The Original Christmas Specials Collection Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

The Original Christmas Specials Collection Blu-ray Movie Review

A re-gift in nice wrapping paper.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III December 14, 2021

The celebrated stop-motion and hand-drawn animated specials by Arthur Rankin, Jr. and Jules Bass have left an imprint on pop culture over the years. Their most popular works were holiday-themed productions like Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Frosty the Snowman, and Santa Claus is Comin' To Town, all of which still air regularly on American network TV as Christmas approaches. Along with several middle-tier Christmas specials The Little Drummer Boy, Cricket on the Hearth, Frosty Returns, and Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol, these classics have been made available on Blu-ray several times during the last decade or so, mainly in the form of two different collections released by Classic Media.

Universal later acquired home video distribution rights and, in 2018, released their own Blu-ray set, stripping down the roster to just five specials by omitting Frosty Returns, and Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol (no big loss, in this reviewer's opinion). This new Steelbook edition is a simple repackaging job of that 2018 set; nothing more, nothing less. So while the chances for a complete Rankin/Bass collection grow slim -- some, like The Year Without a Santa Claus and Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July, are even stuck in VHS and DVD purgatory -- this is a low-priced set that should appeal to packaging junkies and those who never bought Universal's 2018 Blu-ray. While again omitting the kid-friendly Classic Media bonus features, it offers better A/V presentations and several new and entertaining extras details below.

For synopses of the five specials included here, please see the Classic Media reviews linked above.

The Original Christmas Specials Collection Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Universal's Blu-ray presentations of these five specials meet or exceed those seen on Classic Media's Blu-ray sets; they aren't exactly night-and-day improvements, but a few tangible differences are present. Rather than a blanket review of everything, these short summaries of each special -- which, aside from The Little Drummer Boy and Cricket on the Hearth, get their own dual-layered discs -- mention the visual changes, if any. While most of these specials could benefit from brand-new 4K restorations, they're still a few steps better than their broadcast counterparts.

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer offers perhaps the biggest visual improvements, as the special correctly fills its window-boxed 1.33:1 frame rather than being slightly bordered on all four sides (presumably to compensate for TV overscan) on the older Classic Media discs. Other than that, colors are slightly better represented with less of a pink tint and more accurate saturation levels. As far as fine detail goes, though, it's basically a toss-up: Universal's transfer edges ahead, but that might just be due to its overall higher bit rate and better disc compression. One very slight hiccup occurs moments before the ending, though: a few frames of animation seem to be missing during Santa's final take-off that I don't remember noticing in previous versions. Is it worth a recall? Probably not.

Frosty the Snowman, though still clearly in need of a new master, likewise shows slight improvements across the board. Perhaps the most notable difference here is better contrast and a slightly darker overall image -- or perhaps a better way of putting it is that Classic Media's Blu-rays seemed artificially boosted and too bright. Still, the colors on Universal's 1080p transfer are still overly saturated and prone to bleeding, although to a less noticeable extent. It's a good presentation for the most part, but this is perhaps the weakest-looking of the "big three".

Santa Claus is Comin' To Town features similarly subtle improvements, mainly in the form of slightly better color timing, but is perhaps the most similar to Classic Media's Blu-ray... not that there's anything wrong with that.

The Little Drummer Boy still looks awful. I'm not sure of the source material used, but it's barely standard-definition quality with garish colors, relatively poor image detail, chunky noise, and other visual deficiencies.

Cricket on the Hearth, on the other hand, is almost disarmingly colorful and, like Frosty, is the only other hand-drawn special included in this collection. That said, Classic Media's Blu-ray presentation was similarly good to great in all major departments, so the only perceptible differences here are likely due to disc encoding.

The Original Christmas Specials Collection Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Similar to their counterparts on the Classic Media sets, the "big three" specials on Universal's package -- Rudolph, Frosty, and Santa Claus -- are once again paired with lossless 5.1 remixes, while original mono mixes are also included as two-channel tracks. (Drummer Boy and Cricket are mono only.) Speaking of Drummer Boy, a few minor audio drop-outs were heard along the way; similar to the video hiccup with Rudolph mentioned above, I don't remember this issue on previous versions. But while Classic Media's 2015 Blu-ray set gets a slight edge for lossless mono vs. Universal's DTS 2.0 tracks, the overall differences are negligible and we also get a few foreign dubs this time around.

Optional subtitles, including English (SDH), are included during the specials and applicable bonus features.

The Original Christmas Specials Collection Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This four-disc set ships in sleek Steelbook packaging, the only fundamental difference from Universal's 2018 Blu-ray. It's an attractive and functional design that mimics the layout of previous editions (even dating back to both previous Classic Media Blu-ray sets) with paneled images of the main characters divided by a snowflake design. The "big three" get front cover privileges, while The Little Drummer Boy and Cricket bring up the rear. All four Blu-rays sit in separate hubs with a swiveled hinge; a nice surprise, as I expected overlapping or even stacked discs. Underneath is another collage of main characters in colorful bubbles set against a snowy backdrop. My only complaint is the Steelbook's finish: it's a dull light grey matte and would've looked much better with a little shine, if only to boost the colors and snow to greater heights. Still, it's a decent overall design and, functionally, this is as good as Steelbooks get.

