Cricket on the Hearth

1967/Family, Rated-G, 1Disc/54:56
IMDB Yahoo All CBS
Crew:
Details: (Netflix summary)
Content:
- Cricket on the Hearth 49:07
- Destiny's Child-Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer 2:41
- Mariah Carey-Santa Claus is Comin' to Town 3:08
Eggs: None
Factoids: (IMDB, Moviemistakes)
Comments: With the high success level attained after the 1964 release of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, it comes as a surprise that the company decided to take this project on as the next holiday ousting...without the use of Animagic (and almost goes on an alternating pattern). Despite the special being in animation, every once in a while the animated elements are boosted up a notch (roughly around the middle during a song). The overall tone with songs like, Smiles Goes with Tears, and higher elements like the charitable aspects glow through the holiday spirit, is not enough to make this an annual classic. Especially when the captain shoots two kidnappers! Howevever, having not been born in the sixties to appreciate this, it may have faired well upon its original release. How did the toys know the story? I could see how the baby doll saying "momma" all the time could be funny too. I guess with this rendition, I am not entiely sold on the fact that he kept the secret he was back because he made her blind. He let them live in the conditions they did? What the heck! Then there is the scrooge transformation of the owner, and well...it only took a few years, but the Cricket was finally lucky. So yes, it is a happy ending, making it a joyous two minutes out of the whole special. The introductions and outroductions in Walt Disney like explainations are a nice tough.