This bizarre, pagan take on the Santa Claus legend, which is based on a story by L. Frank Baum (The Wizard of Oz), was produced and directed by Rankin and Bass, the reigning kings of the Christmas special (Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer), using their brand of puppet animation. In the forest of Burzee, the immortals gather to discuss the fate of Santa Claus. Found when he was an abandoned baby by the Great Ak (a wizard with big wooden horns on his head), the boy was named Claus because that means "little one" in the language of the forest. Raised by immortals and knowing nothing but peace and harmony, the adolescent Claus is taken on a tour of the mortal world by the Great Ak, and he discovers the world is rife with misery and injustice. This is when he decides he will dedicate his life to making kids happy, and he learns the best way to do this is to give them toys. After years of service, the immortals must decide whether or not to give him eternal life. Indeed, this is a very strange Christmas tale. -Andy Spletzer.

The misconception about this animated film from Disney was that it was a movie for kids-something Victor Hugo never had in mind. In fact, despite a cute brace of singing gargoyles who are Quasimodo's (Tom Hulce) best friends, this version of Hugo's classic tale is really adult entertainment, with a strong set of songs by Alan Menken. The story remains mostly the same (though tricked out with a happier ending than Hugo's): Quasimodo, the ward of repressive monk Frollo, falls for a gypsy girl named Esmerelda (Demi Moore)-though she loves one of the king's guards (Kevin Kline). But they are all put in jeopardy by the wicked Frollo, whose secret passion for Esmerelda leads him to seek her death. At times too dark and even a shade kinky, something that may scare younger viewers. -Marshall Fine.

Don Bluth's An American Tail is based on the story of a young Russian mouse who is separated from his family in America and who later heads with his reunited kin out to the American West. It's pleasant, though not spectacular, and has its greatest problems in story development. Steven Spielberg produced with an eye toward creating animation hits outside of Disney, and he and Bluth certainly took a big step in that direction here. Kids like it a lot, and adults will warm to the sound of various familiar voices, such as Dom DeLuise as Tiger and Madeline Kahn as Gussie Mausheimer. It's also the source of the pop single "Somewhere Out There. " -Tom Keogh.

Spinning a yarn that begins where the 30-year-old original concluded, Charlotte's Web 2: Wilbur's Great Adventure returns to Zuckerman's farm for more endearing pig tales. Faint-hearted Wilbur preserves his dear friend Charlotte's memory by befriending the lone black sheep of the farm. When a trip to the county fair separates the comrades, Wilbur musters his courage to find his frightened woolly pal. Along the way, a sticky encounter with a beehive leaves Wonder Pig looking more like Feral Pig. and suddenly Wilbur is to blame for a hungry fox's doings. Charlotte's three sprightly daughters save the day, despite amateur weaving abilities. Preserving the quiet pace and beautiful watercolor look of the original, this animated 75-minute show should appeal to new fans. But adults who fondly recall many bittersweet moments shared by Charlotte and Wilbur, and timeless songs like "Mother Earth and Father Time," might feel slightly cheated. [+]

Although these three OAVs (original animation videos) were released years apart-and years after the original Project A-Ko feature-they all share a single plot: the battle between A-Ko, who possesses super-powers, and the super-rich, mecha-building B-Ko for the affections of the infantile C-Ko. (The names of the characters play off the Japanese equivalent of "Girl A, Girl B" to designate extras in a script. ) In "Cinderella Rhapsody," A-Ko falls for the dashing motorcyclist Kei. B-Ko wants whatever A-Ko wants, and they're soon fighting over Kei and C-Ko. But Kei only has eyes for C-Ko. In "Final," C-Ko turns out to be a long-lost alien princess whose people come to reclaim her, but the story remains underdeveloped. C-Ko leaves with the alien fleet but turns up at A-Ko's door the next morning and announces, "I came back. " Viewers may wonder why everyone is so gaga about a whiny case of arrested development like C-Ko, whether she's a princess or not. In Japan, the pursuit of C-Ko is seen as a manifestation of the intense, platonic friendships among high school students, rather than lesbian attraction, but a weird sexuality pervades the stories, which include androgynous bodybuilders in dresses. All three episodes are silly enough to make Tenchi Muyo! sound like Nietzsche. [+]

