''Christmas Is Here Again'' is a 2007 American animated Christmas musical-comedy-

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy literature and d ...

- adventure film distributed by

Screen Media Films Screen Media Ventures, LLC. is an American-Canadian distribution company founded in 2001. In 2008, Screen Media selected The Creative Coalition as its exclusive nonprofit partner in launching the Spotlight Initiative. The partnership permits the p ...

, also known as ''Who Stole Santa's Sack? '' The first feature production from the Renegade Animation studio, it was co-written, co-produced and directed by Robert Zappia. Narrated by Jay Leno, the film features the voices of

Edward Asner Eddie Asner (; November 15, 1929 – August 29, 2021) was an American actor and former president of the Screen Actors Guild. He is best remembered for portraying Lou Grant during the 1970s and early 1980s, on both ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' a ...

Kathy Bates Kathleen Doyle Bates (born June 28, 1948) is an American actor and director. Known for her roles in comedic and dramatic films and television programs, she has received various accolades throughout her career spanning over five decades, includ ...

Madison Davenport Madison Danielle Davenport (born November 22, 1996) is an American actress and singer, best known for her role as Kate Fuller in '' From Dusk till Dawn: The Series''. She also appeared in '' Kit Kittredge: An American Girl'' as Kit's best friend ...

Colin Ford Colin Ford (born September 12, 1996) is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Josh Wheeler in '' Daybreak'', Joe McAlister in '' Under the Dome'', the voice of Jake on ''Jake and the Never Land Pirates'', Mikey on '' Can You Teach My A ...

Brad Garrett Bradley Henry Gerstenfeld (born April 14, 1960), known professionally as Brad Garrett, is an American actor and stand-up comedian. Possessing a distinctive deep voice, he has appeared in numerous television and film roles in both live-action and ...

Andy Griffith Andy Samuel Griffith (June 1, 1926 – July 3, 2012) was an American actor, comedian, television producer, southern gospel singer and writer whose career spanned seven decades in music and television. Known for his Southern drawl, his character ...

Shirley Jones Shirley Mae Jones (born March 31, 1934) is an American actress and singer. In her six decades in show business, she has starred as wholesome characters in a number of musical films, such as '' Oklahoma!'' (1955), ''Carousel'' (1956), and ''The M ...

Norm Macdonald Norman Gene MacdonaldThe capitalization of Norm Macdonald's surname has been inconsistently reported in publications such as ''TV Guide''. Books that discuss him, such as ''Shales'' (2003) and Crawford' (2000), as well as other sources such as ...

, and

Daniel Roebuck Daniel James Roebuck (born March 4, 1963) is an American actor and writer. His best known roles include Deputy Marshal Robert Biggs in ''The Fugitive'' and its spinoff film ''U.S. Marshals'', Jay Leno in ''The Late Shift'', and Dr. Leslie Arz ...

, and marked Asner's fourth role in a Christmas-themed film after the 1977 film '' The Gathering'', 1999 film ''

Olive, the Other Reindeer ''Olive, the Other Reindeer'' is a 1999 American 3D computer-animated Christmas comedy musical film written by Steve Young, based on the children's book by J. Otto Seibold, and directed by Academy Award-nominated animator Steve Moore. The featur ...

'' and 2003 film ''

Elf An elf () is a type of humanoid supernatural being in Germanic mythology and folklore. Elves appear especially in North Germanic mythology. They are subsequently mentioned in Snorri Sturluson's Icelandic Prose Edda. He distinguishes "ligh ...

'', though unlike the latter two films, he does not play Santa.

Synopsis

Sophiana, an orphan girl who carries a cane, sets out to find Santa's toy sack (which is a magical source of toys since it was made from the baby

Jesus Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label= Hebrew/ Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religiou ...

swaddling Swaddling is an age-old practice of wrapping infants in blankets or similar cloths so that movement of the limbs is tightly restricted. Swaddling bands were often used to further restrict the infant. Swaddling fell out of favour in the 17th cen ...

clothes), which was stolen thirty years previously by Krad ("dark" spelled backwards) in revenge after Santa stopped handing out Krad's coal to naughty children. She is helped in her quest by Paul Rocco, one of Santa's elves, Dart, a reindeer calf, Buster the fox, and his friend, Charlee the polar bear.

