Santa Claus is Comin' to Town (1970)

Fred Astaire is the narrator of this stop motion animated film made for television. Burgermeister Meisterburger is the mean, grouchy, mayor/type dictator of the town of Sombertown. A baby arrives on his doorstep with a tag that says "Claus". The Burgermeister tells his assistant to take the baby to the orphanage. Along the way there is a huge gust of wind that blows the baby away and he lands in the snow where some animals hide him so that the Winter Warlock won't see him. They take him to a family of elves named "Kringle" ruled by Tante Kringle and they name him "Kris". As he gets older he tells his family that he will one day restore them to their rightful place as the "Toymakers to the King".

When Kris grows up he decides that he will deliver toys to the kids of Sombertown where toys are not allowed and the Burgermeister says that anyone found with toys will be arrested and thrown into the dungeon. On his way Kris meets up with the Winter Warlock who warns him to stay away from his land. When Kris gets to Sombertown he meets Miss Jessica, the schoolteacher, and gets a crush on her. When the Burgermeister sees the toys, he wants to arrest the children but Kris gives him a yoyo. He loves the yoyo, but his assistant reminds him of his own rules and he chases Kris out of town. Kris meets up with the Warlock again and things get ugly until he gives the Warlock a toy train which melts the frozen heart of the Warlock. Kris continues to get toys to the children and when the Burgermeister finds the toys, he conducts a house to house search until he finds and burns all of the toys. Kris and party are arrested, but escape when the Warlock gives Jessica "magic feed corn" to give the reindeer so that they can fly everyone to safety.

Kris goes back into the hills as an outlaw and grows a beard to disguise himself and changes him name to "Claus", the name that the was born with. Jessica and Kris get married and move to the North Pole where they build their workshop. The Burgermeisters eventually die off and Santa decides that he can only deliver toys once a year due to demand. History is made!

One of my favorites! Who can hear Burgermeister Meisterburger and not go back to when they were 7?

48 Minutes. Not Rated. I give this movie THREE AND A HALF STARS.