The Spirit of Christmas
Genres
Overview
This Christmas film, created as a special for television broadcast throughout the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania viewing region, was produced by puppeteer Mabel Beaton and her husband Les for Bell Telephone Company and first aired in 1953. Following a short live-action opening portion, featured are two extended marionette segments, the first dramatizing Clement Moore's "A Visit from St. Nicholas", the second reverently telling the Nativity story; the two stories are staged in classic, traditional style. From 1953 onward, for several years, The Spirit of Christmas was broadcast in the intended region multiple times per holiday season. It was also available as a 16mm film licensed to schools for showings to students. This film often is misstated to have originally been broadcast in 1950.
Details
Budget
$0
Revenue
$0
Runtime
27 min
Release Date
1953-12-01
Status
Released
Original Language
English
Vote Count
5
Vote Average
6.4
Alexander Scourby
Clement Moore / 'Nativity' Narrator (voice) (uncredited)
6.0
Jingle All the Way
Howard Langston, a salesman for a mattress company, is constantly kept busy at his job, disappointing his son. After he misses his son's karate exposition, Howard vows to make it up to him by buying an action figure of his son's favorite television hero for Christmas. Unfortunately for Howard, it is Christmas Eve, and every store is sold out of Turbo Man. Now, Howard must travel all over town and compete with everybody else to find a Turbo Man action figure.
1996-11-21 | en
5.6
Deck the Halls
Determined to unseat Steve Finch's reign as the town's holiday season king, Buddy Hall plasters his house with so many decorative lights that it'll be visible from space! When their wives bond, and their kids follow suit, the two men only escalate their rivalry - and their decorating.
2006-11-22 | en
6.8
The Madagascar Penguins in a Christmas Caper
During the holiday season, when the animals of the Central Park Zoo are preparing for Christmas, Private, the youngest of the penguins notices that the Polar Bear is all alone. Assured that nobody should have to spend Christmas alone, Private goes into the city for some last-minute Christmas shopping. Along the way, he gets stuffed into a stocking
2005-09-23 | en
6.1
Stuart Little
When the Littles adopt Stuart, the mouse, George is initially unwelcoming to his new brother, and the family cat, Snowbell, is even less enthusiastic. Stuart resolves to face these difficulties with as much pluck and courage as he can muster.
1999-12-17 | en
6.2
Babe
Babe is a little pig who doesn't quite know his place in the world. With a bunch of odd friends, like Ferdinand the duck who thinks he is a rooster and Fly the dog he calls mum, Babe realises that he has the makings to become the greatest sheep pig of all time, and Farmer Hoggett knows it. With the help of the sheep dogs, Babe learns that a pig can be anything that he wants to be.
1995-07-18 | en
7.8
The Nightmare Before Christmas
Tired of scaring humans every October 31 with the same old bag of tricks, Jack Skellington, the spindly king of Halloween Town, kidnaps Santa Claus and plans to deliver shrunken heads and other ghoulish gifts to children on Christmas morning. But as Christmas approaches, Jack's rag-doll girlfriend, Sally, tries to foil his misguided plans.
1993-10-09 | en
5.6
Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties
Jon and Garfield visit the United Kingdom, where a case of mistaken cat identity finds Garfield ruling over a castle. His reign is soon jeopardized by the nefarious Lord Dargis, who has designs on the estate.
2006-06-15 | en
6.3
Pete's Dragon
Pete, a young orphan, runs away to a Maine fishing town with his best friend a lovable, sometimes invisible dragon named Elliott! When they are taken in by a kind lighthouse keeper, Nora, and her father, Elliott's prank playing lands them in big trouble. Then, when crooked salesmen try to capture Elliott for their own gain, Pete must attempt a daring rescue.
1977-11-03 | en
5.7
Call Me Claus
When Lucy Cullins, a successful but cranky producer at a home shopping network hires an actor named Nick to play Santa Claus on the network, she gets more than she bargained for.
2001-12-03 | en
6.0
I'll Be Home for Christmas
Estranged from his father, college student Jake is lured home to New York for Christmas with the promise of receiving a classic Porsche as a gift. When the bullying football team dumps him in the desert in a Santa suit, Jake is left without identification or money to help him make the journey. Meanwhile, his girlfriend, Allie, does not know where he is, and accepts a cross-country ride from Jake's rival, Eddie.
1998-11-13 | en
5.8
Elliot: The Littlest Reindeer
When Blitzen announces his retirement on December 21st, a miniature horse has 3 days to fulfill his lifelong dream of earning a spot on Santa's team at the North Pole try-outs.
2018-11-08 | en
4.4
Chasing Christmas
Jack Cameron is a single dad that decides not to observe Christmas because his wife left him around that time. The ghosts of Christmas past and present try and get Jack to relent, but they screw up their jobs and send themselves on a wild ride through time showing up at various times in Jack's past. As they try and rectify the timeline and get back to the real present, some things are not what they used to be.
2005-12-04 | en
6.1
The Spirit of Christmas: Jesus vs. Frosty
Four children, all but one of whom go unnamed, build a snowman which comes to life and threatens their town.
1992-12-01 | en
6.6
The Spirit of Christmas: Jesus vs. Santa
Four carolling children meet Jesus and Santa Claus and learn the true meaning of Christmas.
1995-12-25 | en
6.0
Candy Cane Lane
A man, determined to win the neighborhood's annual Christmas decorating contest, makes a pact with an elf to help him win. However, the elf casts a spell bringing the twelve days of Christmas to life, bringing chaos to the small, unsuspecting town.
2023-11-29 | en
7.7
A Charlie Brown Christmas
When Charlie Brown complains about the overwhelming materialism that he sees amongst everyone during the Christmas season, Lucy suggests that he become director of the school Christmas pageant. Charlie Brown accepts, but it is a frustrating struggle. When an attempt to restore the proper spirit with a forlorn little fir Christmas tree fails, he needs Linus' help to learn the meaning of Christmas.
1965-12-09 | en
7.5
A Christmas Carol
Miser Ebenezer Scrooge is awakened on Christmas Eve by spirits who reveal to him his own miserable existence, what opportunities he wasted in his youth, his current cruelties, and the dire fate that awaits him if he does not change his ways. Scrooge is faced with his own story of growing bitterness and meanness, and must decide what his own future will hold: death or redemption.
1984-10-09 | en
6.3
Christmas Cottage
Inspired by the picturesque paintings of Thomas Kinkade, The Christmas Cottage tells the semi-autobiographical tale of how a young boy is propelled to launch a career as an artist after he learns that his mother is in danger of losing the family home.
2008-10-15 | en
7.0
The Very First Noel
Melchior, one of the Three Wise Men, narrates the story of his travels in search of a magnificent star pointing him to a newborn King.
2006-11-03 | en
5.6
All I Want For Christmas
Siblings Ethan and Hallie O'Fallon plot to get their divorced parents back together in time for Christmas.
1991-11-08 | en