'Twas the Night Before Christmas

From Rankin/Bass comes the whimsical holiday classic ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas. Inspired by the Clement More poem, the story follows a clock maker in Junctionville who builds a giant clock that plays a Christmas song hoping that it’ll make amends to Santa Claus after a disillusioned mouse had an open letter published in the paper calling Santa out as a fraud, putting the whole town on his naughty list. Joel Grey leads the cast, and gives an excellent rendition of the poem. Also, the songs are incredibly fun and catchy (especially “Even a Miracle Needs a Hand”). However, the animation is a little weak, with rather crude designs and bland coloring. Yet despite its flaws, ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas is a delightful animated special that captures the spirit of the season.