Ani-MAY-tion Month: Mad Monster Party? (1967)

I won't beat around the bush, I love Mad Monster Party? despite knowing how flawed it is. The pacing isn't perfect, the jokes are a bit lame, the songs aren't exactly classics, and the story keeps throwing up ridiculous moment after ridiculous moment. Yet I still love it.

Baron Frankenstein (Boris Karloff) is throwing a party. He's due to retire, and so invites lots of famous monsters to his home on The Isle Of Evil, where he will also choose his successor. The guest list includes Dracula, The Mummy, The Wolfman, Dr. Jekyll (and Mr. Hyde), the invisible man, an aquatic creature (probably from a black lagoon), and . . . . . . . Felix Flankin, the Baron's nephew. Also in attendance are The Monster, of course, The Monster's Mate, and the lovely Francesca. And Yetch, an assistant to the Baron who is quite smitten with Francesca.

It may not be a Christmas-themed work, for a change, but this is unmistakably another wonderful Rankin/Bass production, with the usual cast of colourful characters, lovely visual details and musical interludes. Looking at it objectively, it's a couple of notches below their best work, but what horror fan can be objective when a stop-motion feature brings together such classic archetypes? And let's not forget the zombie bird men, and a gigantic ape that also makes an appearance.

The script by Len Korobkin and Harvey Kurtzman (with some uncredited help from Forrest J Ackerman, apparently) alternates between awful and great. Again, I just don't mind. Even when it's being pretty bad, in terms of dialogue and obvious gags, it's trying so hard to please that I give in to it.

The vocal cast isn't exactly a who's who of celebrities from the time, but the inclusion of Karloff is the biggest plus. Allen Swift is the man responsible for most of the other voices, and does great work in every role, while Gale Garnett gets to wind the men around her little finger in the role of Francesca. Phyllis Diller has fun as The Monster's Mate, but she's given a never-ending stream of bad jokes/puns to deliver.

The film is akin to one extra-large Halloween cracker, and crackers are always put out on the table when a party atmosphere is being created. The jokes in crackers are usually awful, the toys/gifts are rarely much better, and there are often times when you pull them apart and don't even get a satisfying bang (now, now, stop making up your own jokes). Yet that doesn't make them, or the party, any less enjoyable. The same can be said of Mad Monster Party?

8/10

http://www.amazon.com/Mad-Monster-Party-Boris-Karloff/dp/B002ECJZG2/ref=sr_1_2?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1400367138&sr=1-2&keywords=mad+monster+party

Ani-MAY-tion Month: The Hobbit (1977)

Having enjoyed a lot of the stop-motion work from Arthur Rankin Jr and Jules Bass, I was delighted when I found out that they'd given people an adaptation of The Hobbit back in the 1970s. Unfortunately, that delight started to ebb away not too far into the movie.

The tale will already be familiar to many, either from the book or from the oversized Peter Jackson take on the material. Bilbo Baggins (voiced by Orson Bean) is a hobbit, and his life is changed forever when a wizard named Gandalf (John Huston) comes to his door and teams him up with a group of dwarves who are on a quest to retrieve some treasure from a mighty dragon named Smaug (Richard Boone).

There are some great names attached to this vocal cast. As well as Huston, viewers are treated to the voices of Otto Preminger and Hans Conried. Unfortunately, no collection of names could make up for the lacklustre animation and the poor script, by Romeo Muller. With a story this great, there's really no excuse for such a clumsy adaptation. Yes, there are some direct quotes lifted from the book, but that doesn't make up for the many other changes that crop up in almost every scene. I understand that this was aimed at a young audience, so simplifying/sanitising certain plot points is something I could understand. The unnecessary change, however, to that enjoyable moment when Gandalf has to help stop some trolls from eating the travelling group is one shining example of a bad decision made without any good reason. But watch the film and you will see many others.

I'll admit that I was also disappointed as soon as I saw that this wasn't a stop-motion affair. That is, after all, how I came to know Rankin/Bass, it's a trademark of their most enduring works. My disappointment could have been tempered by fine artwork made with hard work and a lot of heart, but this is quite an ugly piece of work. Yes, it's a TV movie, but it doesn't need to feel like one. And a cheap one, at that.

The good news is that most of the big scenes are included. Those trolls at least provide a threat, goblins also cause some trouble, Gollum takes on Bilbo in a battle of riddles, big spiders go around being all horribly eight-legged and . . . . . . .  far too big, and there's the mighty Smaug himself, of course. Whatever the presentation, these moments are always a treat to watch and that is why the film stays below average, without being completely unwatchable.

As much as I hate to say it, this is one Rankin Bass outing that just isn't worth bothering with. If you do give it your time then you can try to enjoy it, but deep down you might just start thinking about how you could have been rewatching Mad Monster Party.

4/10

Buy this DVD at your own risk, it's had mixed reviews (to put it nicely) - http://www.amazon.com/The-Hobbit-Orson-Bean/dp/B00005MP59/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1399077782&sr=8-1&keywords=the+hobbit+1977

Don't forget, every copy of my book sold gets a few pounds in my pocket, and gets you a good read (if I say so myself).

