Audience Member
nostalgic. a sexual awakening.
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
01/28/23
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Audience Member
It's a really great movie
Rated 4.5/5 Stars •
Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars
02/20/23
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Audience Member
Love the Miser Brothers
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
01/23/23
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Audience Member
I saw this movie last year and thoroughly enjoyed it. It is not exactly as good as its predecessor, the timeless classic "The Year Without a Santa Claus", but its humorous moments, scenes that tug at your heart-strings, and, most importantly, the inclusion of Snow Miser and Heat Miser's songs make this movie worth watching during the holidays.
My favorite scene would have to be when Snow Miser and Heat Miser delivered a present to a child living in a warm climate and a cold climate respectively, then give a present to one another. This isn't just a Christmas movie, it is a movie teaching to get along with your siblings!
Rated 4.5/5 Stars •
Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars
02/06/23
Full Review
philip s
Heat Miser and Snow Miser, those two constantly brawling brothers, made their debut way back in 1974 in the stop motion Rankin Bass Christmas classic, The Year Without a Santa Claus. Since that time, they've become two of the most iconic figures in family holiday movies. So it makes sense that eventually, they'd get their own spinoff. The oddity is that said spinoff didn't come until 2008. Considering the kind of movies that have polluted the holiday landscape, this attempt to pay homage to the stop motion classics of yesteryear is a breath of fresh air.
The story behind A Miser Brothers Christmas isn't exactly new. The brothers have to set aside their long simmering feud in order to keep the evil North Wind (voiced by Brad Adamson) from knocking off Santa. The Santa Claus 3 (2006), saw Jack Frost (played by veteran actor Martin Short) try to trick Santa into givign up his mantle, so that he [ Jack ] can be the new Santa. Santa Claus: The Movie (1985) sees a similar plot. Patch (Dudley Moore) meets an evil toymaker who wants to knock off Santa so he can be the new leader in the toy-making market. Even as far back as Santa Claus is Coming to Town (1970), Burgermeister Meisterburger tried to keep Santa from bringing joy to the children of Sombertown. It's obviously difficult to develop an original story, as most of the original holiday stories have already been made. So with this in mind, although Rankin Bass didn't make this one, the studio behind this one (Cuppa Coffee Studios) should be applauded for even making the attempt to pay homage to one of the greatest movie making styles of all time.
Speaking of that classic movie making style, the dvd presentation of A Miser Brothers Christmas includes a special feature on how stop motion works. It's a nice, insightful piece into what was once thought to be a dead art form. If that enjoyable bonus isn't enough, how about knowing that famed actor, and long time Santa voicer, Mickey Rooney came back on board yet again to take on Santa's mantle. He was joined by one George S. Irving again, too. Irving was the original voice of Heat Miser in The year Without a Santa Claus. Sadly, the voice of Snow Miser, Dick Shawn, passed away in 1987. So he had to be replaced. Those shoes were filled by Argentinian born actor Juan Chioran. Chioran is known mainly for his work in television, including a couple of kids' shows in: Jane and The Dragon, and Harry and his Bucket Full of Dinosaurs. Being that A Miser Brothers Christmas was originally a television special, it was definitely a perfect fit for Chioran. He filled Shaw's shoes flawlessly. His chemistry with Irving and Rooney made the movie feel just like one of the original Rankin Bass specials. It was as if Shaw was never even gone.
While original actor Dick Shawn might have passed away, Juan Chioran helped to keep the spirit of the original Rankin Bass specials alive. But the acting alone wasn't the only positive to A Miser Brothers Christmas. Just as with the classic specials, this one had a moral, too. Its message to audiences was to not hold grudges. Snow Miser and Heat Miser have been fighting for as long as can be remembered. Thus the constant weird weather (bad joke there). But when Mother Nature is forced to step in, she tells them that unless they put aside their differences, they'll never be on the good list. The brothers learn their lesson, which results in the happy ending. How it ends won't be revealed here, though. But it'll leave the whole family happy.
A Miser Brothers Christmas isn't one of the classic Rankin Bass holiday specials. But placed among the ever growing masses of forgettable, nameless, faceless holiday movies, it holds its own as it pays homage to a bygone era; a time when movie makers really cared about giving audiences something with substance. It may not be original in its story. But it boasts a talented cast that's enjoyable to watch again and again. It has the songs and positive morals of the classic stop motion movies. And that Cuppa Coffee Studios took the road less travelled, and paid homage to the originals only adds to the fact that while it may not be a classic in the common sense of the word, it's definitely a modern classic. And as time passes, it'll become a true classic in its own right.
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
03/31/23
Full Review
Audience Member
You did it ABC Family!! You actually did it! bYou ruined the greatest christams special of all time! Fuckyoufuckyoufuckyoufuckyoufuckyou ABC Family!! You refuse to show good shows and replace good, hard core movies with this constipation. Fuck this movie!!!
Rated 0.5/5 Stars •
Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars
02/15/23
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