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Quick LinksGandalf Missed a Chance to Meet Aragorn During The HobbitGandalf Provided Aragorn With Wisdom and Guidance

Many members of The Lord of the Rings' Fellowship met for the first time during the Council of Elrond, but some had established relationships long before their quest to destroy the One Ring began. That included the Fellowship's leaders, Gandalf the Gray and Aragorn. Gandalf placed a great amount of trust in Aragorn, even telling him about Frodo's secret mission to destroy the One Ring; this is why Aragorn recognized the hobbits in Bree and escorted them to the Elven realm of Rivendell. But how did the Wizard and the Ranger come to know each other? J. R. R. Tolkien answered this in the novel version of The Lord of the Rings. One might expect that they met during Aragorn's youth in Rivendell, but that was not the case.

After the death...

Founded by Arthur Rankin Jr. and Jules Bass in 1960, Rankin/Bass Animated Entertainment was a beloved animation company based in New York City until it was dissolved in 2001. The company is best known for its animated holiday specials, which have become yearly staples thanks to their catchy songs and simple, fairy-tale-like storytelling. They occasionally released hand-drawn products, like the 1982 fantasy film The Last Unicorn or the 1977 adaptation of The Hobbit, and most of their specials were done using a form of stop-motion called "Animagic."...

It's time to revisit SilverHawks with the newest line of action figures from Super7. A new set of SilverHawks ReAction Figures has been unveiled, and Cbr has the exclusive first look.

Four figures are included in the first wave of the Super7 x SilverHawks ReAction figure line: Quicksilver, Steelheart, Bluegrass, and the galactic mob boss Mon*Star. All four figures, which are 3.75" scale figures from Super7's ReAction Figure family, come with a suggested retail price of $25. They look fantastic, though it's noted by the company that due to the vac-metal finish of the Quicksilver, Steelheart, and Bluegrass figures, they should be "handled with care and posed delicately to avoid chipping or cracking." Descriptions of each figure, along with first look photos, can be seen below.

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Few holiday films are as nostalgic as the Rankin Bass Christmas specials, introducing the beloved Rankin Bass holiday characters like Frosty, Rudolph, and more to the screen. This popular holiday collection began in the 1960s and was run by directors and studio heads, Arthur Rankin Bass Jr. and Jules Bass, who created eighteen of these nostalgic films until their disbanding in 2001.

From the 1960s to today, Rankin Bass Christmas films are still some of the most commonly played, well-known holiday films. In fact, their 1964 production of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer made history as the longest-running Christmas special of all time (Smithsonian Magazine). Characteristic by their use of puppets, stop-motion animation, original holiday songs, and meaningful lessons, it's no surprise why Rankin Bass has remained a classic throughout the generations. For adults as well as children, the best Rankin Bass films have something entertaining to offer all, whether it be an...

Of the movies adapting J.R.R. Tolkien's epic The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit books, not all are considered equals. Released in 1937 to immediate popularity, J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit introduced Middle-earth - the literary fantasy realm to rule them all. In 1954, Tolkien began expanding his mythology with The Fellowship of the Ring - the first part of his Lord of the Rings trilogy, finding even greater acclaim and enshrining the series as a culturally defining body of work.

The Lord of the Rings has enraptured one generation after another for almost a century, but compared to most timeless novels, relatively few attempts have been made to translate Middle-earth onto the silver screen. Filmmakers struggled to conceptualize the sheer scale of Tolkien's words onscreen, and even The Beatles - as high as they were - ultimately decided against filming a live-action Lord of the Rings. Though a...

Every holiday season, we give thanks for Rankin/Bass, the team behind Christmas TV specials “Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer” and “Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town.” The production company formed by Arthur Rankin, Jr. and Jules Bass gave us both iconic stop-motion and traditional animated tales, becoming a pop culture touchstone for generations of kids.

Not all the specials, especially some of the lesser-known entries, are streaming this Christmas. But several are available to rent alone, and many more are being shown as part of Freeform’s “25 Days of Christmas.” Here’s where you can revisit these childhood favorites:

Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964) Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer (Credit: Rankin/Bass)

The first and most beloved Rankin/Bass special is chock full of terrific songs, including “A Holly Jolly Christmas” and “We’re a Couple of Misfits,” and the cutest misfits of all time, including red-nosed Rudolph, and Hermey the elf,...

The names behind the scenes may not sound familiar, but these Christmas classics certainly should!

While you might not know the individual names Arthur Rankin Jr. and Jules Bass, chances are pretty good that you know some, if not all, of the iconic stop-motion holiday specials that the duo created as Rankin/Bass. The duo, who teamed up in the early 1960s to create their “Animagic” style, are responsible for Christmas classics like “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” “Frosty the Snowman,” “The Year Without a Santa Claus,” and “The Little Drummer Boy,” but are responsible for over a dozen different holiday specials across a decade and a half.

