Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town

Play trailer

Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town

TV-G

1970

51m

Kids & Family

Animation

Holiday

Fantasy

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

93%

Tomatometer

14 Reviews

82%

Popcornmeter

1,000+ Ratings

A lanky mailman (voiced by Fred Astaire) tells the story of Santa Claus. Adopted by an elf family named Kringle, young Kris longs to restore the Kringle reputation as toymakers to the king, but the evil Burgermeister Meisterburger has outlawed toys in Sombertown. Overcoming the opposition of both the Burgermeister and the Winter Warlock, Kris begins delivering toys not only to the children on Sombertown, but all around the world as well.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Buy Now

Critics Consensus

Arriving with light-hearted cheeriness and the best musical numbers, Santa Claus Is Comin To Town is a magical story told by charming wood-figure animation.

Read Critics Reviews

Emily St. James

Vox

Everything Rankin/Bass did works perfectly here. The guest voice (Fred Astaire) is dead on. The filling in of mythology around a holiday figure is just great. And even the song the special builds toward is one of the better Santa Claus songs out there.

Nov 26, 2018

Full Review

Virginia Heffernan

New York Times

Two of these, ''Santa Claus is Comin' to Town'' and ''The Year Without a Santa Claus,'' [are] both giddy and delightful.

Nov 26, 2018

Full Review

Charles Bramesco

New York Times

This origin story for Santa Claus has all the elements that have made their productions perennial favorites every holiday season, including Fred Astaire and Mickey Rooney as the kindly narrator and a young Kris Kringle.

Nov 26, 2018

Full Review

Rachel Wagner

rachelsreviews.net

So overall it is an odd trippy little film but I enjoyed watching it.

Rated: 8/10

Apr 18, 2019

Full Review

Mark Hughes

Forbes

With terrific set designs and the best musical numbers of any of the old Rankin-Bass animated specials, it really holds up well even to this day. The story of how Santa Claus came to be, it's a must-see if you've got little kids in the household.

Nov 29, 2018

Full Review

David Kobylanski

Collider

Rather than a pure retelling, it became a unique modern version amongst other historical folklore. A modern fairytale of sorts.

Nov 28, 2018

Full Review

Read all reviews

Alec B

Santa Claus Is Coming to Town, the classic Rankin/Bass stop-motion special, remains a nostalgic holiday favorite, even if its charm feels dated by today’s standards. With catchy songs and adorable claymation, its origin story of Santa has a timeless sweetness. If you're looking to rekindle childhood memories or introduce younger generations to a piece of holiday history, this is one of the classics that MUST be watched each year.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

12/24/24

Full Review

Audience Member

Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town is a Christmas classic that I loved growing up watching. The animation is really cool and the voice acting is great. I still try to watch this amazing movie every Christmas

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/12/24

Full Review

Nick H

I have watched this movie for more than 2 decades and it always make me feel like a child again.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/23/23

Full Review

Russell H

Great stop motion classic tale of Santa Claus

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

12/22/23

Full Review

Doug N

Rankin & Bass' Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town is a beautifully crafted origin story of the legend of Santa Claus (also known as Kris Kringle). The stop-motion animated Christmas special is inspired by the classic holiday song of the same name. It's a real delight with an engaging story for both families and fans of the stop motion puppet animation style. There are some charming, and empathetic characters in this film with great original songs by Maury Laws and Jules Bass; including, Put One Foot in Front of the Other, The First Toymakers to the King, and My World Is Beginning Today. This Christmas special is truly Rankin & Bass at their finest with an endearingly compelling message of giving ourselves through our love, our talent, and our heart.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/18/23

Full Review

Rodrigo C

A great movie for Christmas and with great story and animation

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/12/23

Full Review

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

Jules Bass

Director

Arthur Rankin Jr.

Director

Fred Astaire

Narrator

Mickey Rooney

Kris

Keenan Wynn

Winter Warlock

Paul Frees

Burgermeister Meisterburger

2017 Holiday Viewers’ Guide: TV Episodes, Specials, Marathons, Movies, and More

12 Film Critics Remember Their Favorite Holiday Movies

Now Streaming: Top Five, Falling Skies, And More

View more photos

Synopsis

A lanky mailman (voiced by Fred Astaire) tells the story of Santa Claus. Adopted by an elf family named Kringle, young Kris longs to restore the Kringle reputation as toymakers to the king, but the evil Burgermeister Meisterburger has outlawed toys in Sombertown. Overcoming the opposition of both the Burgermeister and the Winter Warlock, Kris begins delivering toys not only to the children on Sombertown, but all around the world as well.

Director: Jules Bass, Arthur Rankin Jr.
Producer: Arthur Rankin Jr., Jules Bass
Screenwriter: Romeo Muller
Rating: TV-G
Genre: Kids & Family, Animation, Holiday, Fantasy
Original Language: English
Release Date (TV): Dec 14, 1970
Runtime: 51m

Most Popular at Home Now