The Year Without a Santa Claus (1974): Cast & Plot
The Year Without a Santa Claus is a 1974 family animated film directed by Jules Bass and Arthur Rankin, Jr., starring Shirley Booth as Mrs. Claus (voice), Mickey Rooney and Christine Winter. It runs 51 minutes.
- Released
- Runtime
- 51 min
- Directors
- Jules Bass and Arthur Rankin, Jr.
- Original language
-
English - Studio
- Rankin/Bass Productions
- After the credits
- No No extra scene
What Is The Year Without a Santa Claus About?
The premise of The Year Without a Santa Claus without spoilers. The whole story is in the plot summary further down.
Feeling ignored by children worldwide, Santa decides to abandon his annual gift‑giving trek and take a vacation. Determined, Mrs. Claus joins two lively elves, Jingle and Jangle, to discover why the season’s joy has vanished. Guided by a magical snowfall, they rekindle Christmas spirit in children’s hearts and restore Santa to his mission.
The Year Without a Santa Claus Themes & Keywords
· 50 tags- 1970s
- cat
- sneeze
- holiday season
- father son relationship
- blowing nose
- newspaper headline
- newspaper
- mother son relationship
- north pole
- sick reindeer
- boy
+38 more Show fewer
- sleigh
- elves
- nature deity
- nature goddess
- goddess
- deity
- mother earth
- earth mother
- male protagonist
- santa claus character
- christmas eve
- mrs. santa claus character
- santa's elf
- christmas movie
- belief in santa claus
- holiday animation
- holiday family
- christmas
- snow
- miser
- vacation
- santa claus
- christmas tree
- christmas present
- teardrop
- drawing
- child's drawing
- present
- gift
- holiday
- letter
- letter to santa claus
- telephone call
- husband wife relationship
- temperature
- thermometer
- rooftop
- mayor
The Year Without a Santa Claus Cast & Characters
Shirley Booth leads the cast as Mrs. Claus (voice), with Mickey Rooney as Santa Claus (voice) and Christine Winter as Blue Christmas Girl (voice). Directed by Jules Bass and Arthur Rankin, Jr.; 10 actors are credited in all.
- Co-director Jules Bass
- Co-director Arthur Rankin, Jr.
- Shirley Booth as Mrs. Claus (voice)
-
Mickey Rooney as Santa Claus (voice) - Christine Winter as Blue Christmas Girl (voice)
- Bob McFadden as Jingle Bells (voice)
Also Starring in The Year Without a Santa Claus
· 6 more- Bradley Bolke Jangle Bells (voice)
- Colin Duffy Ignatius Thistlewhite (voice)
- Dick Shawn Snow Miser (voice)
- George S. Irving Heat Miser (voice)
- Rhoda Mann Mother Nature (voice)
- Ron Marshall Mr. Thistlewhite (voice)
More from Jules Bass and Arthur Rankin, Jr.
More films directed by Jules Bass and Arthur Rankin, Jr., best-rated first: The Last Unicorn, The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus, The Wind in the Willows and The Coneheads.
The Year Without a Santa Claus Plot Summary
What happens in The Year Without a Santa Claus from start to finish, spoilers included, with a timeline of 12 key events. The opening is below; the full summary is a 3-minute read.
Spoilers ahead
In the opening days of December, a chilly morning finds Santa Claus waking up with a stubborn cold, a rare vulnerability for the jolly figure who keeps the Christmas spirit moving year after year. A wry elf doctor quips that Christmas magic isn’t what it used to be, and the idea of skipping his traditional Christmas Eve journey starts to creep into Santa’s mind. To coax him back to the season, Mrs. Claus devises a plan: she sends two inventive helpers, Jingle Bells and Jangle Bells, to gather real proof of Christmas spirit.
Full summary
The whole story of The Year Without a Santa Claus, scene by scene
The Year Without a Santa Claus Trailers & Videos
2 videos: 1 trailer and 1 clip.
- Clip I Believe in Santa Claus
How Well Do You Know The Year Without a Santa Claus?
10 questions about the story, each with a hint if you get stuck. Pick an answer to see whether you were right.
Question 1 of 10
- Question 1: not answered
- Question 2: not answered
- Question 3: not answered
- Question 4: not answered
- Question 5: not answered
- Question 6: not answered
- Question 7: not answered
- Question 8: not answered
- Question 9: not answered
- Question 10: not answered
Why does Santa consider skipping his Christmas Eve journey at the start?
The Year Without a Santa Claus Also Known As
13 alternative titles, including “Rankin-Bass' The Year Without a Santa Claus” and “Год без Санты”.
- Also known as
-
- Rankin-Bass' The Year Without a Santa Claus
- Год без Санты
- Aquel año sin Santa Claus
- Рік без Санти
- Un anno senza Babbo Natale
- O Ano Sem Papai Noel
- Godina bez Djeda Božićnjaka
- Μια χρονιά χωρίς Άγιο Βασίλη
- サンタのいないクリスマス
- 没有圣诞老人的一年
- Một Năm Không Có ông Già Noel
- O Ano sem Pai Natal
+1 more Show fewer
- 沒有聖誕老人的一年
Seen The Year Without a Santa Claus?
Movies Like The Year Without a Santa Claus
Films with a similar story, tone or audience, including The Year Without a Santa Claus, Santa Claus: The Movie and The Life & Adventures of Santa Claus.
-
The Year Without a Santa Claus 2006 -
Santa Claus: The Movie 1985 -
The Life & Adventures of Santa Claus 2000 -
The Christmas Tree 1991 -
The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus 1985 -
Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town 1970 -
Santa Claus 1959 -
Mrs. Santa Claus 1996 -
The Claus Family 2021 -
That Christmas 2024 -
Christmas Comes But Once a Year 1936 -
Gotta Catch Santa Claus 2008
The Year Without a Santa Claus FAQ: Cast & Runtime
Runtime, release date, director, cast and post-credit scenes of The Year Without a Santa Claus, each answered in a sentence.
How long is The Year Without a Santa Claus?
The Year Without a Santa Claus runs 51 minutes.
When was The Year Without a Santa Claus released?
The Year Without a Santa Claus was released on December 10, 1974.
Who directed The Year Without a Santa Claus?
The Year Without a Santa Claus was directed by Jules Bass and Arthur Rankin, Jr.
More films by Jules Bass Who is in the cast of The Year Without a Santa Claus?
The Year Without a Santa Claus stars Shirley Booth as Mrs. Claus (voice), Mickey Rooney as Santa Claus (voice) and Christine Winter as Blue Christmas Girl (voice), among 10 credited actors.
Does The Year Without a Santa Claus have a post-credit scene?
No. The Year Without a Santa Claus has no extra scene during or after the credits.
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