Many of these hits from the 1960s, ’70s, and ’80s will sound familiar and might even be staples in your annual family Christmas traditions. Others, however, like 1981’s “The Leprechauns’ Christmas Gold” or 1978’s “The Stingiest Man in Town” might not be very...

Have you ever wondered what The Lord of the Rings would be like if the filmmakers were obviously stoned? You're about to find out, because the long-forgotten, and largely bonkers, animated Lord of the Rings movies have finally arrived on streaming. Peter Jackson's trilogy is undoubtedly the most beloved adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's world, with a stellar cast and phenomenal practical effects (not to mention the soundtrack), which brings fans back for multiple viewings every year. But, in the darkest corner of Mordor, lies an adaptation so bizarre and surreal, it should be cast into the fires of Mount Doom.

Decades before Peter Jackson brought Hobbits to life on the big screen, Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit both received animated movies in the 1970s. The Hobbit was released in 1977, with Lord of the Rings hitting theaters the following year. Unless you grew up watching these adaptations on TV in the 70s,...

Ahead of the theatrical premiere of the new animated The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim, Max will be streaming another animated Middle-earth film. Collider reports that legendary animator, filmmaker and painter Ralph Bakshis 1978 animated The Lord of the Rings will begin streaming on Max starting on Dec. 1.

Bakshi directed the 1978 classic as well as 1977s Wizards. Maxs addition of The Lord of the Rings animated movie to its platform marks the first time its been available to stream. Previously, the movie was only available for rent or purchase on digital platforms like Prime Video.

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Several limited edition Lotr box sets are available for the holiday season at discounted prices

The Lord of the Rings animated movie features the voices of John Hurt as Aragorn and Anthony Daniels,...

After its original debut on NBC 60 years ago, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is coming back home. The beloved Christmas special is returning to NBC after a run of more than five decades on the competing network CBS.

Per Deadline, the Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer special is set to air on Friday, Dec. 6 at 8 p.m. on NBC. This date will mark the 60th anniversary of when the 75-minute special first debuted on that day in 1964 as part of NBC's "General Electric Fantasy Hour." In 1971, the special moved over to CBS where it had remained up until its move back this year.

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McFarlane Toys unveils a brand-new DC Direct Christmas Joker figurine inspired by the classic Batman: The Animated Series.

Based on the classic Christmas tune by Johnny Marks (and its original poem by Robert L. May), Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer was written by...

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The Nazgl, or Ringwraiths in the Common Speech, were some of the most memorable antagonists in The Lord of the Rings. As explained in both J. R. R. Tolkien's novel and Peter Jackson's film adaptations, Sauron gave nine magical rings to the race of Men. These Rings of Power corrupted their wearers, thus bending them to Sauron's will and transforming them into invisible, undead monsters. Despite their importance in the story, neither the novel nor the films offered much information about who the Nazgl used to be.

In Jackson's The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, Aragorn said that the Nazgl were "Kings of Men" before Sauron's rings corrupted them. However, this was not the case in the novel. They must have been somewhat important figures for Sauron to notice them and deem them worthy minions,...

Quick Links Orcs Disliked Their Rations During the War of the Ring Orcs Could Acquire Food By Force Orcs Were Not the Only Villains Who Needed to Eat In Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, Orcs complained about having nothing to eat but spoiled bread. J. R. R. Tolkien's novel revealed that the Uruk-hai's rations consisted of bread and dried meat. Orcs likely hunted and pillaged for food, but this was not the main source of their sustenance.

Sauron's army in The Lord of the Rings, which mainly consisted of Orcs, was the largest in Middle-earth. He was able to simultaneously wage war on countless fronts while still leaving guards stationed in Mordor. Though this gave the Dark Lord unparalleled military strength during the War of the Ring, it also came with drawbacks, as he needed to supply these forces. He could create weapons,...

Quick Links Gollum's Origins Were a Mystery in The Hobbit Gollum's Fashion Sense Was Very Different in the Novel Peter Jackson's Films Made Gollum Less Monstrous J. R. R. Tolkien's early descriptions of Gollum were vague, leading to misconceptions about his appearance. Adaptations of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings have depicted Gollum in many different ways. Peter Jackson's films included the most novel-accurate Gollum, but there were still notable differences.

Gollum was one of the most memorable characters in Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings film trilogy. A combination of his unique character design, the groundbreaking motion capture technology that brought him to life, and Andy Serkis' captivating performance cemented Gollum as one of the film industry's most recognizable roles. Yet Jackson's films were not the first adaptations of J. R. R. Tolkien's novel, nor did they contain the first portrayals of Gollum. Tolkien's...

Tolkien left the history of Wargs vague, but there were some clues. Wargs acted very differently in the novels compared to modern adaptations. Adaptations filled in the gaps of Tolkien's descriptions in unique ways.

