I began the other day by getting into the spirit of things by screening my first seasonal film of the year Die Hard. Today I continued with the theme by screening some of my all time favourite animated Christmas films.

The first here is the Derann print of Pluto's Christmas tree. It's a personal favourite of mine and simply remains one of the very best all time Christmas classic animated shorts ever made in my opinion. So very repeatable and will bring a smile to all new generations of film lovers for an eternity. Truly a timeless classic.

Next up "Goodwill To Men" An MGM Cartoon from 1955 that was clearly a moralistic tale aimed at the new generation to teach them to learn from past and fairly recent mistakes back then. It is constructed and presented in a very poignant manner it has to be said. Highly topical here I thought, given some of our recent discussion and one many an adult throughout the world could do with watching right this moment, as well as the young, or even just the young at heart.

Those classic Disney's are awesome. Love Pluto's Christmas Tree too. I hope to run a few myself in tje coming weeks. The Snowman too, but think I have to skip Gremlins thish year. 35mm too much for me at the moment

Great pictures

The trouble is that Derann didn't release Christmas films on 8mm as Derek always thought they were seasonal and wouldn't sell that good, I know that Derek could have brought out through Fox "Home Alone" but again thought that it was too seasonal.

I always wanted White Christmas on 8mm full feature but knew that would never happen, had to make do with the 8mm trailer

Very true Dave, especially for full length features. For Shorts and mini features however, there were quite a few as I aim to show here.
Right up to near closure time of Derann when the quality was simply out of this world from the tiny Super 8mm frame.

I think this next film here highlights what I am saying more than any other print. Made in 2005 and taken from a DreamWorks short Christmas production, here is The Madagascar Penguins In A Christmas Caper. ... Hard to believe this is actually Super 8mm!!

What fantastic colours

The colour, saturation, contrast and sharpness are unbelievable on this print David! 11 mins of S8 perfection!! There is one for sale right now on e bay BTW.
Not mine but another "well known" collector.

If you only want one Super 8mm print to showcase the gauge, this is it!
A close run thing though with Mickeys Christmas Carol. (Up Soon!)

Great screen shots Andrew, have you a copy of “Peace On Earth”? I believe this was an earlier version of “Goodwill” somehow I prefer it, I have a Red Fox print that has faded a bit, but I think Derann did actually release this as well.

I don't Bill no. I only have this print for now.

What makes these last screenshots all the more amazing in my opinion is they are touching 9ft diagonally in size because of the cropped letterbox ratio the film was released on.

I would have bought White Christmas, it would have made a good abridged version. Home Alone no way.

And that is the problem David. Everyone wants different, in fact altogether different types of films.

Personally I'd have liked both of those titles for completely different reasons, but outside of horror and sci fi films the rest gets very complex to ever predict just what films would appeal en masse I'd say.

Andrew!!!!! You trying to wind me up with Die Hard?????

Yes i love a good Christmas film to,
Starting off so far with Mickeys Christmas Carol,
Pluto's Christmas Tree, (cheers Andy) your LPP print looks very nice,
Elf Scope Trailer, Miracle on 34th Street Trailer,
Thank you very much, scope extract from Scrooge,
Peace on Earth, Bill this one is a Derann LPP print, i'll try and get some screen shots later. Gremlins.

Soon to watch
The Snowman, Tom & Jerry classic the night before Christmas, A Walt Disney Christmas, Goodwill to men scope, Rupert & the Frog chorus, (not a Christmas film but it just reminds of Christmas),

Now all i need to do is find
Die Hard
The Madagascar Penguins Christmas caper, (i just cant pay £65 for it as on ebay), i wish i bought it years ago now,

I think it is a great pity that Home Alone was never released as anything other than a trailer, i know this would have been such a popular release even if just a short version.

Ha ha ha Tom. No I'd never do that mate, you know that. Like I've said quite a few times, Die Hard in my most humble of opinions, is by no means one of Deranns best prints. It's very blue in its background almost constantly despite otherwise obviously having great colour.

