A Christmas Plotz/Little Drummer Warners (Animaniacs Vol 2 Part 24) - 'Toon Reviews 22

If you like this review and want to stay updated for what else I have in store, become a follower of this blog, click here to like the official Facebook page, and click here to follow me on Twitter. Now on with today's review:

Episode 49

A Christmas Plotz

Personally, I think it’s a wonderful circumstance that the last two episodes on this DVD are all about Christmas.  In a show like this, one would expect exceptional material for such a popular holiday.  Well, everything in these two episodes includes some of the most exciting Christmas works ever. 

This episode opens with the show’s attempt at adapting A Christmas Carol.  Once before, I brought up that adaptations of this story are very commonplace to media.  The thing is that when it comes to the general story, the adaptations feel similar in setup.  For that, it’s great that this adaptation puts its own spin on the familiar story becoming a thrilling, hilarious, yuletide experience. 

Now, Thaddeus Plotz has always been a greedy and unpleasant CEO, so he’s the perfect Ebenezer Scrooge.  Likewise, Ralph being loyal to his guard job fits him into the role of Bob Cratchet.  Even if Ralph does frequently try to catch the stars of the show, there’s awareness that he’s still a good character worthy of a sympathetic role.  His sympathy really shows when Plotz harshly fires him for being unable to control the Warners all year. 

It’s after this when the cartoon truly impresses as a Christmas Carol adaptation mostly through the ghosts.  The Marley ghost, played by Slappy Squirrel, briefly tells Plotz of the three ghosts coming and leaves demanding money.  As for the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future, they’re each portrayed by a Warner sibling who bring incredibly entertaining versatile approaches to the roles.  Wakko represents Christmas Past and presents a home movie of how Plotz has been greedy for life.  The Ghost of Christmas Present is represented by Dot who comes out of an actual present and firmly shows him what his greed is doing to others.  This brings an interesting look at Ralph’s home life.  Even after getting fired, he’s still a happy loving family man living in a trailer with his equally dumb wife and self-aware son. 

These ghost moments are great, but the third one is the most impactful with the biggest spins on expectations.  The Ghost of Christmas Future first appears as he would in most adaptations as a dark, threatening, Grim Reaper-like character.  Then all horror is dashed as the ghost reveals himself as Yakko who extravagantly leads Plotz into his future.  It comes with an elaborate musical number with a little hitting on chorus girls before Plotz sees what will happen if he doesn’t do something about his greed. 

It also spins expectations by seeming grim through a shot of a cemetery like in the original story.  The actual future here isn’t nearly as drastic, but it is very much a nightmare for Plotz. He now has to catch the Warners while Ralph’s son, who vowed to get even with him, runs the studio.  It’s pretty emotional through how it suggests that maybe Plotz is the way he is to make a good living for himself and not be stuck doing work he dreads the most.  It says a lot about his attitude and makes him relatable. 

Nevertheless, in keeping with the spirit of A Christmas Carol, Plotz grows from his ghostly visits and brings a festive holiday to Ralph’s family and gives Ralph his job back.  However, since a part of his acts are also to not have Ralph’s son ever take over the studio, it’s fitting that the cartoon ends with Plotz crushed by a giant fruitcake.  He’ll apparently be out by Easter though. 

As a Christmas Carol adaptation, this is ingeniously staged with clever twists to the usual events.  On its own, it’s incredibly impressive with top-notch music, comedy, and characterization.  It’s a top-tier work that gives strong positive first impressions to this show’s take on Christmas.

A++

Little Drummer Warners

With how commercial Christmas has become, you don’t see much mainstream attention to the holiday’s origins.  This involves media where most Christmas movies and specials are very secular.  You’d be really hard pressed to find a special devoted to the religious side of Christmas.  To be fair, it’s somewhat understandable as to why this is the case since not all audience members follow those specific religious beliefs.  Still, any work devoted to how Christmas came to be is welcome.  This is why it’s great that this show has this cartoon to cover this topic. 

Many key religious elements are on display. There’s Baby Jesus in a manger tended to by the Virgin Mary and Joseph, three kings of the Orient bearing gifts while being guided to him by a star.  All these aspects suggest that a lot of care and respect has gone into showing what Christmas is built upon.  However, the respect is fully proven through how the story is told. 

Actual dialog is at a huge minimum and is instead told through the playing of religious carols.  Not only does the general song selection fit the atmosphere, but mostly being sung by children brings a purity and warmth to the tone.  It’s very fitting for the birth of the son of God, a leading cause of faith for many, at least for those following this particular religion. 

