{ "id": "epqyyap6m5", "slug": "santa-claus-is-comin-to-town-1970-film", "title": "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town (1970 film)", "updated": "2026-11-01", "topic_path": [ { "id": "culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture" }, { "id": "culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films", "label": "Films and standalone screen works", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.genre-form", "label": "Films by genre, form, and subject", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.genre-form" }, { "id": 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"geo.us.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.genre-form.animated-shorts.animated-films-by-source-subject", "label": "United States · 1946 to 2000: Animated films by source material and subject", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.genre-form.animated-shorts.animated-films-by-source-subject", "path": [ { "id": "geo.us", "label": "United States", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us" }, { "id": "geo.us.t1946", "label": "United States · 1946 to 2000", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t1946" }, { "id": "geo.us.t1946.culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t1946.culture" }, { "id": "geo.us.t1946.culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t1946.culture.performance" }, { "id": "geo.us.t1946.culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t1946.culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "geo.us.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films", "label": "Films and standalone screen works", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films" }, { "id": "geo.us.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.genre-form", "label": "Films by genre, form, and subject", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.genre-form" }, { "id": "geo.us.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.genre-form.animated-shorts", "label": "Animated and short films", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.genre-form.animated-shorts" }, { "id": "geo.us.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.genre-form.animated-shorts.animated-films-by-source-subject", "label": "Animated films by source material and subject", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.genre-form.animated-shorts.animated-films-by-source-subject" } ] } ], "excerpt": "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town (1970) is a 51-minute Rankin/Bass stop-motion ABC Christmas special, also called an Animagic special, telling Santa's origin story via Fred Astaire's mailman narrator and Mickey Rooney's Kris Kringle.", "snippet": "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town (1970) is a 51-minute Rankin/Bass stop-motion ABC Christmas special, also called an Animagic special, telling Santa's origin story via Fred Astaire's mailman narrator and Mickey Rooney's Kris Kringle.", "node": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.genre-form.animated-shorts.animated-films-by-source-subject.films-based-on-folklore-and-religion", "markdown": "# Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town (1970 film)\n\n**Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town** is a 51-minute American stop-motion animated Christmas television special produced by Rankin/Bass Productions that presents an origin story for [Santa Claus](https://www.edgepedia.org/santa-claus), first broadcast on ABC in December 1970.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/santa_claus_is_comin_to_town) • [2](https://3863-21905.el-alt.com/iad_entries/entry?shortID=12253) It was adapted from the 1934 song \"Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town\" by J. Fred Coots and Haven Gillespie, and it remains one of the longest-running holiday specials on American television.[3](https://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/santas-been-comin-to-town-for-50-years-on-tv-and-records/)\n\n| Key fact | Detail |\n|---|---|\n| First broadcast | December 14, 1970 on ABC per Art of the Title and the Internet Animation Database; Metacritic lists December 13, 1970[4](https://www.artofthetitle.com/title/santa-claus-is-comin-to-town/) • [2](https://3863-21905.el-alt.com/iad_entries/entry?shortID=12253) • [5](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/santa-claus-is-comin-to-town/) |\n| Production | Rankin/Bass Productions with Video Tokyo and Videocraft International; stop-motion \"Animagic\" animation produced in Japan[4](https://www.artofthetitle.com/title/santa-claus-is-comin-to-town/) • [6](https://www.rotoscopers.com/2015/12/17/rotoscopers-12-days-of-christmas-santa-claus-is-comin-to-town/amp/) |\n| Running time and rating | 51 minutes; rated TV-G[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/santa_claus_is_comin_to_town) |\n| Principal voices | Fred Astaire (narrator S.D. Kluger), Mickey Rooney (Kris Kringle), Keenan Wynn (Winter Warlock), Paul Frees (Burgermeister Meisterburger), Robie Lester (Jessica), Joan Gardner (Tanta Kringle)[7](https://abc.com/news/c60a5288-4c97-4f99-83e5-4dbaaa029d43/category/1138628) |\n| Key creatives | Directed by Jules Bass and Arthur Rankin Jr.; written by Romeo Muller; music by Jules Bass and Maury Laws[4](https://www.artofthetitle.com/title/santa-claus-is-comin-to-town/) |\n| Broadcast record | Has aired on ABC every year since its first broadcast[2](https://3863-21905.el-alt.com/iad_entries/entry?shortID=12253) |\n| Critical standing | 93% Tomatometer from 14 reviews and 82% Popcornmeter on Rotten Tomatoes[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/santa_claus_is_comin_to_town) |\n\n## Spoilers\n\n### Story\n\nThe special is framed as the answer to children's letters about Santa Claus. The mailman Special Delivery \"S.D.