Premiering with A Garfield Christmas Special in 1987, Will Vinton’s Claymation Christmas Celebration is another underrated gem of a television special. My home video (again, thanks Dad) must have been recorded the night both premiered as they are back-to-back on the tape, still including those fabulous ‘80s Christmas commercials.
Before stop motion made a quasi-comeback with Henry Selick’s The Nightmare Before Christmas, the ‘80s was replete with advertising and merchandise by Will Vinton’s clay animation (Claymation), most prominently with the success of his “group” The California Raisins, who famously sang Marvin Gaye’s “I Heard it through the Grapevine.”
Vinton was an Academy and Emmy Award-winning animator who came to fame with when his Raisins began promoting Sun-Maid. Though largely forgotten now, Vinton created brilliant ad campaigns and, in some ways, his creations were perfect for a Christmas special, in some ways echoing the stop-motion folks classics from the Rankin-Bass group (Santa Claus is Coming to Town, etc.)
Claymation Christmas is a delight—full of music, comedy, and (of course) a special performance of “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” by those anthropomorphic shriveled grapes. The special is hosted by two dinosaurs—Rex, a serious emcee who is continually annoyed by his co-host Herb, who wants nothing more than to eat his way through the holidays. This begins a running gag in which Herb refuses to believe the lyrics to the famous carol is “Here We Come A-wassailing” as different karts of holiday food arrive in the town square with characters singing variations: “Here We Come a-” “Waffling” (dogs peddling waffles), “Waddling” (geese bringing in goody baskets), and “Wallowing” (pigs with fruit). Herb’s shenanigans aside, Rex tries to keep calm and collected as he introduces a bevy of musical numbers that are, each in their own right, classic.
My personal favorite is the rendition of “We Three Kings.” Each Magi (traditionally named Balthazar, Caspar, and Melchior) sings his verse (with the corresponding gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh) in reverent, staid fashion only to be interrupted by a doo-wop singing trio of their camels jazzing up the number on the chorus. While the jazz riff is funny, the animation of the verses is respectful and even brings an air of mystery to the nativity story.
Perhaps the funniest sketch involves a performance of “Carol of the Bells” played by a self-clapping orchestra of “bells” all under the baton of Quasimodo, for some reason, at the Notre Dame cathedral. One bell is just not paying attention, smacking himself at the wrong time trying to swat a fly, trying to steal another bell’s mallet when he discards his. Quasimodo gets progressively frustrated at the fledgling musician. As the rogue bell is the last note of the piece, the hunchback takes matters into his own hands and rings him with a slingshot before he takes his bow.
While specials today may be wall-to-wall comedy with little in the way of the spirit of the holiday, this special takes its time and presents some songs straight, rendering moving graphics at the same time. “O Christmas Tree” is a particular delight. We begin with two children marveling at their tree. As we zoom in on one of their ornaments, we begin an odyssey into various adornments that bring us into several living rooms— scenes of families preparing for and sharing at Christmastime.
I wonder if kids today have the attention span for some of these more reserved segments. I remember trying to show The Muppet Christmas Carol to a class of sixth graders in the mid-2010s to which they responded, “This is ancient!” Ah, well. Times change. What was fur and clay has become digital and doofy. What can you do?
Another reverent segment is a tribute to African American worship with a version of “Joy to the World.” This segment, while beautifully drawn, is not Claymation, but shifting panels of stained-glass images exquisitely celebrating family, children, and the central story of Christmas. I remember being awed by these segments as much as delighted by the funny ones.
As a child, my parents turned the living room and den into holiday wonderlands. Almost every surface was covered with decorations, both religious and secular. I would spend hours in the den, lit only by decorations, dazzled by the effect. There’s something of that feeling in the more tender moments which, of course, evens out the comical ones.
Two more funny segments remain: “Angels We Have Heard on High” is an instrumental in which a couple of walruses perform an ice ballet to the chagrin of a group of penguins who keep getting bruised up in the process. Finally, of course, the Raisins perform their own version of “Rudolph.” Legendary singer/drummer Buddy Miles, who played for Jimi Hendrix and Carlos Santana, was the lead singer of the Raisins, whose Motown-style are always a pleasure to listen to and watch. “Hey, Rudolph—come on and guide my sleigh” they riff as they create a makeshift Santa sleigh to rise to the skies and get home for the holidays.
The true meaning of “wassailing” is finally revealed to Herb, who has gained fifty pounds in the result of the 22-minute special gorging himself and the special ends with the Claymation critters in the square singing, “We Wish You a Merry Christmas.”
While never as popular as Charlie Brown or Garfield, Vinton’s animation holds up and creates a special with many moods—all of which are pleasant, tuneful, and fun. As with Garfield, you can find the special on Youtube. Give it a shot—and get ready for two more recommendations as we continue in the holiday season!
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