Wargs, the canine monsters that Orcs rode into battle, were some of Middle-earth's most memorable creatures. They have appeared prominently in nearly every adaptation of J. R. R. Tolkien's work, including The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit film trilogies as well as The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. However, such adaptations rarely offered clear explanations as to what exactly Wargs were or where they came from.

The reason for this mysteriousness was that Tolkien himself gave few details about the Wargs. They debuted in The Hobbit, in which they were simply described as evil wolves, and their role in The Lord of the Rings was much smaller than in Peter Jackson's adaptations.

On Friday nights, IndieWire After Dark takes a feature-length beat to honor fringe cinema in the streaming age.

First, the spoiler-free pitch for one editor’s midnight movie pick — something weird and wonderful from any age of film that deserves our memorializing.

Then, the spoiler-filled aftermath as experienced by the unwitting editor attacked by this week’s recommendation.

The Pitch: Then All the Cavemen (and Founding Fathers) Loved Him

The magic of a good Christmas is an unparalleled childhood experience, but it always ends with the anticlimactic holiday hangover that is New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. The final day of the year and the first day of the new one can be plenty of fun for adults, as they revolve around a paradoxical combination of socially sanctioned binge drinking and a renewed focus on fitness and career goals. But since one of those things is off...

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas — except on subscription streaming, where you still can’t find classic Rankin/Bass holiday specials like “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.”

“Rudolph,” the 1964 Animagic stop-motion TV special was produced by Videocraft International — later renamed Rankin/Bass — for broadcast network NBC and sponsor General Electric. Five years later, Rankin/Bass Productions, now actually named Rankin/Bass Productions after Videocraft founders Arthur Rankin Jr. and Jules Bass, made the animated “Frosty the Snowman” special for broadcast network CBS.

In 1972 “Rudolph” joined “Frosty” at CBS, where they have remained for more than 50 years. In recent times, “Rudolph” and “Frosty” have also been a part of the Disney-owned cable channel Freeform’s “25 Days of Christmas” marathons. Though they run simultaneously, broadcast and cable are contractually considered different “windows” here, several sources with knowledge of the deals told IndieWire. The Rankin/Bass specials are also available on DVD and Blu-ray.

Beloved childhood favorites can be much darker in retrospect, exploring complex and disturbing themes that may not be suitable for children today. Movies like The Last Unicorn and Watership Down delve into dark themes such as species endangerment and cannibalistic violence, making them visibly distressing for young viewers. Even seemingly innocent movies such as Harry Potter and Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory have darker undertones, addressing child abuse and mistreatment of students, and featuring surreal and frightening scenes that can be disturbing in hindsight.

Many beloved childhood favorites are actually much darker movies in retrospect. Like any facet of the film industry, kids' movies are constantly evolving based on societal standards and current industry guidelines. Though it's mainly the case with older classics, many family-friendly movies are much darker than one realizes when viewing them as a child due to underlying complex ideas of harsh realities. Children's movies should...

Music has always played an important role in Tolkien adaptations. J.A. Bayona, producer and director on Amazon’s Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, told Den of Geek last year that he played music on set for the actors to help them get “the right tone” for their characters, and that “there’s an… obvious sense of musicality when you read the books” which is “all about language and the beauty of language.” The show’s season one finale even featured a new musical setting for Tolkien’s “Rhyme of the Rings,” written by Bear McCreary and performed by Fiona Apple, which was generally well-received by fans.

Anyone who has read The Hobbit or The Lord of the Rings knows that the books are full of songs. Aragorn sings old Elvish ballads, Bilbo is quite the composer, the Dwarves have songs about their ancient mines, the Rohirrim love melancholic battle epics,...

By the late 1970s, there were two major animated adaptations of The Lord of the Rings in development. Arthur Rankin Jr. and Jules Bass, known for their holiday season specials like Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and Frosty the Snowman, had directed an animated dramatization of The Hobbit for television, broadcast in 1977 and they were planning a sequel, also for television, based on The Lord of the Rings. But filmmaker and animator Ralph Bakshi beat them to it in 1978 when he directed an animated feature film, The Lord of the Rings, which he intended to be Part 1 of 2. The studio (United Artists) refused to put Part 1 on the title though, and never greenlit Part 2. Instead, Rankin and Bass released a made-for-television sequel to their Hobbit film under the title The Return of the King, which finished off J.R.R. Tolkien‘s epic story.

The Rankin/Bass Hobbit film is seriously underrated these days,...

With Christmastime comes the seasonal reruns of classic film and television classics to cable and streaming. Some of the most famous television specials are from the Rankin/Bass Animated Entertainment company which made the stop-motion and 2D animated classics that starred figures like Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Frosty the Snowman, and Santa Claus. These short films helped develop many young children's sense of the holiday season and are remembered fondly.