Cast

as Sophiana, a girl from an orphanage who's been bullied by Miss Dowdy and the other children *

as Paul Rocco/Jacque *

as Dart *

as Buster *

as Charlee *

Ed Asner Eddie Asner (; November 15, 1929 – August 29, 2021) was an American actor and former president of the Screen Actors Guild. He is best remembered for portraying Lou Grant during the 1970s and early 1980s, on both ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' a ...

as Krad * Michael Norris as the Selves *

as Miss Dowdy, the woman who is the owner of the orphanage, she is seen more like a " antagonist" to Sophiana. *

as Santa Claus *

as Victoria Claus * Jay Leno as the Narrator * Randy Crenshaw/Bob Joyce/

Sally Stevens Sally Stevens (born November 24, 1939) is an American actress, singer and a vocal contractor. She has sung on hundreds of ''The Simpsons'' episodes, and sings the main title, which has been in use since the inception of the show. She also sing ...

/Susie Stevens Logan/Gary Stockdale/

Carmen Twillie (actress) Carmen Beth Twillie (born April 8, 1950) is an American actress and singer. She is a longtime friend of Tommy Morgan and has appeared as guest contralto soloist with Morgan's choir. She is best known for singing the Elton John and Tim Rice song ...

/Lauren Wood as Chorus

Production

Renegade Animation, an animation company located in Glendale, California and known for the TV series ''

Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi ''Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi'' is an American animated television series created by Sam Register for Cartoon Network. Produced by Renegade Animation and Cartoon Network Studios, the series stars fictionalized and animated versions of the Japanese pop r ...

'' and ''

The Mr. Men Show ''The Mr. Men Show'' (sometimes referred to as ''Mr. Men Little Miss'' or simply ''Mr. Men'') is an animated children's television series based on the original '' Mr. Men and Little Miss'' books created in the 1970s and 1980s by British author R ...

'', teamed up with Easy to Dream Entertainment to create ''Christmas Is Here Again''. A small crew spent nine months on the principal animation, which was completed in mid-2006. One of the songs in the film's soundtrack (as well as the film's working title) was "Who Stole Santa's Sack?"

Awards and release

''Christmas Is Here Again'' premiered on October 20, 2007, as an official selection at the

Heartland Film Festival The Heartland International Film Festival is a film festival held each October in Indianapolis, Indiana. The festival was first held in 1992, its goal is to "inspire filmmaker Filmmaking (film production) is the process by which a motion pictu ...

. The following year, it received an Annie Award nomination for Best Voice Acting in an Animated Television Production (Madison Davenport as Sophiana). Additionally, in 2009, Christmas is Here Again was nominated for the Annie Award for Best Animated Home Entertainment Production. Colin Ford, the voice of Dart, was also nominated for a Young Artist Award in 2009 for Best Performance in a Voice-Over Role - Young Actor. The film was received its DVD debut in the U.S. on November 4, 2008. The disc contains a behind-the-scenes featurette, cast interviews and "Name the Reindeer", as extras. Originally, the reindeer on the DVD cover had a red nose akin to Rudolph's. On the final version of the cover, it is black.

Reception

Richard Propes of ''The Independent Critic'' website gave it an A and 3.5 stars, calling it "an ideal choice for families, children and for Scrooges like myself who, somewhere deep inside, still want to believe". However

Common Sense Media Common Sense Media (CSM) is an organization that reviews and provides ratings for media and technology with the goal of providing information on their suitability for children.

gave the film a 2 out of 5 saying "Small children might like this holiday musical, but they may also lose patience at the 73-minute length".

Stage version

The Pacific Conservatory Theatre presented the premiere of a stage adaptation of ''Christmas Is Here Again'' by Brad Carroll and Jeremy Mann in November and December 2014.

References

External links

* * * * {{authority control 2007 films American adventure films American flash animated films American children's animated adventure films American children's animated fantasy films American children's animated musical films American Christmas films American comedy films American fantasy films American fantasy adventure films American fantasy comedy films American musical films American musical comedy films Direct-to-video animated films 2000s American animated films Animated Christmas films Animated films about bears Animated films about foxes Animated films about orphans 2007 animated films 2000s fantasy adventure films 2000s musical comedy films 2000s Christmas films 2007 comedy films 2000s English-language films