[Ronald Epstein]

THE YEAR WITHOUT A SANTA CLAUS DELUXE EDITION
THE STOP-MOTION ANIMATION HOLIDAY CLASSIC
COMPLETELY RE-MASTERED
ON DVD OCTOBER 2, 2007
FROM WARNER HOME VIDEO

BURBANK, CA (September 4, 2007) – The holidays will indeed be joyous this year when Warner Home Video (WHV) releases The Year Without a Santa Claus Deluxe Edition on DVD October 2, 2007. Santa Claus, Mrs. Claus, Heat Miser, Snow Miser and their pals will surely put consumers in the Christmas spirit with this deluxe, collectible edition of the all-time holiday classic. A perfect gift idea for both boys and girls, who have been good all year-long, The Year Without a Santa Claus Deluxe Edition will retail for $19.97 SRP.

Newly re-mastered The Year Without a Santa Claus Deluxe Edition is the beloved 1974 Rankin/Bass stop motion animation television special that tells the story of the year Santa Claus (voiced by Mickey Rooney) decides to skip gift-giving and take a holiday in the middle of the Christmas rush, because he feels the children of the world have forgotten about him. Eager to help, Mrs. Claus (voiced by Shirley Booth) sends two spunky little elves, Jingle and Jangle, to search the world and find people who still believe in old St. Nick. She also enlists memorable characters, Heat Miser and his half brother Snow Miser, to help her bring Santa back to his good mood while she convinces them that Christmas is not just about presents. Jingle and Jangle in the meantime get themselves into quite a bit of trouble when their baby reindeer Vixen is mistaken for a dog and sent to the pound. Santa attempts to rescue Vixen and along the way learns that some people still believe in him. But it’s not until after he receives a letter from a little girl, who writes to him about having a blue Christmas, that Santa jumps back into action and makes his traditional delivery run on Christmas Eve.

Merry-making bonus features include:

ó We are Santa’s Elves – A documentary focusing on the legacy of Arthur Rankin Jr. and Jules Bass of Rankin/Bass Productions, Inc. the production company known for creating several, memorable seasonal television specials.

óSchool of Stop Motion – Presents the Chiodo Brothers, modern day masters of stop motion animation as they introduce viewers to their studio and also to their craft via a by-step demonstration aimed at young people.

[Ethan Riley]

"Year" has long been in need of restoration or remastering. The It's nice to see this finally happening. The current version was never very good; the lighting is a bit milky and the colors have washed out somewhat. It's not a terrible-looking version but there's room for improvement.

But-- there's a good reason not to upgrade. The original disc included two more popular R/B features, "Rudolph's Shiny New Year" and "Nestor the Long-Eared Donkey." Anyone who does upgrade won't be willing to part with the original disc anytime soon, especially since those two other special appear nowhere else on dvd. I guess we'll all be holding onto that older disc for some time to come.

But I'll be happy so long as the new disc does not include the godawful live-action remake of 2005. That's one little tv movie that no one ever wants to see again...

[MatthewA]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ethan Riley

But-- there's a good reason not to upgrade. The original disc included two more popular R/B features, "Rudolph's Shiny New Year" and "Nestor the Long-Eared Donkey." Anyone who does upgrade won't be willing to part with the original disc anytime soon, especially since those two other special appear nowhere else on dvd. I guess we'll all be holding onto that older disc for some time to come.

Not necessarily,

http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htf/...d.php?t=261845

[Randy Korstick]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ethan Riley

"Year" has long been in need of restoration or remastering. The It's nice to see this finally happening. The current version was never very good; the lighting is a bit milky and the colors have washed out somewhat. It's not a terrible-looking version but there's room for improvement.

But-- there's a good reason not to upgrade. The original disc included two more popular R/B features, "Rudolph's Shiny New Year" and "Nestor the Long-Eared Donkey." Anyone who does upgrade won't be willing to part with the original disc anytime soon, especially since those two other special appear nowhere else on dvd. I guess we'll all be holding onto that older disc for some time to come.

But I'll be happy so long as the new disc does not include the godawful live-action remake of 2005. That's one little tv movie that no one ever wants to see again...

Wow! I still think the color is amazing on the original disc especially compared to T.V. broadcast and can see no reason at all to upgrade unless there was lost footage and I'm usually a sucker for upgrades.

[Ethan Riley]

Thank you for pointing out that thread, Matthew--how come I saw this one but not that one? But now I guess my stance changes. In this case, why would anyone pick up the lone copy of YWASC for $20 when they can spend $40 and get that disc plus seven other films?? Anyway--I'm glad this is happening, and I hope the eight film package matches the old five film Rankin Bass "storybook" package. That'd look real cool on the shelf, all those films together--

[ScottR]

I only wish that the boxed set was a complete R/B WB set, with such specials as Pinocchio's Christmas and the Leprechauns' Christmas Gold.