Unknown Specials Christmas Countdown #3: A Christmas stop motion not made by Rankin/Bass? *Gasp*

You’ve probably heard of Jack Frost (1979), Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964), The Little Drummer Boy (1968), and The Year Without a Santa Claus (1974), but how about a stop motion Christmas special not made by Rankin/Bass?

Heat Miser (left) and Snow Miser (right), from The Year Without a Santa Claus (1974).

Yes, turns out they don’t have a monopoly, as shown by Will Vinton’s award-winning A Claymation Christmas Celebration (1987). Made of several shorts with two dinosaur hosts introducing each scene based on different classic Christmas songs, which range from the hilarious to the hypnotizing. Vinton even uses his influence to do "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" with the California Raisins.  Also, the “Joy to the World” piece impresses me every time with its unique Southern Baptist influence and trippy 2-D animation. Enjoyable and varied, you’re bound to like at least one of the shorts.

The hosts of the show.  Said by some to be based on Siskel and Ebert.

Rozlynd (Twitter @QLeeches)