The Life & Adventures of Santa Claus (1985) Online

I thought this was a beautiful and surreal stop motion animated film. It's certainly superior to the cell animation version. I thought it was beautifully done by the Rankin / Bass people- who brought us such classics as Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, The Little Drummer Boy, Frosty the snow man, among many other holiday specials. I don't think this has been released to DVD yet and it's a shame that it hasn't been.

It's a true classic. It's based on the short story by L. Frank Baum, author of The Wizard of Oz. In fact, though neither movie tells you this, the immortal fairies in this story are the ones who enchanted The Land of Oz to begin with.

If you love beautifully done fantasies and stop motion animation I highly recommend this movie. I read another review that called this film pagan and frightening- I think this person was looking for reasons to hate it and simply didn't understand the fantastical creatures portrayed. It's not scary at all, it's quite beautiful, just not what you'd expect. You should keep an open mind when viewing it, it's quite beautiful.

The only reason I ever even heard of this was by putting in blank VHS tapes out of boredom one day when I was about 10. For me this movie has special meaning because I used to watch it with my buddy when we were little. We could probably recite almost ever word and sing every song.

But about the movie itself, it is a rare gem that almost nobody has ever heard of. This is a side of Christmas that is so refreshingly different, bearing absolutely no resemblance to any other Santa story ever written, capturing the Christmas spirit in its own way.

This gets a full 10 from me for the stunning art-work of its creation and magical creativity that brought it to life.

Go get it! Journey with Clause from the forest of Berzee to the Laughing Valley of "Ho Ha Ho" in this one in a million production. Expect the unexpected with characters such as Peter Nook, the great Ak, and the commander of the wind demons.

If you prefer fantasy to holiday hokum, you'll want to check this one out. A little dark at times for very little ones, this stylish take on the Santa story will appeal to older children or little ones accustomed to fantasy and fairy tale themes. Alive with Faerie folk of all kinds it offers a colorful journey through Santa's life. Santa is not spared the horrors of the human world, however, and this story illustrates how he developed compassion for the human race. Very moving in parts, this story gets to the heart of the Christmas spirit, without getting preachy or religious.

I have watched this movie since i was little, and for all i do admit the subject and the themes used in the movie are slightly darker then the average kids movie, it is one of the best i have seen. I've always loved the entire premiose of the story, and the characters are brilliant, especially the Commander of the Wind Daemons (The Bat like Creature) and Blinky the Cat.

when i first saw this movie, i completly loved the songs, but now that i've got it recorded and got another look at it, i found that i loved the storyline. the characters were amazing, i loved how they represented themselves, and the scenery, i just loved this film for........ everything it had.

In this adaptation of L. Frank Baum's story, produced by Rankin Bass, we see how Santa came to be, from his origin an immortal to his dedication to bringing presents and happiness to kids around the globe. It's a better story than the 'true meaning of Xmas' crud we're used to in Xmas Specials. Erasing th 'birth of Baby Jesus' angle was also a wise move.

I'd never heard of the novel until I saw this special, but it seems kinda similar to The Wizard of Oz. The music by Bernard Hoffer is also notably better than the usual medley of Xmas carols. I guess it doesn't rate too highly among the rest of the holiday clutter, but certainly worth watching.

This was one of my favorite Rankin-Bass productions. This particular telling of the Santa story is based on L. Frank Baum book of the same title: "The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus." The immortals are gathered by the Great Ak to decide whether or not the mortal Santa deserves the honor of becoming immortal (something the immortals can only grant once). The story is narrated by Ak and recounts how he found the young babe and watched over him as he was raised by some of the nymphs and animals that fell under Ak's jurisdiction.

As with any Rankin-Bass stop animation production the creature concepts can be wildly imaginative (and scary... the Nooks tend creep me out, but I wouldn't mind a plush version of one) and be sure that there are numerous musical outbursts as the story progresses.

This Baum story has also recently received an animated retelling. I am saddened that this particular version does not receive as much airing time, but I am very grateful that we always recorded Christmas specials when I was younger.

I recommend this to anyone who enjoys Rankin-Bass holidays escapism and has an imagination that enjoys being stimulated.