Arthur Rankin Jr. and Jules Bass were a talented directorial pair who created most of the lengthy filmography and had a hand in nearly all the specials and feature-length films. Their Christmas films were renowned for the strong and unique stories that managed to inject old stories with new ideas and twists. Heroes and villains square off in their films that often see the fate of winter or Christmas at stake. Some characters are cowards while others are heroes and...

Whether you’re looking for stocking stuffers for others or a nice little gift for yourself, we’ve got a roundup of some of the best new Blu-rays and DVDs for the holidays.

Christmas Favorites

Warner Bros. Home Entertainment offers up four of their holiday favorites in 4K for the first time this holiday season: “Elf,” “A Christmas Story,” “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” and “The Polar Express” all get shined up for your library. Whether you’re giving (or getting) a 4K system this Christmas or already have one ready to go, this quartet of titles represent the apex of holiday classics for a wide audience. (Whether or not the sequel “A Christmas Story Christmas” will eventually merit its own schmancy physical release remains to be seen.)

Also available:

“The Apartment” (Kino Lorber Studio Classics): Billy Wilder’s bittersweet, Oscar-winning holiday tale made its 4K debut earlier this year.

There are certain films I saw growing up that left me forever scarred: "The Neverending Story," "Watership Down," and "The Last Unicorn," to name the most memorable. However, I loved "The Last Unicorn" so much that it didn't matter that I felt inexplicably saddened by watching it. Much like "Watership Down" — also not meant for children — the 1982 film was watched by a generation of kids because it was animated. Naturally, that meant it was safe for children, right? Interestingly, the film, which just turned 40, wasn't originally intended for kids at all.

For one thing, the movie is scary. Not just obvious terrors like the monstrous Red Bull, but something even more frightening to children: being smothered by the ample bosom of a living tree — if you know, you know. The film was gorgeously animated by Rankin/Bass, the team that brought us the 1977 version of "The Hobbit." The screenplay was penned by Peter S. Beagle,...

Jules Bass, one half of the legendary animation team Rankin/Bass, has died. He was 87.

Jules Bass’ career is forever linked to Arthur Rankin Jr.–which certainly isn’t a bad thing, since the duo played major roles in creating some of the most iconic Christmas movies ever.

Rankin/Bass was of course best known for their holiday classics Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964), Frosty the Snowman (1969), Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town (1970), and so many more. But now that it’s October, let’s not forget Mad Monster Party? (1967), which had the benefit of the voice talents of Boris Karloff, who lent his distinct vocals as Baron Boris von Frankenstein, a take on Victor Frankenstein, the creator of Karloff’s most famous role of Frankenstein’s Monster.

While Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer remains one of the duo’s true classics, it wasn’t until three years later that Arthur Rankin Jr....

Jules Bass, the co-producer and co-director of such animated classics as “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” “Frosty the Snowman” and “The Last Unicorn,” died Tuesday of age-related illness at an assisted living facility in Rye, New York, his publicist confirmed to TheWrap. He was 87.

Through their banner Rankin/Bass, Bass and Arthur Rankin Jr. (who died in 2014) made some of the most beloved children’s programming of all time, including stop-motion classics “Rudolph” (1964), “Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town” (1970), and “The Year Without a Santa Claus” (1974). Bass also wrote many of the iconic songs, including Heat Miser and Snow Miser’s catchy showstopper and “Put One Foot in Front of the Other” with composer/conductor Maury Laws.

Bass also produced and directed the 1967’s “Mad Monster Party?” starring Boris Karloff and Phyllis Diller.

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Rankin/Bass’s hand-drawn projects include the 1969 holiday special “Frosty the Snowman,...

Jules Bass, who produced and directed a number of classic animated holiday specials like Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and Frosty the Snowman, has died at the age of 87, his publicist confirms to our sister site Variety.

Bass is most famous for his collaborations with Arthur Rankin Jr., including the 1964 stop-motion animated special Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, which Bass co-produced. The retelling of the famous Christmas carol narrated by Burl Ives became a beloved annual tradition for TV viewers and still runs each year on CBS. Rankin/Bass followed up that success with 1968’s The Little Drummer Boy, 1970’s Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town...

Jules Bass, whose work as a producer and director of stop-motion and animated television specials such as Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town and The Year Without A Santa Claus has become an integral part of the holiday season for generations, died today in Rye, New York, of age-related illnesses. He was 87.

His death was confirmed by publicist Jennifer Fisherman Ruff.

Bass was working in advertising in New York City when, in 1960, he teamed up with an art director at ABC named Arthur Rankin Jr. to form a film production company called Videocraft International. The company was launched with the 1960 series The New Adventures of Pinocchio, utilizing traditional animation, but found its breakthrough success in 1964 with the stop-motion classic Rudolph, featuring the voice of Burl Ives as Sam the Snowman.

Rankin died in 2014 at 89.

Based on the Gene Autry hit song of 1949, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer...

