Without a doubt, one of my fondest childhood memories was watching this animated special every Christmastime. It wasn’t just an excited build-up to one of my favourite holidays. Will Vinton created something so incredibly unique that it gave me goose bumps even when I was all of five years old. It’s not a special that comes on anymore, which is a pity, considering how classic it is. However, I came across the entire special on YouTube, and everything was right again with the world.
I thought one of the best ways to spread some of that “Holiday Cheer” that everyone talks about (but has become more and more rare as time goes by) is to share some of my favourite moments from the special. There are so many vignettes to choose from, all of them special, having their own twist on classic Christmas tales, songs and even the Biblical inclinations of the story of Christmas itself.
Probably the most unique (read: ridiculous) aspect of the piece is its hosts. Two dinosaurs who are attempting to bring some joy and grandeur to the holiday. The hosts — Rex, the snobbish and self-proclaimed intellectual; and Herb, the somewhat slovenly yet incredibly lovable foodie — dissect the most classic Christmas carols, peeling back their meanings and histories and giving the audience more than just beautifully animated shorts, but also a surprisingly in-depth understanding of what each carol means and its origin.
What follows isn’t the entire special, rather it’s a look at my favourite segments and exactly what each did to my creative subconscious as a child.