AWESOME CLAYMATION Christmas CLASSIC...a must have for the Christmas holidays .It is unfortunate that the networks no longer show this tale of how Santa Claus becomes the symbol of Christmas. This tale has gods ,elves,fairies and Santa Claus . If you like the Lord of the Rings ,Harry Potter and other Rankin and Bass classics , then this will be a welcome addition to your movie collection.I have seen this movie so many times and every time I see something new. However, do not buy this UNLESS YOU CAN STAND SEEING IT YEAR-ROUND.This is sort of hard to find so get it when you see it .I OFTEN SEE THE WELL KNOWN OTHERS LIKE RUDOLPH THE RED NOSE REINDEER AND THE ABOMINABLE SNOWMAN but this one is sort of rare .

Apologies for the Billy Joel reference in the title but I couldn't help myself. This is the final stop-motion special from Rankin/Bass. They certainly go out on a creative note here. This is one of their most different and interesting specials. Obviously influenced by the popularity of fantasy material in the '80s. Everywhere you looked you saw stuff with magical creatures or wizards or enchanted realms. Rankin/Bass had dipped their toe in this already with Rudolph & Frosty's Christmas In July several years before, as well as many traditionally animated cartoons based on The Lord of the Rings. Oh and, of course, The Last Unicorn. This special here was based off of a book by L. Frank Baum, the creator of Wizard of Oz.

It's a fairly involved plot for a Christmas special. A council of immortal beings must decide if Santa Claus should be given immortality. From here, we get the origin of Santa, as told by the Great Ak. To say this is different from the origin of Santa previously released by Rankin/Bass would be an understatement. This is pretty trippy stuff but also very fun.

The stop-motion animation is beautiful, as you would expect from Rankin/Bass. It's some of their most creative work and it's just a shame it came at the end. The story is imaginative and interesting. It's dark in places and certainly isn't the toddler-friendly specials of before. The voicework is terrific and the characters are enjoyable. The music is nice, though not their best. As with all Rankin-Bass specials, I of course recommend it. But I would give a special recommendation for this one to people who are fans of fantasy stories but perhaps don't normally watch Rankin-Bass specials.

This is one of my favourite Rankin/Bass offerings. I think this was one of the last of the Christmas Classics they made. Basically, Santa is raised by wood elves and wild animals, fights off an ogre army, then has to go to trial for the mantle of immortality so he can continue delivering his gifts. Honestly, I think they were high on mescaline or something to come up with this wild tale.

Wonderful battle scenes of the hellbent ogres attacking the peaceful elves. There are many deaths in this children's cartoon, but do not despair, Santa wins in the end.

Highly recommended for:

• the Great Ak and his clan

• most deaths in a Rankin/Bass Christmas special

Highly Recommended!

I've never heard the "raised by faerie folk" story of Santa before. It was refreshing to see fantasy wood elves instead of the usual fat bearded ones. The council around the table looked as if they were drinking Wassail and celebrating the Winter Solstice. If you grew up playing D&D, you'll most likely enjoy this!

I grew up watching this movie every year at Christmas time and continue to look forward to seeing it every year. This movie has a beautifully done story that shows how "Claus" goes from being a child to a Saint. He is not born in the faerie land, but adopted by them. Because of his unique experiences growing up with faeries instead of other men he brings unprecedented happiness to the children that he meets through a new creation of his, a toy.

If anyone is wondering about whether to show this movie to children or not, I would say go for it. Others feel it is a bit scary, and the "war" near the end of the movie is too harsh for children, but I disagree. The war only happens as a last resort after Great Ak tries to talk with King Awgwa. There is no actual killing in the war, the "bad guys" are simply turned into flowers through very gentle means, and the remaining ones flee.

This is in response to Goon-2's comment on this movie: The bat-like creature, who sits at the table with the other immortals, symbolizes the wind, he is NOT death. At the very beginning of the movie (with the credits) all of the immortals (each representing a different natural force) are introduced and he is the commander of the wind demons. I just want to make sure people know he is not representing death, and is interested in saving Claus not killing him.

Overall it is an uplifting tale of doing what you can to make the world a better place, and finding creative ways to do so when there are problems.