Jules Bass, the animator, producer, director and composer whose work included stop-motion holiday television specials like “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” “Frosty the Snowman” and “Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town,” died at the age of 87 on Tuesday at an assisted living facility in Rye, New York, publicist Jennifer Fisherman-Ruff confirmed.

The three prominent holiday specials, “Rudolph,” voiced by Burl Ives, “Frosty” starring Jackie Vernon and Jimmy Durante and “Santa Claus,” voiced by Fred Astaire and Mickey Rooney, all debuted during the 1960s and 1970s. In the decades since, the specials have become staples of seasonal holiday programming on television.

Bass was known for his longstanding creative partnership with director Arthur Rankin Jr., who died in 2014 at 89. The two pushed many productions through their banner Rankin/Bass Productions, which was known for its laborious cel-animated, stop-motion films that took long periods of time to turn into full-length features.

Bass and Rankin...

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Jules Bass, the animator, producer, director and composer who partnered with Arthur Rankin Jr. on the stop-motion holiday TV specials Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Frosty the Snowman and Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town, has died. He was 87.

Bass died Tuesday at an assisted living facility in Rye, New York, publicist Jennifer Fisherman Ruff told The Hollywood Reporter.

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, based on the song popularized by Gene Autry and featuring the voice of Burl Ives, debuted in 1964. Frosty the Snowman, starring Jackie Vernon and Jimmy Durante, bowed in 1969, and Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town, starring Fred Astaire, premiered in 1970. All three have remained strong television draws through the decades.

Rankin/Bass Productions’ cel-animated, stop-motion features were farmed out to Japanese animators and were painstaking to make, with thousands of still photos of their characters’ incremental movements put together at 24 frames...

On Aug. 31, 1998, Variety reported that New Zealand filmmakers Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh would transform J.R.R. Tolkien’s “Lord of the Rings” trilogy of books into three films. Reporter Benedict Carver added that the books are “a highly prized literary property that has eluded filmmakers for years.”

It was the culmination more than three decades of trying to adapt Tolkien’s work for the screen, after the world of visual effects had finally caught up to the British author’s fantastical storylines.

But three decades before, the Beatles had tried to get a “Lord of the Rings” film off the ground. After playing themselves in “A Hard Day’s Night” and “Help!,” the Fab Four was ready to play fictional characters. Apple Films executive Denis O’Dell spearheaded the hunt for material, and Lennon reportedly loved the idea of “Rings.” Lennon would play Gollum, Paul McCartney would play Frodo, George Harrison would...

The Bermuda Depths (1978) is now available on Blu-ray from Warner Archive

What secret lurks 20,000 feet below the waves in the paranormal realm called the Bermuda Triangle? That’s the question a scientist (Burl Ives), his student (Carl Weathers) and a young man (Leigh McCloskey) haunted by nightmarish memories of his Bermuda childhood ask themselves. The answer involves a beauty (Connie Sellecca) who has sold her soul for eternal youth and a giant sea turtle that leaves death in its wake. Eerie and hypnotic, The Bermuda Depths was produced by Arthur Rankin, Jr. and Jules Bass (The Year Without a Santa Claus), who meld their imaginative fantasy style with the live-action horror genre.

Special Features: Includes Both the 1.33:1 US Broadcast Television Version and the 1.85:1 International Theatrical Version; New Audio Commentary by Author/ Film Historian Amanda Reyes (Are You in the House Alone? A TV Movie Compendium: 1964-1999) and Kindertrauma co-founder Lance Vaughan.

After unveiling the discs that will be arriving in April, including Bong Joon Ho’s Memories of Murder, Olivier Assayas’ Irma Vep, and more, Criterion has now announced what will be coming to their streaming channel next month.

Highlights include retrospectives dedicated to Guy Maddin, Ruby Dee, Lana Turner, and Gordon Parks, plus selections from Marlene Dietrich & Josef von Sternberg’s stellar box set. They will also present the exclusive streaming premieres of Bill Duke’s The Killing Floor, William Greaves’s Nationtime, Kevin Jerome Everson’s Park Lanes, and more.

Jim Jarmusch’s Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai, which recently arrived on the collection, will be landing on the channel as well, along with a special “Lovers on the Run” series including film noir (They Live by Night) to New Hollywood (Badlands) to the French New Wave (Pierrot le fou) to Blaxploitation (Thomasine & Bushrod) and beyond. Also...

Rankin/Bass Christmas specials are a treasured tradition for many people during the holiday season. The stop-motion animated films take viewers back to childhood memories of characters like Rudolph, Frosty, and Santa Claus. Although Rankin/Bass did much more than the famous seasonal specials, they are particularly known for their Christmas films, which are full of fantastic music from the likes of Maury Laws, Jules Bass, and other talented writers.

Related: 10 Christmas Movies 80s Kids Love, Ranked According To IMDb

However, if the public had to choose which song is their favorite, which one would make the number one slot? Or better yet, out of all the delightful specials, what Rankin/Bass song would be considered a top ten contender?...

