Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

By now you probably have read Rick Goldschmidt review for the set and I for one respect this man (truly a great Rankin/Bass historian if I ever saw one), but as someone who grew up and loved this timeless specials, let me give you the details from a positive perspective. Rick's comments are indeed 100% valid but to me, love and respect was put into these new editions and I could tell right away from the packaging. Although Classic Media did a great job restoring the major 3 Rankin/Bass specials for Blu-ray, the fact the studio is now owned by DreamWorks Animation which itself is now owned by Universal, these releases could the revelation we fans have been waiting for. Still, there are some minor setbacks. For more on this, I present to you a list of pros and cons: PROS: -As I stated, love went into these releases. The packaging clear as day mentions Rankin/Bass and Animagic (AND the Frosty the Snowman Deluxe Edition even mentions Paul Coker Jr.) as if an R/B aficionado was writing this. -The back covers state "Newly Improved Picture Quality" so it will surprising to see if these are new improved transfers (Rudolph and Frosty had some minor DNR on the 2012 restorations). No word yet if The Little Drummer Boy and Cricket on The Hearth will have new transfers. "UPDATE 11/23:" Little Drummer Boy's transfer appears to be the same as The Original Christmas Classic Anniversary Edition. But unlike that set which featured a SD transfer, The Cricket on The Hearth features a "newly restored and remastered HD transfer on this release!" -Rudolph and Frosty will not only have 5.1 remixes, but also the original 2.0 Mono soundtracks (though see cons for more details)! UPDATE: PLUS, the "For" in Everyone wishes for silver and gold" for "Silver and Gold" is finally restored since the initial Blu-ray from Classic Media! -Commentaries for Frosty and Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town -A wonderful new extra on all releases: The Animagic World of Rankin/Bass, running at a whopping 47 minutes and it's no doubt a big highlight on these releases! -The Rudolph 4D show will be included as an extra on Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (for those who haven't seen the attraction) CONS: -As Rick Goldschmidt stated in his review, he's not involved with these releases and that's sad. At first I thought he was behind them until he said otherwise and knowing him, he could've done wonders had DreamWorks/Universal put him behind the wheel (PS. He has the original 1964 credits for Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer...IN COLOR!). -None of the extras from the anniversary editions aren't ported over (kid-friendly as they are, it would've been nice to have them included). -As I stated, Rudolph and Frosty will have 5.1 and original Mono, but in Frosty's case, when I say original, I don't mean ORIGINAL broadcast Mono with June Foray as Karen, I mean the 1970-present Mono mix featuring unknown kid actors redubbing the kids in the special (June and Paul Frees were the original voices though SOME of their original dialogue can be heard after 1969). The original mix can still be heard via a CD release from Rhino. -Speaking of, no original Mono mix for Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town (unless it turns out it is there and they just neglected to mention it). -Could they have been better? Probably. Like I said, Rick has a LOT of stuff. So, do I recommend these? If you're a collector and want every great release of these specials, then sure. I mean, I don't see a problem with these releases (save for the list of cons mentioned) but after hearing Rick complaints I can understand why they should be better. Since Shout! Factory has a deal with both Universal and Warner, who both each have a portion of the Rankin/Bass library, I would recommend Shout! and Rick to discuss with Universal and WB to do a complete Rankin/Bass Christmas set (from Rudolph to Santa, Baby plus Frosty Returns and A Miser Bros. Christmas as bonus specials) jam-packed with LOTS of extras that would be the holy grail of any Rankin/Bass fan. *sigh* If that can only happen.