Somehow, most Christmas related movies and specials seem to be sendemental, campy or some times even sickening sweet. But "The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus" is a big relief from those Holiday special clichés.

Think of putting together a typical Rankin Bass special, Mythology of the British Isles and Jim Henson's "The Dark Crystal" and you get this movie about a mortal named St. Nicholas and how he came to be.

Some people seemed to complain about the film being too dark. But face it, some things may tend to be *gasps* ARTISTIC, and *gasps* original and *gasps* not sappy or an un-artistic film just made to tell you to shell out your bucks on the crappy merchandise.

If you catch this on TV or on any VCR format, or if you love "The Dark Crystal" or Mythological based films, you will love this special. I know I do!

While this does contain many of the elements of a typical Rankin/Bass animated special, it is by far more bizarre than I could've ever imagined. To give you an idea of how "out there" this show is, I missed only the first two minutes of the cartoon and I had NO IDEA that it was supposed to be a story about Santa Claus until the last two minutes of the show. It has nymphs, gods, demons... all that you wouldn't expect in a Christmas special. And what's funny is whenever I try and describe this show to people, they don't believe me at all.

"No, seriously, the Great Ak then grabs this ax and challenges the demons to fight." "Whatever." "And Santa has this lion and he goes to the arctic with a magician and..." "You're full of it." "I'm not! It's true! You have to see it!"

The cartoon starts off weird and just gets more and more bizarre the farther you go in. If you're high, I guarantee that you will be enthralled and laugh all the way through. All I can say is that it is messed up and I can't really described exactly how messed up it is. No one would really get it or like it or think that it is great by any stretch of the imagination. Watch it if you are extremely high or you are curious or a Rankin/Bass fan, like me. Otherwise, your best bet would be to stick to the better Christmas specials.

As a child, this was my favorite Christmas movie. It is visually stunning and exhibits great artistry in claymation and storytelling. I was enthralled by the characters and enjoyed the tale of how "Santa Claus" came to be. This story is one of compassion and empathy. It really emphasizes the message of giving to those less fortunate and understanding the plight of others. A definite must see for my kids. The movie also has fun songs and funny characters to lighten the mood. I would not say this film is too dark. It has a villain and a conflict no more fierce than any others in children's films. I believe if you give this movie a chance they won't be disappointed. Anyone who enjoyed The Wizard of Oz or fantasy stories such as The Hobbit would really enjoy this take on a classic Christmas character.

The synopsis of this movie I will leave alone for now, as the previous comment pretty much had that down pat. As a child of the 80s myself, this movie is easily my best Christmas memory. The fantasy, the unexpectedly dark plot, beautiful imagery...all of these things make this one of the most memorable Christmas movies I could think of.

For those of you looking for a classic movie full of love, warmth, cheer, and all of the other TYPICAL feelings associated with a Christmas movie...I would pass this one up. The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus throws in elements of suspense, fear, sadness, and eventually relief...not commonly associated with a Christmas flick. Agreed, it IS a bit on the dark side for a holiday movie. However, would I recommend this for a truly unique and unexpected treat for older viewers? Without a doubt. The younger kids may not be able to sit still, but the older kids (including my generation) won't be able to shut up about it afterwards.

If you want something TRULY indescribable and unforgettable in your movie collection, I'd go for The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus.

During all my childhood I wasn't allowed to watch any kind of Holiday movies. Or celebrate for that matter. I didn't see this movie until I was older now I have kids. This one for sure shows the true meaning of Christmas. If I am to explain to my kids about Santa, this movie is the best for that.

For most holiday movies I seen.This one is the best. Not only it is full of beauty, colorful, well done for clay animation, the story and characters are great! The singing and the meaning behind it all is wonderful put together. This one brings the magic and spirit of Christmas. Hope it comes out on DVD soon. I missed it last year on TV. So bummed it wasn't on. I want it in my collection.

