EditShirley Booth(voice)Mickey Rooney(voice)Dick Shawn(voice)George S. Irving(voice)Bob McFadden(voice)(as Robert McFadden)…Rhoda Mann(voice)…Bradley Bolke(voice)…Ron Marshall(voice)…Colin Duffy(voice)Christine Winter(voice)…The Wee Winter Singers(voice)DirectorsJules BassArthur Rankin Jr.WritersWilliam J. KeenanPhyllis McGinleyAll cast & crewProduction, box office & more at IMDbProReview7.712.6K12345678910Featured reviews7evanston_dadI find this holiday made-for-T.V. movie to be one of the more charming of its kind, maybe because it's not as well known as "Rudolph" and "Frosty" and other holiday perennials.In this one, Santa (voiced by Mickey Rooney, who also did Santa honors in "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town") decides he's had enough of Christmas and those who don't appreciate him and cancels the holiday. Mrs. Claus (voiced by Shirley Booth) decides it's up to her to prove to Santa how much everyone still loves and admires him, so she sends off two elves on an around-the-world fact-finding mission to compile evidence of a belief in Santa and what he stands for. From there, the plot goes all over the place and nothing makes a whole lot of sense, but it's all harmless enough. The film's biggest selling point, of course, are the miser brothers, Heat and Snow, who each get a showstopping burlesque number complete with mini back up singers. I wish these two had been given a Christmas movie of their own.Grade: A-Rusty-61I grew up on the Rankin-Bass specials such as The Little Drummer Boy, Rudolph and The Year Without a Santa Claus. When I got to be in the 6th grade or so I thought I was too 'mature'(yeah, right) for them, but I still secretly watched TYWASC just to see the Snow Miser and the Heat Miser do their thing. One night when I was a teenager a bunch of us were sitting around flipping channels and landed on the Snow Miser about to start. You can imagine how it went after that, since we were all trying to act nonchalant and cool:me:"oh MAN, this dumb special."teen #1: "You want me to change it?" teen #2:"I don't care if you don't"me: "OK, whatever, I guess we'll leave it." By the time Heat Miser was halfway through his big number we all had big grins on our faces. The next time it was on I taped it and we watched it every year. At some point, the tape broke (probably from overuse), but a few years ago I finally tracked down a copy of the video. Now it's back in print!The whole special is cool (can't beat that RB stop-motion) but we bought it just to see the Miser brothers do their thing. It's worth the price of admission even though they only have about 10 minutes of screen time. This year we actually were going to give the whole movie a try, but lost patience after about 10 minutes (though kids might enjoy this more) and just cut to the chase and fast-forwarded to the Snow Miser. Usually when we dust off the copy every Christmas, my husband is the one hitting the rewind button after the big finish, "TOO MUCH!"and sheepishly saying " OK, uh, just one more time..." Warning: you will NOT be able to get the song out of your head. Those are catchy-ass songs! Even better, they sound like something Danny Elfman would write- the Heat Miser song especially could be an early-80's Oingo Boingo song. You will walk around for days with, "They call me Heat Miser, what ever I touch, starts to melt in my clutch..." running through your head. To this day I have yet to meet one person who hasn't seen the special, loved the song, and in fact most of them know all the lyrics. You'll start singing it to yourself at work- "he's Mr. White Christmas he's Mr. Snow"...and without fail you'll hear someone else, "I'm Mr. Icicle, I'm MIS-ter Ten below..."I agree with the other reviewers-they are crazy not to repackage the special prominently featuring the Miser bros, because it would fly off the shelves. At least put a little sticker with a picture of Heat Miser on the box or something, people will get the idea. I'm also glad I'm not the only adult who has thought about who they would cast in a live-action version...we were thinking James Woods (who unfortunately looks more like Snow Miser every year) and--hey, as long as we're dreaming here anyway--Chris Farley. Anyway, if you watched the special as a kid, and are holding off on purchasing a copy because you think it won't stand the test of time, trust me on this- IT WILL! It's...too much. TOO MUCH! (BA-da-da-da).melbatoast78OK, so this film came out 4 years before I even existed...I still absolutely love it! I've always adored the Rankin/Bass classic "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" but it hasn't been until more recent years that I began really getting into other Rankin/Bass movies. Rudolph will always be my favorite, but I think TYWASC is my next favorite, largely due to the Miser Brothers, Snow Miser and Heat Miser. They definitely steal the show! Their catchy theme songs will get stuck in your head, and you'll find yourself humming them! ("I'm Mr. White Christmas, I'm Mr. Snow...I'm Mr. Icicle, I'm Mr. Ten Below!") Other highlights in the movie is the absolutely adorable baby reindeer, Vixen, who falls ill after being subjected to the heat in South Town (but fully recovers!) and of course Ignatius (Iggy) who's the boy who learns to believe in Santa. I love the part when Mrs. Claus starts talking about Iggy and she says "nice name too," in kind of a sarcastic manner.