Lumsdal Good , But It Is Overrated By Some

Donald Seymour This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

Portia Hilton Blistering performances.

Maleeha Vincent It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

utgard14 Angela Lansbury stars in this gem, one of the lesser-known TV specials Rankin/Bass made. The story is about a young shepherd boy who is blinded by lightning and taken in by some nuns, led by Lansbury's Sister Theresa. As the boy recuperates, Sister Theresa tells him about snow, which he had never experienced firsthand. It's a lovely story with a touching ending that I won't spoil here. The stop-motion animation is wonderful. The music is quite nice with some decent songs, including the timeless "White Christmas," sung by Lansbury. I never get tired of Rankin/Bass specials. They're uplifting, heartwarming entertainment for all ages. This one isn't as famous as many others but it's a good one worth taking a look at if you enjoy Rankin/Bass' other classics.

Horst in Translation (filmreviews@web.de) "The First Christmas: The Story of the First Christmas Snow" is another holiday-themed production by Rankin/Bass, the most known duo the United States had to offer in 1970's television animation. And this is one of their better works I believe, even if it was not Emmy nominated. Angela Lansbury is certainly the most famous voice cast member here in this 24-minute short film. The story is pretty good, the Christmas miracle at the end is nice, Father Thomas adds some solid (unintended?) comedy in his scenes and the main character is just really sweet with his bright blue eyes. There are sad moments in here, but mostly, this is a story about hope and positivity. I must say I enjoyed the watch and I recommend it. Check it out during the holidays, it must be shown somewhere, even if it is not too well-known anymore. Thumbs up.

fromthedarkstream This is the kind of show that you'll never see made again - something that is about Christianity and has a good moral for the children it's geared towards. Today it would be protested and replaced with Danny Phantom's Holiday Special or some crap like that. My seven year old boy loved it and counts it amongst his favorites. All the Rankin/Bass Christmas specials are enjoyable for young and old alike. This is probably one of the lesser known and harder to find ones. I love the claymation style they use - it would be great to see something new in this vein. Maybe one day they will release all the specials on one DVD - If you have small kids - catch it if you can.

AbeStreet This movie has all the feel good aspects of other Christmas classics but not the fantasy. A person could almost believe it is a story that could have really taken place. This is a good piece of work by Angela Lansbury. It is often over looked when compared with other Christmas classics but more than worth watching.