It badly botches what a Christmas special should be, and is worth watching mainly for unintentional laughs.

This is something like Rankin/Bass's fifth attempt to tell the back-story of the jolly old elf. But there's something so pleasingly goofy about Santa wandering into scenes that might as well be ripped from the pages of Marvel Comics.

Mr. Baum's peculiar vision can be filled with all sorts of deliciously scarifying elements, but the underlying theme is unfailingly comforting.

Lacks the lighthearted charm of the earlier specials, but makes up for it in its tight plot and the best Animagic the studio ever did.