User reviews

Sure, its syrupy in the extreme, but this holiday cartoon tale about two bear cubs awaiting Santa Claus on Christmas Eve is rather charming in its naiveté. Following a live-action prologue (which features two kids, a grandpa, and a really sleepy cat), this becomes a semi-musical animated treat with Jean Vander Pyl (Wilma Flintstone herself!) voicing Nana, the mother bear. She tries to get her cubs to hibernate, but they're too excited about seeing Saint Nick. This matinée item is geared strictly towards the under-10 crowd, though I found it simple and reassuring, if treacly. Tony Benedict co-directed from his own script (and also co-produced). Although it resembles a Hanna-Barbera offering, the movie is actually the product of Ellman Film Enterprises and Key Industries Ltd.

Why would I add this to my Christmas list? Curiosity, for the most part, as it was produced and directed by Barry Mahon. Yes, the same Barry Mahon that gave us Blood of the Zombie, The Diary of Knockers McCalla, Nudes on Tiger Reef, and over 50 more films that make this one an unusual choice. I really wanted Santa and the Ice Cream Bunny, but have not found it yet.

No zombies, no knockers, and the ax is just for cutting down a Christmas tree, not chopping off heads. Two cute bears cubs refuse to hibernate after the Ranger tells them about Christmas. They want to wait for Santa.

Hal Smith, who played Santa in Billy Wilder's The Apartment, and voiced Santa in many productions over the years, is the voice of the ranger and Santa here.

This is a really well done cartoon with great music and a story that kids of all ages will appreciate.

Every Christmas for I don't know how long, the local TV station in our area would run this cartoon, and it became a family favorite amongst my counsins and I. I don't know maybe I still love it, because it reminds me of better times, or maybe because it makes me remember what Christmas meant to me when I was a kid. Whatever it might be, it still makes me feel nostalgic when I watch it on video and I hope one day to share it with my children.

I remember watching this film as a child and thinking that it moved a bit slow, especially when compared to the Rankin & Bass Christmas specials. Unlike R & B specials it has no evil villain to fear or hero to cheer for. The songs were not as catchy either.

However, now as an adult I seem to enjoy the laid back simple story. The songs are good and I like the introduction and ending with live actors. I think what makes me appreciate this special even more are the so called Christmas specials that are produced today. I have children of my own now and neither they or I like what we see today. Thankfully they too like the Christmas specials I remember from my childhood.

This Christmas special is not aired that often anymore and it seems to drift in and out of availability for DVD and VHS purchase. If you see that it is airing on television you may want to record it as it hard to come by these days.

One of the best memories I have of my childhood is watching this movie every year with my Mom. A tradition in my house, this innocent tale about Santa made me a true believer. I got the DVD and watched it for the first time with my 3-year-old this Christmas, and at one point had to leave the room I got so choked up. It is so rare to find anything written for kids that is this innocent and clever anymore. No off-color potty humor jokes, or awkward moments of adult content hidden under the guides of child entertainment. Watching this movie today makes you very aware of an innocence lost among today's youth. Seeing my child react the same way I did at her age to this movie reminded me of the sense of wonder I had every year after watching this film. I was saddened to see it is no longer shown on TV. It figures. Get yourself a copy before it is too late and this film is lost forever! The film quality has really degraded over the years. I was really sort of shocked and saddened when I saw it, but it made me cherish the copy I have even more. I feel like I need to take extra care of it before this movie becomes extinct!

It was interesting to read the reviews. People seem to either love or hate this little cartoon. The truth is it's barely average. The animation is bog-standard TV cartoon animation. The voice work is pretty nice especially since it features Hal Smith. It does work nicely for a slow December Eve with a cup of hot chocolate.

"Santa and the Three Bears" certainly lacks the flashier artwork, pace, and musical scores of other Christmas specials, before, during, and after its production. But, the tale told in "Santa and the Three Bears" is simply told, an almost-buried virtue in television programming which, wrongfully, believes it has to be flashy and quick in order to maintain a child's attention. In that, it remains a much more timeless and welcome work that only reveals its specialness as the years go by.