\" Kluger, voiced by [Fred Astaire](https://www.edgepedia.org/fred-astaire), tells how a baby named Kris was adopted by a family of elf toymakers named Kringle, and how Kris grew up wanting to deliver toys to the children of Sombertown.[7](https://abc.com/news/c60a5288-4c97-4f99-83e5-4dbaaa029d43/category/1138628) • [8](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/santa-claus-is-comin-to-town)\n\nKris's efforts are opposed by the Burgermeister Meisterburger, who has outlawed toys in Sombertown, and by the Winter Warlock, who lives between the Kringles and the town. Kris overcomes both and begins delivering toys to children in Sombertown and then around the world.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/santa_claus_is_comin_to_town) • [8](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/santa-claus-is-comin-to-town) The special invents explanations for familiar Santa traditions along the way, and the Atlantic's television critic described it as \"Santa's origin story,\" noting that the plot involves a warlock and a penguin.[9](https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2021/12/best-and-worst-christmas-specials/620977/)\n\n## Production\n\nRankin/Bass Productions, founded as Videocraft International, had become known for stop-motion holiday specials including *Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer* (1964) and *The Little Drummer Boy* (1968) before producing this special in 1970.[10](https://www.history.com/articles/holiday-stop-motion-specials-facts) The studio's stop-motion technique, called \"Animagic,\" involved moving puppets one frame at a time; the animation was produced in Japan.[11](https://stopmotionmagazine.com/rankinbass-productions-holiday-animatic-shows/) • [6](https://www.rotoscopers.com/2015/12/17/rotoscopers-12-days-of-christmas-santa-claus-is-comin-to-town/amp/) Animator Takeo Nakamura and Hiroshi Tabata worked on the puppet animation, Paul Coker Jr. handled production design, and Kizo Nagashima was production supervisor.[4](https://www.artofthetitle.com/title/santa-claus-is-comin-to-town/)\n\nThe title song is performed by Fred Astaire in character, and the score pairs the Coots and Gillespie standard with original songs by Maury Laws and Jules Bass, including \"Put One Foot in Front of the Other\" and \"The First Toymaker to the King.\"[4](https://www.artofthetitle.com/title/santa-claus-is-comin-to-town/) • [3](https://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/santas-been-comin-to-town-for-50-years-on-tv-and-records/) The Westminster Children's Choir provided choral vocals.[4](https://www.artofthetitle.com/title/santa-claus-is-comin-to-town/)\n\n## Music and soundtrack\n\nThe complete soundtrack was released in 1970 as an MGM Records LP (SE-4732), running 51 minutes, and was reissued on CD by Rhino Records in 1989 paired with the *Frosty the Snowman* soundtrack.[3](https://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/santas-been-comin-to-town-for-50-years-on-tv-and-records/) In a 2002 interview in *The Cartoon Music Book*, composer and arranger Maury Laws called the special his personal favorite among the Rankin/Bass productions, saying that with it \"we hit everything right\" and praising [Mickey Rooney](https://www.edgepedia.org/mickey-rooney)'s and [Keenan Wynn](https://www.edgepedia.org/keenan-wynn)'s performances.[3](https://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/santas-been-comin-to-town-for-50-years-on-tv-and-records/)\n\n## Broadcast history and reception\n\nThe special has aired on ABC every year since its first broadcast in December 1970, an unusually long continuous run for a television special.[2](https://3863-21905.el-alt.com/iad_entries/entry?shortID=12253) An ABC report on 1970 children's specials recorded that the December broadcast grossed $298,800 from 6 minutes of advertising, an average of $49,800 per minute.[12](https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED066882.pdf)\n\nOn Rotten Tomatoes the special holds a 93% Tomatometer from 14 critic reviews and an 82% audience score, with a critics consensus praising its \"light-hearted cheeriness and the best musical numbers\" and its \"charming wood-figure animation.\"[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/santa_claus_is_comin_to_town) Reviewers have singled out Fred Astaire's narration and the special's filling-in of Santa mythology; a Forbes review called its musical numbers the best of the old Rankin-Bass specials.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/santa_claus_is_comin_to_town) The special continues to appear in annual holiday rotation on ABC and other outlets, and it is available on home video and for digital purchase or rental.