the motorcycle running, why isn't Father Christmas delivering the presents already, and what are the odds that half of the other snowman that the kid meets have the same piece of fruit for a nose? And when we get to the film's ending (without giving it away for newcomers) we are so crushed and torn about what we witness with James that it's downright depressing, especially when coming right out of the blue. But as sad as it is, it does subtly prepare kids for the hardship that they will later have to face in life sooner or later, which I think is very adult for a story about a talking snowman aimed towards kids.

As heartfelt as the story is, the soul purpose of why it's so heartfelt is because it is expressed only through the music and animation. There's no dialogue or narration (not counting the prologue), no sound effects, it’s all heavily reliant on the movement and expressions of the animation that's synced beautifully with the music, which gives the short a bit of a "Fantasia" vibe. And considering that the book didn't have any words, it only seems to make sense to not have the characters speak. The animation style that the film has is unique, because the imagery looks like hand-drawn illustrations set to motion, for how scribbley the color is, and how sketchy the designs look. But as obviously hand-drawn as the film is, it still adds a huge part of the film's charm and identity. The designs look adorable. The uses of colors are warm and festive. The movement for the characters is flowing and well-paced. And the scenes of them either flying or riding a motorcycle are so atmospheric for how they're timed, designed, and animated that it gives you the feeling that you're traveling with them. The music supporting the animation composed by Howard Blake is clearly the number 1 element that holds everything together and without it, the film would only be half as good. It's so laid-back and so enchanting to listen too that it sets the mood and tone magnificently. In addition to it, I admire how the score is also used as the film's sound effects. The film does have one song, and that's the operatic lullaby "Walking In The Air" for when the characters fly to the North Pole, that is so utterly chilling for how superb and peaceful the melody and the vocals from the boy singing it are, that it contributes a lot to the scene's atmosphere of flying with James and the snowman.

The last thing for me to talk are the three different openings that the short has.

 

The original opening had the book's author Raymond Briggs portray the kid as an adult, where we just see the back of him wandering through the woods as he reflects upon the Christmas when he built the snowman. The original opening establishes the tone of the cartoon for how quiet and relaxed it is, as Briggs gives such nice delivery that puts you at ease. And when we see the woods dissolve into animation it just feels magical, as the transition and the animated sequence that follows pulls you right into the cartoon’s world.



When the film was later released to American audiences on PBS (since this was a British film), instead of using the same intro, they instead filmed a new one with David Bowie to attract audiences who plays a grown-up James heading up to the attic to find the scarf that he received when he met the snowman. As much as I love Bowie (and god rest his soul), I found the casting of him to be way too distracting. I never felt like I was looking at the kid as an adult, I felt like I was watching Bowie just putting on a performance. The scene tries to set up the tone like the original opening did, but the way it was shot and presented just felt like the opening to some corny Christmas Special starring or featuring Bowie. The transition to animation wasn't as amazing as the transition was in the original intro either; the scene just suddenly dissolves to the animated title which isn't as intriguing as seeing the background transform into animation. Plus he still narrates a bit when we're traveling to James's house, which ruins the atmosphere of teleporting you into this animated world.

Things only get worse when we get to the third intro for the 25th anniversary edition with Father Christmas that's this time animated with Mel Smith reprising his role from when he voiced the character in the short named after the character. Now on a technical level it looks good, since we're seeing these artists recreate this old style of animation after so many years. But unlike how the first two intros were subtle and quiet, this one is more over the top, where he literally watches the cartoon on his home TV. I know Father Christmas was in the short, but he wasn't the focus, it was James and his snowman, and it doesn't make any sense that this guy is reflecting on James memories of his relationship with the snowman, as opposed to the actual kid himself reflecting on his memories as an adult. At least the Bowie intro was smart enough to still have it be about James remembering Christmas as a kid to tie in with the cartoons emotions, this just feels random and out of place, especially when considering that there's already a spin-off short dedicated to this character that leads up to the Christmas party that the characters in this short participate in.

OVERALL THOUGHTS

When people are asked what the best Snowman cartoon to watch on Christmas is, most of them will more than likely say "Frosty The Snowman", and while its not a bad choice to watch by any means, I personally consider "The Snowman" to be the best in that category. Everything about this short is so rich through its story, emotions, atmosphere, animation, and music, that it makes Frosty seem like it was only aimed towards little kids, while this film seems to be aimed for both kids and adults. Not to mention that it takes a risk that many animated films regarding Christmas don't usually do (not even Frosty for that matter) as if they're treating kids like adults. Frosty will always remain as an iconic Christmas classic for many good reasons, but "The Snowman" will (at least for my money) stand above Frosty for how artistic, subtle, and emotional it is, and how serious it treats its audience, while still coming off as playful and magical. Just be sure to find the cut with the original opening to view the short the way it's supposed to be seen and told.

RANKIN/BASS FROSTY'S WINTER WONDERLAND

In 2013 I did a follow-up to my review of the Rankin/Bass classic "Frosty the Snowman" with "Frosty Returns" that I grew-up watching as a kid, and was paired-up with my DVD copy of the original special. Unfortunately I discovered that the special didn't hold-up at all, and was one of the worst holiday sequels that I've ever seen (and for those of you who argue that it's not a sequel since it isn't done by Rankin/Bass, then explain freakin' the title). With the exception of the 2005 Frosty film "The Legend of Frosty the Snowman" and its crossover "Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July" I thought that these three films were the only other Frosty films that existed. That is until I discovered a sequel that was made a few years after the original special that I caught during ABC Family's "25 Days of Christmas" marathon a few years back, which is...

I had no idea that there was another Frosty sequel out there that was made by Rankin/Bass. The only clue that I had of its existence was during a bit in the Michael Keaton film "Jack Frost", when Keaton's son is flickering through the channels and sees kids sliding down a snowy hill with Frosty as the song plays. But being that I've never heard of it before, and somehow couldn't gather any information of it online before viewing it on TV, I figured that it may have been perhaps an old commercial involving the Frosty character. But no, it’s real, and somehow the non-Rankin/Bass sequel gets more attention than this one. I only saw the last half of the special when I first saw it, and I thought to myself how is this overlooked? It certainly looks more like a Frosty sequel, especially when considering that half of the new characters that were introduced in it would appear in a Rankin/Bass crossover. Is it underrated, or is it forgotten for a reason? ON WITH THE REVIEW!

It's been a few years since Frosty left for the North Pole (wait, didn't Frosty say that he would come back for each Christmas day; and that every time he came back, there would be a Christmas parade as shown in the last scene of the special), and after finding out that the first snowfall of the winter season is coming, he decides to return to the children to "frolic and play" the Frosty way. However, since the kids have to eventually leave Frosty alone to warm up and spend time with their folks, Frosty begins to feel lonesome. Noticing how sad Frosty is, the kids decide to build him a snow-wife named Crystal who eventually comes to life to legally marry Frosty. But as the two are preparing for their wedding, an angry Jack Frost seeks revenge on Frosty for stealing away the winter spotlight from him.