Jason Momoa has just accepted his most unusual role yet, as the Aquaman star will star in a live-action remake of the holiday classic Frosty the Snowman. Deadline reports that Momoa will voice the CGI Frosty living in a live-action world for the upcoming project, and though it's a bizarre casting choice, fans of the actor are already on board. "From his role as a fearsome count in a land of ice and fire to the oceanic success we all had with Aquaman, it felt only right to realize Jason this time out of snow," said producer Jon Berg.

"We know Jason's as a true human being filled with love, compassion and a deep connection to ohana - all of which is the living spirit of Xmas and Frosty" Berg's co-producer Greg Silverman added. Alongside Silverman and Momoa, Berg will also produce with Geoff Johns of Madghost. Reportedly, Elf writer...

Maury Laws, who as musical director for Rankin-Bass productions supervised the scoring of such animated TV classics as “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” “Frosty the Snowman” and “The Hobbit,” died March 28 in Appleton, Wisc. He was 95.

Laws’ greatest achievement in TV was arranging and conducting all of the music for the 1964 stop-motion animation version of “Rudolph,” which featured new songs by original “Rudolph” songwriter Johnny Marks. Laws’ warm orchestral settings for such songs as “Holly Jolly Christmas,” “There’s Always Tomorrow” and the title tune helped to make the hour-long show a holiday season perennial.

The success of “Rudolph” led to a series of animated specials by the Rankin-Bass company. Laws worked with Fred Astaire on “Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town” (1970), Danny Kaye on “Here Comes Peter Cottontail” (1971), Angela Lansbury on “The First Christmas” (1975) and Judy Collins on “The Wind in the Willows” (1987), often writing the songs with lyricist and...

For many of us, The Nightmare Before Christmas has become as much of a holiday tradition as the stop motion animation classics that inspired it. Jack, Sally, Zero, and the rest of Halloween Town have enchanted our imaginations (and filled our collectibles shelves) ever since the movie arrived in theaters in October 1993. Here, we look at 10 things you never knew about The Nightmare Before Christmas.

The Nightmare Before Christmas began as a poem.

Clement Clark Moore's 1823 poem A Visit from St. Nicholas is more commonly referred to as The Night Before Christmas, thanks to its opening line, "'Twas the night before Christmas." Tim Burton, who grew up in Southern California, has said he was inspired by the collision of holiday decorations in stores as the seasonal sections switched from Halloween to Christmas. As he toiled away as an animator at Disney, he started to work on his own projects,...

Jim Knipfel Oct 31, 2018

Rankin-Bass teamed up with Boris Karloff, Mad Magazine, Forry Ackerman, and Frank Frazetta for a Halloween special. What the hell?

Three years after producing 1964’s Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer but before going on to make other warm-hearted and sincere animated holiday standards like Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town, The Little Drummer Boy, Frosty the Snowman and the questionable Here Comes Peter Cottontail, Arthur Rankin and Jules Bass took a hard left turn into the dark, delightfully strange, and intensely geeky with Mad Monster Party.

Predating Tim Burton and Henry Selick’s Nightmare Before Christmas by over a quarter-century, the sinister duo’s stop-motion musical comedy celebration of classic Universal horror, which was released as a theatrical feature before becoming a semi-regular October TV standby, never quite cornered the Halloween specials market as planned. Somehow it was never able to lure audiences away from that damned Great Pumpkin.

Got Milk? Cowan & Shomali See The Glass Half Full, Celebrating Community Action In Beit Sahour With Stop-Motion

Paul Cowan and Amer Shomali’s partially animated docu-drama, The Wanted 18, a film that ruminates on the quiet collective rebellion of the First Palestinian Intifada via the underground farming of dairy during the years of 1987 to 1993, oddly but astutely alludes to Jules Bass and Arthur Rankin Jr.’s classic stop-motion holiday special Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town. In a throwaway clip of a stop motion Israeli commander that suspiciously resembles the fun hating kaiser Burgermeister Meisterburger, steps from his military jeep, much to his dismay, into a freshly made cow pie, just as the Burgermeister accidentally slipped upon a toy duck left by Mickey Rooney’s youthful Kris Kringle in a covert effort to enrich the lives of the town’s children.

Consciously or not, that Christmas classic is a perfect...

CW has released their prime time line up for the week of March 30th and it will be a strange week. With new episodes becoming limited as we approach season finales, CW is filling in the gaps with a few random choices. Such The Flash taking a big chunk of that week with other mixes of new and old episodes network wide. However, they will take a child friendly approach on April 3rd with Here Comes Peter Cottontail. Random? Yes, very much so! Here is the official listing that kindly provided us all with.

