The Story of Santa Claus

I watched this now for the first time being way past the age of its target audience. Heck -- I was over thirty when it was made! I wanted to get a little "Christmas Spirit," so I thought this might be the ticket. Or at least I was hoping for a campy and lively time, which wasn't really what I experienced.

Perhaps because it was made for an hour time slot, the proceedings here seem way too padded and overpopulated. Too many subplots -- not enough Santa! We're presented with elves of various stripes, and I guess their father who is a magician apparently. After rescuing one tiny elf from falling through the ice at the North Pole, the elves and their magician Dad grant Santa one wish. They're not too pleased when Santa, accompanied by Mrs Gretchen Claus, wishes for the ability to deliver a toy to every child in the world on Christmas. The plot then relates the efforts of the elves to satisfy Santa's wish. Some pretty dull mayhem ensues.

Don't expect any sparks from the voice performances here of Ed Asner or Betty White. They certainly failed to make any of this contrived story involving, and their voices seem distant and vague. And the flatness of the animation seems like almost something from the Paleolithic Age. And too, some of the characters looks suspiciously familiar, like the little elf who looks almost exactly like Disney's "Dopey." Other characters like the little soldier elves seemed lifted from something else.

Hate to be a Grinch or a Scrooge, but...

* out of *****