I would just like to comment on the last posting. This is NOT claymation! This was made with stop-motion puppets not clay. Yes there is a difference. Each puppet is painstakingly made by hand,First pre-production drawings of each puppet are made,an armature is created,Someone has to sculpt a character,molds are made,foam latex is put into molds then puppets are baked in an oven,Artists paint the details,clothing has to be made...so on. I want to educate people on this so there will not be any confusion in the future. Sorry if I am preaching...I take this seriously. In conclusion, I do agree this movie is quite enjoyable! Happy Holidays!

i gave this movie a 1 out of 10 because there was no option for a zero. the original print and all copies of this movie should burned.

my first impression was "only a D&D fan could enjoy this." but D&D fans, however strange to the rest of us, have wonderful imaginations, which the creators of this movie do not. cheesy creatures with goofy, meaningless names do not make a story.

Christmas stories fall into two categories: secular and religious. this movie defines a whole new category: crap.

please don't waste your time on this movie. you will never get the hour back.

It's rare that I would recommend a bad movie.

Throw all your notions about what Christmas was all about, because on this ride, there is nothing but pure anti-fantasy. OK, I could not stop looking at this while it was on, primarily because it is supposed to be a Christmas themed show....or so I thought.

The weirdness compounds at an exponential rate while not really knowing what this was about. Honestly, my young sons were laughing out loud at how bizarre this was. I'm surprised Hitler and Lincoln didn't mud wrestle in this strange attempt.

Before I found out anything about it, I was saying to friends who had seen it, but wanted to hear my take on it, that it was as if Lord of the Rings went to the North Pole, and the battle for Middle Earth was fought where gingerbread men should have been baked.

This should be one forgetful show. The only reason I mention it is because, not knowing anything about it, looking at it from the perspective of someone who recognizes the "Rudolph" like animation, it takes you by surprise and leaves you saying "Huh?", "What the heck?", and "Oh My God!" so much, that it is actually entertaining.

It makes me wonder if there is a Russ Meyer Christmas Special hidden in some garage.

I saw this when I was very young and it scared me very much especially King Aqwa, his horns and just the way he looked freaked me out. Two years ago I saw it again and I found it quite interesting but very dark. It's most certainly not the typical special. Rankin/Bass did a great job and they always have very special characters in all of their specials. The musical score is pretty good and there's a moral in this very dark tale of Santa Claus. The good guys even look kinda creepy but cool. Like Peter Nook and those other immortals that the Great AK talk to during their story of Santa Claus. It's a bad shame that this special does not air regularly like most of the other Rankin Bass specials. If you like fantasy, you'll like this great one.

This movie was excellent, very original and thought out. This movie another Rankin Bass classic (In my mind) is for once a dark Rankin Bass film! It's a holiday from the sweet happy go lucky film. It show how the man we all love (Santa) struggle to begin his career and later on becomes immortal. This show the side of Santa's life that we never see. Far from stereotypical I gave this movie a 9 rating. Although this is not very popular as say Rudolph, Frosty, The Year Without a Santa Claus, that doesn't mean it's any worse. If they made this movie on to a DVD format I would encourage anyone to go out and buy it. I'm sure you'll agree with me once you watch this wonderful masterpiece stop animation.

I've always been a fan of Rankin Bass, I grew up watching Rudolph, Santa Claus Is Coming to Town The Year Without a Santa Claus, Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas In July and also their underrated specials like Nestor the Long Eared Christmas Donkey, The First Christmas Snow, Pinocchio's Christmas and Little Drummer Boy and The Little Drummer Boy Book II

The Life and Adventures Of Santa Claus is a very underrated and overlooked gem to the Rankin Bass fan base. Sadly this is rarely shown on TV, and it appears Freeform, aka ABC Family has giving this special the chopping block. When this did air on ABC family it was heavily edited and not watchable

The story begins with the great Ak with a council with immortals explaining why Santa deserves the mantel of immortality and not die. He begins his tale of the life of Santa Claus by explaining how he discovered Claus as a newborn infant abandoned at the edge of the enchanted forest. He first enlists a lioness named Shegria to nurse and care for the child but a fairy called Neclie hears about the baby and steals it from Shegria. Ak agrees to allow Necile to care for the baby and she calls him Claus. Claus grows up in the forest and as a young adult Ak takes him on a journey to show him what humans are like, after witnessing dark scenes like poverty, child abuse, war and hunger Claus decides to live in a village not far and help children. He becomes a toy maker and makes toys for the village children. His talent in bringing joy to children makes him want to travel the world and deliver toys to all children thus becoming Santa.