The elephant king with the upright stance and smashing wardrobe finally has a movie to tell his story from the scampering days of his youth through his adventures in Paris to his days as husband, father, and king. Based on the popular HBO series-which in turn is based on the books of Jean and Laurent de Brunhoff-this 75-minute film features pleasant animation, a quasi-adult contemporary soundtrack, and adventures culled from several of the classic books, including "The Story of Babar" and "Babar and his Children. " Celeste and the triplets, as well as Arthur, Cornelius, and Madame, all figure prominently. The resilient elephants face a series of mishaps, including fires, illness, and the battle with the rival rhinos. All tends to end well, except for the initial death of Babar's mother, which happens Bambi's-mother-style about 10 minutes into the movie. (Ages 2 and up) -Kimberly Heinrichs.

Disney's 1992 animated feature is a triumph of wit and skill. The high-tech artwork and graphics look great, the characters are strong, the familiar story is nicely augmented with an interesting villain (Jafar, voiced by Jonathan Freeman), and there's an incredible hook atop the whole thing: Robin Williams's frantically hilarious vocal performance as Aladdin's genie. Even if one isn't particularly moved by the love story between the title character (Scott Weinger) and his girlfriend Jasmine (Linda Larkin), you can easily get lost in Williams's improvisational energy and the equally entertaining performances of Freeman and Gilbert Gottfried (as Jafar's parrot). -Tom Keogh.

It's no secret that the popular animated feature release Anastasia played fast and loose with Russian Imperialist history. Never mind that the movie's debut coincided with DNA proof-provided by Britain's Prince Phillip, no less-that Anna Andersen was not Tsar Nicholas II's daughter Anastasia, and that Russian-discovered bones were indeed that of the Tsar and his brutally murdered family. Anastasia's made-for-video sequel, Bartok the Magnificent, doesn't let historical fact get in its way either. Still, the animated adventure, which features Bartok the excitable albino bat (voiced again by Hank Azaria), is cute and funny, thanks to clever writing and great voice work. Bartok and his sidekick bear friend (an excellent Kelsey Grammer, who voiced Vlad in the original) have become street performers and become embroiled in the evil Ludmilla's plot to get rid of the next heir, a prince. While it's not a particularly fresh tale, Bartok the Magnificent is kept alive through Azaria and Grammer's well-timed and -executed voiceovers. -N. F. Mendoza.

The film that officially signaled Disney's animation renaissance (following The Little Mermaid) and the only animated feature to receive a Best Picture Oscar nomination, Beauty and the Beast remains the yardstick by which all other animated films should be measured. It relates the story of Belle, a bookworm with a dotty inventor for a father; when he inadvertently offends the Beast (a prince whose heart is too hard to love anyone besides himself), Belle boldly takes her father's place, imprisoned in the Beast's gloomy mansion. Naturally, Belle teaches the Beast to love. What makes this such a dazzler, besides the amazingly accomplished animation and the winning coterie of supporting characters (the Beast's mansion is overrun by quipping, dancing household items) is the array of beautiful and hilarious songs by composer Alan Menken and the late, lamented lyricist Howard Ashman. (The title song won the 1991 Best Song Oscar, and Menken's score scored a trophy as well. ) The downright funniest song is "Gaston," a lout's paean to himself (including the immortal line, "I use antlers in all of my de-co-ra-ting"). "Be Our Guest" is transformed into an inspired Busby Berkeley homage. Since Ashman's passing, animated musicals haven't quite reached the same exhilarating level of wit, sophistication, and pure joy. -David Kronke -This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.