Incase if you haven't noticed, the plot for this Special isn't nearly as exciting as the plot to the original. The goal in the first film was to get Frosty to the North Pole before he'll melt, and to keep Karen safe and warm or else she'll freeze to death, while they're both trying to escape an evil magician who wants Frosty's hat that keeps him alive so that he can be rich. Here, Frosty seeks to marry a snow-lady. There are obstacles, like figuring out how to make Crystal come to life, Jack Frost trying to steal Frosty's hat, a parson refusing to marry them since it’s not legal of him to do so, and Spring getting near; but all these obstacles are solved in almost no time, and half of the time don't make sense (mainly involving the logic of the snowmen coming to life, after when its clearly established that it's the power of a magic hat that can only do that kind of impossible). Jack Frost himself, shockingly doesn't come as close to succeeding with stealing Frosty's hat as the goofy magician in the original either since he's either being foiled by his cocky naivety, or a quick last minute loop hole that has him questioning the logic just as much as I was. The special even has a message about why we need all the other seasons since the characters want to have Winter going on longer to keep Frosty and Crystal present, and though not a bad message, its brought up in the second to last scene of the special, that makes it feel pointless since the special wasn't at all about the characters pushing for a longer winter until this point. I don't wish to admit it, but "Frosty Returns" legitimately has a better story than this sequel. It wasn't good, because the message of tampering with Mother Nature did feel horribly forced and preachy, but it did have a more suspenseful plot than what this sequel has since it involves a can of snow spray that will make Frosty disappear forever if he gets sprayed, as well as message in the center of it all that doesn't feel last out of left field. The writing for this special takes so many short-cuts to move the plot along that you get the feeling that Rankin/Bass were only making this special just because the original classic was so popular, and wanted to rush-in a story as quickly as possible.

For me what made this special such a downer is that with the exception of the traffic cop (doing the same bit as he did before, only this time he’s reacting to Frosty’s wife), and our title character, none of the original characters from the original special return. No Professor Hinkle, no furry white rabbit Hocus Pocus, no Santa, and worst of all, no Karen! Out of all the supporting characters that should return, they leave out the character who Frosty has a close connection with! If this was a completely different town, while being disappointed I'd buy it, but since the traffic cop from the original is there, this is obviously the same town that Frosty has paraded through before (even if it barely looks at all like the town from the original). And what's worse is, the kids that Frosty spends time with are so forgettable for how lacking of character and visually appealing designs, that they feel more like characters that belong in the background instead of the foreground interacting with Frosty. Not a single one of them captures the same kind of level cuteness or personality as the character of Karen. If anything they look almost as creepy as the kids from awful Christmas cartoons like "The Christmas Tree" and "Rapsittie Street Kids: Believe in Santa" (there's a short and fat kid who wears a scarf around his face the entire time). Gazing at their creepy smiles while we stare into those gigantic lifeless cold dark eyes is absolutely terrifying! I know the kids in the original can look uncanny at times too, but this reached a whole new level of awkwardness for how in your face it is. For crying out loud, I remember the two kids in "Frosty Returns" more than I do the kids here. Yes, they're still terribly bland and dull, but I still remember them since they look like rejected designs for Peppermint Patty and Marcie (if she were a boy).

As lifeless as the kids look most of the time, they're nothing when compared to Andy Griffith's sinister design. Andy Griffith subs for Durante as our new narrator who walks around and sings Christmas songs such as "Frosty the Snowman" and "Winter Wonderland". He does just as wholesome of a job at taking us into the special's Christmas environment as Durante did in the original, except that every time I have to look at his design, a large part of me feels taken out of the mood. Sure, I've mentioned how Fred Astaire in "Santa Claus is Comin' to Town" and Burl Ives as Sam the snowman in "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer" can look creepy at times, but at least they looked friendly. I take one good look at Griffith here, and I would easily mistake him to be the special’s villain for how he smiles and looks at us so dastardly. And sometimes, his scary face would just pop-out at us when you least expect it too, which just makes his on-screen presence even more uncomfortable. This Rankin/Bass caricature of Griffith was really in desperate need of a redesign.

As soulless as the kids are, and as wicked as good old Andy Griffith appears, the rest of the characters and their designs are charming and pleasant to look at. Jackie Vernon returns to voice Frosty, and everything that was sweet and lovable about his character and performance still remains here. I was even finding myself feeling legitimately bad for his loneliness and still promising to love his snow-wife whether she'll be "all livin'" like him or not. His design is slightly different, and there are a few tiny things that are a bit out of character (like his ability to count for instance), but I still feel that they captured his character well enough. Shelley Winter's provides the voice of Frosty's wife Crystal, and she too brings a performance just as endearing as Vernon's. The love between has to be by far the fastest love story arc that I've ever seen in any Rankin/Bass Special, given that she instantly knows who he is when she just came to life, and that the two decide to get married right off the bat because...they're snow-persons; BUT GOSH DARN IT, they're still so adorable together, whether it makes sense or not. Jack Frost (voiced by the great Paul Frees) is as joyfully mischievous as we associate the character to be, and as painfully rushed as his motivation and redemption is, you still find yourself liking this character since you can understand why he would stoop to such a low, even if it doesn't feel as organic as Hinkle turning nasty. The last of the new characters is Dennis Day as Parson Brown, who is mighty humble as this voice of reason character. But in all seriousness, did the special really need him to build a snow-parson to perform the marriage ceremony? I feel like once we got to seeing the snow-parson come to life for no rhyme or reason (much like the other magical loop holes that keep Frosty and Crystal alive), the concept of snowman coming to life no longer feels as magical and special, as if almost anyone now can create their own personal walking and talking snowman in this world. 

The animation, though just as clunky as the animation in the original, for its awkward movements, continuity errors, and some uncanny designs and poses, still maintains a festive and colorful winter environment that looks enchanting. Just like how the original made me wish to spend Christmas with the animals in the woods, ride in a train full of Christmas goodies, and enter a warm greenhouse full of Christmas poinsettias; this special makes me wish to play with Frosty in this winter wonderland, and go to a Snowman wedding. It's certainly captures the childlike wonder of spending the winter with a talking snowman, that is more visually pleasing than that coloring book full of "Peanuts" knock-offs in "Frosty Returns".

OVERALL THOUGHTS

I can see why this special doesn't get that much attention. It's not as badly offensive as "Frosty Returns", but there's nothing in it that's all that memorable. It has little to no plot. The writing is incredibly lazy. The absence of the supporting characters from the first Frosty special is highly disappointing. And some of the designs are very frightening! There's really no need for this sequel to exist at all. But though this isn't saying much, it at least feels more like a sequel to Frosty than the other one. Mainly because it's done by Rankin/Bass and that Jackie Vernon returns to voice for Frosty, as we get plenty of nods to the original. But obviously having the original team and referencing the first cartoon doesn't automatically make it good, and it isn’t, but I was still mostly charmed by it. The voice acting is good. Most of the characters are sweet. And the animation gives a magical winter environment that you wish to take part in. I say stick to the original, but if you're tired of watching the original classic over and over each holiday season and don't wish to resort to "Frosty Returns" that's somehow paired up with the original on its DVD releases, then this will satisfy you fine. 

