'Twas the Night Before Christmas

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'Twas the Night Before Christmas

1974

23m

Animation

Fantasy

Holiday

Kids & Family

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Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

71%

Tomatometer

7 Reviews

65%

Popcornmeter

100+ Ratings

When Santa Claus removes the citizens of a small town from his delivery itinerary after an insulting letter in the newspaper, a clockmaker and his family endeavor to regain his favor.

Henry Hanks

CNN.com

Rankin-Bass was riding high in 1974, because it also put out the hand-drawn "'Twas the Night" the same year. Here, Father Mouse's geeky son, Albert, learns the true meaning of Christmas after writing Santa to tell him he didn't exist. Ouch.

Dec 4, 2018

Full Review

Will Harris

AV Club

In watching 'Twas the Night Before Christmas as an adult, it becomes a little bit easier to see why the special hasn't stuck in the memories of as many kids as its peers.

Dec 3, 2018

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AV Club Staff

AV Club

[The special's] "even a miracle needs a hand" message ultimately celebrates industriousness, and allows that even intellectuals can find room in their hearts for the spirit of Christmas.

Nov 30, 2018

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Rachel Wagner

rachelsreviews.net

It's really adorable.

Rated: 7/10

Apr 17, 2019

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Ryan Voyles

Paste Magazine

There's a lot of weird stuff going on aside from the premise, including a central theme of "Shut up, nerd! Stop thinking and just believe.

Dec 3, 2018

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Kevin Carr

7M Pictures

a charming adaptation of the original Clement Moore poem

Rated: 3/5

Jan 5, 2014

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CodyZamboni Z

When the cartoon sticks with the classic story, everything is holiday gold. But they animators shoehorn a lame clock story into it, and that ruins the fun

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

09/10/24

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Russell H

It was ok. All the characters, including humans look like mice.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

01/01/24

Full Review

Audience Member

I had a soft spot for this Christmas special as well when I was a child. It doesn't hold up as well as it used to, but the tunes are still catchy! Not one of my favorites, but still one that I like to check out every couple of years for nostalgia.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/19/23

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Audience Member

A retelling of the classic poem interrupted by a story about a family of talking mice...

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

02/01/23

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Audience Member

A sweet little story about how your actions have an impact on more than just yourself. And how sometimes you need to believe in that which you can not see.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/16/23

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Audience Member

I loved this movie growing up. ^_^ I'll see it occasionally on ABC family at Christmas Time.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/06/23

Full Review

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Jules Bass

Director

Arthur Rankin Jr.

Director

Patricia Bright

Voice

Scott Firestone

Voice

George Gobel

Father Mouse

Joel Grey

Joshua Trundle

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Synopsis

When Santa Claus removes the citizens of a small town from his delivery itinerary after an insulting letter in the newspaper, a clockmaker and his family endeavor to regain his favor.

Director: Jules Bass, Arthur Rankin Jr.
Producer: Jules Bass, Arthur Rankin Jr.
Screenwriter: Jerome Coopersmith
Genre: Animation, Fantasy, Holiday, Kids & Family
Original Language: English
Release Date (TV): Dec 8, 1974
Runtime: 23m