Animated Special Unverified

A Claymation Christmas Celebration

Year
1987
Network
CBS

About this animated special

Two clay dinosaur hosts introduce claymation performances of Christmas carols, including the California Raisins singing "Here We Come A-Wassailing."

Plot summary

The special is co-hosted by Rex (Johnny Counterfit), an erudite Tyrannosaurus rex, and Herb (Tim Conner), a dimwitted and bespectacled Styracosaurus with a gluttonous appetite. The two appeared in previous Will Vinton videos dating back to 1980 including Dinosaur, but this Christmas special is the first in which they have dialogue and contemporary personalities, vaguely parodying Siskel and Ebert respectively.

Situated in a facsimile of London's Christmas Square, Rex and Herb introduce several stand-alone videos of Christmas carols and holiday standards and discuss the origins of each song relating to different holiday traditions around the world.

Among the musical performances:

Throughout the program, Rex futilely attempts to clarify the true pronunciation and meaning of the term "wassail', featured in the Christmas carol "Here We Come A-Wassailing". As the show progresses, Rex is accosted by different groups, all singing parodies of the song.

From the Wikipedia article “A Claymation Christmas Celebration”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Continue reading on Wikipedia

Details

Holiday
Christmas
Archive type
Animated Special
Franchise
California Raisins
Original air date
December 21, 1987
Studio
Will Vinton Productions
Runtime
24 min

Credits

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