Monday, March 30

The Originals

“I Love You, Goodbye” — (8:00-9:00 p.m. Et) (TV-14, V) (HDTV)

The Big Day — With the final preparations for her union to Jackson (guest star Nathan Parsons) underway, Hayley (Phoebe Tonkin) begins to question whether the ritual will actually work. After arriving to the compound, Elijah (Daniel Gillies) has a...

Arthur Rankin Jr., who along with partner Jules Bass, was responsible for several iconic television Christmas specials, including Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and Frosty the Snowman, passed away Thursday at his home in Bermuda at the age of 89.

Rankin formed Videocraft International with Bass in the early 1960s. While their first project was The New Adventures of Pinocchio, Rankin/Bass's most iconic contributions to pop culture are doubtlessly the Rudolph and Frosty specials, which aired on CBS in 1964 and 1969, respectively, and were the two highest-rated programs of the night.

In the 1970s, Rankin produced and directed episodes of the animated Jackson 5 series,...

Arthur Rankin Jr., the man responsible for the most beloved stop-motion of the '60s and '70s, has died. Along with fellow producer-director Jules Bass, the animator redefined what an entire generation of American families watch at Christmas. Using their signature combination of painstaking cel-animation and a lot of whimsy, the two brought to life beloved classics like Frosty the Snowman and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Rankin was 89 years old when he passed away in his Bermuda home on Thursday, The Hollywood Reporter writes.Below, watch some favorite moments from the Ranking/Bass catalogue, along with a rare interview in which Rankin discusses his successful creative process. Certainly, we'll remember him fondly every time these specials air.

The man whose animated holiday TV specials have touched generations of fans died Thursday at his home in Bermuda. Arthur Rankin Jr was 89. His death was reported by local newspaper The Royal Gazette. With his partner Jules Bass, Rankin mined popular Christmas songs to create enduring stop-motion TV classics including Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964) — which beat The Voice and Marvel’s Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. in the 18-49 demo when CBS aired it Thanksgiving Eve last year – The Little Drummer Boy (1968), Santa Claus Is Comin’ To Town (1970) and The Year Without A Santa Claus (1974). The Jimmy Durante-narrated Frosty The Snowman (1969) was done in tradition cel animation and was the first of their Christmas specials done as a half-hour rather than an hour. Rankin and Bass founded their company in 1960 as Videocraft International, and the name was changed to Rankin/Bass Productions eight years later. They also produced plenty of non-holiday fare as well,...

Arthur Rankin Jr., the animator, producer and director behind the whimsical holiday stop-motion TV specials Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and Frosty the Snowman, has died. He was 89. Rankin died Thursday at his home by Harrington Sound in Bermuda, The Royal Gazette newspaper reported. In the early 1960s, Rankin and Jules Bass founded the film production company Videocraft International (now called Rankin/Bass Productions). Their stop-motion, cel-animated features were painstaking to make and known for their doll-like characters. Photos: Hollywood's Notable Deaths of 2014 Their first production was the syndicated TV series The New Adventures of

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Mad Monster Party (1967) is screening at 7pm Thursday, December 5th at Schlafly Bottleworks – 7260 Southwest Ave St Louis, Mo 63143. Doors open at 6:30pm. It’s a fundraiser for Helping Kids Together. Attend wearing a monster costume and you may win a DVD of the film!

“Rankin/Bass” is a moniker long associated with television for the company’s long line of animated specials, the best-known being Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer which first aired in 1964. Arthur Rankin Jr. and Jules Bass brought their craft to the big screen the first with Willy McBean And His Magic Machine in 1965, which was a flop as were their primarily live-action Hans Christian Andersen musical The Daydreamer (1966) and the traditionally-animated The Wacky World Of Mother Goose (1967). While Rankin/Bass was soon to become a fixture in holiday television, a fact we were all reminded of every December, the studio tried once more for cinematic success...

Welcome to QueueItUp, a new weekly column where we'll look at the hidden gems and new releases currently available in your digital stream. We won't exclusively be looking at Netflix, and I promise you, this is going to lead to bigger and better things, not only here at the site, but also as we branch into other avenues of media.

Today, we're going to get a jumpstart on Halloween. Whether you're throwing a party and need something playing on a screen in the backyard, or you're more of a 'stay at home and sip on whiskey by yourself' kind of gal, we've paid our $7.99 in full for the month, so that we have unlimited access to tons of Trick or Treat thrillers that will keep you scared into the wee hours of November.

Some are classic, some are cult, and some you've never seen. Here are the 10 Terrifying Halloween Movies...

Clocking in at 558 minutes (683 if you’re an elitist with the special extended editions, and a whopping 726 minutes is you’re lucky enough to have the Blu-ray editions), the Lord of the Rings trilogy requires some pretty epic commitment. Yet despite being closer to retirement age by the time Return of the King reaches its lengthy end credits, Peter Jackson’s films are widely regarded amongst certain circles as some of the best of all time.