As for the extras, they mirror the standard 2018 Blu-ray but differ greatly from both previous Classic Media Blu-ray sets. I'll break down what's exclusive to the Universal releases and, in many cases, what's missing.

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer

• The Animagic World of Rankin/Bass (47:00) - This 2018 retrospective featurette runs nearly as long as the special itself but also covers other entries in the duo's celebrated catalog including Frosty the Snowman, Santa Claus is Comin' to Town, and a few lesser-known works. It's clip-heavy but very entertaining with great behind-the-scenes footage, TV promos, pencil tests, rare photos, and comments from lots of filmmaking fans including Henry Selick (The Nightmare Before Christmas), Jon Favreau (Elf), Kevin Lima (Enchanted), Brenda Chapman (Brave), the friggin' Chiodo Brothers (Killer Klowns from Outer Space), producer Lee Mendelson (A Charlie Brown Christmas), animation historian Jerry Beck, and more. Almost worth the price of admission alone.

• Restoring the Puppets of Rudolph (3:40) - Another 2018 featurette, this briefly details a careful restoration job by the stop motion collective Screen Novelties, who temporarily acquired the original Rudolph and Santa puppets from their owner and got them back to pristine condition after years of neglect.

• Reimagining Rudolph in 4D (10:54) - This 2018 featurette promotes an abridged stop-motion remake of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer by SimEx-Iwerks in 2016 as a 4D attraction shown at select theaters. Along with clips from the finished film, we get a few behind-the-scenes clips, comments by first-hand participants (including director Chel White), and several comparisons to the original, which is blown up to 1.78:1.

• Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer Attraction Film (10:51) - The completed film, minus actual 4D effects. As far as remakes of beloved classics go, it's actually not too bad: there's a lot of respect paid to the look and feel of the original, from its unique visual aesthetic to the character movement and voice acting.

• T.E.A.M. Rudolph and the Reindeer Games (13:45) - An animated reading of the 2017 book by Joe Troiano.

So, what's missing? Basically all of the extras from Classic Media's 2015 Blu-ray set. These include a "Rudolph" Pop-Up Book (2:48), a "Holly Jolly" Sing-Along (1:22), a "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer" Sing-Along (0:53), three "Learn to Draw" segments featuring Dave Burgess of DreamWorks Animation (32:21 total, with a short intro), and a trivia track entitled "Rudolph Unwrapped" (16:42). While it would have been nice to have everything in one package, the Universal bonus features are aimed more at adult collectors and much more worthwhile in direct comparison.

Frosty the Snowman

• The Animagic World of Rankin/Bass (47:00) - The same 2018 featurette seen above. Lame.

• Original Pencil Test (1:04) - Briefly glimpsed during the Rankin/Bass featurette above, this short and silent pencil test of the Jimmy Durante introduction shows Frosty's artwork in its rawest form.

• Audio Commentary - This feature-length track by animation historian Mark Evanier covers an expected amount of ground, from the original song (written by Walter "Jack" Rollins and Steve Nelson, and first recorded by Gene Autry and the Cass County Boys in 1950) to the voice acting, Rankin/Bass lore, animation, and more.

Again, all of the extras from Classic Media's 2015 Blu-ray set are missing. These kid-friendly tidbits include a few more light drawing lessons with artist Joe Vance of DreamWorks Animation (25:53 total), a "Magical Melody" Sing-Along (1:53), and another lightweight trivia featurette entitled "Frosty Snowflake Surprises" (19:30).

Santa Claus is Comin' to Town

• The Animagic World of Rankin/Bass (47:00) - Watch it again, or don't.

• Audio Commentary - A feature-length track by animation historian Greg Ehrbar that plays similar to the Frosty track above, with candid observations about the film's production, legacy, similarities and differences to other Rankin/Bass specials, voice acting, stop-motion techniques, and much more.

Again, all of the extras from Classic Media's 2015 Blu-ray set are missing. Similar to the other two, these include more drawing lessons with artist Joe Vance of DreamWorks Animation (25:36 total), a "Kringle Jingle" Sing-Along (0:53), and another lightweight trivia featurette entitled "Santa Special Delivery" (17:23). Again, nothing major.

The Little Drummer Boy and Cricket on the Hearth share the same fate as previous releases and include no bonus features at all, aside from the bookending Danny Thomas segments included as part of the latter special.

Obviously, the bonus soundtrack CD from Classic Media's 2010 Blu-ray set (its only extra) is not included.

The Original Christmas Specials Collection Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Both Universal's 2018 Blu-ray and this new Steelbook variant could have (should have?) been definitive collections of Rankin/Bass' holiday classics but, as it stands, either one is just a companion piece to Classic Media's 2015 Blu-ray set. Although the A/V presentations meet or exceed their older counterparts and the extras are better in direct comparison, two specials are missing and the 1080p transfers could still, for the most part, use a little fine-tuning. If you don't have Universal's 2018 set or are just a Steelbook collector, though, it's still worth picking up before the holidays.