☆ Rankin Bass Collection ☆ Festival of Family Classics ☆
Episode 11 Rankin/Bass - A Christmas Tree (Festival of Family Classics)
Festival of Family Classics is a Rankin/Bass animated anthology series that originally aired between 1972 and 1973, and was animated by two Japanese animation studios: Mushi Productions and Topcraft, based on famous folks tales and classic literature. It was re-aired November 1st, 2005 on the Boomerang channel and on June 16th, 2011 via the Teletoon Retro network.
Episodes
16 of the 18 episodes are around 20 minutes long. The two 40 minute episodes (“20,000 Leagues Under the Sea” and “Around the World in 80 Days”) were split into two-parters, making 20 episodes in total. Each episode is an adaptation of a fairy tale, work of classic literature, or American folklore. The intro has a book opening, followed by the protagonists of the stories walking on a rainbow as the theme song played. Then the announcer tells viewers the story that will be presented that evening.
| Video | Episode | Title |
|---|---|---|
| No | E01 | "The Song of Hiawatha" |
| A brave Indian warrior must save his tribe from an eternal winter cast upon them by an evil witch doctor. | ||
| No | E02 | "Yankee Doodle" |
| During the American Revolution, a young boy dreams of being a patriotic soldier and contributing some effort to the war. He unexpectedly gets his chance to be a hero when his homeland is invaded by British forces. | ||
| No | E03 | "Cinderella" |
| A young girl, mistreated and overworked by her mean stepmother and stepsisters, wishes to go to the royal ball, and has her wish granted by her kindly fairy godmother. | ||
| Yes | E04 | "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" |
| No | E05 | |
| While stranded at sea, three men discover an underwater submarine, piloted by the mysterious Captain Nemo and accompany him on a fantastical journey through the oceans of the world. | ||
| No | E06 | "Jack O'Lantern" |
| A magical leprechaun takes on the form of a talking scarecrow and helps two kids save their farm from a hoard of demons, lead by an evil witch and her spineless warlock husband. | ||
| Yes | E07 | "Johnny Appleseed" |
| A kindly stranger wanders into a small town and tries to convince the townsfolk how apples are the best medicine around, but gets some stiff competition from a greedy snake oil salesman. | ||
| Yes | E08 | "Around the World in 80 Days" |
| Yes | E09 | |
| An English gentleman makes a wager that he can travel completely around the world in only 80 days, and thus sets out with his valet to prove it, unaware they’re being pursued by a police detective who believes them to be the suspects of a bank robbery. | ||
| No | E10 | "Puss in Boots" |
| When a poor boy’s cat dons a pair of magical boots, the cat becomes a smooth-talking con artist, who helps make his master’s dream of marrying a beautiful princess come true. | ||
| Yes | E11 | "A Christmas Tree" |
| Two children embark on a fantastic journey when the essence of Christmas is stolen! | ||
| Yes | E12 | "The Ballad of Paul Bunyan" |
| A kindly uncle tells his niece and nephew the story of how the American legend, Paul Bunyan, thwarted the bullying Panhandle Pete and became the world’s most famous lumberjack. | ||
| Yes | E13 | "Swiss Family Robinson" |
| The Robinson family try to make a new life for themselves after they wind up on a island after a terrible storm | ||
| No | E14 | "The Sleeping Beauty" |
| A beautiful princess is placed under a sleeping curse by a wicked fairy, who placed the curse as an act of revenge for not being invited to the princess’ christening. Only true love’s kiss can bring the sleeping princess back to life. | ||
| Yes | E15 | "The Arabian Nights" |
| A young beggar’s life is changed forever when he finds the mystical lamp of Aladdin and a magical genie grants him three wishes. | ||
| Yes | E16 | "Alice in Wonderland" |
| A young girl falls down a rabbit hole, into a strange world filled with madcap characters, where nothing makes sense. | ||
| No | E17 | "Robinson Crusoe" |
| An Englishman is stranded on an isolated island after a storm at sea and learns to adapt to his new surroundings as awaits his chance to escape and return home. | ||
| No | E18 | "Tom Sawyer" |
| Mark Twain himself recalls the misadventures of a mischievous Mississippi boy who spends his days playing hooky and searching for pirate treasure. | ||
| Yes | E19 | "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" |
| A beautiful princess runs away from her wicked stepmother, who means to do her harm, and hides out with seven little men in their cottage deep in the woods. | ||
| No | E20 | "Robin Hood" |
| A young boy sets out with the titular outlaw and his merry men to save his father from being executed by the wicked Sheriff of Nottingham. | ||
The series was cancelled in early 1973, but several episodes have since been released on DVD.
*** All character names and images within this site are the sole property of their respective copyright holders.
** The material presented here is intended for entertainment and historical purposes only.
Source: Wiki
