One of the lesser-known Rankin-Bass specials, from 1985. I didn't see it until the late 90's, but quickly fell in love with because of the faerie elements. It's based on a book by L. Frank Baum, which I have never read, but would like to. According to various internet sources that may or may not be correct, this was the last stop-motion Rankin-Bass specials AND the only one without a narrator.
Tingler, a sound nymph, is talking to the Great Ak. Both of them are impressive figures-- they don't look animated at all; they just look like dolls. Which I guess is what they are. Another lady arrives on the scene, and we're told that what's happening, basically, is that the immortals are gathering because tonight will be Santa's last sleigh ride. In other words, Santa's about to kick the bucket. The Great Ak is pitching the idea that Santa be granted immortality. Ladies and gentlemen, your frame story.
So, we flashback to Santa's origins: the Great Ak found a baby in the woods and took it to a lioness to take care of. Kind of like in The Jungle Book. Then one of the faeries, who has awesome turquoise hair and I totally want a doll of her, takes an interest in the child. There's weird editing here where it's hard to tell what's in the frame story and what's in the flashback as the Great Ak is talking--singing, actually-- about immortals and how they were always as they are now, so babies are a foreign concept. The faerie takes custody of the baby, over the lioness's protests. She names him Claus.
There's a not-impressive song with a montage of Claus growing up, though he doesn't appear to be an adult, maybe right around pubescent. The Great Ak tells him he needs to go into the world, because he's a man now. Claus doesn't know what a man is. His faerie mom also teaches him the word "mother", and it's a sweet, if awkward, moment. Also, when this was recorded, it was 47 degrees.
Claus is soaring with the Great Ak to see what's up with the world. They're invisible to all the other mortals. Claus watches some orphans being abused while picking turnips, and then the rich guy bitching about the tur'nip thief and another scamp who wants to le'\arn to read. The horror! Claus is like, WTF? I don't like this world, let's go home." He tells the Great Ak he doesn't want to be mortal, and the Great Ak is like, "um, tough shit." Next up on the tour: some kids training to be samurai, then some homeless orphans begging in the street. Finally, some men at war, fighting amongst themselves for what are known as "causes." Needless to say, Claus is not thrilled with what he's learned about manhood today. But, instead of going back to the woods and hiding under a rock for the rest of his life, as I would be tempted to do, he sets off back into the world, in hopes of making a difference. Tingler accompanies him, as does the lioness. Another montage of Claus aging into a middle-aged man. He appears to be living in cabin, still with Tingler and the lioness, now with the addition of a little black cat named Blinky. One night, a little orphan boy collapses in the snow right outside, so they bring him in to warm up. While he's asleep, Claus carves him a wooden cat that resembles Blinky. Apparently this is the world's first toy. The other orphans are so smitten by the wooden kitty that they sing what seems like a reeeeaaaaaallllllly long song about it, mainly because they keep repeating the same words over and over: "We wanna wake up to a big surprise, a little wooden cat with yellow green eyes..." Which of course leads me to wonder, what if that was the only toy Santa ever learned to make? What if we all got wooden cats for Christmas, every year?
Fortunately, that doesn't happen, and in the next scene, Claus and Tingler and several faerie helpers are hard at work making different toys, when they get a threat thrown through the window from the Agwas. Agwas are sort of vaguely defined scary beings. They make children misbehave. Kind of like the Bad Idea Bears. And they don't want children to have toys. So they keep stealing the toys. But Claus is going to keep making them.
The Great Ak has a confrontation with the Agwas, and they're like, "Whatever, we don't care what you say," so Great Ak goes and gets his axe. And the King of the Agwas is like, "Go forth, Great Dragon, and INCINERATE THEM." Except that's actually what he says, and there really is a dragon. All of this over not wanting children to have toys! Of course, the dragon can't really incinerate the immortals, because, immortal. Yeah. The Agwas are defeated.
So Claus has loaded a bunch of toys onto a sled, but it's too heavy for him to pull. Any guesses as to what the solution might be? Anyone? Yep, REINDEER. It's not explained how they can fly. They get to a house, and it's locked, so what's Claus to do? Yep, chimney. And when he sees stockings hung by the fireplace to dry, why not use that as a place to put surprises? Why not indeed. So simple, so logical. The family knows just where the toys came from, because Claus, now earning the reputation of "Saint," is the only person in the world who can make toys.
The immortal who's in charge of the reindeer agrees that Claus can use them one night a year. And the only reason he has enough toys when the next Christmas (where they came up with that word isn't really discussed-- this special probably pisses Conservatives off) comes around is because they are magically able to recover the toys the Agwas stole.
Back to the frame, where the immortals unanimously decide that Santa is worthy of the mantle of immortality. They bestow it upon him, which looks exactly like placing a glowing blanket over him while he sleeps. But then we see Santa thank the Great Ak
and declare, In all this world there is nothing so beautiful as a happy child.
Visuals: 4 out of 5
Spirit: 3 out of 5
Nostalgia: 2 out of 5
Humor: 1 out of 5
Music: 2 out of 5
Overall: 3 out of 5
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