Okay, time for something lighthearted. One of the first Christmas specials I can remember watching. Two dinosaurs hosting segments that depict different Christmas songs-- and this special has permanently affected how I think of a lot of these songs.
A group of dogs stroll by the two dinos singing "Here we come a-waffling." The T-Rex in a tux (the straightman of the two dinos) tells them it's supposed to be "wassailing" but doesn't know what that means.
First song: "We Three Kings", in which each king gets his verse and the camels sing the chorus, jazzing it up considerably.
The non-t-rex dinosaur is still obsessing over waffles as it's time to introduce "Carol of the Bells," as performed by a bunch of living bells who ring by hitting themselves in the head with mallets, under the conduction of Quasimodo. I don't know why. One bell is not quite cooperating. He throws his mallet out for some reason, so Quasimodo ends the song by hitting him with a slingshot.
Commercial for My First Sony. Hi, old tape from the 80's.
Next up: "O Christmas Tree." But not before some ducks sing "Here we come a-waddling." This was very amusing when I was five, I swear! "O Christmas Tree" shows some kids decorating their tree, and one of their ornaments provides a glimpse into a family of gingerbread people, and their tree shows us Santa's workshop. Good Claymation effects in this one. Remember when there was no CGI? The workshop tree shows us Santa himself, and then we are back where we started.
Next: "Angels We Have Heard on High"-- only, just the instrumentals of it, accompanying an interpretative ice ballet by two walruses. Cute but very random.
Some pigs come "a-wallowing." See, it's a running gag thing. The dinos introduce "Joy to the World," saying it was penned by a fifteen-year-old boy. This special is surprisingly educational. I always found the "Joy to the World" segment kind of boring, it's just painted images that move to the music, but it is impressive animation.
The T-Rex is getting very frustrated that no one will accept that "wassail" is the correct term. Time for a cameo from some famous claymation characters: the California Raisins. Singing "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer." While waiting for a cab, or something. One minute they're laughing and ribbing each other like a group of young musicians might be expected to, then they're singing "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer." The number ends with the raisins taking flight. Oooookkkk.
T-Rex is still having a meltdown. Finally, a group of elves show up singing the song correctly. They explain that wassailing means going around the neighborhood, singing Christmas carols, and receiving drinks. Everyone joins in to sing the song together, and sing it correctly. By the end of the special, the non-T-Rex dino has grown extraordinarily fat, which just seems unnecessary and dumb.
Some things from your childhood always stay good and fresh. This is not one of them. Some of the songs are good, but the dinos are stupid.
Visuals: 3 out of 5
Spirit: 3 out of 5
Nostalgia: 4 out of 5
Humor: 1 out of 5
Music: 4 out of 5
Overall: 3 out of 5
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