If you’ve been living under a rock, Lord of the Rings – based on J.R.R Tolkien’s novel from 1955 – tells the story of Frodo Baggins, a hobbit from The Shire who inherits a golden ring from his uncle; a ring that naturally turns out to the One Ring (or Ring of Power, depending who you ask), forged by the Dark Lord Sauron to rule Middle Earth. Simply put, what follows is an...

Bilbo Baggins's adventure to the Lonely Mountain had quite a few twists and turns along the way. Little known fact: that dangerous, winding path included the Soviet Union.

While the internet geeks out over the new quick tease trailer of Peter Jackson's upcoming big screen adaptation of "The Hobbit," they'll have to wait until December of 2012 to see the whole film. But if they're feeling particularly antsy, they could always watch a full length version of the story.

The catch? It's a Russian-language film, shot in 1984 on a budget that looks like it was just a smudge less than the $150 million Oscar-winner Jackson is supposedly spending on his film. The Jrr Tolkien novel has an interesting Soviet history. It was first published in the country in 1976 with some locally-sourced illustrations (which you can see here), and went through a number of reprints over the years.

There's also the 1977 animated version of the story,...

HollywoodNews.com: Our selected celebrity to be included in our “Hot Hollywood Female Celebrity Photo Gallery of the Day” is Leighton Meester.

Leighton Meester, Selena Gomez, and Katie Cassidy ◄ Back Next ►Picture 1 of 22

Leighton Meester, Selena Gomez, and Katie Cassidy in Monte Carlo

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Leighton Meester, Selena Gomez, and Katie Cassidy in Monte Carlo

Leighton Meester, best known for her performance in the CW’s Gossip Girl series, co-stars alongside Selena Gomez and Katie Cassidy in this weekend’s young femme comedy Monte Carlo.

Leighton Marissa Meester (born April 9, 1986) is an American actress and singer. Meester gained fame for playing the role of Blair Waldorf in the CW young-adult television series Gossip Girl. She most recently appeared in the 2010 country drama film Country Strong and the 2011 thriller The Roommate.

Early life

Meester was born in Fort Worth, Texas, the daughter of Constance (née Haas) and Douglas Meester.

Clips from Monte Carlo, starring Selena Gomez, Katie Kassidy and Leighton Meester. 20th Century Fox's comedy opens July 1st. Thomas Bezucha directs as well as writing the screenplay along with April Blair, Maria Maggenti from the screen story by Kelly Bowe, based on the "Headhunters" novel by Jules Bass. Monte Carlo is produced by Nicole Kidman, Denise Di Novi, Alison Greenspan, Per Saari and Nick Schwartz. We have 1 behind-the-scenes clip as well as interviews with stars Selena Gomez, Leighton Meester, Katie Cassidy, Cory Monteith and Andie McDowell. Grace (Selena Gomez) is an ordinary girl who becomes an accidental princess when a family summer trip to Paris turns into the fantasy of a lifetime. Living like royalty, Grace, along with her two best friends, discovers who she really is – by assuming another person’s identity. Freshly minted high school grad Grace (Selena Gomez) and best friend Emma (Katie Cassidy) are jettisoning...

Clips from Monte Carlo, starring Selena Gomez, Katie Kassidy and Leighton Meester. 20th Century Fox's comedy opens July 1st. Thomas Bezucha directs as well as writing the screenplay along with April Blair, Maria Maggenti from the screen story by Kelly Bowe, based on the "Headhunters" novel by Jules Bass. Monte Carlo is produced by Nicole Kidman, Denise Di Novi, Alison Greenspan, Per Saari and Nick Schwartz. We have 1 behind-the-scenes clip as well as interviews with stars Selena Gomez, Leighton Meester, Katie Cassidy, Cory Monteith and Andie McDowell. Grace (Selena Gomez) is an ordinary girl who becomes an accidental princess when a family summer trip to Paris turns into the fantasy of a lifetime. Living like royalty, Grace, along with her two best friends, discovers who she really is – by assuming another person’s identity. Freshly minted high school grad Grace (Selena Gomez) and best friend Emma (Katie Cassidy) are jettisoning...

Fresh clips from "Monte Carlo" offer hilarious moments of Grace, Meg, and Emma who are pretending to be socialites. In one clip, the trio find a comfortable time wearing a set of make-up that actually belongs to Cordelia, a British heiress who happens to look identically similar to Grace.

In another video, they try to give Cordelia an explanation why they are there, before forcing her to shut her mouth. In the third clip, Grace and Meg get another trouble when their friends suddenly pop out.

Based on Jules Bass' novel titled "Headhunters", the upcoming movie revolves around a girl and her best friend who travel to Paris, accompanied by her future, uptight stepsister. When one of the girls is mistaken for a spoiled British heiress, they are caught up in a whirlwind of attention and find themselves going on a dream vacation to Monte Carlo.

Selena Gomez, Leighton Meester...