The Year Without a Santa Claus (1974)

This review is for Movie Rob’s December 2023 genre grandeur of animated Christmas movies!

In 1974, Rankin and Bass, made one of their final true classic animagic TV specials, The Year Without A Santa Claus.

The premise is actually based on a 1956 children’s storybook of the same name by Phyllis McGinley. Amazingly, a title song did not exist prior to the special, and one was created specifically for it. It does however, incorporate the pre-existing songs of “Blue Christmas” and “Here Comes Santa Claus”.

The plot of this special is all based on Santa (voiced once again by Mickey Rooney after he voiced Santa in 1970’s Santa Claus is Comin to Town) having a cold, and not wanting to take his big trip at Christmas! He doesn’t feel concerned about about missing the trip either, as he feels the world, particularly kids, do not care about him anymore. After Mrs. Claus (Shirley Booth in her final role) realizes she can’t take Santa’s place, as she would be recognized, she sends elves Jingle and Jangle out on a quest to a town called Southtown, with Vixen, to see just how much people do or do not care if Santa takes a holiday.

Although Santa, the elves, and the boy they meet on their quest in Southtown, Iggy, are all fun characters, the real highlight are the Miser Brothers: Snow Miser and Heat Miser. They sing the most memorable songs and are just so charming!!! I personally adore their backup dancers and lairs with their thrones.

Growing up this was one of my mom’s favorite Christmas specials she remembers watching on TV as it premiered, as she was 9 when it first aired. (Her all time favorite is Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer 1964, but that premiered on TV the year before she was born).

In my life, I was introduced to this special kind of later in my childhood, maybe when I was like 8 or 9, because of the lack of home video and broadcast scarcity. When we finally found it on DVD, my Mom was so excited, as if she was watching it for the first time!!

As far as Rankin/ Bass specials go, one could argue this is the last real classic Christmas special. Rudolph’s Shiny New Year debuted in 1976, however it’s almost rare as it (understandably) wasn’t on heavy TV rotation or as common on VHS like Rudolph 1964 and Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town. 1979 saw the R/B team reunite with Mickey Rooney in Rudolph and Frosty’s Christmas in July. Rooney played Santa for the final time in 2008’s Miser Brother’s Christmas, although R/B was not involved.

NO. Not my Miser Brothers!

I always thought it was cool to see Frosty in the animagic style for Christmas in July, but was very unimpressed with the 2008 special. Even as a 12 year old, I just could not latch onto it they way it did with the original and I’ve dismissed it ever since. The puppets were completely redesigned, which is understandable if they were lost, BUT they were not even made to resemble the originals. The complete redesigns took the real magic away from the the brothers, and the plot was too generic and unoriginal.

For me, and I’m sure many others, The Year Without a Santa Claus is in the same camp as 1964’s Rudolph and 1970’s Comin’ to Town. It has the magic of the puppets, the sentimentality, and the all round cuteness that makes you believe in that legit Christmas magic. Have a very Merry Christmas and remember, “You’re too much!”