Some evil villains called the Awguas cause trouble for Claus and steal his toys, but his immortal friends get the toys back by destroying the Awguas and their dragon. After an awesome battle with a dragon between good and evil, the immortals win and Claus gets to finish his journey on delivering toys,

As Santa gets older he decides to deliver the presents on Christmas Eve, hence why Claus makes his trip once a year. As Ak finishes his story, the council agrees to bestow the mantel of immortality for Claus. Claus gets to be immortal and becomes Santa Claus who continues to deliver gifts to this day.

This special again Is very much a part of my childhood and I love it, It's a lot different than the book such as a character called Tingler but it's a nice story about Santa Claus. The songs are nice and my favorite is A Child, We Wanna Wake Up to a Big Surprise is nice too. It's dark, but it's geared more toward older kids and adults. But if you want to watch something different I recommend this. Great special

10/10 stars

I love Rankin' Bass Christmas specials and have done so since childhood. I love Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer, Frosty the Snowman, Santa Claus is Comin' To Town, The Little Drummer Boy and Nestor The Long-Eared Christmas Donkey, and while The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus is not quite as good it still stands on its own as a Christmas classic. The stop-motion is gorgeous to look at, the settings are some of the most beautiful and imaginative-looking I've seen and the characters move easily. The music is tuneful and memorable, it is very original while maintaining that feel of Christmas sparkle. Ora E Sempre is really powerful stuff. The script is thoughtfully written and engaging, with some heart-warming sentiment and important themes without beating the audience around the head with them. The story is imaginatively done and interesting, there are some dark moments(though nowhere near as nightmare-inducing as other films/shows/specials I've come across) but also some moving ones as well. The characters are really memorable, Claus is immediately likable and a character to root for, Weekum and Blinky are cute, Tingler is amusing, The Great Ak is a firm and kindly storyteller and the fairies are sweet and have great personalities, but I find Commander of the Wind Demons to be the character I remember most. The voice acting is really excellent as well. In conclusion, just as much as I do with other Rankin' Bass Christmas specials I love this. 10/10 Bethany Cox

This was made when I was five-years-old, but I'm glad I didn't see it until I was 21, because it would have SCARED me when I was younger. Based on a tale by L. Frank Baum(that, and the fact that it had "Santa Claus" in the title where the only reasons it got turned there. I thought it would be like "The Wizard of Oz."), basically "The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus" centers upon a bunch of immortal "faeries" and their powerful leader "The Great Ak" (the Christ-like figure in this Godless story) who sit around discussing whether or not Santa Claus, a mere mortal, should be visited by death after he finished his last sleigh ride for the year...

What a creepy premise. Who wants to think about Santa Claus dying? Plus, the image they have of "Death" was horrific: "Death" is some character that casually sits amongst the crowd. He is black and looks like a mixture between a bat and what I would imagine satan to look like, and when "Great Ak" tells him what might happen to Santa Claus, he raises his claws and hisses. Ugh. That alone would have been enough to have made me turn it. What's the point of having creepy images like that in something about Santa Claus? The animation in general is very dark and dreary looking, and the music--a bunch of deep,ominous voices is kind of frightening, too. I suppose that might have been done to keep this film from being a run-of-the-mill Christmas special...which it is not, but didn't they realize that kids mind find the story scary?

If they don't think it is scary, they might find it dull. The dialogue is too sophisticated for youngsters and the plot is kind of slow-moving, and jumps around a lot, too. Why, for instance, when The Great Ak was detailing the life of Santa Claus(who's all born in a forrest in this film)so that the other immortals could be familair with his history, did the film abruptly become set in the early days of Santa Claus, where the immortal faeries, who were acting like they didn't even know who Santa Claus WAS when the Great Ak mentioned him, are suddenly acting like his caretakers? If I didn't get the sudden change, I doubt a five-year-old would...

Even though it's creepy and a little dull, I suppose the moral to the story is that the immortals want to help Santa Claus by allowing him to be immortal, and then Death wouldn't have to visit him. But still... what a thought, and what a weird, bizarre, disturbing excuse for a Christmas special.