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Christmas Is Here Again
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Wikipedia article
{{Infobox film
| name = Christmas Is Here Again
| image = Christmas-is-Here-Again.jpg
| caption = DVD Cover
| director = Robert Zappia
| producer = Robert Zappia
Jim Praytor
| writer = Robert Zappia
Marco Zappia
| narrator = Jay Leno
| starring = Edward Asner
Kathy Bates
Madison Davenport
Colin Ford
Brad Garrett
Shirley Jones
Norm Macdonald
Daniel Roebuck
Andy Griffith
| music = John Van Tongeren
| editing = Michael D'Ambrosio
| studio = Easy to Dream Productions
Renegade Animation
| distributor = Screen Media Films
| released =
| runtime = 74 minutes
| country = United States
| language = English
| budget =
}}
'Christmas Is Here Again' is a 2007 American animated Christmas musical-comedy film distributed by Screen Media Films, also known as 'Who Stole Santa's Sack? ' The first feature production from the Renegade Animation studio, it was co-written, co-produced and directed by Robert Zappia. Narrated by Jay Leno, the film features the voices of Edward Asner, Kathy Bates, Madison Davenport, Colin Ford, Brad Garrett, Andy Griffith, Shirley Jones, Norm Macdonald, and Daniel Roebuck, and marked Asner's fourth role in a Christmas-themed film after the 1977 film 'The Gathering', 1999 film 'Olive, the Other Reindeer' and 2003 film 'Elf', though unlike the latter two films, he does not play Santa.
Synopsis
Sophiana, an orphan girl who carries a cane, sets out to find Santa's toy sack (which is a magical source of toys since it was made from the baby Jesus' swaddling clothes), which was stolen thirty years previously by Krad ("dark" spelled backwards) in revenge after Santa stopped handing out Krad's coal to naughty children. She is helped in her quest by Paul Rocco, one of Santa's elves, Dart, a reindeer calf, Buster the fox, and his friend, Charlee the polar bear.
Cast
*Madison Davenport as Sophiana, a girl from an orphanage who's been bullied by Miss Dowdy and the other children
*Daniel Roebuck as Paul Rocco/Jacque
*Colin Ford as Dart
*Norm Macdonald as Buster
*Brad Garrett as Charlee
*Ed Asner as Krad
*Michael Norris as the Selves
*Kathy Bates as Miss Dowdy, the woman who is the owner of the orphanage, she is seen more like a "antagonist" to Sophiana.
*Andy Griffith as Santa Claus
*Shirley Jones as Victoria Claus
*Jay Leno as the Narrator
Production
Renegade Animation, an animation company located in Glendale, California and known for the TV series 'Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi' and 'The Mr. Men Show', teamed up with Easy to Dream Entertainment to create 'Christmas Is Here Again'. A small crew spent nine months on the principal animation, which was completed in mid-2006.
One of the songs in the film's soundtrack (as well as the film's working title) was "Who Stole Santa's Sack?"
Awards and release
'Christmas Is Here Again' premiered on October 20, 2007, as an official selection at the Heartland Film Festival. The following year, it received an Annie Award nomination for Best Voice Acting in an Animated Television Production (Madison Davenport as Sophiana). Additionally, in 2009, Christmas is Here Again was nominated for the Annie Award for Best Animated Home Entertainment Production. Colin Ford, the voice of Dart, was also nominated for a Young Artist Award in 2009 for Best Performance in a Voice-Over Role - Young Actor.
The film was received its DVD debut in the U.S. on November 4, 2008. The disc contains a behind-the-scenes featurette, cast interviews and "Name the Reindeer", as extras.
Originally, the reindeer on the DVD cover had a red nose akin to Rudolph's. On the final version of the cover, it is black.
Reception
Richard Propes of 'The Independent Critic' website gave it an A and 3.5 stars, calling it "an ideal choice for families, children and for Scrooges like myself who, somewhere deep inside, still want to believe". However Common Sense Media gave the film a 2 out of 5 saying "Small children might like this holiday musical, but they may also lose patience at the 73-minute length".
Stage version
The Pacific Conservatory Theatre presented the premiere of a stage adaptation of 'Christmas Is Here Again' by Brad Carroll and Jeremy Mann in November and December 2014.
See also
*List of animated feature-length films
References
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