RANKIN/BASS THE YEAR WITHOUT A SANTA CLAUS

It's been a few years since I reviewed a Christmas Rankin/Bass special, which is a shame since there are so many of them that I haven't touched upon yet. So to make up for it, I'm going to review two this year starting with one that I've been meaning to review for a long period of time...

This is a Rankin/Bass special that I remember having fond memories about as a kid. And though I remember the premise, characters, and songs, I don't remember them as fondly as I do with the famous Miser Brothers, who were the highlight of the film. That's not to say that the rest of the film is bad or mediocre when compared to them, but it started to make me wonder if the rest of the film is worth remembering outside of them. Tell me truthfully, when you get into a casual conversation about this film, isn't the first thing that everyone talks about is the Miser Brothers, because that's usually the case whenever I talk to people about this film. Come to think of it, I don't hear many people talk about this film either when compared to Rankin/Bass Christmas classics like Rudolph, Frosty, and "Santa Clause Is Comin' to Town", that is with the exception of the two characters. Does the special really hold-up and should get more recognition outside of the two characters that make it popular, or is it just a generic special that just happened to have two memorable characters? ON WITH THE REVIEW!

A sick, tired, and overworked Santa (voiced again by Mickey Rooney) feels that he should take a year off from making toys and delivering presents to the little ones on Christmas after when his grumpy Elf doctor tells him that no one cares about Christmas anymore. When Mrs. Claus (voiced by Shirley Booth) discovers about her husband taking the year off, she sends two elves out into the world to find people who believe in Santa and still have the Christmas spirit. The two elves go to a small town in the south to interview a few people, but they have little to no luck in finding someone who believes in Santa, and lose their sick reindeer to a dog catcher after disguising her as a dog to blend in. To get their reindeer released from the pound, they go to the mayor of the town who obviously doesn't believe in their story, but promises that if the elves can make it snow in the south on Christmas day, he'll believe everything he tells them and not only will set free their reindeer, but will contact all the mayors across the country to give Santa a national holiday off. The elves with the help of Mrs. Claus and a boy named Iggy set-off on a journey to talk the Miser Brothers who are in charge of cold and warm weather to settle their differences for once to help Santa out.

 

For a change of pace, the person who narrates the story isn't a random celebrity that's practically playing themselves who somehow knows about the events that they never experienced, but from an actual character from the story itself, who is Mrs. Claus. This isn't the first time where a character from the story of a Rankin/Bass stop-motion special gets to narrate, because before this special we had Danny Kaye in "Here Comes Peter Cottontail" who gave Peter the Yestermorrow mobile to help him become the chief Easter Bunny against Iron Tail. But here's the difference, Danny Kaye had one scene with him interacting with the stories’ protagonist; with Mrs. Claus on the other hand, she has multiple encounters with the characters during the story as she helps her husband out. Shirley Booth (in her last performance before retiring) does just as nice a job of narrating the story as the previous narrators in the Rankin/Bass specials that we know and love, who brings plenty of charisma to the character of Mrs. Claus. And that's another treat about this special. In most Christmas movies and TV specials, Mrs. Claus is usually overlooked or downplayed in the story, but here she's one of the main characters, part of what makes this one of the best portrayals of Mrs. Claus that I've ever seen in a Christmas film or TV special. She's humble, sweet, and Motherly who cares about her husband, but she also cares about Christmas as much as her husband does, and when he seems to lose hope in Christmas, she takes action herself to keep Christmas alive by trying to find ways to prove to Santa that there are people who care about him, and is even willing to play the role of Santa herself with a well thought out plan. When the going gets tough for her, she still stays determined to help both her husband and Christmas. She's not the typical Mrs. Claus who just smiles, comforts Santa, and does some housework, she's a tough and ambitious Mrs. Claus who proves to be just as strong as her husband is, without the special feeling the need to distant the character from her humble nature, or by making her too perfect because she does make mistakes by not thinking things through that put the elves and the baby reindeer Vixen at risk.

Mickey Rooney did a phenomenal job voicing the young Santa Claus in "Santa Claus is Comin' to Town" by giving his character tons of heart and spirit. But apart from a few lines of dialogue towards the ending, we never got to see how Rooney can play-up the old Santa that we're familiar with. In this special Rooney gets his chance to show what he can do with voicing jolly old Saint Nick, except that he's not fully jolly, he's mainly playing the overworked and discouraged Santa, the complete opposite of the Santa that he previously voiced. But much like how Rooney can naturally pull off voicing the young eccentric Santa; the same applies for this version of the character. The sad and exhausting animated expressions mashed with Rooney's old and hazy voice creates a Santa that you can tell was once jolly, is now being reduced to one who's lost so much of his spirit and energy that you sympathize with him, resulting with one of the most underrated overworked Santa's out there. However, the special doesn't keep him in bed for the remainder of the special; he does push himself to leave his comfort zone to find the elves that his wife sent away, as he too gets some answers on people's belief in him, and feelings towards Christmas. I very much admire how Mister and Misses Claus both equally share their strengths and weakness, rather than having one being better than the other. The special's theme about good will and believing (without giving any spoilers for newcomer) is quite touching, especially when in the last couple of scenes of the special that take place after Mrs.Claus' meeting Mother Nature. With that said, I will admit that I do find the whole part of people not believing in Santa to be logically confusing. If the world doesn't believe in Santa, then why did Santa make the front page headlines with his picture attached to it of him taking off for the year (as seen in the opening song)? Also why would Santa listen to an elf Doctor who obviously just hates everything? HE'S SANTA! He "sees you when you are sleeping, he knows when you're awake. He knows if you've been bad or good". He can obviously see for himself what people are really thinking about him and Christmas? I know it's the emotion in these kinds of Christmas specials that's the focus as opposed to the logic, and that many films and specials involving Santa always have tons of plot-holes that we are just willing to overlook. And granted the same applies in this special, because the emotions here are strong and sentimental, so I can't be too hard on the confusing logic since that's always expected in these types of movies. It's just a tad bit hard to digest the fact that people don’t believe in Santa, when he obviously is exposed to the world, and that he doesn’t even try to see for himself what people’s current outlook on Christmas is.  

The supporting cast of characters that we encounter is just as enjoyable and charming as the main leads. The two elves Jingle and Jangle are a fun pair that manage to provide a few good laughs for how they interact with one another, and accidentally get into trouble. After not seeing this in so long, I forgot how funny these two are. As well as forgetting how adorably helpless the baby reindeer Vixen is. The boy Iggy who I remember finding the least interesting when I watched this special at a young age, while definitely the least fun and fascinating out of the supporting characters in the film, is still as likable and innocent as the character of Karen from "Frosty the Snowman" was. He's bright and helpful, but what makes him a little more interesting when comparing him to Karen is he's a little more stubborn when it comes to believing in Santa. It's not a constant struggle that Iggy has with his beliefs like say Aaron in "The Little Drummer Boy" since he does start to believe in Santa in 10 minutes after we are first introduced to him, but it’s still nice to have a child character start out skeptical over his beliefs in the magical elements of Christmas in a Rankin/Bass Christmas special, as well as fitting nicely with the special's theme. Other characters like the jolly Mayor, the cranky elf Doctor, and Mother Nature, though these characters get very little screen-time, their colorful personalities and designs are more than enough for them to leave an impression on you.

