By Ranjan Bhaduri
Dec.08 (THAINDIAN NEWS) The residents of Downtown Marion have many reasons to cheer. Saturday is going to be a pretty eventful day for all of them. Apart from the much anticipated Christmas parade, they have the option of going to the Palace Theater, to watch a timeless classic animated movie meant exclusively for the Christmas season. No doubt it is going to add to the whole festive feeling during the holiday season. There are plenty of movies made on Christmas theme but few can come close to the charm of the animation movie ‘Santa Claus Is Coming To Town’.

The movie was originally made in the 1970s in the format of a stop motion animation picture that was quite popular at that time. It was a brainchild of Ruskin Bass. The models were made from wood. This was evidently inspired by a radio hit composed by Eddie Cantor having the same name. The animated film takes the viewers to a merry ride telling them how the Santa Claus and some other popular Christmas characters and customs became a part and parcel of life. It is an enjoyable experience to both the kids and the adults who accompany them.

In the movie an amiable postman tells how a boy named Kris Kingle changed the lives of the kids of Sombertown. He did it despite stiff resistance from Burgermeister Meisterburger. The wooden characters were brought to life by the voices of veteran actors like Mickey Rooney, Fred Astaire, Keenan Wynn and Paul Frees. The producer of the classic film was Arthur Rankin Jr.. He went to make a very popular children film named Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer.