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IMDbPro

Christmas Is

  • TV Movie
  • 1970
  • Not Rated
  • 30m
IMDb RATING
5.0/10
136
YOUR RATING
Christmas Is (1970)
AnimationFamily

Benji is upset that he is playing the second shepherd in his school Christmas play for the second year in a row. But when Benji falls asleep while practicing his lines, his dream carries him... Read allBenji is upset that he is playing the second shepherd in his school Christmas play for the second year in a row. But when Benji falls asleep while practicing his lines, his dream carries him and his dog Waldo to Bethlehem 2,000 years ago!Benji is upset that he is playing the second shepherd in his school Christmas play for the second year in a row. But when Benji falls asleep while practicing his lines, his dream carries him and his dog Waldo to Bethlehem 2,000 years ago!

  • Writer
    • Don Hall
  • Stars
    • Hans Conried
    • Don Messick
    • Richard Sacino
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    5.0/10
    136
    YOUR RATING
    • Writer
      • Don Hall
    • Stars
      • Hans Conried
      • Don Messick
      • Richard Sacino
    • 9User reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Photos3

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    Top Cast11

    Edit
    Hans Conried
    Hans Conried
    • Innkeeper
    • (voice)
    Don Messick
    • Waldo
    • (voice)
    • …
    Richard Sacino
    • Benji
    • (voice)
    Vic Perrin
    Vic Perrin
    • Additional Voices
    • (as Victor Perrin)
    Charles Perrin
    • Additional Voices
    Jerry Hausner
    Jerry Hausner
    • Additional Voices
    David Joyce
    • Additional Voices
    Colleen Collins
    • Mary
    • (voice)
    • (as Coleen Collins)
    Iona Morris
    Iona Morris
    • Additional Voices
    June Foray
    June Foray
    • Additional Voices
    Elayne Robbins
    • Additional Voices
    • Writer
      • Don Hall
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews9

    5.0136
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    Featured reviews

    10ja_kitty_71

    A Christmas favorite that never loses the meaning

    First and foremost, I'd like to state that I never forget the true meaning of Christmas-ever! Also, I vaguely remember seeing the video for this TV special somewhere. But I never saw it-until YouTube, that is.

    Anyway, this Christmas special is about Benji, who is tired of playing a second shepherd for two Christmas plays in a row. While reading the Christmas story at home, he daydreamed that he and his dog Waldo were in Bethlehem thousands of years ago, I believe. I really loved this special after watching it. And it was nice to hear one of my favorite voice actors, Hans Conried, as the innkeeper.

    So that is all I have to say: I love this special and the Easter special that came out in 1974, "Easter Is." And I really wish both specials were on DVD, not the crappy M. O. D. Discs.
    10kurt7825

    I watch it every year

    This is a really good Christmas special.

    Waldo is a good little dog My sister's cat Chloe is sick but I hope she makes it to another Christmas.
    5abbazabakyleman-98834

    Average animated special about the meaning of Christmas

    This was the first of four shorts that Lutheran Television produced in the early 1970s that centered around Benji and his sheepdog Waldo. A lot of people put these specials down due to the limited animation style they used. Despite that the producers were able to hire a lot of talented people as the voices, it wasn't enough to save them from obscurity. Still, this is a half-decent look at the true meaning of Christmas when Benji and Waldo are transported 2,000 years back to the birth of Jesus Christ. Worth a look.
    9Emmjewels

    WONDERFUL memories of a Classic movie!

    I LOVE this movie and miss viewing it every Christmas, the Easter Is version is very well put together too. Just the kind of shows needed for kids today, without the violence so prevalent now.
    1Christmas-Reviewer

    This is the worse special ever made

    Review Date 1/16/2018

    PLEASE BEWARE OF SOME REVIEWERS THAT ONLY HAVE ONLY ONE REVIEW. WHEN ITS A POSITIVE THERE IS A GOOD CHANCE THEY WERE INVOLVED WITH THE PRODUCTION. NOW I HAVE NO AGENDA! I REVIEW MOVIES & SPECIALS AS A WAY TO KEEP TRACK OF WHAT I HAVE SEEN! I HAVE DISCOVERED MANY GEMS IN MY QUEST TO SEE AS MANY " C H R I S T M A S " MOVIES AS I CAN.

    Now Someone keeps reporting my reviews. I guess they are jealous because I do tell the truth. I want to point out that I never make snide remarks about actors weight or real life sexual orientation. If there acting is terrible or limited "I talk about that". If a story is bad "I will mention that" So why am I being "picked on"? IMDB? When one of my reviews gets deleted IMDB will not even tell me what someone found offensive. Well on to this review.

    This program is terrible. The songs are poorly written and the story is on the level that even a 3 year old would find "STUPID AND BORING".

    If the story wasn't bad enough the songs are worse. This is one of those cartoons that SNL loves to make fun of.

    If you hate a child make them watch this

    Related interests

    Daveigh Chase, Rumi Hiiragi, and Mari Natsuki in Spirited Away (2001)
    Animation
    Drew Barrymore and Pat Welsh in E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
    Family

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Alternate versions
      Concordia Films issued a 16mm print of this special for school and church showings. It runs 17 minutes and removes all the references/scenes of Benji's Christmas play at school.

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    Details

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    • Release date
      • December 24, 1970 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Production companies
      • Concordia Publishing House
      • Lutheran Television
      • EMC Corporation
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 30m
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.33 : 1

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