But let's be honest, as delightfully memorable as all these characters are, they don't at all compare with leaving the same impact on you as the two characters who steal the movie so much that it makes you wish that they were the focus instead, and those are THE MISER BROTHERS! What Rankin/Bass fan or anyone who enjoys watching this special doesn't love or so much as get a kick out of these characters?! Everything from their colorful and inventive designs, to their fun over the top polar opposite personalities as they bicker and fight against each other is unforgettable. Outside of how comical and visual distinctive these two are, what makes these two characters so fascinating is that Snow Miser controls cold weather, while Heat Miser controls hot weather, and that the two have been fighting against each-other for pieces of territory that the other won't be allowed to touch since the dawn of time. We know enough about the characters to form a connection with them, and have a blast watching them interact with one another and show off their powers, but given that there's so much history to the characters that we know so little about, it makes you crave to learn more about them when it’s over. What did exactly start their division to control the weather climate? How exactly does their system work (considering that the brutal cold and intense heat can occur at the same place during different seasons)? What is their relationship with their Mother like? Is Heat Miser really as unloved as he claims he is? Why do the Miser Brothers assistants resemble them? Do the two brothers actually care for each other? There's just so much to explore about these characters, which I feel is why they're so popular with people who watch this special.

Let's also not forget the song that these two elementals sing about themselves, that just so happens to be by many the most popular song (or should I say songs) in the special. And it's easy to understand why, given how catchy and bouncy both songs are as we learn a little about them, and get to see them sing and dance with their assistants and show-off some of their powers in their lair that beautifully reflects them. Almost anyone who loves the Miser Brothers will say without a moment of thought that these two song sequences are their best scenes in the movie. However, that's not to say the rest of the songs in the specials aren't good. They obviously don't top the song that the Miser Brothers sing, but they are far from bad. The special's theme song perfectly sets the tone and story by providing an upbeat melody, with depressing lyrics and visuals. The song "It's Gonna Snow Right Here In Dixie" that the Mayor sings to the residents in this turn of the century southern town (with Charlie Chaplin present) has a gay 90s Dixieland beat that's uplifting and toe-tapping with cartoony visuals that express the town's excitement for another snowfall after 10 years. Earlier in the review, I talked a little about how touching the special is with its moral and emotions surrounding the characters, and two of the best examples that help make the special so deep are the songs "I Believe in Santa Claus" that's sung by a disguised Santa and Iggy's Father after when Iggy tells the two that he's too old to believe in such a fairy tale; and "Blue Christmas" sung by a sad little girl. Both songs help challenge and change the characters' perspective on everything, and given that we've grown so attached the characters to understand what they are feeling and going through, we connect to how their feelings and change of heart as we listen and watch these sentimental songs that come across as emotional. If I had to say what the special's weakest song is (after talking so highly about the Miser Brothers) I would say that it's the song that Mrs. Claus sings titled "I Could be Santa Claus". It's not forgettable, and in many ways it shows how clever and passionate the character of Mrs. Claus is. It's just the song just comes across as kind of bland, with an idea that's interesting and could've been the premise for the special, but it doesn't go anywhere given that's it there to obviously fill-up the special’s run-time and provide a poor excuse of why Mrs. Claus can't do it (which I'm not even sure if it really counts as one). There's one other song that the special has, but I'd rather not give away or give away its title, since it would spoil the ending for like 3 of you who haven't seen it yet. But to give you a short and brief summary of what I thought, it’s a joyful rendition of a classic Christmas tune that has visuals that are reminiscent to a Christmas painting by Currier and Ives, just in stop-motion.

I suppose the last thing for me to talk about is of course the stop-motion, but since I've reviewed so many Rankin/Bass specials already I have nothing that new to say about it. It's clunky, the movements are odd and limited, the lips movements half of the time don't synchronized with that they're saying, but it's style of stop-motion gives it all a unique charm that people will either love or hate, and can't mistake it for anything else. What is there for me to really talk about? I've pretty much already talked about how imaginative, eye-poping colorful, and Christmas induced the designs for the characters and locations are, and for me to go on any further would be quite redundant. Well if I have any new things that I can say that I haven't already said yet, much like how I felt about the stop-motion in "Here Comes Peter Cottontail" it wasn't nearly as awkward and creepy as some of their other specials. I can't think of a character that had a creepy looking design. Are there any technical flaws that stood out as weird and distracting? The only major one I can think of is the scene with Mother Nature where she says the opposite of what she's supposed to say to each of her boys that surprised me how no one when putting this movie together caught on to this incredibly obvious mistake to such an important part of the movie. Otherwise, the animation, visuals, and typical flaws it has is the kind of stuff that you'd expect to see in a stop-motion Rankin/Bass production that's either give or take.

OVERALL THOUGHTS

It's true that the scenes with the Miser Brothers are the best parts of the special and are remembered for many good reasons, but it upsets me that almost everything else about is overlooked. Mrs. Claus is a lovable and strong character. Mickey Rooney does an outstanding job voicing the down and out Santa. The supporting characters are likable and fun. The songs are enjoyably catchy and at times deep. And the messages that the special ties everything together are executed beautifully. The only flaws I can think of is its clunky stop-motion, but that's not uncommon in these Rankin/Bass productions, and is a style that will always have audiences mixed. And some plot holes that are questionable, but not as distracting as you think they are. It's one of the great Rankin/Bass specials that needs a little more attention outside of the two characters that people constantly talk about when discussing it.

THE MADAGASCAR PENGUINS IN A CHRISTMAS CAPER

Earlier this year I reviewed the Dreamworks comedy Madagascar, so to start my series of Holiday reviews this season, I'm going to review the Christmas short film that spun-off from it...

 

I remember seeing this short on the big screen before the showing of "Wallace And Gromit: The Curse Of The Were-rabbit" when I saw it as a kid that had me constantly laughing as the film it spun-off from. I also would occasionally watch the short on the "Madagascar" DVD and still find myself getting enjoyment at that age. And now that I'm an adult do I still find it to be funny, or as enjoyable as the film that it spun-off from? ON WITH THE REVIEW!

Taking place during Christmas time before the events of the first movie, every animal in the Central Park Zoo are having a wonderful Christmas, except for a Polar who is all alone and depressed. The youngest member of the team of the Penguins, Private feels bad for the poor fellow, and decides to cheer him up by going to the city to get him a present, which results with him being captured by an old woman who mistakes him for a chew toy for her pet dog Mr.Chew. It is now up to Skipper, Rico, and Kowalski to search and rescue their friend before he gets torn to bits.

