Holiday Season: Specials, Film, and More 11/1 - 11/5

It's so funny how much my friends and family already have Christmas / Season's Greetings fever. A lot of my lady friends love Hallmark and family enjoy Freeform. My Christmas Carol collection does seem to expand with each new adaptation. I trot them out accordingly. Rankin and Bass, Peanuts, and Disney. Even the Muppets. Turner Classics has become a staple in my life during December. Additional to all that are the seasonal horror films. And Thanksgiving, of course, as a historical holiday celebration would be in bad taste, but as a seasonal tradition families get together to spend time and such. November serves as a bridge between October and December where I toss in post-Halloween and pre-Christmas content. There's only so much time in the two months, after all.

I had intended to watch The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (1949) on Halloween Eve. It just didn't pan out as I was exhausted by life in general. I was in somewhat good spirits 11/3, making this (and The Wind and the Willows) as part of a Saturday evening series of holiday Disney shorts. But I admit that The Wind and the Willows (1949), after watching it last year and again this year, has really become a nice addition to Sleepy Hollow as the "package feature", The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad.

What admittedly makes Mr. Toad special to me is Basil Rathbone's narration. His voice just makes it all so neat an experience. There is just a charm and pleasant richness in Basil's presentation of Mr. Toad's situation. Toad just can't help himself. He loves to go on adventures in whatever new comes along, whether it be a spirited horse (named Cyril) pulling a yellow cart or a motor car (causing "motor mania"), causing much anxiety to his "money manager", MacBadger, and concern for his pals, Ratty and Moley. Ratty reminded me of Higgins from Magnum PI. And sweet Moley is easy to get over on because he's just too good-natured. MacBadger, bless his heart, is sweating it and exhaling rattled nerves. Cyril soon is left behind by Mr. Toad who sees a stolen car whiz by, bright red, and driven by thieving weasels, in league with a no-good bartender named Winky. Winky turns on him in court when the car turns out to not belong to any of them, as the bartender was actually interested in Toad's "Toad Hall", an extravagant estate freely given away due to his motor mania. What made this feel just right for this part of the year is when Toad is "freed" through help by Cyril who provides a disguise, a little old lady's dress, allowing him to sneak out of the prison.  This is on Christmas Eve, and I was thrilled of how it fits in with this post's theme. Toad gets his trio of buddies to help him uncover the deed which has Winky's name on it, evidence of the betrayal that sent him to the slammer. Including a fun snatch, grab, chase involving the deed at the Toad Hall where our foursome try and secure the deed out of the grasp of Winky and weasels and the Crown's court case where the prosecution give Toad's help a hard time, this little short is a grand time. The animation isn't too shabby for its time, either.

Bing's narration for Sleepy Hollow is also just perfect as it reminds me that I'll be revisiting him in White Christmas in December (now a necessity, but not until maybe 2013 when I decided to watch it, falling in love with the film, primarily a musical). I love his voice documenting the arrival of Ichabod Crane, describing what he looks like, how others respond to him, his desire to get (or use) anything free, the pursuit of a lovely girl in the village (and hope to secure her hand so he can be in line to reap the rewards of her wealthy farmer father), and ultimately his undoing when up against the Headless Horseman. The animation in this era of Disney is some of my all-time favorite. Brom Bones' Headless Horseman tale at a dance which rattles superstitious Ichabod and the inability to cross a bridge that would rescue him on his way home (the horse ride and the horse's expressions crack me up) are beautifully Gothic gold. I cannot specify this enough: from my childhood until today at the age of 41, I absolutely love this short. It is essential entertainment to me. Sleepy Hollow's darker side and Crane's inability to escape the specter pursuing him are eerie and mysterious...nice bit of "what if?", too, in regards to Ichabod possibly just in another locale, witg another life.

As a pair, these two shorts, albeit unrelated, are nonetheless forty minutes of sheer joy.

The Wind and the Willows: **** / *****
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow: ***** / *****

Mickey's Christmas Carol: ****/***** (probably ***** based on personal love but not on its Dickens treatment)

I have already reviewed a little bit last year on Mickey's Christmas Carol (1983) so I don't think I'll need to elaborate too much this year. Why I wanted to follow this after The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad was because some of the characters (like Rat and Moley as the charity seekers that annoy Scrooge McDuck and Mr. Toad as Ole Fezziwig) from the latter are characters in the former. That and I enjoy Jiminy Cricket as Christmas Past and the Giant as Christmas Present. I had actually planned to watch Mickey Mouse and the Beanstalk but the DVD belongs to my son and he lost it in his room! The Giant having trouble with Pistachio never gets old and Goofy as Jacob Marley's Ghost never ceases to crack me up. The same disappointment is the same with this adaptation of the Scrooge story is its short length. I really wish it was longer. And without a single line from Minnie Mouse and just breezing through some serious Scrooge story always leaves me sighing at the potential that isn't met. But what is here--all 26 minutes of it--pleases me a great deal. It has such sentimental value to me as I remember watching it as a kid back in probably 1989 on NBC.

As a kid I recall, and shared this with my children, actually watching this along with some of the content below, during the season in the library at school. It left an impression.

