T'was the night before Christmas and all through the house not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.T'was the night before Christmas and all through the house not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.T'was the night before Christmas and all through the house not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.
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- Quotes
[last lines]
Santa Claus: Happy Christmas to all and to all a good night!
- ConnectionsEdited into Santa's Magic Book (1996)
Featured review
Very nicely animated and entertaining Christmas cartoon
'The Christmas Visitor' may not be one of my favourite Christmas cartoons, speaking as someone who has been a lifelong fan of animation and who has always loved Christmas, but it is still a lovely cartoon and well worth tracking down (which you can, on Youtube).
It's only real fault really, and this is more personal preference rather than objective criticism, is that the story is one that has been seen many times in cartoons and not an awful lot new is done with it, so the toys' antics are not that surprising. It also maybe takes a touch too long to set up, albeit it is still set up absolutely beautifully, finding more energy when the toys come to life.
On the other hand, the animation is very nice and often beautiful. It's rich, vibrant and colourful in colour, the backgrounds while not rich in detail is hardly sparse or simplistic either and while the character designs are somewhat "abstract" they have an appealing charm, not a hint of ugliness at all. Some of the visuals once the toys come to life are very creative as well. The music sparkles with festive spirit, and while it has a lot of wit and character it mostly has a most elegant lushness and used appropriately understatedly.
'The Christmas Visitor's' narration, which is basically a recitation of the famous "Twas the Night Before Christmas" poem brought a real smile to my face remembering all the times of reading it (privately and aloud) as a child, and the twist on the final verse evoked a good chuckle. It is narrated with calming sincerity as well. The story, despite it being very standard, is also very charming and entertaining and the inventive visuals help to make the action engaging, which it certainly does in the quite exciting rescue. The characters are similarly sweet and engaging.
Santa is suitably jovial, the sailor and the shepherdess are attractive and not too pallid and Black-jack the Snidley Whiplash-like Jack-in-the-box villain is deliciously smarmy and perhaps the most colourful personality of the toys. The voice work for the narrator and Santa is solid.
In conclusion, very nicely animated, fun and charming. 9/10 Bethany Cox
It's only real fault really, and this is more personal preference rather than objective criticism, is that the story is one that has been seen many times in cartoons and not an awful lot new is done with it, so the toys' antics are not that surprising. It also maybe takes a touch too long to set up, albeit it is still set up absolutely beautifully, finding more energy when the toys come to life.
On the other hand, the animation is very nice and often beautiful. It's rich, vibrant and colourful in colour, the backgrounds while not rich in detail is hardly sparse or simplistic either and while the character designs are somewhat "abstract" they have an appealing charm, not a hint of ugliness at all. Some of the visuals once the toys come to life are very creative as well. The music sparkles with festive spirit, and while it has a lot of wit and character it mostly has a most elegant lushness and used appropriately understatedly.
'The Christmas Visitor's' narration, which is basically a recitation of the famous "Twas the Night Before Christmas" poem brought a real smile to my face remembering all the times of reading it (privately and aloud) as a child, and the twist on the final verse evoked a good chuckle. It is narrated with calming sincerity as well. The story, despite it being very standard, is also very charming and entertaining and the inventive visuals help to make the action engaging, which it certainly does in the quite exciting rescue. The characters are similarly sweet and engaging.
Santa is suitably jovial, the sailor and the shepherdess are attractive and not too pallid and Black-jack the Snidley Whiplash-like Jack-in-the-box villain is deliciously smarmy and perhaps the most colourful personality of the toys. The voice work for the narrator and Santa is solid.
In conclusion, very nicely animated, fun and charming. 9/10 Bethany Cox
helpful•10
- TheLittleSongbird
- Apr 28, 2016
Details
- Runtime7 minutes
- Color
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Top Gap
By what name was The Christmas Visitor (1959) officially released in Canada in English?
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