The film is only 10 minutes long, and to be perfectly honest I still find it to be just as good as the film that the short spun-off from. The designs for the characters look computerized, but are still fun to look at. The animation and humor is quick and energizing, as it throws tons of jokes at you, while still giving you time to breathe. And the jokes, slapstick and visual gags are just as hilarious as they were in the original film. The only major difference is we get to spend more time with the funniest and most memorable characters from "Madagascar" as we get to see them wander around a nice and colorful Christmas environment. The short exploits it's holiday visuals as we go from one joke after another, but just like how the first film was able to bring some legit emotion to it, this short manages to capture the spirit of Christmas through Skipper's desire of wanting to do something special for a lonely animal, which is pretty heartwarming.

OVERALL THOUGHTS

I don't want to go into too much detail since I will be spoiling the jokes for you, but if you love "Madgascar" you will definitely love this short. Much like its predecessor it's nothing amazing, or what I consider to be a classic kid’s movie, but it's still a fun watch filled with plenty of humor from the best characters in the entire franchise.

BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES; SEASON 1 (EPISODES 8-14)

I've been busy with reviews that I'm saving for the future, as well as holiday related material. But I did luckily manage to have time to squeeze out at least one review for this month. So before I jump into the holidays, here's my review of episodes 8-14 from "Batman: The Animated Series". As for those who are probably wondering why I didn't review the full season, you can find out why in my previous review of the show.

Bruce Wayne volunteers to help the homeless and hears that volunteers and homeless people have been disappearing. Instead of going as Batman, Bruce disguises himself as an old bum named Gaff Morgan to search for criminal activity in the slums of the city, until he comes across two thugs. Gaff fights them off through his wits, but is knocked out as he stares at a black cat (I don't understand why). Gaff wakes up in a camp out in the desert (since when was Gotham City located by one, especially since it snowed in an episode earlier) where he and a few other people are forced to slave over the fat tyrant Boss Biggis (get it cause he's fat?). To make matters worse, Gaff has no memory of who he is since he has amnesia after being hit in the head so hard by the thugs. Meanwhile at Wayne Manor, Alfred notices that Bruce is not around and suspects something to be not quite right.

As soon as I discovered where Gaff wakes up at, and what kind of villain Boss Biggis is, I started to draw a few comparisons to "The Underdwellers", only this episode seems more tamed compared to that particular episode. Instead of orphans slaving and working for a tyrant where they'll be abused or killed if they don't follow orders; here it's just a bunch of men being captured. Make no mistake that how these men are treated is just as equally cruel, but considering that we've already seen this kind of treatment before just not in a prison setting, it just feels a bit repetitive and less disturbing than seeing kids getting this kind of abuse. It doesn't help either that the main villain Boss Biggis is just as forgettable and goofy as the Sewer King, only worse. Not to say that the Sewer King is a great villain, but despite abusing children in the harshest way possible, Batman despises him for it so much that his vendetta against him became so personal that he was tempted to kill him, and had a look of joy on his face for when he thought that he had died. Biggis is just your typical chain-gain warden archetype, except that he's as big as a house and eats in nearly every single scene he's in, and there's just simply nothing that fun or interesting about him. He's quite a bore.

Another disappointing element that this episode has is we don't see Batman until the end (that is without counting the dream-sequences). We're mainly focused on Bruce's bum disguise Gaff Morgan, which I found to be fascinating to learn that Bruce has more than one alter-ego to help him fight crime. And I admire that he disguises himself as a victim to get him closer to the thugs, rather than being Batman to not draw too much attention (though I'm sure he could've still done the job fine as Batman). Not to mention that him fighting the thugs is Bruce's most badass moment in the episode. But with that said, I felt like the whole subplot of giving him amnesia could've been dropped. We know he's going to regain his memory sooner or later, and the emotional impact that it's supposed to have just doesn't feel there. The only emotions that I got out of this whole subplot are the surreal and depressing dream sequences that he has; the best one is the last one since it beautifully defines who the character is just through the visuals and music. And when we finally see him return as Batman in the climax it's just as awesome as you would expect it to be.

But for me the best thing that the episode has to offer is seeing Alfred take up detective work himself in finding his master. And no, he's not sitting in the Batcave trying to locate him with a computer the whole time, he leaves Wayne Manor to look for Bruce, by planting tracking devices while sneaking around, and eventually drives the Batplane, which is just as funny as seeing Theodore from "Alvin & the Chipmunks" as the Butler driving it in the episode "Batmunk", that has a few funny lines. It's just great seeing Alfred doing stuff outside of Wayne Manor for a change. As for the other characters we only get two prisoners that Gaff meets who he has a close connection with who are likable characters that you feel for, and are at times funny, mainly from the wisecracking prisoner. The music again is as incredible and big as the other episodes, but this one gives the episode its prison tone through that Harmonica solo. Finally the animation is just as good as you'd expect it to be, that shine at best for the fight scenes, the desert landscape, the dream sequences, and the grey lights shining on the characters when they're in the underground mines. 

OVERALL THOUGHTS

This isn't one of the best of the series for its similar premise to "The Underdwellers", the uninteresting goofy villain, and Bruce's amnesia subplot just feeling there to stretch out the run-time. But I love seeing Bruce taking up a different identity, we finally get to see Alfred really shine, and everything from the music, action, and animation is excellent!

Mayor Hill throws a Birthday Party for his son Jordan, but is more concerned with making connections with Gotham's City's officials at the party, than showing care for his son's well-being. He hires a clown to perform at the party for him, but it turns out that the clown is really the Joker in disguise who plans to kill the Mayor for comparing him to Batman. Jordan amazed by the clown's magic tricks and believing his bad advice to be a magician since that what he dreams to be, sneaks aboard his truck and is discovered. But rather than the Joker killing him, or holding him for ransom, he thinks about brainwashing the kid to be as evil as him, while still wearing his disguise. Batman races to the rescue to find the kid and fight the Joker yet again!

Alright how many episodes are we going to get that's similar to "The Underwellers"? I mean once again the target of the episode is a kid, instead of kids, which is obviously trying to appeal its younger crowd like the attempt of the episode that it's similar too. And our main villain is trying to brainwash a kid into aiding him with his attempts at killing Batman. I know that the kids in "The Underwellers" were stealing to live with the Sewer King or else, and didn't help them kill Batman, but they still did crimes for him.

But for me that's NOT the main problem that I have with this episode. If they threw enough new things to make it original, the elements taken from "The Underdwellers" could be overlooked. And to be fair this episode does come close to it, if not for one important thing, and that's the kid Jordan and his Father. They're not the worst or anything, I can get through their scenes fine. And I do like the idea that the kid is on the villain's side who plays more to his level without noticing that he's a bad guy in disguise, as he's afraid of Batman who looks intimidating and scary despite being the good guy. But the kid and his Father who are the heart and focus of the story are just not that interesting. They just feel like the same old generic clichés that many kids films and shows had in the 90s, such as the neglectful Father, and the run-away kid that learns a lesson. There's hardly any emotion put into their characters or performances to make them interesting, which overall just feel there to give us a reason for Batman to fight the Joker. And the music doesn't support it either, and is rather forgettable if I might add.