Now, amid the genuine effort to be respectful to the religious setup, the Warners are featured.  You might think that these comedy-driven characters would disrupt the sentimental tone of what’s being told.  While they do stick to their usual light-heartedness, it’s quite subdued and they fit in.  It’s impressive that they follow the star to the manger and look over Baby Jesus perfectly in time with the gentle performance of the carols.  This shows that even wild ones can be won over by the grace of God. 

Speaking of which, the Warners presence brings an interesting way of showing Christmas’ message of generosity.  It comes with an ensemble performance with the three kings presenting their gifts of one last carol, “Little Drummer Boy.”  If you’re familiar with the song, it’s not hard to figure out that the Warners become moved by the kings’ gestures to offer Jesus a gift, but all they have is song on a drum. 

Now, this is the moment that reminds us for all the respect to Christmas’ religious side, this cartoon is still of the Warners in this major story.  When permitted to play for Jesus, they shift the carol’s moving somber tone into an all-out jazz cover which tends to get pretty wild.  Some might not find it appropriate for the story or the established atmosphere.  For me, considering that there have been plenty jazz and rock covers of religious Christmas songs over the years, there isn’t much wrong with this.  The Warners even keep to the meaning of the actual song without making the lyrics ridiculous.  It’s clear that their performance is all in the name of fun only zany cartoon characters like them can bring, but it feels as generous as ever.  Baby Jesus smiling at them as the last part of the song becomes gentle and moving again proves the endearment of their gesture. 

This religious Christmas work is an impressive achievement of this show with clear respect to the holiday’s origins while making the Warners’ chief cartoonish nature work.  For how rarely this topic is used as the main focus of a Christmas special, I applaud this show for pulling it off so well.

A+

Cartoon Ranking

1. Chairman of the Bored
2. A Christmas Plotz
3. Hot Bothered and Bedeviled
4. Bubba Bo Bob Brain
5. Baghdad Café
6. In the Garden of Mindy
7. Video Review
8. Critical Condition
9. O Silly Mio
10. Phranken-Runt
11. Puppet Rulers
12. The Three Muska-Warners
13. Clown and Out
14. Mobster Mash
15. Little Drummer Warners
16. …And Justice for Slappy
17. Jockey For Position
18. Sir Yaksalot
19. Potty Emergency
20. Turkey Jerky
21. Survey Ladies
22. General Boo-Regard
23. Puttin’ on the Blitz
24. Raging Bird
25. Windsor Hassle
26. Of Nice and Men
27. Wild Blue Yonder
28. Dough Dough Boys
29. The Big Kiss
30. Draculee Draculaa
31. Babblin’ Bijou
32. Fair Game
33. When Mice Ruled the Earth
34. No Place Like Homeless
35. I Got Yer Can
36. Spell-bound
37. Smitten With Kittens
38. Astro-Buttons
39. Boot Camping
40. Moby or Not Moby
41. The World Can Wait
42. Noah’s Lark
43. Skullhead Boneyhands
44. The Good, the Boo, and the Ugly
45. Hiccup
46. Icebreakers
47. Moon Over Minerva
48. Broadcast Nuisance
49. White Gloves
50. Katie Ka-Boo
51. Mesozoic Mindy
52. Hollywoodchuck
53. Kiki’s Kitten
54. Can’t Buy a Thrill
55. What a Dump

Miscellaneous Ranking

1. Animaniacs Stew
2. Testimonials
3. Buttermilk It Makes a Body Bitter
4. Alas Poor Skullhead
5. Cartoons in Wakko’s Body
6. You Risk Your Life
7. Casablanca Opening
8. Carol Burnett Show Parody
9. Mary Tyler Dot
10. The Slapper
11. The Great Wakkorotti: The Summer Concert
12. Animator’s Alley
13. Useless Facts

Song Ranking

1. The Senses Song
2. Lake Titicaca
3. The Planets

The last Animaniacs review for this set is of another Christmas episode.  We got an ensemble cartoon in a take on 'Twas the Night Before Christmas, Chicken Boo as a department store Santa, a Great Wakkorotti holiday concert, and a fun cartoon of the Warners in a toy store.  There's even the return of a favorite song.

Next time on MC Toon Reviews, OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes serves "The Perfect Meal."

If you would like to check out other Animaniacs reviews on this blog, click here for the guide made especially for them.

