December 04
A Cartoon Christmas: Not Just For Kids Anymore?
I really enjoyed "Shrek the Halls" last Wednesday. It was the first new Christmas cartoon I'd seen in a long time. Seven years, to be precise. I know because I looked it up. I looked up the dates for all of the cartoon Christmas specials - we're talking about the semi-cheesy ones that have aired year after year on major networks - and what I found surprised me.
My perennial unfavorite "Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer" first aired in the year 2000. We've also got "Olive, the Other Reindeer" from 1999. Before that, well, there wasn't much. There's "Frosty Returns," the lackluster sequel to "Frosty the Snowman" and then a big empty field stretching back all the way to the mid 1970s ("'Twas the Night Before Christmas," "Year Without a Santa Claus"). Then, of course, there's the golden age, the age of the big four.
The big four? I'm talking about "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," (1964), "A Charlie Brown Christmas" (1965), "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" (1965), and "Frosty the Snowman" (1969). You've probably seen all of them, and more than once. They're the heavy hitters, year after year. They've inspired sequels and remakes and novelty products galore. What's interesting is that these hits, these classics, were made for the Baby Boomer generation...and yet we're still watching them today, almost forty-five years later. Is it holiday cheer? Nostalgia? Are the children all nestled snug in their bedrooms, mesmerized by the brilliant animation of Super Mario Galaxy while Mom, Dad, and Grandma watch "How the Grinch Stole Christmas?" Quite possibly.
Anyway, I sure don't want to be cast as a grinch, so here are the upcoming airdates for all of your campy, cheesy, delightful cartoon favorites:
| "Frosty the Snowman" | Dec 7, 8:00, CBS |
| "Frosty Returns" | Dec 7, 8:30, CBS |
| "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" | Dec. 5, 8:30, Cartoon Network
Dec 9, 8:00, Cartoon Network
Dec. 16, 4:00, Cartoon Network |
| "Olive, the Other Reindeer" | Dec 16, 3:00, Cartoon Network |
| "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" | Tonight at 8:00, CBS |
| "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town" | Dec 5, 8:00, ABC
Dec 7, 7:00, ABC Family
Dec 8, 3:30, ABC Family
Dec 16, 6:00, ABC Family |
| "Shrek the Halls" | Dec 11, 8:00, ABC |
| "'Twas the Night Before Christmas" | Dec 5, 7:00, ABC Family
Dec 8, 1:00, ABC Family
Dec 16 3:30, ABC Family |
| "Year Without a Santa Claus" | Dec 8, 2:30, ABC Family
Dec 16, 5:00, ABC Family |
- Posted by Kate
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