Classic Christmas Favorites (Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas! / The Year Without a Santa Claus / Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July / Rudolph's Shiny New Year / and More)

Directors: Arthur Rankin Jr., Ben Washam, Chuck Jones, Jules Bass
Actors: Boris Karloff, Thurl Ravenscroft, Shirley Booth, Mickey Rooney, June Foray
Studio: Warner
Category: DVD

List Price: $39.98
Buy Used: $15.51
You Save: $24.47 (61%)

New (27) Used (19) from $15.51

Rating: 9 reviews
Sales Rank: 1767

Format: Animated, Color, Full Screen, Ntsc
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Subtitled)
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Number Of Discs: 4
Running Time: 402 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6

MPN: WARD088785D
UPC: 883929056750
EAN: 0883929056750
ASIN: B001H9N1AO

Theatrical Release Date: 2008
Release Date: October 7, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed.

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Customer Reviews

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IT SHOULDN'T BE THIS HARD...    January 2, 2009
N. Thomas
I am disgusted with how ridiculously difficult it seems for Warner Home Video to get its act together and just release ALL of the Rankin/Bass Christmas programs into one DVD set instead of handing out a few never-before-released titles with several of their more established shows.

An earlier reviewer spoke the same sentiment in asking what has become of "The Little Drummer Boy--Part 2", and one of my most-awaited titles, "The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus". Certainly there aren't any DVD copies of them available.

Where is the Angela Lansbury 1975 classic, "(The First Christmas): The Story of the First Christmas Snow"? I caught it on television last month and was delighted by it, particularly as I'd never seen it before and am a long-time devotee of all Rankin/Bass holiday productions.

But when I attempted to find it on DVD, I was met with the same absolute dearth of product as when I had looked for "The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus" in 2007.

It's preposterous that the Warner company keeps re-packaging the "mainstream", if you will, specials, such as the latter-day Rudolph stories ("Shiny New Year" and "Christmas in July"). I actually have not seen any of the three newly-released titles contained in this compilation ("Leprechauns' Christmas Gold", "Pinocchio's Christmas", and "The Stingiest Man In Town"). Much as I would like to view them, I won't pay for this set for one very good reason:

I am hoping and praying that Warner will wake up and finally put ALL of Rankin/Bass's Christmas specials in a DEFINITIVE DVD collection, for which I am waiting (impatiently)--and am not alone in my plea!


Nice Collection of Christmas Classics    December 22, 2008
R. Brossart (Kentucky, USA)
I bought this for my sister for Christmas. She really likes the old Christmas movies that are included in this case. I was pleasantly surprised to find that there were four, clearly labeled dvds in the case. Each disk displays which episodes/shows are contained on them. It is very convenient, in case you get them mixed up.


Silent Night!!!    December 21, 2008
Silent Night
1 out of 2 found this review helpful

Loved the movies that we first watched on disc 2...but as we got to disk 3...it was the classic production of Silent Night. Yup! You got it...Not ONE of the movies on disk 3 had any sound to them. Just felt really sad for the kids who were actually looking forward to seeing the shows (including me)....Best thing to say after reading all these reviews is, Buyer Beware, and KEEP your receipt...


A wonderful trip down memory lane    November 29, 2008
Ryan B. Streeter
1 out of 1 found this review helpful

This collection is unbelievable!! I can't really understand the complaints of other people on this product, maybe I would get it if I had already bought these elsewhere, but I haven't. For the $30 I spent at Target I have more than got my money's worth. My daughter (6) and I have been watching this for 2 hours and we aren't even off the first disc yet! I love seeing my daughter get the same enjoyment out of these classics as I did once upon a time. This is a magical and worthwhile investment for a neat collection of holiday classics! Enjoy this with your family like I am with mine!!! :D


Fantastic shows, bad business practices    November 19, 2008
Zack Davisson (Seattle, WA, USA)
14 out of 14 found this review helpful

Depending on what you already own, this DVD collection is either the coolest thing ever or a huge disappointment. Everything here is an absolute classic and if you don't have them already, then you definitely should. "Classic Christmas Favorites" is a convenient and affordable way to pick them all up at an affordable price.

The problem is that this set continues an unfortunate practice of re-selling old material with a splash of new material that is available no where else, meaning that people who bought the previous releases are forced to buy them all over again if they want the other films. There is no way to buy the new material separately

It basically repackages three previously released DVDs, Rudolph & Frosty's Christmas in July, The Year Without a Santa Claus (Deluxe Edition)and Frosty's Winter Wonderland/Twas the Night Before Christmas. These are the exact same disks that you would have received before, with even the disk cover art intact.

The new material is included on the "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" disk. This is an odd choice, as this is the only non-Rankin/Bass release and of course, this Dr. Seuss treasure has seen a variety of releases, including a recent 50th Birthday Deluxe Remastered Edition special edition. Tagged onto the disk are three Rankin Bass rarities, "The Leprechaun's Christmas Gold", "Pinocchio's Christmas" and "The Stingiest Man in Town". All three are making their first appearance on DVD, and they are really what most people will be buying this set for. It is great to have them released at last, but I would have preferred an individual DVD.

There are still a few Rankin/Bass Christmas specials that have not had a DVD release, and I fear this being the wave of the future. The same problem happened with the Popeye and Batman cartoons (also by Warner Bros) series until definitive collections were finally released. Warner Bros just doesn't seem to get what fans want, and are more concerned with squeezing every possible dime out of their properties.

What I really want is a collection that gathers together all the Christmas specials together giving them the treatment they deserve, including putting the Rankin/Bass name up on top and giving them their due credit. That would make me really happy, even if it meant buying them for a third and final time.