[8](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/santa-claus-is-comin-to-town)\n\n## Place among the Rankin/Bass specials\n\nThe success of *Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer* led Rankin/Bass to specialize in Christmas television specials for the following two decades, and *Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town* is counted among the studio's best-known titles alongside *Frosty the Snowman* (1969) and *[The Year Without a Santa Claus](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-year-without-a-santa-claus)* (1974).[10](https://www.history.com/articles/holiday-stop-motion-specials-facts) Unlike *Frosty* and *Rudolph*, which adapted existing story material, this special departs from its source song into original territory, inventing a full biography for Santa Claus.[13](https://guides.justwatch.com/us/best-rankin-bass-christmas-movies) Commentators have noted that its tone is darker and its plot more elaborate than those of its sibling specials, with the Burgermeister's toy ban giving the story a villain-driven structure.[9](https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2021/12/best-and-worst-christmas-specials/620977/)\n\n## References\n\n1. [Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/santa_claus_is_comin_to_town)\n2. [Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town (1970), The Internet Animation Database](https://3863-21905.el-alt.com/iad_entries/entry?shortID=12253)\n3. [Santa's Been Comin' to Town for 50 Years on TV and Records, Cartoon Research (Greg Ehrbar, December 1, 2020)](https://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/santas-been-comin-to-town-for-50-years-on-tv-and-records/)\n4. [Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town (1970), Art of the Title](https://www.artofthetitle.com/title/santa-claus-is-comin-to-town/)\n5. [Santa Claus is Comin' to Town, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/santa-claus-is-comin-to-town/)\n6. [Rotoscopers' 12 Days of Christmas: 'Santa Claus is Comin' to Town', Rotoscopers (2015)](https://www.rotoscopers.com/2015/12/17/rotoscopers-12-days-of-christmas-santa-claus-is-comin-to-town/amp/)\n7. ['Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town' Is Coming to ABC on Tuesday, December 12, ABC Updates (2023)](https://abc.com/news/c60a5288-4c97-4f99-83e5-4dbaaa029d43/category/1138628)\n8. [Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town streaming online, JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/santa-claus-is-comin-to-town)\n9. [The Most Beloved Christmas Specials Are (Almost) All Terrible, The Atlantic (2021)](https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2021/12/best-and-worst-christmas-specials/620977/)\n10. [7 Surprising Facts About Classic Holiday TV Specials, HISTORY](https://www.history.com/articles/holiday-stop-motion-specials-facts)\n11. [Rankin/Bass Productions and their holiday \"Animagic\" Shows, Stop Motion Magazine](https://stopmotionmagazine.com/rankinbass-productions-holiday-animatic-shows/)\n12. [ABC Television Children's Specials broadcast in 1970, ERIC document ED066882](https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED066882.pdf)\n13. [5 Rankin/Bass Christmas Movies That Still Hold Up, JustWatch Guides](https://guides.justwatch.com/us/best-rankin-bass-christmas-movies)\n\n---\n*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Films by genre, form, and subject › Animated and short films › Animated films by source material and subject › Films based on folklore and religion*\n\n*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*\n\n*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*\n\nLicense: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license\n", "same_as": [], "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/santa-claus-is-comin-to-town-1970-film", "markdown_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/santa-claus-is-comin-to-town-1970-film.md", "license": { "name": "Edgepedia Community License 1.0", "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license", "summary": "Free with credit, commercial use included. AI training is open to everyone. For other uses, organizations over USD 100M in revenue or 100M monthly users license separately.", "spdx": "LicenseRef-Edgepedia-Community-1.0" }, "credit": "\"Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town (1970 film)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/santa-claus-is-comin-to-town-1970-film. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "credit_md": "\"[Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town (1970 film)](https://www.edgepedia.org/santa-claus-is-comin-to-town-1970-film)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), [https://www.edgepedia.org/santa-claus-is-comin-to-town-1970-film](https://www.edgepedia.org/santa-claus-is-comin-to-town-1970-film). [Edgepedia Community License 1.0](https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license).", "credit_html": "\"Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town (1970 film)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/santa-claus-is-comin-to-town-1970-film. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "speakable": "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town is a 51-minute Rankin/Bass stop-motion ABC Christmas special, also called an Animagic special, telling Santa's origin story via Fred Astaire's mailman narrator and Mickey Rooney's Kris Kringle." }