However, much like in every other episode that I reviewed by far, this one has its entertaining and redeeming qualities, mainly involving the Joker. Batman and Bruce are good in this episode as well, but aside from Bruce pretending to be clumsy by saving pedestrians from an exploding candle (being the only person to notice the Joker's face on a dynamite stick), there was nothing that really stood out from both identities. I didn't even find Batman's fighting and wits to be as amazing as I normally find them to be. But the Joker on the other hand owns this episode. Mark Hamill is fun to listen too who gets some funny lines, and gives a nice Ed Wynn impression when he's disguised as the party clown. This is also the first time where I found the Joker to be legitimately scary. Don't get me wrong, his design and presence is intimidating while you still find yourself laughing with him at the same time. But when he goes chasing after Jordan, and tapping the fences, I just get shivers for how creepy it is, especially since he's after a kid. And his hide-out being set in an abandon amusement park has a cool and dark nightmare like design with a few surprises, including a robotic clown with Tim Curry's laugh (who was originally going to be the Joker, but couldn't voice the role since he strained his voice from his Joker laugh). The only gripe I have with the setting is that I wish that we could've seen Batman, The Joker, and Jordan go into different locations instead of the Joker's lair, and the Roller-coaster. They pass by a Haunted House that looks foreboding, and almost seemed like that our climax was going to take place inside it, but its suddenly just glanced over, as if the animators were trolling us.

OVERALL THOUGHTS

The episode is far from one of the highlights of the series mainly for its two uninteresting leads, and Batman not being as awesome as you usually is for the little he does since the action and score supporting these scenes feels very lackluster. But everything involving The Joker is awesome from Hamill's voice work, to his disguise, to his attempts of harming a kid, to his eerie hide-out. And thank god that the Joker is in most of the episode or otherwise I would say that this would be an episode worth skipping. 

In our first two parter episode (that I will review as one) Harvey Dent is campaigning to be re-elected as District attorney while trying to put crime boss Rubert Throne behind bars, as he plans to marry his girlfriend Grace. But due to all the stress surrounding him, he suddenly begins to slash out irrationally by yelling and threatening people with violence when things seem to be going rough for him (mainly revolving around him trying to take down Throne). It turns out that Harvey has been repressing his anger for so long because of an incident that happened to him in childhood that his anger has formed into an alternate personality known as Big Bad Harv. Throne blackmails Harvey with a file that one of his spies stole from his secret therapy sessions that he's been having, which causes him to turn into Big Bad Harv to fight against Throne and steal back his file. Batman tries to save Harvey but accidentally causes one of the thugs to create an explosion that destroys half of Harvey's body. Harvey survives, but is now deformed; appearing to be half-man and half-monster that causes him to snap and turn into the coin flipping criminal Two-Face who plans to spread a crime wave against Throne's Mob. Batman blames himself for Harvey's transformation and is torn since he has to save his friend while also fighting him.

When I think of one of the essential episodes of the series revolving around a villain that's dark and depressing, this along with "Heart of Ice" (will get to that soon) are the ones that immediately come to mind, and the first one to get the tragic side of a villain completely spot-on. I'm not saying that Posion Ivy's debut episode didn't feel tragic too, but the focus was more on Batman trying to save Harvey, than it was on the episode's villainess, when this one on the other hand is. On top of it, this was the episode that took me on an insane roller-coaster full of emotions, and hardly any of them ever felt happy or pleasant. The closest that we ever get to happy is bittersweet.

In the first half the is focus on Harvey trying to overcome his anger as the animation, music, and voice acting from Richard Moll given to these scenes, are so dramatic and harsh that you feel every single inch of his torment. Every time he snaps into Big Bad Harv is just breathtaking for how the backgrounds begin to change color, how his voice goes from normal and confident to gravelly and monstrous, and how the music begins to sound intense to fit the drama for his sudden outbursts. And then when he's hauled by his violent action causing the backgrounds to look normal again, the music coming to a halt, and Harvey snapping out of it looking sweaty and confused, you're relieved that it's over but still find yourself catching your breath after all that drama as you’re sympathizing with him. The best scene in the whole entire episode of Harvey struggling with his bad half is when he goes for therapy. Only this time we're in the darkness on a stormy night as the only light shining is the lightning giving a foreboding atmosphere for Big Bad Harv's presence.

After he gets his face destroyed we get don't to see his deformed face right away after the Doctor removes the bandages. We only get a quick glance at his deformed half, where we mostly see Harvey's back or his neck when we look at the shocked reactions from the Doctor and nurse as he demands for a mirror (a clever and original homage to the scene when Jack Napier becomes the Joker in Tim Burton's Batman). And instead of seeing Harvey react when he sees his reflection, we hear him scream across the halls in such terror of what he's become while we watch Grace react to it, where we then cut to Harvey storming out of the hospital room covering his deformed face to finally showing it to his lover (and the viewer) as lightning begins to strike, making him appear to be as monstrous as the Frankenstein monster, which causes Grace to faint and Harvey to bid her a tearful farewell before disappearing, making it one of the most suspenseful and depressing scenes to ever be shown to a kid's show.

When Harvey finally becomes Two-Face we see him do all the cool stuff that we know the character best for. Flipping a coin for every decision he makes, intimidating people with his fists or a gun, wearing a cool suit that reflects his personality, it's by far the best film/TV version of the character. The design for him also looks fantastic, that heavily resembles from what he looked like in the comics. This is by far the most intimidating the character ever gets when he tosses coin, just watching the coin flip and hearing the sound it makes as other characters sit there and sweat as Two-Face looks at them without a care of what the result is just nerve racking, even when he's just flipping the coin without using it to make a decision. Though while being an intimidating baddie, we still find ourselves sympathizing him. I mean sure the fact that we saw him change this way before our very eyes is enough to feel pity for him, but instead of Big Bad Harv trying to overcome Harvey, it's the other way around, where we're now seeing Two-Face torn between rubbing out Throne's mob or seeing his fiance, and the emotions towards all of it, are very subtle and expressed magnificently through the visuals and music. I especially love the angles when we focus on Harvey's half, as opposed to Big Bad Harvey half when he thinks about Grace

However, while the episode revolves around Harvey and his split-personality, Batman/Bruce Wayne does have his share of screen-time. We mostly see him as Bruce in the first part, when in the second part we see him as Batman, a fitting choice considering that Bruce is friends with Harvey, and that Two-Face is Batman's enemy. But both parts still manage to give us both identities as well. Though the action scenes with Batman are awesome, it's mainly the emotional struggle that our hero is feeling that draws you in. Based on his relationship with Harvey in this and "Pretty Poison", you buy that they are close friends, and now having to watch Batman feeling reluctant over fighting his friend as he blames himself for the accident only to have it just weaken him and causing him to lose his guard as he tries to save his friend without violence is soul-crushing, especially the dream-sequence that Batman has about Harvey.

