Yes Virginia, There Is a Santa Claus review

This is not to be confused with the 1991 live action film.

Had your fill with Peanuts specials but feel like getting the Christmas spirit going with something of a similar nature? If you don't cry rip-off with everything you see this could be for you.

Yes Virginia, There is a Santa Claus comes from an editorial written in 1897. Should go without saying, but it has become historic, through a simple query by a young girl sent to the press, it inspired one of the most cited aspects of Christmas folklore, is the best I can sum up from pedestrian research.

The special was written by Mort Green and directed by Bill Melendez, who you may recognize as the prime force behind the Charlie Brown specials. This would go out of the way to explain the parallels people may draw. The special aired on ABC, and saw later airings on, where else? Cartoon Network. Apparently Warner Bros. secured distribution rights, at least for then, as distribution was previously held by the low-profile distributor ABR Entertainment. The most they did after was release game shows related to board games and had also distributed a Treasure Island "remake" from Burbank Studios in Australia.

Animation

Signature aspects of Melendez's style are present in this. Watercolor skies, basic backgrounds and kids with dotted eyes. This gives the look of something made by a child, which is a compliment mind you, and gives it a little extra sense of innocence. When you see the kids in this, you can instantly tell the guy behind Peanuts made this, but as a distinction, adults are visible in this.

Plot

The film is an embellishment of the editorial, focusing mainly on the one who laid the seeds for it, an innocent young girl named Virginia. It jumps right in to a writing assignment where the kids are to write about something Christmas related, Virginia immediately picks Santa, to the humor of the other students. Now to be fair, this is going off of an account for a news editorial, don't think it needs anything more complicated.

I did notice one thing about the dialog, it seems different takes were spliced together, this can be noticed on Virginia mostly, right after her teacher takes her up on her question regarding Santa.

Virginia is teased by the other kids over her belief in Santa, and come on, can kids really be that cynical? If this was more religious it'd be propaganda. It's funny how kids call something kid stuff, but it seems it's just one who goes by what his older brother believes. If I were him I'd stay away from his work. She wishes for an older brother, a reverse Stuart Little, and the kids return to square one.

Virginia's vexing at the hands of the other kids is a bit drawn out, but this does prove pivotal. Virginia asks various citizens if Santa Claus exists, with varying reactions. This would get a message spread, certainly. We also get a glimpse on the public perception of Asians at the time. Even in the 50s/60s this was worded against, I won't say their depiction here is horribly offensive, but it does ring some stereotypical bells. They do portray an African American girl gracefully, as a bit of a feminist. Wait, wasn't this set in the 1800s? Talk about artistic liberty.

It culminates in a very decent case regarding non-believers and what has yet to be discovered, with a knock against flat-earthers. Afterwards, she is encourage to write a letter to the editor of the New York Sun. This gets to her father and he is okay with it, what's the worst he could say about getting a paper from a paperboy and an idea?

Some may question whether or not this is all one big ad for the Sun, but that was where the editorial was published, and it is the point to this special.

Anyhow, it's near impossible to not miss parallels between Peanuts characters. The paperboy looks like a genderbent Peppermint Patty, one boy looks like a genderbent Marcy (but both don't have the same level of interaction in this.)... shit that's all I can point out.

Back to the story, the weight of the conflict hinges on the editor trying to figure out the best possible answer to Virginia's query, which is given away in the title but whatever. The wait actually has a point, where the editor gains some additional Christmas spirit, where the existence of Santa is in our hearts, and expressed through our spirit.

We end with a dramatic reading of the editorial, and if you're down for simplistic beauty, this hits all the right notes.

Overall

This falls under the delightfully quaint category of Christmas films. It's a pity this isn't as known as other Christmas films, especially ones that've overstayed their welcome and when you peel back the layers, find they really have little good to them, something only elitists hang on to because variation is the ultimate sin. I may never let that go.

But, if you're tired of the same old Christmas specials and still want something classic to watch, give this a try.