The UK version can be bought here - http://www.amazon.co.uk/TJs-Ramshackle-Movie-Guide-Reviews-ebook/dp/B00J9PLT6Q/ref=sr_1_3?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1395945647&sr=1-3&keywords=movie+guide

And American folks can buy it here - http://www.amazon.com/TJs-Ramshackle-Movie-Guide-Reviews-ebook/dp/B00J9PLT6Q/ref=sr_1_fkmr0_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1395945752&sr=8-1-fkmr0&keywords=TJs+ramshackle+mov

As much as I love the rest of the world, I can't keep up with all of the different links in different territories, but trust me when I say that it should be there on your local Amazon.

Rudolph, The Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964)

Everyone knows the story of Rudolph, the red-nosed reindeer. He had a very shiny nose. This little stop-motion gem is yet another of the beloved Rankin/Bass productions that so many had the joy of growing up with. They remain as cute and rewatchable as ever, and I recommend all of them for children of all ages.

The story is narrated to viewers by Sam the Snowman (voiced by Burl Ives) and while things start off in very familiar territory - Rudolph is called names and not allowed to join in all the reindeer games - it soon moves on to something a bit different. Rudolph leaves his home, and it's not long until he meets up with an elf who wants to be a dentist and an adventurer looking for silver and gold. The three of them somehow end up on an island that is home to all of the misfit toys, toys that actually look to Rudolph and co. for a helping hand.

There's nothing more to say about this other than it's a Rankin/Bass Christmas outing, which is all that many people will need to hear before remembering it with affection, and with good reason. It's actually directed by Larry Roemer and written by Romeo Muller, based on a story by Robert May, but the identity stamped all over it is Rankin/Bass.

The character design and animation is adorable, even if it's also a bit rough around the edges at times. There are a few songs, none of them spectacular, but all enjoyable enough, plenty of references to the song that shares the title of the film, and moments of surreal joy that somehow balance out the potential excess sweetness with the imagination on display.

Clocking in at just under an hour, this isn't really a feature, but it's just long enough to keep kids entertained without having to throw in a lot of extra gags for every scene. By the time the end credits roll, hopefully, the little ones will have taken in a little lesson about how it's okay to be different. It's okay to be yourself. Meanwhile, older viewers have been able to rekindle some childhood memories or just soak up the simple pleasure of the experience.

8/10

http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Original-Christmas-Classics-Red-Nosed/dp/B00979KDAM/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1386340154&sr=8-3&keywords=rudolph+the+red+nosed+reindeer

Jack Frost (1979)

There have been many, many movies over the years given the title of Jack Frost so let me quickly inform you now that this particular review concerns the lovely stop-motion film from Jules Bass and Arthur Rankin Jr. The two men are adored by a generation of Americans who grew up with their stop-motion creations playing on the TV, mostly at Christmas time. In fact, I hope that they're adored by more than one generation as their better known titles were released throughout a period of two decades.

Here in the UK we didn't really get the Rankin/Bass creations, which is a great shame. Oh, they may have been shown occasionally but they weren't the essential part of the holidays that they became in the USA. I only discovered them after a lot of online conversation with my many American friends led me to Mad Monster Party, which you should seek out immediately, and then I was lucky enough to find that LoveFilm had Jack Frost among their Instant selection (it's also on YouTube here for anyone eager to revisit it). Result.

What's the story? It's simple, Jack Frost (voiced by Robert Morse) falls for a lovely young lady (voiced by Debra Clinger) and asks to become human. He is allowed to become human but to stop himself reverting back to his frosty state he must acquire a horse, a house, a bag of gold and a wife by the first sign of Spring. It sounds difficult but Jack is up to the task, he hopes.

At approximately 48 minutes in length and interspersed by moments in which the viewers is told parts of the story by a groundhog names Pardon-Me-Pete (voiced by Buddy Hackett), Jack Frost never outstays its welcome. Romero Muller wrote the story and mixes the predictable with the pleasantly surprising. A few supporting characters, mainly a man who makes Snowflakes (named Snip), keep things entertaining and there's a classic baddie in the shape of Kubla Kraus (voiced by Paul Frees).

But the writing and characters and pacing are all secondary to the main draw here, the absolutely wonderful stop-motion animation on display. Despite my praise for this piece of Wintery entertainment, it's not perfect but the character design and animation makes up for that. I think that there's just something inherently rewarding about watching something that took such skill and patience to create and if ever a stop-motion work doesn't make me feel that way then, well, I'll be sure to comment loudly and vehemently on it (oh yes, check me and my bad self).

Jack Frost isn't up there with the very best of the Rankin/Bass films (TV specials, to be exact) but it's certainly worth watching if you know their style and enjoy stop-motion animation, as I do. And it's most certainly worth giving some of your time to during the Christmas holidays.

7/10

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Jack-Frost-Video-DVD-conversion/dp/B001EINWJS/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&qid=1355442675&sr=8-11