| Christmas Is Here Again | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Robert Zappia |
| Produced by | Robert Zappia Jim Praytor |
| Written by | Robert Zappia Marco Zappia |
| Narrated by | Jay Leno |
| Starring | Edward Asner Brad Garrett Andy Griffith Norm Macdonald Madison Davenport |
| Music by | John Van Tongeren |
| Distributed by | Screen Media Ventures DVD: Screen Media Films |
| Release date(s) | Heartland Film Festival: October 20, 2007[1] DVD: November 4, 2008 |
| Running time | 74 min. |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | US$7.5 million |
Christmas Is Here Again is a 2007 animated Christmas film released on DVD by Screen Media Films. The first feature production from the Renegade Animation studio,[2] it was co-written, co-produced and directed by Robert Zappia. Narrated by Jay Leno, the film features the voices of Edward Asner, Kathy Bates, Madison Davenport, Colin Ford, Brad Garrett, Andy Griffith, Shirley Jones, Norm Macdonald, and Daniel Roebuck.
Contents |
Sophianna, a crippled orphan girl, sets out to find Santa's stolen toy sack, which is a magical source of toys since it was made from the baby Jesus' swaddling clothes. She is helped in her quest by one of Santa's elves, one of Santa's young reindeer, a fox and a polar bear.
Renegade Animation, an animation company located in Glendale, California and known for the TV series Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi and The Mr. Men Show, 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.[2]
One of the songs in the film's soundtrack (as well as the film's working title) was "Who Stole Santa's Sack?"
Co-producer Darrell Van Citters, a Renegade staff member, once directed a Disney short called Fun with Mr. Future (1982).
Christmas Is Here Again premiered on October 20, 2007, as an official selection at the Heartland Film Festival.[1][3] The following year, it received an Annie Award nomination for Best Voice Acting in an Animated Television Production (Madison Davenport as Sophianna).[4]
The film was originally slated for a theatrical release in November 2007, but ultimately 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.[5]
Originally, the reindeer on the DVD cover had a red nose akin to Rudolph's.[6] On the final version of the cover, it is black.
Richard Propes of The Independent Critic website gave it a B+ 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".[3]
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