Synopsis
Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town (1970) — watch online on iFILM. This Rankin/Bass stop-motion holiday special answers the questions kids actually ask: why does Santa live at the North Pole, where did the reindeer come from, and why does he come down chimneys? Fred Astaire narrates as the postman S.D. Kluger, and Mickey Rooney voices young Kris Kringle.
Kris was raised by a family of elf toymakers, but there are no children nearby to receive their gifts — the town of Sombertown is ruled by the Burgermeister Meisterburger, who has banned toys entirely. On his way to deliver the first load, Kris runs into the Winter Warlock, a genuinely menacing figure voiced by Keenan Wynn. A single peppermint stick starts softening him. It is a small moment, but it is the one most people remember fifty years later.
The special premiered on ABC in December 1970 and has returned to broadcast every year since. At 51 minutes it moves fast and never outstays its welcome. Stream Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town online on iFILM this holiday season.
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