A Cute Cavalcade of Classic Christmas Cartoons Review

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(More customer reviews)Because this DVD title kept popping up in my "recommended" list I decided to take a chance and purchased it without really knowing anything about it except that the cartoons were - as the cover states - "from the 1930's, 40's & 50's". The menu set-up, which I like, allows you to watch all the cartoons continuously without interruption or (what I chose) brings you back to the menu each time a cartoon ends. What's also nice is that the year the cartoon was made is listed along with the title which really puts things in perspective when watching them. The first cartoon, "Jack Frost", kind of sets the stage for what you'll be seeing: and that is almost all the characters (animal or human) have the big round saucer eyes and everybody's head bobs up and down - even when they're standing still (Think 'Steamboat Wille'). While "Jack Frost" and some of the others aren't even Christmas themed (more like WINTER themed) they do hold a certain charm. And at a running time of 6 to 10 minutes for each cartoon, you can watch a few and then go back later and watch a few more when you have time. I was pleasantly surprised to see a few Max Fleischer cartoons included which are easily the best of the bunch. One, titled "I'll See You In My Dreams", about a dirt-poor brother & sister who dream of a better life (a common theme with a majority of the cartoons) is beautifully done and comes the closest to being a tearjerker. Another, about an orphanage and an inventor who comes to the rescue playing Santa Claus, has an almost breathtaking scene toward the end when "Santa" makes a Christmas tree out of umbrellas and everybody dances around. (This cartoon seemed very familiar and then I realized it's a longer version of the cartoon shown on Pee-Wee's Playhouse Christmas Special.) There's also a Fleischer version of "Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer" which I was disappointed to see included only because I spent extra money last month purchasing the Special Edition of "A Christmas Carol" (1951 version starring Alastair Sim) specifically because it included that cartoon as a bonus. Oh well, so now I have it twice. The entire disc is just about 90 minutes and while they ARE cartoons, I'm not sure if they will have much of an appeal to children. There are a lot of VERY depressing & scary scenes. The first cartoon alone - which focuses on a bear cub - includes: the mama bear spanking the cub; a sinister looking & sounding Old Man Winter chasing the cub through the forest and trapping him in a log; the cub, while seeking shelter, getting physically kicked out of other animals' houses. Would a 5 or 6 year old raised on Rugrats cartoons find some of those scenes a little scary or disturbing? Probably. Teenagers, on the other hand, will most likely find all the cartoons on this DVD boring which leaves adults, like myself, the only people who can really appreciate all these titles. While the cartoons, themselves, are not the best ever and some are obviously not digitally re-mastered (yellow tint on about 1/4 - mono audio on all of them) with a pretty affordable price it will make a nice edition to a Christmas DVD collection.

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