Despite Two-Face being the focus of the episode, the episode's main villain is Rubert Throne. I know many people say that he's a generic mobster archetype, which I can see why. But the voice work from John Vernon (AKA Dean Wormer) and what he does to poor Harvey is more than enough for me want to see this villain be defeated, regardless of who gets him first! He's just a cold-hearted bastard who enjoys tormenting others with blackmail, doesn't care about backstabbing others through murder, and is the sole reason why Harvey became Two-Face by being deformed and taking up a life of crime as a gangster like Throne to strike him back. Throne even has a Moll working on his team to get him inside information and trick others into doing his bidding, much like the molls in the Adam West.

With all of my praising for the episode are there any problems that I have with it. Well a few which are just nitpicks. Every scene with Conroy voicing either Bruce or Batman do hit the emotions just as hard as Moll's performance, except for the scene when he looks at Harvey's burned face. Just the way he reacts to it, by exclaiming "Harvey, Nooooo" just seemed very half-assed as if Conroy or the director didn't know how he should react to it, which resulted with more of an annoyed reaction. The animation though some of the best that the series has to offer that tells its story beautifully, is a little clunky at times. We don't see Two-Face's blue-half during the famous hospital scene, but what caught my eye the most are in most of the scenes when the characters moving in a fast and violent motion, I noticed plenty of trailing effects from the animation. Meaning in other words that I can still see previous frames of the character's animated movement as he changes each piece of movement, that I hear no one point out before. I'm not sure if it's the Hi-Definition on my TV since the videos online never show signs of it, or if its part of the style of the show which I find odd since I never noticed that in any of the previous episodes, but it's still quite noticeable. I'm not saying that it's bad, or that it takes me out of the story or being amazed at the designs, details, and movement given to the characters in the animation. I just find it a bit weird that I'm starting to see traces of the characters movements through each frame.

OVERALL THOUGHTS

With nitpicks aside, it's still one of the greatest episodes of the series, that's rich with its emotions, story, voice acting, music, and animation. As great as many of the other episodes were, this is the one that took more of an adult and mature approach than any of the others, since barley anything in it is playing out towards kids! And if you're a newcomer of the series this episode is a definite MUST SEE!

A gang war breaks-out between aging drug dealing crime boss Arnold Stromwell and Rupert Throne (wow, he got out of jail fast), and during the middle of all this Stromwell's son has been missing for days. Suspecting that Throne is behind his son's sudden departure, Stromwell sets up a truce meeting with Throne, which is in actuality a ruse for him to threaten Throne to tell him where his son is. Throne however double crosses Stromwell by planting a bomb inside a deli to blow-him away, but is saved by Batman. The reason for his rescue is for him to turn over the state's evidence to the police, and give up his life of crime. Stromwell refuses to do so, until Batman takes him on a "tour" that will give him second thoughts.

The good news is "The Underdwellers" re-trend is dying out, but the bad news is the episode is still loaded with cliches from other episodes. Batman is not the story's focus; what happens to the son takes a similar turn to what "Be a Clown" did; and just like in the last episode, Batman is trying to restore a criminal and save him from Rupert Throne. We are not even an episode away from "Two-Face", and already the series in its production order is taking elements from one of its groundbreaking episodes. In the very least does this episode do anything new and emotionally powerful with any of these cliches? Well in many ways yes.

The character of Arnold Stromwell for instance is an interesting and emotionally engaging character. He's a man who constantly struggles with keeping himself in power as a respected gangster and doesn't have any desire of leaving what he has left behind and worked so hard to keep and maintain. Even when realizing that he's doing harm to himself and his loved ones, he still has trouble giving it up since he's lived the life of crime dating back to when he was a kid and is corrupted by his greed and love for power. Every ounce of music, animation and voice work from Eugene Roche expressing his struggle of changing is done just as beautifully as it was in "Two-Face", from his character constantly sweating and looking shocked and paranoid by everything. He's also a given a very heavy childhood flashback that doesn't take the dark route that you would expect it to go, but is still carried out in a very traumatic way.

Batman in the episode does have his moments of sneaking around, beating thugs up, and rescuing Stromwell, that are as awesome and stunningly animated as you expect them to be, however the part of it that I find to be so assuming is he doesn't use violence or force to scare him into giving him what he needs. He instead takes him to places from his past to tap into how he's hurt himself in the past, and takes him to a terrible place that is happening in his present and will affect him in his future if he carries on with his life of crime, which makes this episode play itself out as a Superhero version of "A Christmas Carol", with a gangster in place of Scrooge, and Batman (who is believed to be a supernatural being by the citizens of Gotham) in place of the three ghosts, that doesn't try to shove this reference to a classic story in your face as you’re watching it. As if subtly referencing a timeless Christmas tale isn't enough, the episode even references one of my favorite classic gangster movies of all time "Angels with Dirty Faces" by giving the Stromwell a relationship with the priest. And what kind of relationship that they have is something that I refuse to spoil for you.

OVERALL THOUGHTS

As cliched as this episode is, its emotional core is strong enough. You feel connected to Stromwell's struggles. You're intrigued at how Batman tries to make him see the light. And all the technical elements that make the show so great are done just as wonderfully as you want them to be. Is it one of the greatest episodes from the show, I don't think I can go that far. It’s good and succeeds in all the places where it should be, but nothing about it really stands out either. And when comparing this to the last episode, seeing Batman trying to reform a gangster is not as emotionally gripping as seeing him trying to reform a dear friend who's gone mad and violent. But given how overlooked this episode is, I definitely feel that this is one of the underrated episodes from the series that deserves a little more attention.

The Penguin (Paul Williams) has successfully just stolen a rare egg shaped jewel, but Batman hot on his trail finds his hideout. After being knocked out by a gas bomb (where was Batman's gas mask, or his ability to withstand gas for a limited amount of time) it seems hopeless for our caped crusader. That is until he is saved by a duo of kids who have accidentally stumbled upon the Penguin's hide-out, and hide him in their basement

This is an episode that a lot of hardcore fans of the series consider to be one of the worst episodes of the series; as well as the show's writer Bruce Timm.  And...yeah, it’s pretty bad. It's not necessarily because the focus of the episode is kids, but because that unlike the previous two episodes of the series that had kids as the focus, there's no dark elements surrounding it at all. If anything, it's very goofy. From the kids driving the Batman mobile recklessly, to the kids setting up "Home Alone" style traps for the Penguin and his crooks that ends with Batman fighting this featherless fiend with a screwdriver! A freakin' screwdriver against a giant blade of a sword! And when you see these criminals chase after these kids you get the same sense of fear for their lives as you would with the idiotic Wet Bandits Harry and Marv! May I humbly remind you that they're being chased by the Penguin, one of Batman's deadliest and cleverest foes! What's even worse is Batman hardly ever does a thing since he's lying there unconscious most of the time. We're stuck with the kids who stumble into all of this, and they are not at all interesting for how boringly cliched they are. They're not terrible, but I didn't find myself caring if they live or die since they're just the typical stereotypes that you would see in a show like "Goosebumps" for example. You have the socially awkward nerdy boy, the tomboy girl, and the dimwitted jock bullies, and nothing about them is interesting or charming. The animation isn't all that interesting to look at either, and is at times quite clunky from the way they move and react.

