- Content: 
By India McCarty
Many Christmas TV specials have become beloved holiday classics over the years, but did you know that popular cartoon character Mister Magoo starred in the very first one?
“Mister Magoo was the start of everything when it comes to Christmas specials,” Darrell Van Citters, a supervising director of Renegade Animation and author of “Mr. Magoo’s Christmas Carol: The Making of the First Animated Christmas Special,” told Intelligent Collector.
MISTER MAGOO’S CHRISTMAS CAROL premiered on NBC on Dec. 18, 1962.
“It preceded Charlie Brown; it preceded Rudolph and Grinch. This was when television was ‘appointment’ viewing,” Van Citters said. “When it came out, I don’t know if UPA [the special’s animation studio] even considered that it could be broadcast every year.”
Related: Where Can You Watch HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS on TV This Year?
The one-hour musical special was rare in those days, but it soon kicked off a trend of musical Christmas specials, including holiday favorites like 1964’s RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER and 1965’s A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS.
Before Charlie Brown, before Rudolph or The Grinch there was MISTER MAGOO’S CHRISTMAS CAROL (’62) The 1st ever made-for-TV Christmas Special w/ music & lyrics by June Styne & Bob Merrill (who later wrote “Funny Girl” in ’64). 11-yr-old me LOVED it & I still do!😍🎅🇨🇽❄️🎄👍… pic.twitter.com/CahJ2vLf5x
— Mark Hamill (@MarkHamill) December 23, 2023
MISTER MAGOO’S CHRISTMAS CAROL includes songs like “Ringle, Ringle,” “Winter Was Warm” and “The Lord’s Bright Blessing,” and for many viewers, the music is what made the special so memorable.
In an interview with Animation World Network, Van Citters remarked that “the songs” are what really stand out about the project.
“Not just musically but the lyrics really hit people where they live like ‘Alone in the World’ or ‘Winter Was Warm,’” he said. “That doesn’t work so well on a child’s level but really works well for adults: anyone who’s had loved and lost. ‘The Lord’s Bright Blessing’ talks about the spirit of Christmas so well, without being cloying. The sentiments really echo what was in the original Dickens material.”
Speaking to CNN, Van Citters called MISTER MAGOO’S CHRISTMAS CAROL “one of the stronger” adaptations of the Charles Dickens classic, as “it’s quite loyal to the original.”
“They are reciting lines from the book, and on an emotional level I think it’s one of the strongest – even over live-action – because the songs really emphasize the emotional aspect of it. They know exactly where to go to tell their story,” he said. “To take a classic story like that and then to mix in Mr. Magoo, and then make it a musical, it’s kind of a big leap….It’s one of the stronger, if not the strongest, musical interpretations of Dickens.”
If you’re looking to check out this piece of Christmas TV history, you can stream MISTER MAGOO’S CHRISTMAS CAROL on Peacock or rent it on Amazon Prime Video.
Read Next: Why Charles Schulz Fought for Faith in A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS
Questions or comments? Please write to us here.
– Content: +2Share:
– Content: +2