Brer Rabbit's Christmas Carol; The Nutcracker; A Quigley's Village Christmas

'Tis very near the season and the video pipeline is beginning to fill up with the children's Christmas releases. We sampled three new titles. Brer Rabbit's Christmas Carol is a reasonably entertaining hybrid--combining Joel Chandler Harris' "Brer" characters and Charles Dickens' classic A Christmas Carol. Saturday morning cartoon quality animation blandly accompanies the story of miserly Brer Fox who's about to steal poor Brer Bear's cave, when Brer Rabbit steps in. The story picks up a bit in the second half, when a blindfolded Brer Fox is transported into the village where he becomes an unwary participant in the children's play of A Christmas Carol. Although the packaging proclaims that this is a "new and original animated tale," the occasional tell-tale scratches on the film print suggest otherwise. From the creators of the delightful puppet adaptation of Peter and the Wolf (reviewed in the July-August 1991 issue), The Nutcracker, performed by master puppeteer Jim Gamble, is both interesting and problematic--for the same reason. Based on Tchaikovsky's classic musical tale of a young girl's Christmas Eve dream about a handsome nutcracker soldier, The Nutcracker has always been more music and spectacle than coherent or engaging story. In this version, the producers have chosen to show Gamble working the puppets, as the camera switches between close-ups of the puppets and long shots in which we see Gamble literally pulling the strings. On one level it's fascinating to watch Gamble maneuver the puppets, yet on another level it breaks the spell--more demonstration than magic. The third video, A Quigley's Village Christmas, is an overtly religious program, that is also well-made and carries a good sense of humor. Mr. Quigley's puppet friends are preparing a stage play of the first Christmas--Christ's birth. Bringing presents for all the kids, Mr. Quigley accidentally drops Danny Lion's gift. In between rehearsals, Danny eagerly checks out the presents under the tree while singing the non-traditional Christmas carol "Gimme, Gimme, Gimme." Needless to say, Danny is unhappy when he realizes there's no gift for him. Meanwhile, the other kids have decided to update the Nativity scene a bit by trying to make the baby Jesus more comfortable. All is resolved, and the children learn that God gave the "best gift of all" in the form of his own son. Not quite on a par with McGee & Me: Twas the Fight Before Christmas (reviewed in the March 1992 issue), A Quigley's Village Christmas is still good inspirational fare for kids. Other videos in the "Quigley's Village" series include: Always Tell the Truth, Be Kind to One Another, That's Not Fair!, and Practice Makes Better. Brer Rabbit's Christmas Carol and The Nutcracker are optional purchases. A Quigley's Village Christmas is recommended. (Brer Rabbit's Christmas Carol is available from most distributors.) (The Nutcracker is available from: Bogner Entertainment, Inc., 14900 Ventura Blvd., Suite 330, Sherman Oaks, CA 91403; (818) 784-3781; FAX (818) 784-2417.) (A Quigley's Village Christmas is available from: TVA/Cornerstone Video Publishing, 2410 Charleston Rd., Mountain View, CA 94043-1683; (415) 967-6040; FAX (415) 964-2453.)