Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
The first of the classic Arthur Rankin Jr./Jules Bass holiday specials (including ''Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town,'' ''The Little Drummer Boy,'' and ''Frosty the Snowman'') came about chiefly because Rankin lived next door to Johnny Marks, composer of the popular Christmas tune. But Rankin, Bass, and their crew of ''Animagic'' artists (including Mad magazine's Paul Coker and Jack Davis) expanded the 32-bar tune into an imaginative hour full of hilarious characters (like the misfit toys and Hermey the aspiring-dentist elf), surprisingly dark scares (the Abominable Snowmonster, not to mention ''all of the other reindeer'' taunting Rudolph), and meticulous craftsmanship, with each stop-motion figure animated by its own technician, frame by frame. Even if you've seen this one so many times that songs like ''Silver and Gold'' and ''Holly Jolly Christmas'' are permanently etched into your brain, it's fun to watch yet again.
