Christmas Is

They showed it all the time back in the 70s, this and its counterpart 'Easter Is'. It was produced/backed by a Lutheran Church in St Louis Missouri. while the animation was limited and it was kinda treacly, the show's heart was in the right place. I well remember the kid winding up back in time as the 'second Shephard' during the Nativity. And how it made the Romans look like the baddies.

They also did a good job of showing the Christmas star, a silent night, small town of Bethleham, etc. It's reverent but done w/ some class.

Basically it's like a sawed off Peanuts special w/out the shine and panache, but it has its moments. Check it out if you are in the mood and you ever get a chance.

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.

I think "Christmas-Reviewer" misses the point. Benji and Waldo specials were all pretty simple animation. However, as a medium for delivering a message, they were all fairly good and impactful.. Christmas-Reviewer said "This is the worse (sic) special ever made". I'm assuming he meant "worst". He must not see many Christmas specials..or must restrict his (or her) viewing to secular Christmas specials (Rudolph, Grinch, etc). The Benji and Waldo series were all produced by Lutheran Television, and as such, they endeavor to present the actual reasons we celebrate Christmas and Easter. And that alone will keep people wanting to view these year after year. I saw it as a child, and have all the Benji and Waldo shows on DVD today. Why? because I still enjoy them.

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.

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