Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		2.5
Extras		1.5
Overall		3.0

'Twas the Night Before Christmas Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman December 20, 2020

Rankin/Bass' 'Twas the Night Before Christmas aired on CBS on December 8, 1974. By then Rankin/Bass was a well-known household holiday staple, a seasonal tradition with short films like Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Frosty the Snowman, and Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town having established the brand as a dependable deliverer of family friendly Christmastime fare. 'Twas the Night Before Christmas explores the emotional devastation one small town faces when Santa decides to pass it over when news comes to his attention that one of it citizens does not believe in him, even as almost fully the whole town does. It's a simple story of faith and redemption and Christmastime hope emerging from despair.

The panic in Junctionville started back in October when mail addressed to Santa was returned to senders from all over town, each envelope stamped “not accepted by addressee.” Nobody knew why, but everyone knew what it meant: Santa was skipping the town that year. With no recourse and dwindling hope, Father Mouse (voiced by George Gobel) took it upon himself to contact the North Pole and get the scoop on what was happening. Turns out it was all the result of some bad press for Old St. Nick. Father Mouse’s son Albert (voiced by Tammy Grimes) penned a letter to the editor, which was printed in the local paper, declaring Satna Claus a fraud and myth. Santa caught wind of it and, well, decided to put the entire town on his “naughty” list. Meanwhile, in a desperate move to save Christmas, local clockmaker Joshua Trundle (voiced by Joel Grey) built a clock that, at the strike of midnight on Christmas, would loudly call to Santa in song, letting him know that Junctionville still believes and wants him to make his traditional, annual stop. But at the ribbon-cutting ceremony, the clock malfunctioned, further erasing hope for Christmas and destroying Mr. Trundle’s reputation as a clockmaker and as a man. With time running out, it may be up to Albert to make right everything he’s done wrong in the lead-up to Christmas.

It turns out that the town’s suffering is more than just anger over missing presents. Sick children lose hope, talented students scrap their dreams, and a sense of despair covers Junctionville with suffocating gloom. But the magic of Christmas means that there’s always a second chance, even for those who refuse to believe, and particularly for those whose bah-humbug attitude winds up costing everyone everything they hold dear. The movie is simple in its messaging, exploring the power of faith in something greater and the importance of togetherness even in disagreement.

There’s a certain vibe that reflects some of the key elements from A Christmas Carol, particularly when Father Mouse is showing Albert how his lack of faith in Santa and Christmas has negatively impacted the town. When the film looks at how Joshua Trundle’s life has fallen to pieces when his clock fails (and by no mistake of his own), depicting a man who is down and barely able to celebrate the season with the usual zest and zeal, there’s an unmistakable kinship with various scenes in Dickens’ classic when Scrooge is being shown the Christmases, particularly in the present, that demonstrate how his lack of spirit and generosity have negatively impacted so many around him. This film offers a nice blend of original content and borrowed themes. It’s pleasantly animated and well voiced. It’s a classic well worth revisiting ever year.

'Twas the Night Before Christmas Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Though a few flaws are in evidence, 'Twas the Night Before Christmas proves to be a healthy, impressive 1080p Blu-ray presentation from Warner Brothers. It is presented at an aspect ratio of 1.37.1, essentially recreating the TV screen size format of its time; this results in vertical "black bars" appearing on either of the image's side as displayed on the modern 1.78:1 display. The animation is crisp and sure, revealing a steady diet of high clarity details that bring both motion characters and static backgrounds to life with satisfying depth and complexity. The picture retains a natural grain structure, light and flattering and steady throughout; purists should have no complaint in this department. The picture is lively and authentic, which also translates to its color palette. Bold classic tones permeate the entire film, all of them very well balanced and true with just enough pop to spring the picture to life but not so much vibrancy so as to distract from the story. Shadows and darker scenes delight with pure depth and detail as well; even nighttime exteriors, where much of the light comes from the moonlight and snow, are very pleasant. The image displays a series of random spots and speckles – most of them momentary, a few lingering on the screen for a shot -- but these are not too terribly distracting. Light flickering is sometimes in evidence, too, but the picture shows no signs of compression issues, and nor should it clocking in at a very brief 24 minutes (and there are no lengthy supplements to take up space, either). This is certainly the best this short film has ever looked in the home, and by a wide margin.

'Twas the Night Before Christmas Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

'Twas the Night Before Christmas features a DTS-HD Master Audio mono soundtrack. Everything emanates from the front-center speaker only, so there's no drift to the sides for music or effects. The track feels cramped, but it's also a genuine experience. The lossless encode offers tightened definition to all elements over lossy, but it can only accomplish so much with the dated sound design and elements. Music lacks range and depth but whether score or song there's a fair fundamental clarity at work that allows the listener to experience the essence of the holiday themed notes. The track's various sound effects sputter about with little more than basic definition, such as when the clock malfunctions at the ribbon cutting ceremony. But there's something to be said for the authentic style; while the Blu-ray picture quality is greatly improved over the broadcast elements as the show was aired decades ago, there's a nostalgic cadence to this track that maintains the original essence while tying up some of the sonic loose ends to make for a more balanced, slightly more detailed, listen. Dialogue is clear and, of course, plays directly from the center speaker along with everything else. This is a good track within its own parameters; it's lacking in the larger Blu-ray picture but the authenticity is agreeably delivered through the single speaker experience.

'Twas the Night Before Christmas Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

'Twas the Night Before Christmas contains two supplements, neither of which are directly related to the film. A DVD copy of the film is included with purchase, but no digital code has been bundled in with the discs. As it ships in 2020, no slipcover is included.

• Christmas: A Global Holiday (1080i, 8:51): In this animated short, a Christmas elf talks about how Christmas is celebrated around the world, which also includes a brief history of the Christmas tree.
• Santa's Magical Stories Trailer (1080p, 1:18): An ad for seven Rankin-Bass classics on three-disc DVD.

'Twas the Night Before Christmas Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Warner Brothers' Blu-ray release of 'Twas the Night Before Christmas is disappointingly devoid of any meaningful features as they relate to the film itself, but the studio has assembled a tidy little package that includes excellent 1080p video and serviceable lossless mono audio. It's a perfect stocking stuffer that comes heartily recommended.