''The Story of Santa Claus'' is a 1996

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

animated

television special A television special (often TV special, or rarely television spectacular) is a standalone television show which may also temporarily interrupt episodic programming normally scheduled for a given time slot. Some specials provide a full range of ent ...

directed by

Toby Bluth Frederick L. "Toby" Bluth (July 11, 1940 – October 31, 2013) was a Texas-born American illustrator who worked on many Disney films and others as animator, background artist, and production designer. He had a long career writing and illustrating ...

. It features the voices of

Ed Asner Eddie Asner (; November 15, 1929 – August 29, 2021) was an American actor and former president of the Screen Actors Guild. He is best remembered for portraying Lou Grant during the 1970s and early 1980s, on both ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' a ...

Betty White Betty Marion White (January 17, 1922December 31, 2021) was an American actress and comedian. A pioneer of Golden Age of Television, early television, with a television career spanning almost seven decades, White was noted for her vast work i ...

, and Tim Curry. The special presents an origin story for Santa Claus, who is depicted as a man named Nicholas Claus who wishes to give every child in the world a gift for Christmas. The elves of the North Pole become obligated to grant his wish, facing great obstacles. Saint Nicholas was born in 280 A.D. But since then he wasn’t really a saint as he is named now.

Plot

The story opens in "Europe, a long time ago". Nicholas Claus, nicknamed "Santa" by Mrs. Claus, his wife Gretchen, is a toymaker who wishes he could give a toy to every child in the world. It's explained that Nicholas grew up in the Angel's Island Orphanage, where he taught himself to make toys for the other children. However, Nicholas is now in debt because he gives away more toys than he sells. The Clauses are subsequently evicted by their greedy landlord, Mr. Minch, who subsequently forces Mrs. Claus to surrender her wedding ring as "payment". Now penniless, Nicholas and Gretchen decide to take their remaining toys to the children at the Angel's Island Orphanage. However, their ship is caught up in a storm and they are miraculously transported to the North Pole. There they meet the Christmas elf, elves, including wizardly elf Nostros, his son Clement, and the know-it-all elf girl Aurora. When Nicholas saves Clement's life, Nostros is forced to grant him a wish. Nicholas wishes that he could deliver toys to all the children in the world on Christmas. Nostros declares that this is impossible and trying to fulfill it will doom the elves by destroying their magic. However, the wish can't be taken back because it is now "etched among the stars". Nicholas and Gretchen manage to recruit almost all the elves to help them. Soon they have built a toy factory and gotten to work. Nostros watches from afar, scoffing at their attempt to do the impossible and forbidding Clement from involving himself. Clement sneaks out to help anyway. On the big day, Aurora realizes Nicholas will have to be accompanied by a magical expert on his trip. She goes to Nostros, but he refuses. After thinking about it for a while, he changes his mind and goes to the toy factory to help Nicholas. As their voyage around the world ends, Nicholas insists they make a stop at the Angel's Island Orphanage. He gives a young boy a knife so that he may whittle toys for the others as Nicholas once did. Once they return to the North Pole, Nostros and the other elves vote to bestow "honorary elfhood" upon the Clauses, making them immortal. Nicholas declares that they shall do this again every year forever and the elves cheer.

Voice cast

(speaking) and Jim Cummings (singing) as Santa Claus, Nicholas "Santa" Claus *

as Gretchen Claus *Tim Curry as Nostros *Miko Hughes as Clement *Kathryn Zaremba as Aurora *Jim Cummings as Mr. Minch

Songs

*"To Give Every Child in the World a Toy" (performed by Jim Cummings) *"We're Gonna Pull It Off" (performed by Jim Cummings, Miko Hughes, Kathryn Zaremba and Tim Curry) *"Clement's Song" (performed by Jim Cummings and Miko Hughes) *"Santa's Ride" (performed by Jim Cummings, Miko Hughes, and Kathryn Zaremba)

Production

Phil Roman produced the special based on a teleplay by Steven Whitestone and Rachel Koretsky. Marie Maxwell and John Thomas wrote the songs.William D. Crump, ''The Christmas Encyclopedia'', Third ed., McFarland & Company Publishers, 2013, p. 400. Tim Curry was working in more voice acting in 1996, also voicing characters in ''Jumanji (TV series), Jumanji'' and ''Adventures from the Book of Virtues'' that year. Jim Cummings was well known for his voice work, and went on to make other Christmas specials such as ''Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas'' and ''The Life & Adventures of Santa Claus (2000 film), The Life & Adventures of Santa Claus''.

Broadcast and release

The special was first broadcast on December 7, 1996 on

.John Leonard (critic), John Leonard, "Television," ''New York (magazine), New York'', 9 December 1996, p. 90. The special continues to be broadcast twice a year annually on

. It was released on VHS by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment in 1999 and also later released on a DVD recordable format DVD By CBS Home Entertainment In 2019 too. In 2020 the special was added to CBS' streaming service, CBS All Access, now known as Paramount+.

Reception

John Leonard (critic), John Leonard, writing for ''New York (magazine), New York'', called the special "somewhat less animated" than the 1996 live action special ''Mrs. Santa Claus''.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Story of Santa Claus (TV 1996), The 1996 television specials Christmas television specials Animated television specials Santa Claus in television Film Roman television specials 1990s animated television specials Animated Christmas television specials CBS television specials