Boys and girls all over the world have always wondered about where Santa Claus came from. In 1970, Rankin Bass released a stop-motion animation short about the origins of Santa Claus. Based on the 1934 hit song of the same title, Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town begins when a baby arrives on the doorstep of a grumpy old Burgermeister in a place called Sombertown. The Burgermeister wants nothing to do with the baby, so he sends it away, but a wind blows the baby into the wild. The animals protect the baby from a wicked winter warlock, and then place him on the doorstep of a family of elves.

The elves name him Kris and raise him, teaching him how to make toys so they can restore the Kringle name.

The Burgermeister has denied fun in Sombertown, and prohibits the children from playing with toys. As a young man, Kris enters the town and discovers that the children are denied toys. Being a toymaker, he knows how much joy and happiness toys can bring, so he plans to sneak toys into the town.

Kris makes friends with the Winter Warlock after giving him a toy train, and the warlock gives Kris the power to see which children are not and who is nice by peering into a magical snowball.

With the help from his friends, Kris must sneak into children’s homes to give them presents, or risk being arrested and thrown into jail by the Burgermeister. During his travels to the town, Kris also meets and falls in love with Jess, the future Mrs. Claus, who keeps him informed about the children’s wants and needs for toys.

Featuring the voice talent of Fred Astaire, Mickey Rooney, Keenan Wynn and a number of others, Santa Claus is Coming to Town is a must-watch for families keeping the hope and spirit of Christmas alive. While it may seem that this tale focuses heavily on getting gifts, it also explores the power of giving and how one man’s extraordinary love for the gift of giving to others.