Santa and The Three Bears (1970)

This film may not be a classic, but it is a sweet little movie, that deserves a watch. It is simple, charming, and warm, but lacks that certain something special that makes a film a classic. However it is well worth watching as long as you aren't expecting a classic.

One thing that works well in this films favor is the work of Tony Benedict. Tony Benedict was one of the directors and the sole writer on this film. He had been a writer at Hanna-Barbera, and had written for such shows as The Flintstones, The Jetsons, and The Yogi Bear Show. There he had learned well how to make cartoons on a very low budget. This is important because this is an animated film on a very small budget. He was able to make it work despite the small budget, hugely because of his former experience.

This film starts off in live action with a Grandfather (played by Hal Smith, who also voices the park ranger and Santa Claus in the animated majority of the film) telling two kids the story of Santa and the Three Bears. This opening was directed, oddly enough by Barry Mahon, who mostly did exploitation films like  The Beast That Killed Women, The Sex Killer, Sex Club International, and Naughty Nudes. Barry Mahon also was this movies producer as well. An interesting person to work on a family friendly Christmas movie to say the least. This opening however is pretty pointless and could have been dropped, as the animated story is quite a bit better.

Overall this is a charming little movie. It may not be classic, but sometimes we just want to watch a film like this and when we do this is a good choice.

-Michael J. Ruhland

Resources Used
The Animated Movie Guide by Jerry Beck