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The First Christmas: The Story of the First Christmas Snow

  • TV Movie
  • 1975
  • Not Rated
  • 22m
IMDb RATING
6.7/10
698
YOUR RATING
The First Christmas: The Story of the First Christmas Snow (1975)
Stop Motion AnimationAnimationFamilyFantasyMusical

A young shepherd, Lucas (David Kelley), is blinded by lightning, and some kindly nuns at a nearby abbey take him in. Sister Catherine (Iris Rainer) describes snow to Lucas, who has never see... Read allA young shepherd, Lucas (David Kelley), is blinded by lightning, and some kindly nuns at a nearby abbey take him in. Sister Catherine (Iris Rainer) describes snow to Lucas, who has never seen it. Lucas gets chosen to play an angel in the abbey's Christmas pageant, and the Christm... Read allA young shepherd, Lucas (David Kelley), is blinded by lightning, and some kindly nuns at a nearby abbey take him in. Sister Catherine (Iris Rainer) describes snow to Lucas, who has never seen it. Lucas gets chosen to play an angel in the abbey's Christmas pageant, and the Christmas snow that falls during the pageant works a small miracle.

  • Directors
    • Jules Bass
    • Arthur Rankin Jr.
  • Writer
    • Jules Bass
  • Stars
    • Angela Lansbury
    • Cyril Ritchard
    • David Kelley
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • IMDb RATING
    6.7/10
    698
    YOUR RATING
    • Directors
      • Jules Bass
      • Arthur Rankin Jr.
    • Writer
      • Jules Bass
    • Stars
      • Angela Lansbury
      • Cyril Ritchard
      • David Kelley
    • 10User reviews
    • 4Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro

    • Photos9

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    Top cast12

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    Angela Lansbury
    Angela Lansbury
    • Sister Theresa
    • (voice)
    • …
    Cyril Ritchard
    Cyril Ritchard
    • Father Thomas
    • (voice)
    David Kelley
    • Lucas
    • (voice)
    Dina Lynn
    • Louisa
    • (voice)
    Greg Thomas
    • Trickster Boy #1
    • (voice)
    Iris Rainer
    • Sister Catherine
    • (voice)
    Joan Gardner
    • Sister Jean
    • (voice)
    Don Messick
    • Waggles
    • (voice)
    Sean Manning
    • Trickster Boy #2
    • (voice)
    Hilary Momberger-Powers
    Hilary Momberger-Powers
    • Octavia
    • (voice)
    • (as Hilary Momberger)
    Dru Stevens
    • Trickster Boy #3
    • (voice)
    The Wee Winter Singers
    • The Children Chorus
    • (voice)
    • Directors
      • Jules Bass
      • Arthur Rankin Jr.
    • Writer
      • Jules Bass
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews10

    6.7698
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    Featured reviews

    6SnoopyStyle

    fine Christmas special

    Young shepherd Lucas gets blinded by a lightning strike. Nuns from a nearby abbey nurse him back to health. Father Thomas intends to send the blind orphan to the orphanage. The other kids play a prank on Lucas by hiding his sheep. The sheep run away into the woods where wolves are hiding. The kids make it back for the Christmas play where a miracle answers Lucas' wish. I'm not sure if snow is part of the Biblical story. This is fine although it didn't hit me as hard as expected.
    8fromthedarkstream

    Small children will love it

    This is the kind of show that you'll never see made again - something that is about Christianity and has a good moral for the children it's geared towards. Today it would be protested and replaced with Danny Phantom's Holiday Special or some crap like that. My seven year old boy loved it and counts it amongst his favorites. All the Rankin/Bass Christmas specials are enjoyable for young and old alike. This is probably one of the lesser known and harder to find ones. I love the claymation style they use - it would be great to see something new in this vein. Maybe one day they will release all the specials on one DVD - If you have small kids - catch it if you can.
    7utgard14

    "There can never be too many angels."

    Angela Lansbury stars in this gem, one of the lesser-known TV specials Rankin/Bass made. The story is about a young shepherd boy who is blinded by lightning and taken in by some nuns, led by Lansbury's Sister Theresa. As the boy recuperates, Sister Theresa tells him about snow, which he had never experienced firsthand. It's a lovely story with a touching ending that I won't spoil here. The stop-motion animation is wonderful. The music is quite nice with some decent songs, including the timeless "White Christmas," sung by Lansbury. I never get tired of Rankin/Bass specials. They're uplifting, heartwarming entertainment for all ages. This one isn't as famous as many others but it's a good one worth taking a look at if you enjoy Rankin/Bass' other classics.
    10CaitlynRagan

    One of the best Christmas Specials

    This is my favorite Christmas movies. It really struck a cord with me as a young child. I will never forget it. It breaks my heart that it is almost never aired on television anymore. If it is, it is aired between five and eight am when many people will miss it. I would always fall back to sleep and miss it. If you ever have the chance to buy/watch this movie, please do! You will not regret it! It is such a heart warming story that will stay with you. I am a huge fan of clay animation. They do not make movies like this anymore. This is something the whole family will enjoy and you will want to pass it on. It's sure to be your families favorite!
    3thalassafischer

    What is This Nonsense?

    While parts of the story are adorable - the little shepherd boy and his sheep, with the dog, the nuns and the other children - the weird, weird aspect of adding snow and Irving Berlin's "White Christmas" bothered me to no end. Especially since the children add snow to the nativity scene of the first Christmas. In Bethlehem? Jesus was sleeping outside in a manger in the Middle East and there was snow? What is this even? Whose terrible idea was this and good lord why in the world did so many people go along with it as late as 1975?

    Generally I am a fan of 70s cinema and I especially love these stop-motion Christmas specials, but this one is truly bizarre.

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Both the Sister Theresa and Octavia puppets survive to this day due to being displayed at the Rankin Bass New York headquarters after production for publicity purposes. These same puppets have frequently appeared at conventions and occasional television appearances with Rankin Bass Historian Rick Goldschmidt.
    • Goofs
      The setting is in the 1800s, yet some characters sing "White Christmas" which wasn't written until over 100 years later.
    • Quotes

      Lucas: Louisa, if you could have anything you wanted, what would you ask for, for a Christmas present?

      Louisa: Oh that's easy. I once saw a rich lady in my uncle's village with a beautiful white fur muff. It was so big she could put a hot potato in it to keep her hands warm. I'd like a muff like that.

    • Connections
      Featured in Hewy's Animated Movie Reviews: The Top 10 Characters of the Rankin/Bass Holiday Specials (2010)

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • December 19, 1975 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • United States
      • Japan
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • The First Christmas
    • Production company
      • Rankin/Bass Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      22 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.33 : 1

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