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

Stream 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

11/26/2018

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.

Go to Full Review

Virginia Heffernan

New York Times

11/26/2018

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

Go to Full Review

Charles Bramesco

New York Times

11/26/2018

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.

Go to Full Review

Rachel Wagner

rachelsreviews.net

04/18/2019

8/10

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

Go to Full Review

Mark Hughes

Forbes

11/29/2018

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.

Go to Full Review

David Kobylanski

Collider

11/28/2018

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

Go to Full Review

Read all reviews

James E

@JamesE167 3d

Christmas is defined well in this timeless film.

See more

Jace E

@thefilmguy Dec 16

The music is fun, the characters are cheery (other than the perfectly named Burgermeister Meisterburger) and the message is clear. It's magical to see the influence that one small act of kindness can have on another. Now, this movie is no Klaus but it is a timeless classic that I love revisiting. Best Character: Winter Best Quote: "You mustn't mind the tree monsters. Their bark is worse than their bite." - Winter Best Scene: One Foot in Front of Another

See more

Jeffery B

@Bubby-43499 Dec 11

Simply the best type of Christmas tradition

See more

Alec B

@AlecMichaelB 12/23/2024

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.

See more

Ryan

10/12/2024

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

See more

Nick H

12/23/2023

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

See more

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

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