I saw "Santa and the Three Bears" when I was 10 years old. I loved it then and I love it now. The musical score is humble yet haunting, particularly the scenes in which the cubs prepare for Christmas and the hibernation of the bears just before Santa arrives. Again, a simple, simply-told, "bare bones" approach to storytelling that has the vastly-underrated Hal Smith playing a live-action and the animated Santa Claus (along with Mr. Ranger). I never tire of watching this because, unlike so many of its kind that hammer home the accepted notion of Christmas as a time of love, togetherness, and wishes fulfilled, "Santa and the Three Bears" stresses the importance of magic and wonder that come from belief in something unseen. Could it be God :-)? What a wonderful message to impart on people who cultivate cynicism as a badge of honor and do not see the impact that belief, magic, and wonder can play and produce in our lives. No other animated cartoon, in my memory, ever presented that message so gracefully, artfully, charmingly,and, for the third time (like the special itself), simply told.

I'm glad "Santa and the Three Bears" is out on DVD. Also, Nana is another example of the completely overlooked vocal proficiency of the fine character actress, Jean Van Der Pyl (also the voice of Wilma Flintstone).

Yes, this is old, circa 1970 as am I. This was never my favorite, but I always watched it and enjoyed the story.

I will just echo the feeling of nostalgia this film brings to me and say that no, in 2019, kids will probably not like this. It is too relaxing and slow-paced to hold most kids' attention, given the changes in children's programming over the last 30 years. I, however, will watch it every year it is available, and that's okay.

While I hate to be a scrooge, this is by far the worst Christmas special I've ever sat through. From the soporific score to the glacial pace of the story, there was very little in this film to make it worth watching. There was a standard, feel good Christmas message in the story, but the way it was told made it hard to get that message across.

We sat down a few nights before Christmas to watch this video with three adults and two children (under 6). By the time it was over, all three adults had drifted off at some point, and both children were growing increasingly bored. You could have tightened this story up and made it much more watchable if you took out a lot of the musical numbers (which tended to be very repetitive and didn't add much to the story), and brought it down to about 25 minutes rather than its 45 minute running time.

My recommendation: Don't waste your time, there's too much good Christmas entertainment out there to bother with something like this.

This holiday special seems to have people split down the middle with loving it and hating it. Chalk me up as one who adores this holiday special. I'm not even sure I can put in words why I enjoy this classic as much as I do, but here goes...

When I was a kid, the holiday season brought nothing but wonderful memories and this classic from Hanna-Barbera fits right in with those memories. I've never completely matured as some in my family hoped I might have, so revisiting this holiday classic is something I do every holiday season and often! I enjoy the story, sing along with the tunes and it gives me that all around happy and warm holiday feeling!

BEWARE OF FALSE REVIEWS & REVIEWERS. SOME REVIEWERS HAVE ONLY ONE REVIEW TO THEIR NAME. NOW WHEN ITS A POSITIVE REVIEW THAT TELLS ME THEY WERE INVOLVED WITH THE MOVIE. IF ITS A NEGATIVE REVIEW THEN THEY MIGHT HAVE A GRUDGE AGAINST THE FILM . NOW I HAVE REVIEWED OVER 200 HOLIDAY FILMS. I HAVE NO AGENDA. I AM HONEST.

I grew up in Oxnard Ca. Every year KTLA Channel 5 would air this cartoon before the live television event "The Hollywood Christmas Parade".

In this animated movie, two bear cubs that are being raised by their mother discover the story of Santa Claus when they hear it from a park ranger. The curious little bears become determined to meet Santa, a goal that doesn't fit in very well with their mom's winter hibernation plans. As the three bears try to settle down for their cold-weather slumber, the restlessness of the cubs makes sleep impossible, and they remain determined to see jolly old Saint Nicholas.

