Woodyanders Cynical intellectual little boy mouse Albert doesn't believe in Santa Claus, so he writes and sends a nasty insulting letter to stop St. Nick from coming to his town. Meanwhile, kindly clockmaker Joshua Trundle devises a way to persuade Kris Kringle to still make his annual visit. This extremely warm and tender-hearted vintage 70's TV yuletide special from the always dependable Jules Bass and Arthur Rankin, Jr. never fails to move me to tears whenever I see it. There's an irresistible appeal to the endearing characters, engagingly simple story, rather crude, but colorful animation, zippy pace, and charming central message about the need to believe in myths even if they defy common rational logic that makes this program inspired by Clement Moore's classic poem "A Visit from St. Nicholas" a total joy to watch. Moreover, the cast voice their roles with great infectious aplomb: Joel Grey as Joshua Trundle, Tammy Grimes as Albert, John McGiver as the hilariously pompous mayor with a penchant for fancy ten dollar words, and George Gobel as the wise Father Mouse are all wonderful. Kudos are also in order for the marvelously catchy and jaunty score by Maury Laws; "Even a Miracle Needs a Hand" in particular stands out as a delightfully warm and uplifting song. A real sparkling gem.

lordzedd-3 Rankin and Bass does it again. The music is what makes this special truly special. Rankin and Bass make some of the best musical specials ever in the history of Television and 'Twas The Night Before Chrismtas is no exception. It's fun, it's heartwarming, it's everything you would expect from a holiday special. But it's not perfect, I think I should note some major goofs in the animation. The reindeer mainly, the ears are too round, they look more like reinmice then reindeer and the sleigh bells are too large. I mean these are huge bells. Too big. But other then that it does a great job in entertaining and teaching a message about keeping an open mind to the unknown. 9 STARS to a true classic.

MovieGod1 This is quite possibly the best Rankin/Bass Christmas movie ever! I am so upset that this is rarely on TV anymore and I have yet to find it on DVD or even VHS! Great songs, great characters, wonderful story....this has it all. The previous commenter was right when he said that this movie makes you feel good after you watch it. This should be a new TNT holiday classic! What's not to love? A smart alack mouse thinks he knows so much that he believes Santa does not exist. Unfortunately, he believes this so much that he writes a letter to a newspaper expressing such. This causes Santa to cross the whole town off his list. Enter Joshua Trundle, the local clockmaker. He builds a clock that, on the stoke on midnight, plays "Christmastime is Calling, Santa, Santa...."(great song, by the way). Well, the smart alack mouse breaks the clock so it won't work. Blah, blah, blah, mouse gets taught about Christmas and Santa, fixes the clock while singing "Even a miracle needs a hand"(another great song). Santa returns and all is well. They even end the movie with the cartoon animated to a reading of "T'was the night before Christmas" What a great Freakin' Christmas Movie!!!!

timmauk I have always loved this cute little cartoon. So this isn't the best drawn cartoon, but it has a nice story and wonderful songs. Christmas is my favourite time of year. Full of giving, laughing, and seeing people acting kind to one another, even if it is just once a year. Rudolph and Frosty already had songs about them that really help build stories around their cartoons. This one was fresh and inventive. BELIEVING, even when common sense tells you not to. Closely tied to another classic at this time, Miracle On 34th Street. So pour a cup of nog, cuddle up under your blanket, and turn on the telly. Now all together...."Christmas bells are ringing Santa, Santa..Every heart repeating Santa, Santa...."