The only contribution that this episode brings to the overall series is by introducing us to the Penguin, but this is a terrible introduction to such a great villain! They introduce one of Batman's best foes in an episode where he gets outwitted by a bunch of "meddling kids", are they mad?! I don't at all buy that given how big of a reputation he has in Gotham. And if you were to replace the Penguin with some other criminal, and I'm talking about a simple low-life criminal, or one who has a pet bird by his or her's side, you wouldn't miss a thing since we learn nothing about this character, unlike many of the other villains that were introduced to in the series. This character is begging for some kind of origins story, especially when this version came out the same year as "Batman Returns" and they don't do a single thing with him here. If I had any good to say about him, I do like his design, and that his personality isn't as over the top as Burgess Meredith's Penguin, or insanely dark as the Danny Devito's Penguin. It's as sophisticated as you'd expect him to be. I even admire the concept of him having a connection with birds and not just Penguins, since he is part bird. But apart from those elements being introduced in this episode, he still isn't the episode's saving grace since he isn't as nasty or threatening as he should be, where all the things that I do find appealing about him here, would be executed much in the later episodes that follow.

But as bad as this episode is, I will admit that if I was a kid watching this, I'd more than likely love it for its sense of childlike wonder. If you were a kid watching this episode, wouldn't you be envious to do what these boring kids are doing? Wouldn't it be cool to aid Batman and hide him in a part of your house? Don't you ever dream of getting the same kind of chance driving the Batmobile as the kid protecting him would? Did you ever think of creating traps for a deadly criminal like the Penguin out of the gadgets and weapons from Batman's utility belt? It's the same kind of wonder and coolness as watching Kevin McCallister in the "Home Alone" films do all the things you wish to do, but feel that you never will.

OVERALL THOUGHTS

It's definitely one of the worst episodes of the series for how childish and lacking of the elements that make the show so awesome. But for kids, it's tons of fun, and does at least carry a sense of awe and wonder for them to draw an emotional attachment to it. However, if you're a newcomer of the series, you're much better off skipping this one!

It's summertime in Gotham City, but things take a bitterly cold turn when a new criminal named Mr. Freeze (Michael Ansara) roams the streets robbing various Gothcorp Offices wearing a powerful suit and using a gun that can instantly turn anything it blasts into ice. Batman tries to figure out what his game is, and who this man is or once was, which leads to very shocking information.

When I reviewed "Two-Face", I mentioned this particular episode being one of the essential episodes of the series revolving around a villain that's dark and depressing, but there are a couple of more than good reasons why I (as well as many others of the show) feel that way. All of us nowadays associate Mr. Freeze with being a tragic character, but before this episode he was pretty much a joke a villain that D.C. wasn't too proud of. The closest he's ever been too sympathetic before his appearance in the animated series was in the 60s Batman show when he was played by George Sanders, who coldly expresses how much he hates living the rest of his life at a subzero level temperature as he slowly tortures Batman for what he's done to him. And you can tell that this episode did take some influence from that particular episode.

But here's what makes this characterization of Mr. Freeze so ingenious. Rather than him being a criminal before his accident where they very little play on his emotions, this series decides to give him more depth by making him an ordinary kind hearted scientist, who deeply loves his wife, and keeps her frozen until he can find a cure for her, until he's stopped by his cold hearted and greedy boss (voiced by Mark Hamill) by going over-budget with his experiments, and kills Freezes's wife and transforms him to what he is now. And when he becomes the notorious Mr. Freeze, he isn't just outraged that he's now living with these abnormal conditions, but that he lost the one person who he truly loves from such a cold and empty person, which has turned this once loving and innocent man, into the very same man who has wronged him, only he's hungry for revenge. That is a way more compelling origins story than what any of the original versions of this villain had.

What makes him even better than all the other versions of the villain is his design. When you look at the characters previous designs, they were silly. Even in the 60s show when he looked more like a walking and talking frozen victim, it looked goofy for cartoony it is. But this design makes him so much more threatening and badass by giving him bulky armor that's near impenetrable, and glowing red goggles that make him seem emotionless. And that's another element that helps make this villain so interesting and tragic is for how robotic he looks, acts, and sounds. He's lost all sense of love and remorse, that all he can think of is revenge by expressing it as cold as his very own frozen skin. But as cruel and monotone as his personality is, we still found ourselves still sympathizing with the character. His backstory is a part of it, but it's really the fact that deep down inside he's emotionally hurting and is trying hard not to show it in order to give his former boss the same treatment that he gave him. When you hear him monologue about his lack of feelings after what happened, it sounds mechanical but still comes across as sad and pitiful given the poetic dialogue, visuals, music, and our connection to the character.

And yes, let me just point it out while I'm still on the technical elements of this episode, the animation is fantastic! It plays a huge factor in why this episode is so depressing for how surreal and gloomy the environment it is, that it contains visuals that will stick with you. The visual that has always stood out to all people who've seen this episode is the image of a ballerina on a music-box dancing inside a snow-globe as Freeze holds it in his hand gazing at it, that perfectly sets-up the character of Mr. Freeze before we even get closely acquainted with him. The music that plays for that scene as well will never leave you for how enchanting and emotionally depressing it sounds. It's one of the best themes that the show has to offer! And every bit of music played throughout the out the episode captures the drama and excitement as richly as all the other elements that make this episode so grand!

Batman himself is also great here. We see him do pretty much everything that we want to see him do, which is doing detective work, spreading fear, using stealth, getting information as Bruce, disguising himself as someone other than Batman, and showing-off his amazing fighting skills when fighting his enemies and dodging Freeze's ray gun. Above all the awesome things Batman does, we see him show an emotional connection to the villain, which hasn't been done so effectively since "Two-Face". In some ways in terms of personality, Batman is very much like his antagonist since they're both intimidating characters motivated by revenge who try to keep their emotions hidden, except that Mr. Freeze does it for harm than he does it for good. So seeing Batman feeling sorry for Mr. Freeze after he watches a video showing what happened to him and his wife, and hating the guy responsible for taking away the happiest part of Freeze's life is believable, and touching given to how much he can relate to what he's going through.

So praise, praise, praise, are there any problems that I have it. Well I have nitpicks, if not actual problems. The scene exposing Mr. Freeze's back-story is very sad, but considering the fact that Batman is watching a tape of it recorded roughly by Freeze, it's quite unusual to see various jump-cuts, close-ups, and different angles of where the characters are standing and talking to one another. But given how beautifully played out and animated the scene is, it's one of those technical elements that's easy to overlook and forgive. And without giving away Freeze's weakness at the end for newcomers, it's pretty silly.

OVERALL THOUGHTS

This episode was new and groundbreaking for the series that it earned the show its first Day Time Emmy for Outstanding Writing in an Animated Program, and it is well deserving of it! It's emotionally captivating, has visuals and music that refuse to leave you once you've seen it, gives Batman just as much time to shine as our villain, and famously recreated a once lousy Batman villain that is now considered to be one of the best villains in the franchise thanks to this episode!