Claymation Christmas Celebration - Comments & Tips

This oddball special continues to be a timeless classic that anyone who celebrates Christmas should watch. Not only is it an exploration of music and the history of some of the most iconic Christmas songs, it takes the opportunity to do something visually unique during each song. O Christmas Tree and Joy to the World, which were cool to me when I was a child are now deep and emotionally charged to me as an adult. And while the overall tone of the special is humorous, those parts are allowed to be completely serious and somber in a way that sticks with you regardless of your age. It's so sad that claymation/stop-motion is becoming a lost art, because when done well it is so three-dimensional and expressive in ways that cell art and CG just can't be. Everyone deserves to be exposed to it at some point during their childhood. The worst thing about the Claymation Christmas Carol is that it's less than half an hour long and there were never any more made.

My parents had this recorded on VHS when I was I kid and we watched it every Christmas. I one point all the VHS tapes were replaced by DVDs, including those containing TV broadcast recordings. This Christmas special then faded into memory until I found it uploaded to the internet by a kind soul. Now once again, I watch it every Christmas.