The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus (1985)

THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF SANTA CLAUS is a fairy tale of epic proportions. Based on a story by WIZARD OF OZ author L. Frank Baum, the film explains the origins of Santa and how he became the symbol of Christmas. The story begins on the eve of the mortal Santa's death. Old and tired, Saint Nick is about to make one more Christmas delivery and then come home to bed to pass away. What Santa doesn't know is that the Great Ak, the king of the forest, has assembled a group of deities from the heavens above to beseech them to give Santa everlasting life. The council lends its ears to Ak as he explains the story of Santa Claus from the time he found Santa as a baby, orphaned in the forest, to the time Santa eventually grew into a toy-making man with a giant-size heart. Featuring the voices of Alfred Drake and Earle Hyman, THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF SANTA CLAUS is perhaps the peak of the Jules Bass and Arthur Rankin imagineering factory. The film includes incredibly detailed models, a whirling storyline penned by Baum, and a string of smartly written Christmas songs. Animators Rankin and Bass were clearly ahead of their time--released in 1985, the film bears a strong resemblance to Henry Selick and Tim Burton's 1993 blockbuster THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS.