The Captain's Christmas

This is the funniest cartoon that I have ever seen!! Never have I laughed so hard til I cried, but this is the one that did it to me!! I have spent years trying to find out the title to this gem and am so glad to find it!! If you ever get the chance to see it, then do--it is funny beyond funny!! I love it.

I have to admit, this is the first, and so far the only, short I've seen featuring the Katzenjammer Kids (or "The Captain and the Kids" as they're called here). I really enjoyed it. The story is simple, the Captain is going to surprise the kids by dressing as Santa Claus, however, the peg-legged villain called John takes his place. There are some very funny visuals. I especially enjoyed the peg-legged foot prints left by John on the snow covered roof. The final Christmas carolling scene is also a riot. Unlike many Christmas cartoons, this one doesn't get too sappy. It keeps a high level of craziness while remaining in the Christmas spirit.

Mama, Hans, and Fritz are decorating the hearth with stockings, and the Captain is heading in on a sleigh, dressed as Santa Claus. But John Silver sees no reason why he shouldn't get all the goodies, at least until he falls down the chimney, bumps his head, and thinks he is Santa Claus.

Fred Quimby had a good thing going in this series, with Joe Barbera writing, and Friz Freleng directing. Unfortunately, this was not the sort of cartoon Freleng wanted to make, especially when the contract with Rudolph Dirks meant he got all the credit, and Quimby was not interested in cartoons, and allowed Dirks to interfere. So Freleng would soon head back to Leon Schlesinger, who also wasn't interested in cartoons, but had no problem with giving credit to his artists rather than paying them more money.

I'm admittedly not overly familiar with "The Captain and the Kids" series. So perhaps this cartoon is a poor place to jump on. Apparently The Captain is dressed up as Santa to deliver presents to the kids. Some British thief (he says blimey and bloomin' a lot) with three weird little guys who hang around him jumps the Captain and puts on his Santa suit. Then he goes into the house and proceeds to terrorize the children destroying everything and ruining their Christmas. So basically what we have here is a Christmas cartoon about a home invasion. Creepy.

The animation is OK but the guy's peg leg switches legs constantly. The humor that I see such praise for here was missing for me. Judging by other reviews this is I guess one of the better "Captain & the Kids" shorts. That doesn't make me want to seek out the others. Undoubtedly fans of the series will enjoy it much more.

The family is celebrating Christmas in their cozy home. The Captain is playing Santa. While he's trying to pull the cow and sleigh up the roof to play the part, John Silver and his gang stick him up. John Silver ends up on the roof dressed as Santa Claus. He falls down the chimney and loses his memory. He thinks that he is the real Santa Claus.

Bah humbug. I don't know why the Rate is so low for this "The Captain and the Kids" cartoon. This is the 12th of 15 cartoons before the series was canceled. It's never been my favorite franchise. I don't really like the Captain or his family. This one has to be one of the best of the series. It's chaotic. It's fun. It's mostly John Silver going out of his mind. The Christmas spirit turns him to the good side. It doesn't get more Christmas. On the technical side, the colors look bright. The motions are smooth. There is a lot going on and it all looks good. People need more of the Christmas spirit.