'Toon Reviews 10: Rankin/Bass Christmas Specials Part 11: The Little Drummer Boy Book II

The Little Drummer Boy Book II

Told by Greer Garson

Original Airdate: December 13, 1976

Airs annually on AMC's Best Christmas Ever

Available on an internet-exclusive DVD set

Of all the specials Rankin/Bass decided to make sequels to, it’s hard to believe that The Little Drummer Boy would be one of them. The first special pretty much ended perfectly.  Jesus is born, Aaron is over his hatred of humanity, and there’s peace and goodwill on Earth.  This sequel still makes a good attempt to continue where the first special left off, quite literally, and it brings about something fine, but overall unspectacular. 

It’s basically a standard adventure tying into Jesus’ birth. Aaron joins one of the wise men, Melchior, to inform a man named Simeon of the newborn king, so he can use special silver bells to spread the word.  However, the bells are stolen by Roman tax collectors led by a man named Brutus, and now they all have to rescue them.  It’s a basic story idea in concept, and in execution, it’s mostly uneventful.  A big reason for this is how uninteresting the characters we follow are.  Melchior is just a wise character who follows along on the plan, though to be fair he does a lot more here than in the first special. Simeon has a somewhat engaging motive to use the bells to confirm his ridiculed prophesy of Jesus’ birth, but he’s just as uninteresting throughout the actual plot.  Then there’s Aaron himself.  He had a lot of depth in the first special regarding his deep hatred of humans following a traumatic experience at a young age. Since this is whole story is right after he receives enlightenment from playing his drum for Jesus, what made him engaging is no longer present.  There’s little that can be done with Aaron’s character at this point. He’s a standard little boy going along with these older men on the bell rescue mission with no prominent character traits for the audience to latch onto.  Even the rescue of the bells doesn’t have much to it.  They go to the tax collectors’ camp. Aaron tries to distract them with a drum performance. His animal friends sneak the bells out when no one’s looking. They all hide the bells. The tax collectors leave. The bells are safe.  Everything plays out as one would expect for the whole runtime and nothing stands out, making the rescue of the bells far too easy and anticlimactic. 

That said, there are at least a few memorable moments.  Brutus is an entertaining antagonist as he stops at nothing to get money for the emperor in an entertainingly energetic manner.  At the same time, he pities the world for being turned greedy by the existence of money and how people can’t simply get what they want by trading anymore. It's all shown through one of the most show-stopping musical numbers in a Rankin/Bass special, “Money, Money, Money.”  Basically, Brutus is easily the most interesting character in this special for his complexities on money and an interesting foil to Ben Haramed, a common greedy knave, from the first special.  There’s also some drama during the rescue mission. Just before Aaron’s animal friends sneak out the bells, the tax collectors take his drum and burn it to make a fire meant to melt the bells.  It’s this point where it’s easy to feel for Aaron the most.  Not only does the drum have major value for him since he used it to play for Jesus, but it’s the only thing he has left of his deceased parents.  To see it flat out destroyed during the rescue mission is one thing hard to expect going into the special.  For what it stood for, of course Aaron is broken up by the loss.  Though the issue is solved a bit too easily when he accepts a new drum from Simeon at the end of the special.  At least it’s still something impactful to remember.  Plus, when the bells are finally set up, the scene of people being led to Bethlehem to the song, “Do You Hear What I Hear?” is well constructed.  Many moments fit the lyrics perfectly and make for a strong finale.  The story is mostly unimpressive, but there are still enough good parts to it to make it worth watching.

Since the first special didn’t have much to continue, this sequel is among the weaker Rankin/Bass specials with an all-too basic cast and no interesting quirks to the story.  However, it’s made decent by an entertaining antagonist with an awesome song, and some good emotional and inspiring moments. If you’re a Little Drummer Boy fan, even if you most likely won’t like it as much as the first special, this is worth seeing out of interest.

Worth a Look

The Ranking

1. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
2. Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town
3. The Year Without a Santa Claus
4. Frosty the Snowman
5. The Little Drummer Boy
6. Rudolph’s Shiny New Year
7. The First Christmas: The Story of the First Christmas Snow
8. ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas
9. Frosty’s Winter Wonderland
10. The Little Drummer Boy Book II
11. Cricket on the Hearth

Be sure to stay tuned for the review of the next special, which is another religious-based Christmas special, and an original one at that, Nestor the Long-Eared Christmas Donkey.

If you would like to check out other Rankin/Bass special reviews on this blog, click here for the guide made especially for them.

'Toon Reviews 10: Rankin/Bass Christmas Specials Part 3: The Little Drummer Boy

The Little Drummer Boy

Told by Greer Garson

Sung by the Vienna Boys Choir

Original Airdate: December 19, 1968
Airs annually on Freeform’s 25 Days of Christmas

Widely available on DVD and Blu-ray

It’s rare to find a Christmas special devoted to its religious aspect.  Interestingly, Rankin/Bass has a few specials that cover the holiday’s origins. This special, based on a song about a boy who plays his drum as a gift for Baby Jesus, is the best-known of that kind.  It takes the basic idea of the song and turns it into a very impactful story with an effective play on the emotions. 