The cartoon is sweet and fun. We see Christmas through the eyes of innocence. It is well made and has a huge heart. You should watch this.

This cartoon however is now available everywhere because it has fallen into public domain. This is good news however because there is no copyright holder anymore there is no incentive for anyone to "Restore It". I have not seen a decent transfer of this cartoon anywhere. That's too bad that nobody can pull it out of public domain and then restore the film. It should be protected

An absolutely "fabulous" movie (my opinion and mine only). This movie always brings back some wonderful memories, and takes me back to my childhood. My nephew also loves this film and we have decided to make it a part of our "special" library. Although considered 'sappy' by some, there is an even deeper meaning to this film, and was wondering if anyone happened to catch on it what it was? Sorry that it is no longer being shown on television any more (regular or cable). Think the children of today, or at least some of them, would get a real kick out of it. My nephew is eleven years old and he watched the film every chance that he got, even when it wasn't Christmas. My original copy was destroyed by an old VCR, but now that I know it's available on DVD, will be purchasing it right away. A true "classic".

No it's not modern animation and the music is not hip-hop, but this is a very effective leisurely-paced Christmas tale, that I only ran across for the first time on tv a few years ago, then I found the video. What's cool: Nakomi and Chinook are bears who know nothing of Christmas and are just dying to meet Santa. Their eagerness and impatience is quite realistic (even though they are bears). Very well-voiced.

The visuals during the songs have that late '60s psychedelia to them with weird colorful screen wipes, and during the one number where the Park Ranger has fallen asleep and we see the flames of the fireplace begin to sing to him, it is positively inspired. The scenes of the Ranger caught in the snowstorm are very effective. One gets chilled to the bone just watching them. It crosses the mind that the Ranger, despite his good nature, is a pretty lonely dude.

The mother bear (as noted, the voice of Wilma Flintstone), is pretty frank with the kids that there is no Santa. She's portrayed as slightly bitter, although it is because she just wants some sleep. Despite what others have said, the songs are really cool. They are old-timey, of a choral nature, but super-catchy and dare I say, haunting. All told, it may not be something today's kids would sit still for, but saps like me enjoy the heck out of it.

When most folks think of Christmas classics, Rudolph, Charlie Brown, the Grinch and Frosty, immediately come to mind, but here's an animated classic that deserves some attention, too.

You can immediately see and hear the Hanna-Barbera touch in this classic and the feel-good touches really push this over the top. I don't care how hard anyone would try, today, you simply cannot capture the innocence of these classic animated Christmas specials.

When a park ranger at Yellowstone explains what Christmas is all about, to two young bear cubs, he sets in motion their desire to stay awake and see Santa and enjoy their first Christmas. In the process, they push their Mom's patience to the limit, but with the ranger's help, they will do their best to see the wishes of the little cubs come true....if a blizzard on Christmas Eve doesn't disappoint everyone.

I love the animation of this classic and the majority of the tunes in the special...probably the last song is the only thing keeping this from garnering a solid ten from me.

Not one of my favourite Christmas specials, but while it is easy to see why it may not work for some it is also just as easy to see why others will love it.

'Santa and the Three Bears' did feel a bit padded and over-stretched. Less of the "bears-questioning" scenes, which did get a little repetitive (if admittedly sweet) and a shorter length (do agree that half an hour or a little less would have been more suitable) would have helped.

However, the animation is colourful and beautifully drawn and the bookending beginning and ending juxtaposing very nicely. The music is pleasant and tuneful, if perhaps not exceptional.

The treacle and syrup in the writing is very high, but it also has a lot of charm and heart and made it easy to relate to the characters. The story is simple, but very sweet and touching, it was difficult to not be moved by it.

The bears are incredibly cute, and on the right side of it hopefully, while the voice acting from talented and prolific actors is very good.