(I think someone else mentioned that in an earlier post, but I have to agree, it's hilarious!) Over all, it's not an edge-of-your-seat thriller by far, but it's not meant to be. It's a nice classic Christmas tale with that stop-animation that Rankin and Bass are so famous for. I highly recommend this to children and adults alike. And if you don't like the movie as a whole, you can't help but love those Miser Brothers!8kimcoxmonmThere are 45 reviews detailing this show, mine won't make a lick of difference. If you have never seen this; Welcome To Earth!!I grew up on this (I'm 54) and still watch it every year, more than once.I eagerly awaited for it when the commercial announced its airing date. I was obsessed with Heat Miser's hair; that crazy poof of multicolored fuzzy fur with lights flickering in it to resemble flames. His minions also had it.To this day, I can't wait for that scene and it's accompanying song.10TheLittleSongbirdRankin/Bass have been responsible for a fair number of Christmas classics, such as Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer, Santa Claus is Coming To Town, Frosty the Snowman and The Little Drummer Boy. The Year Without A Santa Claus is almost as good as them and definitely one of the better Rankin/Bass Christmas specials. The stop-motion animation is wonderful, very detailed and both enchanting and atmospheric. I also loved the music, the score is whimsical with some lovely themes that never take away from the story or the festive feel of Christmas. The songs are sweet and catchy, I happen to think that they are memorable too. The Miser Brothers songs are a lot of fun as is Blue Christmas, and I also want to give a shout out to I Believe in Santa Claus, which I have always found very touching with a beautiful and truthful meaning without beating the audience around the head with it. The writing is amusing with the Miser Brothers, and there is evidence of conflict and pathos, and the story while bizarre in places has a lovely subtly handled message and gets you into the Christmas spirit. The characters I also like very much. The Miser Brothers definitely steal the show, especially Heat, but I do also enjoy Mrs Claus' wit and sarcasm, Vixen's cuteness and Santa's benevolence. The voice acting is terrific. Overall, a lovely special that brings me great joy every time, when something gives you that feeling you know it's done something right. 10/10 Bethany CoxMore like this7.7Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town8.0Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer7.3Frosty the Snowman6.6Rudolph's Shiny New Year6.8Jack Frost6.1A Miser Brothers' Christmas6.8Frosty's Winter Wonderland6.3Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July6.9The Little Drummer Boy8.3How the Grinch Stole Christmas!7.3'Twas the Night Before Christmas8.3A Charlie Brown ChristmasEditDid you knowEditTriviaThe painting hanging in Santa Claus' bedroom is the same one that is put up in the town hall at the end of Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town (1970).GoofsMother Nature tells Snow Miser to allow snow in Southtown, and Heat Miser to allow a warm day at the North Pole. But that's backwards -- it would be Heat Miser allowing snow in Southtown and Snow Miser allowing warmth at the North Pole.QuotesSnow Miser: So, Mrs. C., how's your hubby?Mrs. Santa: Not too good, Snowy, he's got a bad cold.Snow Miser: Aw, that's a shame. He should've come to see me, I'd've given him a good one! HO HA HO... a little chilly humor, there.ConnectionsFeatured in Batman & Robin (1997)SoundtracksThe Year Without A Santa ClausWords and music by Billy Hayes and Jay JohnsonPerformed by The Wee Winter SingersSign in to rate and Watchlist for personalized recommendationsSign inDetailsEditRelease dateDecember 10, 1974 (United States)Countries of originUnited StatesJapanLanguageEnglishAlso known asРік без СантиProduction companyRankin/Bass ProductionsSee more company credits at IMDbProEditRuntime51 minutesAspect ratio1.33 : 1Suggest an edit or add missing contentTop GapBy what name was The Year Without a Santa Claus (1974) officially released in Canada in English?AnswerSee more gapsLearn more about contributingEdit page, The Year Without a Santa Claus: Directed by Jules Bass, Arthur Rankin Jr.. With Shirley Booth, Mickey Rooney, Dick Shawn, George S. Irving. When a weary and discouraged Santa Claus considers skipping his Christmas Eve run one year, Mrs. Claus and his elves set out to change his mind., When a weary and discouraged Santa Claus considers skipping his Christmas Eve run one year, Mrs. Claus and his elves set out to change his mind. Mrs. Claus tells us about the time Santa had a bad cold and decided to take a vacation from Christmas..