Much of this special’s power lies within the depths of the little drummer boy, Aaron.  He may seem like a typical little boy who loves to play his drum for his animal friends, Baba a lamb, Joshua a camel, and Samson a donkey, but hardships follow him wherever he goes.  The opening scene sells this idea when he’s captured by the greedy and flamboyant caravan king, Ben Haramed, and forced to join by playing his drum for the taxpayers.  It’s heavy enough that Aaron is forced into labor for a man who gets his pay dishonestly, but the special doesn’t just settle for that. Even darker elements lie within Aaron’s backstory.  It starts off happy as we see Aaron receive his drum from his parents and enjoying it immensely. Then it turns dark with no stops pulled when some time later, bandits invade and burn his home, and graphically murder his parents.  The daringness of getting this dark is impressive for showing that sometimes, horrifying moments can happen without notice. The big thing to take from all this is how these events leave a lasting impression on the now orphaned Aaron.  Unlike the dark shooting scene in Cricket on the Hearth which happened and was never mentioned again, Aaron’s backstory shapes his worldview for the special.  Because of this heinous act, he vows to hate all humans and spend his life traveling through the desert with animals.  The fact that he’s only a child sells the tragic feel of what Aaron is put through.  You can imagine the painful rage and turmoil he feels when he’s forced to perform for people with a painted smile, and their cheers remind him of the bandits who ruined his life.  However, since this special is set during the first Christmas, its second half eases Aaron’s many tragedies in the most faithful way possible when the Star of Bethlehem appears.  After Ben sells Joshua to the three wise men following the star, Aaron, Baba, and Samson leave the caravan and follow the star for the purposes of rescuing their camel comrade.  From there, the special displays how effective the spirit of Christmas is when they find Joshua in the manger where everyone marvels at the birth of Jesus.  As for how this spirit works on Aaron, it happens when a chariot comes out of nowhere and fatally injures Baba.  Desperate to save him, with the encouragement of the wise men, Aaron gives Jesus the only gift he has, a song on his drum.  The performance is a truly moving scene. Not only does it lead to Jesus healing Baba, but him smiling at the gift is what gets Aaron to let go of his hatred of humans. This simple moment is a moving symbol of how even in the darkest of lives, God will guide us to hope and peace ,which is the true meaning of Christmas that will never change.  It could’ve been stronger if Aaron didn’t need to give his gift for his own needs. He’d most likely let go of his hatred if the chariot didn’t appear and he did what he did out of the simple desire to offer Jesus a gift. Either way, the message is still apparent.  With that, we’re overall left with one of Rankin/Bass’s most powerful and emotionally-gripping stories.

In addition to Aaron’s engaging depths and plot doing justice to the meaning of Christmas, the overall aesthetic of the special makes it feel so grand and biblical.  These strengths are mostly noticeable through how it’s told.  Storyteller Greer Garson adds a dramatic layer, especially when describing Aaron’s inner turmoil or the event of witnessing Jesus’ birth.  Her narration makes the special feel like a gospel reading you’d hear during Mass.  The grand feel is also elevated by the songs.  There are two light-hearted songs like “When the Goose is Hanging High” to demonstrate Ben Haramed’s greed, and “Why Can’t the Animals Smile?” which Aaron plays while trapped performing for people.  Then you have the songs performed by the Vienna Boys Choir which tie directly into Jesus’ birth.  Their singing talents capture the feel of the moment through “One Star in the Night” as Aaron, his animal friends, and adjacent shepherds follow the star. In addition, their cover of the title song makes Aaron’s performance wonderous, and they really nail the pa-rum-pum-pum-pums.  Like the overall story, the little parts of this special’s craftsmanship work as a testament to Christmas’ origins.

If you long for a Christmas special that breaks from the usual Santa adventures and modern family traditions, check out this one.  For its respect for the day’s religious background, and the daring risks with the story, tone and characters, it’s a Christmas special unlike any other, blessing those who are pure in heart.

Highly Recommended

The Ranking

1. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
2. The Little Drummer Boy
3. Cricket on the Hearth

Be sure to stay tuned for the review of the next special, another household work from Rankin/Bass, Frosty the Snowman.

If you would like to check out other Rankin/Bass special reviews on this blog, click here for the guide made especially for them.