Overall, not one of the best Christmas specials but not close to being one of the worst. One of the imperfect but underrated ones more like. 8/10 Bethany Cox

For kids who have grown up with Christmas animations such as Jim Carry's Grinch and A Christmas Carol, this classic animation may not appeal to them. But for those of us who grew up watching this program as well as A Charlie Brown's Christmas and A Christmas Story, this will definitely have sentimental value. The ranger represents every parent who tries to explain Santa Claus to their children and the cubs represent every child who wants to learn about Santa. Of course the parents know that Santa doesn't exist and the kids want to believe in him so the parents (in this case, the Ranger) will pretend Santa is real so as not to disappoint their children (the cubs). Where I live, this delightful animation is not shown anymore. The last time it was featured was 2004, if I recall correctly. But if anyone has the chance to watch it, I recommend that they give it a chance. And for those of us "baby-boomers", it will be a chance to relive our own childhood and remember a time when public celebrations of Christmas were not politically incorrect and how excited we all were every year during Christmas. And how much we liked this film when we watched it as kids!

From my childhood, the best Christmas cartoon that ever existed! Came on every year on KTLA and us siblings never missed it.....NEVER! So many good days then!

Haven't watched this in a long time and finally did on You Tube. As great as it is still, all it did was depressed me now that my entire family has passed and I'm the only one remaining and no one to watch it with. I know it's supposed to make me happy like it used to but all I did was cry through most of it, especially the ending, sad music. I don't know why, it's just a freakin' cartoon. Wish I didn't watch it now. When you live alone, that just makes it worse. An ex-soldier with PTSD and taking meds for depression doesn't help either.

More than likely I won't be watching this anymore. Yep, them meds really do the trick! Thanks for nothing V. A.! Now I'm depressed again! I miss my family!

This was a great cartoon i watched as a kid. It remains my favorite Christmas cartoon. Better the Rudolph! Better than Grinch, too! Just total innocence in this one. There's two little bears that are told about Christmas by the park ranger, and then they want to celebrate Christmas, like humans do. They're excited. The only problem is that it's wintertime, and mama bear wants them to hibernate for the winter. Then, confronted by mama bear, Mr. Ranger tells her about the legend of Santa Claus, and agrees to help the little bears experience Christmas so that they will go to sleep. The ending of this little Christmas cartoon will tug at your heartstrings, as the joy of Christmas is experienced by the little family of bears. I converted the VHS tape copy i have to DVD, so it will always be preserved. I will watch this every Christmastime that i'm living.

I find that there is only one problem with this movie. It's a line i just cannot agree with. Mama bear tells the cubs, "I'm afraid Christmas is just for humans, not bears." I believe that the animal world celebrates Christmas with all the joy, love and excitement that humans celebrate it with. Animals of all types know very well about Christmas. God created them, as well as humans. I am certain that the animals know about God's love for humanity, because God also loves his animals. God loves all his creation.

I first saw this film with my Mum back in the 80's on VHS and was enchanted by its Christmas message and the story of Father Christmas. When I saw it was available on DVD a few years ago I couldn't believe my luck! It's now a family tradition for my family to sit down on Xmas eve and watch this wonderful movie every year. In an age where children lose their innocence at such a young age it's nice to be able to view a movie which captures the magic and joy of the Xmas season. A heartwarming tale that is sure to be enjoyed by children of all ages with a few musical numbers chucked in for good measure! Make this your family Xmas film now- you won't regret it!

I remember as a child watching this religiously. It was my absolute favorite. Sure, compared to today's standards there is a reason why it is no longer on regular TV. But in my opinion Christmas isn't Christmas until I get to see Mr Ranger, Nikomi and Chinook.

This was one of my favorite Christmas cartoons as a kid. It played every year on KTLA channel 5. I'm sure my 10 star rating is based on my memories as a kid. I'm happy to have found it on Amazon Prime. I hope my grandkids will enjoy it as much as I did.