Also, it's quite a dark print so with the scope lens in front of it, it has to be like a bat cave and with a very bright lamp behind it before you ever get to fully enjoy this print as it deserves to be.

I shouldn't admit it here, but if I'm honest, I much prefer to watch this particular film using the unmentionable just for this one.

I do hope Vidar doesn't read that last comment as I don't think his heart can take the stress at the moment!

I very much look forward to your screenshots here Tom when showing some of your very own Christmas gems you mentioned there, and you're quite correct £65 is borderline to say the least for an 11 minute film, but is a gem I must add.

I intend watching The Snowman, Mickeys Christmas Carol, Small One, The Prince & The Pauper, Gremlins, The Night Before Christmas, The Little Match Girl and Lady & The The Tramp feature plus many many others before the bedlam begins lol!

So lots more to come and hopefully others besides Tom will post theirs on here to bring us all into the spirit of this year's Christmas like only a good old fashioned film show can!

Btw Tom, I'm sure Rupert & The Frog Chorus charted at Christmas one year way back when, so not entirely out of sorts here. It's a print I've never seen so I'd be most interested in seeing that one Tom.

Singin in the rain, is a Christmas favourite of mine, I know it will be on the TV over chrimbo season, just have to find it, but I will dig it out and run it up on super 8 anyway, just
got West side from Francisco, so that will have a showing too, see how looks in cinema scope. The only real Christmas film I have is the snowman, so that will come out at some
point, and below zero with Stan and Ollie, probably my favourite L/H short, especially the very large women Ollie encounters, snow balls or dumplings anyone ???.

Singing in the Rain would be brilliant to see here Paul. It's a film I'd love to own one day. A classic at any time of the year in my book and voted in recent times as the nation's favourite musical of all time!

I 'll get some screenshots for you Andrew, you get some really great screen shots Andrew, superb colour on those films, the Madagascar print looks really beautiful, fantastic rich
colours there, thanks for the uploads, I might just bid on that one now !!!!!.

It's expensive for sure Paul, but if it's in excellent shape it'll be a keeper for you I promise you that.

I cannot wait to see Singing in the Rain screenshots. It's a truly superb film, you are a very lucky man to have one of these.

Excellent screen shots Andrew. I do have Goodwill to men but not Pluto's Christmas tree which is now on my want list.

BTW on my copy of Madagascar Penguins is a negative scratch at the end, I'm guessing that this is on all copies. Is yours like this.

Redgarding the one on Ebay I dont think it is too much given that derann only made so many copies of these and most are with collectors (like me) who keep them. It rarely comes up for sale. If I didnt already have it I would bid upto a point. And I also know the seller

Graham S

I'm not too up on taking screen shots, i only use a cheap digital camera, using my Nikon D5100 is too much hassle for screen shots,
Here is my Derann copy of Peace on Earth, we also have goodwill to men, in scope, for sheer fluffiness Peace on Earth is the winner, both are great cartoons though,

TRY AGAIN TOMMY!!!!!

I'm not too up on taking screen shots, i only use a cheap digital camera, using my Nikon D5100 is too much hassle for screen shots,
Here is my Derann copy of Peace on Earth, we also have goodwill to men, in scope, for sheer fluffiness Peace on Earth is the winner, both are great cartoons though,




Followed up with the trailer for Miracle on 34th Street with Richard Attenborough

Not too good on taking screenshots? I wish mine were as good, lovely colours Tom, I wish you guys, Vidar, Tom & Andrew would give me the secret, I can never get the same result twice in a row.

As a rider, somehow Christmas films I now equate with porn, yes I know, I know, but the lads at work loved them, I suppose
I'm brainwashed now, I can't look at a girl now without thinking Santa might put her in my Christmas stocking, pervert that I am,
well it is the season of Good Will, well Will won't be available, but Scott is always on call.

Beautiful Tom, really beautiful! Not you BTW the films ha ha

I could never get the Christmas bunnies around me
Luckily i have married my perfect Christmas bunny now.