The Captain's Christmas

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.

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.

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.

This is just about the only genuinely funny Captain and the Kids cartoon they made. A few were reasonably good, if not terribly memorable. But this one deserves to be seen and remembered. I suspect that the fact that, despite the title, The Captain makes but a cameo appearance has something to do with its success. The focus here is on the pirate John, a much more interesting character. John's attempts to make amends for his thoughtless actions are the bulk of the cartoon. The caroling scene is beautiful!!! Suffice it to say that I've never quite heard "Hang Up the Holly in the Window" in the same way before and it will always remind me of this cartoon whenever I hear it in the future! Painful, but effective! Well worth tracking down. Most recommended.

Long John Silver and his henchmen, the Herring Boys, dress up as St. Nick and ruin Christmas Eve for the Captain and the Kids. John feels an unusual sting of remorse and is briefly haunted by a vision of himself as a child. (He looks a lot like Buster Brown!!) Lively and amusing, even though the kids aren't allowed to be their traditionally diabolical selves. Silver's unorthodox method of fund-raising is a highlight. I'm not sure who to credit for this since Graham Webb's "Animated Film Encyclopedia" lists Milt Gross as the director, while other sources give the honors to Friz Freleng.