Claymation Christmas Celebration (1987)

Two hosting prehistoric dinosaurs guide you along a typical small town's Christmas choral celebration. There's just one catch, the entire town population is made out of clay! Special Guest Stars: The California Raisins! Apparently today this special is hard to track down, with the only DVD release having some pretty awful sound quality (a shame considering this is basically a musical with clay over the top). And yet, it seems to be well-remembered by those who saw it all those year ago.I was able to track down a copy and was impressed by what I saw. Some, like the Raisins, were how I recalled them. But there are some very interesting interpretations of Christmas songs that need to be heard.

"Claymation Christmas" has been one of my favorite specials ever since I was a kid. I recorded it from the Disney Channel around 1992 and I still watch it every year as an adult. "Claymation Christmas" is hosted by two dinosaurs, the smart and proper Rex and dimwitted Herb. Throughout the special, Rex tries to explain to Herb and other numerous characters the true meaning of the song "Here we come-a wassaling". The street food vendors, including a bunch of pigs selling fruit from a truck, keep getting the words wrong. Herb keeps sneaking off and getting food from the vendors while Rex tells about the songs.The scenes are interspersed with animated Christmas songs. From the hilarious "Carol of the Bells" (with real bells and Quasimodo!) to the beautiful, folk-song version of "Joy to the World", they are all very enjoyable.Finally at the end, a group of elves selling cider come along, correctly singing "Here we come-a wassaling". The other Claymation characters come out and start singing too. Finally we see Herb, who has eaten so much he has doubled in size. The special is funny and entertaining for both kids and adults.

In an age of computers, it is refreshing to go back and watch something like this. Nowadays it would be CGI but back then they knew the value of stop motion. Witty, charming and enjoyable, the comedy of Herb playing against his straight man Rex works wonderfully. The songs are stylish, and the religious overtones are of course present, but not dominant, allowing people to choose to believe in what they will and still enjoy the show. The Californian Raisons are held back until the end, with a questionable carol to their lips (is Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer really a carol?) and the work in expression on these characters is simply wonderful. I think there's only one way to summarize this programme: Joy to the world.

This is one of the great Christmas specials of all time. Our dinosaur hosts, Rex and Herb, take us through six "music videos" of different Christmas carols. Singing camels bring us "We Three Kings", Quasimodo conducts a symphony of living bells, one of whom just can't quite get it right, for "The Carol of the Bells", and there's much more.The humour is clever and cute, and as always, the animation is top-notch. Really revels in the fun of Christmas. I recommend it to anyone who loves the Christmas season and good animation.