EightBallMag

12 Days of Christmas Movies

By Josh Aaron

Happy Holidays! Christmas time is here and to celebrate, here are 12 wintery animated short films, in no particular order, for your viewing pleasure, one for each of the 12 days of Christmas!

**Somewhere in Dreamland (1936) Dir. Max, Dave & Dawn Fleischer

Kicking off the 12 days of Christmas is the first Fleischer short to be filmed in three-strip Technicolor. The ninth short of 36 in Max Fleischer’s Color Classics series of shorts, which were a competitor to Walt Disney’s Silly Symphonies, Somewhere In Dreamland is a beautifully animated nine-minute work set during the contemporary Great Depression. It follows two very young destitute siblings as they meet each other in a dream world where they can have all the nice clothes, candies, treats, and warm beds they wish for when they’re awake. These tear-jerking nine minutes display exactly why Fleischer Studios is the reigning pioneer of animation.

Christmas Comes But Once a Year (1936) Dir. Max & Dave Fleischer & Seymour Kneitel

This second entry is also a Fleischer short, as this list is full of them. Also a part of the Color Classics series, the 15th, this cartoon stars Professor Grampy from Fleischer Studios’ famous Betty Boop series, in his only appearance without Betty. Here, he happens across a deeply impoverished orphanage and decides to bring Christmas cheer to the poor children in a way only Fleischer Studios could dream up while containing a catchy original Christmas tune.

Jack Frost (1934) Dir. Ub Iwerks

The 10th short in animation legend Ub Iwerks’ ComiColor cartoon series, this is the first entry on this list not to be animated in Technicolor. Instead, Iwerks worked with two-strip CineColor to bring this charming short to life. Following a little bear cub as he disobeys his parents and consequently encounters peril in the woods, it’s easy to see the impact a short like this has had on many modern animators, especially seen in shows like Over the Garden Wall, which also dedicated an entire episode to homaging Somewhere In Dreamland.

Rudolph, The Red-Nosed Reindeer (1948), Dir. Max Fleischer

Preceding the song, the ‘64 Rankin & Bass stop-motion film, and the 1998 animated feature, there isn’t much more that can be said about such an iconic piece of animation and history. Fleischer Studios’ beautiful use of their own marvelous stereoptical process invention is at its best here since the Superman series of shorts from 5 years prior.

Frosty the Snowman (1969) Dir. Arthur Rankin Jr. & Jules Bass

Another majorly iconic entry on this list, and another Rankin & Bass Productions Christmas classic since their stop-motion Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer film, it’s doubtless that if you should ask every child, or adult, for that matter, to name a character they associate with Christmas, what you’d hear is: Santa, Rudolph, and Frosty. Trying 2D cel animation for their second major Christmas film, cutting down the runtime by half, and securing Jimmy Durante to narrate, it goes without saying that Rankin & Bass succeeded on every front with this excellent entry in their filmography.

The Night before Christmas (1941) Dir. William Hanna & Joseph Barbera

The only Hanna-Barbera short on this list, produced for MGM Cartoons, this short follows Tom & Jerry’s usual cat-and-mouse formula but with holiday-themed hijinks this time around. While the character cel animation is lacking in this short, especially when compared to some of the other incredible Tom & Jerry character animation cycles, the background art and still oil backdrops are atmospheric and gorgeous. It’s easy to see why this short was contending with the likes of animated monsters like Superman, also known as The Mad Scientist, for the 1941 Academy Award.

**The Shanty Where Santy Claus Lives (1933) Dir. Rudolph Ising

A wonderful little Merrie Melodies short, which was the companion series to Warner Bros. Pictures’ famous Looney Tunes series, this is one of the two black-and-white entries on this list. Making use of the same contemporary Great Depression setting as Somewhere In Dreamland and Christmas Comes But Once a Year, Ising directs a sweet narrative of Santa Claus seeking shelter from a storm in the small shantytown home of a poor, lonely little boy, and bringing him unexpected holiday cheer.

Hector’s Hectic Life (1948) Dir. Bill Tytla

With the acquisition of Fleischer Studios by Paramount Pictures, Paramount would subsequently rechristen the well-known animation powerhouse into Famous Studios, the first animation division of Paramount Pictures. Famous Studios acquired the three biggest Fleischer series at the time Popeye the Sailor, Superman, and Screen Songs. Famous would go on to produce Little Audrey, Little Lulu, and Casper the Friendly Ghost, among others. This Famous Studios short by Fleischer alum Bill Tytla shows that Fleischer’s spirit is still hard at work, even if the studio wasn’t called “Fleischer” anymore. An adorable short about a dog, some puppies, and a Christmas miracle, it’s beautifully animated and makes for easy holiday viewing.

Santa’s Workshop (1932) Dir. Wilfred Jackson

A Silly Symphonies entry for a change from Walt Disney, this short is the first in its series to use RCA’s Photophone sound-image synchronization system. Taking place before Christmas, the film depicts how Santa and his elves prepare for the big day, and how they work to make one forgotten little girl’s Christmas “twice as nice”. This short film also spawned a sequel, titled Santa’s Toys, also known as The Night Before Christmas, like the Hanna-Barbera short, released a year later.

Seasin’s Greetinks! (1933) Dir. Dave Fleischer

The second black-and-white entry, the fourth Popeye the Sailor cartoon ever made, and still under the banner of Fleischer Studios, this short also still features Billy Costello as the voice of Popeye, while most now recognize only Jack Mercer’s unique timbre. Being the first Christmas-themed Popeye the Sailor short, it brings nonstop fun throughout its nine-minute runtime, with all the unique and creative visual gags that the Popeye series is known for while being wonderfully animated and hilariously voiced.

Snow Foolin’ (1949) Dir. Isadore Sparber

A unique entry on this list as the only short from the Fleischer-Famous/Paramount series of Screen Songs shorts, this fun film shows how various animals get ready for winter, with an entire forest celebrating in Christmas cheer, and enjoying a variety of wintery sports, Utilising the well-known Fleischer Studios invention of follow-the-bouncing-ball lyrics on the screen, the audience can sing along with the characters in an animated rendition of the familiar holiday “Jingle Bells” tune. It’s definitely worth noting that this short is directed by Fleischer Superman alum, Isadore Sparber.

A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965) Dir. Bill Melendez

When it comes to “iconic” and “Christmas”, it doesn’t get much better a combination of the two than this animated “Peanuts” classic. Always presented during the holiday season by one channel or another in the United States, turning on the TV and watching it through, commercials and all, is still a Christmas tradition for many, even in the age of streaming. Sponsored by The Coca-Cola Company, and featuring a heavyweight for the gorgeous soundtrack in Vince Guaraldi, this fantastically animated short is beloved for its solid story, perfect pacing, and tight writing, along with equally charming voice acting from actual child actors.

**For cultural and historical significance, these shorts have been preserved in their original conditions, and this includes two shorts displaying unfortunate and unsavory period-typical bigotry. The scenes in these two shorts, while brief, are otherwise wonderful pieces of animation history, and can be uncomfortable for many.