The Life & Adventures of Santa Claus (2000)
Based on the popular book by L. Frank Baum, the beloved author of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, comes the incredible story of The Life & Adventures of Santa Claus. Many centuries ago, long before toys had even been invented, a baby abandoned at the edge of an enchanted forest was adopted and raised by a beautiful wood nymph, thus beginning the life story of Santa Claus. From his first truly magical childhood through the discovery of his life's work of making children happy, discover the origin of every tradition surrounding Santa Claus, from toys, stockings and lighted trees to reindeer and sleigh. Journey back to a time of magic and wonder, and experience this heartwarming tale that will bring joy each holiday season.
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I have not seen the Rankin' Bass version, but I will definitely check it out as I am such a big fans of their Christmas specials. What's for sure though is that I love The Life & Adventures of Santa Claus. The animation is vibrant and looks really clean and beautifully coloured, while the music is enough to warm anybody's heart with its heartfelt simplicity. The writing is sweet, touching and sincere, and the story is heartwarming, gives you the feeling of Christmas and has a message that will inspire any child without doing it in a didactic way. The characters are likable and engaging, with cute animals and fairy characters and Santa is so kind and jovial that it is easy to fall in love with him. The voice acting is excellent, with Robby Benson brilliant as Santa.Overall, this is a really beautiful Christmas movie. 10/10 Bethany Cox
In today's market where the flashiest commercials are used to optimize profits at Christmas time, this movie takes us back to the early days of Santa Claus, St. Nicholas. It's a relief to see the joy of giving. Although L. Frank Baum is known, justifiably, for his other classic, his style shines through in this movie, inspired by Baum's book. Clearly, Nicholas is the main character. But his mother, his carvings, which became the first toy gifts to children, the lion, the fairies, especially Winky add substantially to the plot. The youngest child will enjoy this movie. However, don't think it's just for young child. Our teenage children also like the playfulness and innocence that shine through in a good versus evil plot within the movie.
This version of The Life and adventures of Santa Claus is a pale, saccharine sweet sham when compared to the supurbly done stop motion animation of the 1985 version of this same story done by Rankin / Bass. This felt cheesy and half-hearted whereas the stop motion animated one has the distinct feel of a classic and was more true to the heart and feel of the old story by L. Frank Baum.The story is good but it feels dumbed down compared to the stop motion version. A seldom known fact, Baum connected this story to his loved The Wizard of Oz by saying the immortal faeries of this story are the ones who enchanted the land of Oz to begin with.
My son loves this and it is beautifully animated. Unlike the 1985 version of this same story, the angel of death is beautifully unthreatening. Let your kids try it out and you might not mind watching either. To quote my son, "It's kind of cheery watching these Christmas shows."