Santa and the Ice Cream Bunny
Encyclopedia
Santa and the Ice Cream Bunny is a 1972 children's
fantasy film
made by R. Winer to frame Barry Mahon
's Childhood Productions films for a Christmas release. The threadbare plot concerns Santa Claus
's attempts to free his sleigh from the sands of a Florida
beach, assisted by local children. Poor acting and production values have made the film a cult classic.
nearing and the absence of Santa. The action abruptly switches to a Florida beach, where Santa's sleigh has become (very superficially) mired in the sand. The absence of Santa's reindeer
is explained by claiming that they flew away shortly after the mishap because it was too hot for them.
Apparently using telepathic powers, Santa summons local children to aid him. Most of the children's attempts to free him involve animals, including a pig, a sheep, a donkey, a horse, and a gorilla (which is clearly an actor in a gorilla suit
).
Inexplicably, two boys playing Tom Sawyer
and Huckleberry Finn
watch and comment on the action from a distance.
When all the children's attempts fail, Santa encourages them not to give up hope, telling them the story of a girl who visits the theme park Pirate's World
where she hears the story of "Thumbelina
" as an example. The film then segues into an hour-long adaptation of the Hans Christian Andersen
fairy tale (obviously filmed separately, with higher production values, and featuring its own credit sequence), which proves to have a longer running time than the framing story. Thumbelina is an independent musical film by Barry Mahon.
After the story, the children summon the titular bunny (an actor in a rather cheap-looking costume), who arrives driving an antique fire engine. The bunny, whose connection to ice cream
is never revealed, volunteers his vehicle as a replacement for Santa's sleigh. Santa and the bunny then ride off to conduct Santa's Christmas deliveries. The children are left to ponder the problem of Santa's empty sleigh, which disappears before their eyes, ending the film.
movie-commentary project released Santa and the Ice Cream Bunny, with their synchronous commentary, as a "Video on Demand" download. It has since been made available on DVD as well.
Children's film
A children's film is a film aimed for children as its audience. As opposed to a family film, no special effort is made to make the film attractive for other audiences. The film may or may not be about children. In Unshrinking the Kids: Children's Cinema and the Family Film which is a chapter in In...
fantasy film
Fantasy film
Fantasy films are films with fantastic themes, usually involving magic, supernatural events, make-believe creatures, or exotic fantasy worlds. The genre is considered to be distinct from science fiction film and horror film, although the genres do overlap...
made by R. Winer to frame Barry Mahon
Barry Mahon
Barry Mahon, born Jackson Barrett Mahon , was an American film director, cinematographer and producer.-Early years:...
's Childhood Productions films for a Christmas release. The threadbare plot concerns Santa Claus
Santa Claus
Santa Claus is a folklore figure in various cultures who distributes gifts to children, normally on Christmas Eve. Each name is a variation of Saint Nicholas, but refers to Santa Claus...
's attempts to free his sleigh from the sands of a Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
beach, assisted by local children. Poor acting and production values have made the film a cult classic.
Synopsis
The film begins with a chorus of Santa's elves, played by children, singing about ChristmasChristmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
nearing and the absence of Santa. The action abruptly switches to a Florida beach, where Santa's sleigh has become (very superficially) mired in the sand. The absence of Santa's reindeer
Reindeer
The reindeer , also known as the caribou in North America, is a deer from the Arctic and Subarctic, including both resident and migratory populations. While overall widespread and numerous, some of its subspecies are rare and one has already gone extinct.Reindeer vary considerably in color and size...
is explained by claiming that they flew away shortly after the mishap because it was too hot for them.
Apparently using telepathic powers, Santa summons local children to aid him. Most of the children's attempts to free him involve animals, including a pig, a sheep, a donkey, a horse, and a gorilla (which is clearly an actor in a gorilla suit
Gorilla suit
Gorilla suits or ape suits are full-bodied costumes resembling gorillas or other large primates.Gorilla suits have been used both to represent real gorillas in film and on stage, and also as a source of humour...
).
Inexplicably, two boys playing Tom Sawyer
Tom Sawyer
Thomas "Tom" Sawyer is the title character of the Mark Twain novel The Adventures of Tom Sawyer . He appears in three other novels by Twain: Adventures of Huckleberry Finn , Tom Sawyer Abroad , and Tom Sawyer, Detective .Sawyer also appears in at least three unfinished Twain works, Huck and Tom...
and Huckleberry Finn
Huckleberry Finn
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a classic Mark Twain novel.Huckleberry Finn may also refer to:*Huckleberry Finn , a fictional character in the Adventures of Tom Sawyer...
watch and comment on the action from a distance.
When all the children's attempts fail, Santa encourages them not to give up hope, telling them the story of a girl who visits the theme park Pirate's World
Pirate's World
Pirate's World was an pirate-themed amusement park in Dania, Florida that opened in 1967. Developed by Recreation Corporation of America, it was located on the north side of Sheridan Street, east of US 1....
where she hears the story of "Thumbelina
Thumbelina
"Thumbelina" is a literary fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen first published by C. A. Reitzel on 16 December 1835 in Copenhagen, Denmark with "The Naughty Boy" and "The Traveling Companion" in the second installment of Fairy Tales Told for Children. "Thumbelina" is about a tiny girl and...
" as an example. The film then segues into an hour-long adaptation of the Hans Christian Andersen
Hans Christian Andersen
Hans Christian Andersen was a Danish author, fairy tale writer, and poet noted for his children's stories. These include "The Steadfast Tin Soldier," "The Snow Queen," "The Little Mermaid," "Thumbelina," "The Little Match Girl," and "The Ugly Duckling."...
fairy tale (obviously filmed separately, with higher production values, and featuring its own credit sequence), which proves to have a longer running time than the framing story. Thumbelina is an independent musical film by Barry Mahon.
After the story, the children summon the titular bunny (an actor in a rather cheap-looking costume), who arrives driving an antique fire engine. The bunny, whose connection to ice cream
Ice cream
Ice cream is a frozen dessert usually made from dairy products, such as milk and cream, and often combined with fruits or other ingredients and flavours. Most varieties contain sugar, although some are made with other sweeteners...
is never revealed, volunteers his vehicle as a replacement for Santa's sleigh. Santa and the bunny then ride off to conduct Santa's Christmas deliveries. The children are left to ponder the problem of Santa's empty sleigh, which disappears before their eyes, ending the film.
Parody
On December 17, 2010, the RifftraxRiffTrax
RiffTrax are downloadable audio commentaries featuring comedians Michael J. Nelson, Kevin Murphy and Bill Corbett heckling films in the style of Mystery Science Theater 3000, a TV show in which Nelson was the head writer, and later the host. The RiffTrax are sold online and delivered by digital...
movie-commentary project released Santa and the Ice Cream Bunny, with their synchronous commentary, as a "Video on Demand" download. It has since been made available on DVD as well.
External links
- Santa and the Ice Cream Bunny at RiffTraxRiffTraxRiffTrax are downloadable audio commentaries featuring comedians Michael J. Nelson, Kevin Murphy and Bill Corbett heckling films in the style of Mystery Science Theater 3000, a TV show in which Nelson was the head writer, and later the host. The RiffTrax are sold online and delivered by digital...
- Santa and the Ice Cream Bunny extensive recap at The Agony Booth