Included on the 30th Anniversary Edition are the following shorts:

Pluto's Christmas Tree ***/*****

Pluto contends with Chip and Dale as their misbehavior (my son asked me why they misbehaved and I told him they were just mischievous) in a tree cut from Mickey's yard gets on his nerves. I enjoyed it primarily because Pluto, the perennial pet dog of Mickey's, was left out of Christmas Carol and I enjoyed the animation. And Chip and Dale's provocation through the use of ornaments and candle soldiers to get Pluto riled up while Mickey is oblivious gives the dog plenty of reason to want to grab a hold of them. Much like Huey, Dewey, and Louie, Chip and Dale are often playful antagonists.

The Hockey Champ  ***½ / *****

Donald Duck has got serious hockey game, skating like a boss with hockey stick in hand but his three nephews have a problem with his cockiness, including dumping snow on them. A battle of attrition ensues. If you have watched enough Donald and Huey, Dewey, and Louis cartoons, you know the drill. This isn't tied to Christmas as much as winter, but seasonally it still feels right. I personally enjoyed this one because I love Donald Duck so much. His ordeal with a hockey puck (swallowing it and spitting back out) and his "snow beard" visual are funny.

Corn Chips **** / *****

Donald Duck just wants to enjoy some popcorn near his warm fireplace but Chip and Dale just can't help wanting some of the popcorn for themselves. This is basically the two parties contending for the popcorn, in and out of Donald's house during the winter. Again not necessarily a Christmas theme but the snowy winter season feels right for this time of year. How a burning tree started by Donald to get his popcorn back and how the chips of the title are used by Chip and Dale to create more popcorn, resulting in a yard full is an amusing conclusion. My son just loved this one and his joy translated to me. I always associate Huey, Dewey, and Louie with these sorts of cartoons but Chip and Dale make for fun outdoor irritants.

The Art of Skiing ****½ / *****

Along with narration for this 40s era animated short about his trials and tribulations involving learning how to ski at a resort, Goofy's hollar is introduced. And the yodeling had us (including my son and daughter) constantly giggling. Goofy's travail with skis when trying to put on his pants (and the narrator yelling at him to put the pants on along with ordering him to wake up!) and the slopes mistreating him due to his own clumsy and daredevil behavior are nothing but one chuckle after another. We love Goofy in our house, so he's always welcome.

Yodelberg ** / *****

I'm not high on this one. It reaches back in time during Mickey's early incarnation but applies computer animation and tells the story of how being loud can cause avalanche where Mickey, Minnie, and the Abominable Snowman live, some snowy mountainous setting. Nothing that I'm interested in animation-wise, with Spongbob stylized green snot and drool often shown leaving the face of the Yeti creature that agrees to chase and growl at Mickey quietly.

It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (1966) **** / *****

A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving (1973) **** / *****

My son was persistent in his desire to watch the Thanksgiving special along with a late viewing of It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown! I admit that I really regret not watching Great Pumpkin in October. I had all the intentions in the world to do so this year and for whatever reason it didn’t pan out. Not because there wasn’t time to do so but the motivation wasn’t there. And last year after October when I watched Great Pumpkin, I really enjoyed it when I watched it. There is just so much dedication to horror in October, giving Charlie Brown and the gang attention they rightfully deserve at the beginnings of November. A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, I had all intentions of watching after my family’s Thanksgiving get together as I did last year. It felt just right, you know? But my son had such an influence on the decision to watch it 11/5 instead of 20 days later in the month. I noticed Woodstock and Linus’ blanket were missing in Great Pumpkin when watching Brown Thanksgiving. Linus gets plenty of focus in Great Pumpkin, often either considered stupid for believing that some giant pumpkin would arrive Halloween night to deliver him gifts after he sent “it” a letter or waiting patiently in the pumpkin patch (as Sally, always smitten with him, waits by his side until she realizes it is all for naught, losing out on candy and the Peanuts party) until “it” reaches out to greet him. In both specials bullying Lucy still teases Brown with “kick the football”, with the expected whiff (due to her moving it, the meanie) and hard fall after a long flight in the air. Neither special has Lucy as therapist behind her counter charging for advice, though. Charlie Brown can’t undo Peppermint Patty’s intrusion on his Thanksgiving holiday but he does, for the most part, avoid her at the Halloween Party. You do have the back of Chuck’s head serving as a prop to determine how to shape the face of a party pumpkin, much to his chagrin. Linus hopping through raked leaves also once again undoes Charlie Brown’s hard work. 

And before Sally can even finish her Halloween Candy, Thanksgiving is here! Peppermint Patty’s inability to shut up leaves poor Chuck trying to tell her he’s going to his grandma’s (condominium), failing miserably. He just can’t get in a word edgewise, so Thanksgiving X 2 commences. Snoopy’s imagination runs wild during Halloween, once again on his doghouse “in flight” as if a fighter pilot dodging bullets. But during Thanksgiving, Snoopy and Woodstock prepare for the “first dinner”, ultimately not exactly providing the kind of seasonal feast Peppermint Patty was expecting. Patty’s crush on Chuck is in full swing as Sally’s was during Halloween. These specials don’t overstay their welcome (if anything, they don’t last long enough) and offer little humorous moments here and there that really exemplify the holidays they inhabit. I just love Peanuts and I am happy my son does, too.