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If you're an American and have had a childhood since the [[TheSixties 1960s]], then chances are you've seen something from Rankin/Bass Productions.

Founded by Arthur Rankin Jr. and Jules Bass in 1960 as Videocraft International, the UsefulNotes/NewYorkCity-based studio is responsible for a series of animated holiday specials that are virtual fixtures of seasonal television programming. Such titles as ''[[WesternAnimation/RudolphTheRedNosedReindeer1964 Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer]]'', ''WesternAnimation/FrostyTheSnowman'', ''WesternAnimation/SantaClausIsCominToTown'', ''WesternAnimation/TheYearWithoutASantaClaus'', and ''WesternAnimation/HereComesPeterCottontail'' have been shown more or less annually since they first aired, and many subsequent holiday specials produced by other companies will contain homages to these shows.

The general formula of these holiday specials was to take one or more classic holiday songs and to build a script (usually by staff writer Romeo Muller) around the music, featuring a celebrity narrator as an InkSuitActor in the story and interspersing it with original songs with music by Maury Laws and lyrics by co-producer/co-director Jules Bass. Very likely a majority of the characters were voiced by Creator/PaulFrees. While some of the specials use traditional cel animation, most of them feature a puppet-based StopMotion technique known as "Animagic".

Rankin/Bass also produced non-holiday AnimatedShows. The best known is probably ''WesternAnimation/{{ThunderCats|1985}}''; other series from the studio included ''WesternAnimation/TalesOfTheWizardOfOz'', ''WesternAnimation/TheKingKongShow'', ''WesternAnimation/{{The Jackson 5ive}}'' and ''The Osmonds''. The popularity of ''[=ThunderCats=]'' resulted in two follow-up series, ''WesternAnimation/SilverHawks'' and ''[=TigerSharks=]'' (the third appearing along with three other shows as ''WesternAnimation/TheComicStrip''). By the time of ''[=ThunderCats=]'', the studios were now owned by Creator/{{Lorimar}}-Telepictures; Telepictures had acquired the studio in 1983 after distributing their post-1974[[note]]the pre-1974 library was owned by GE, who had owned Tomorrow Entertainment, R-B's parent firm, for a while then; they eventually sold the library to [[Series/SaturdayNightLive Lorne Michaels]] and his company, Broadway Video; he eventually sold it to Golden Books, who integrated it into their library, which eventually became part of Classic Media, which was sold to Creator/DreamWorksAnimation in 2012. [=DreamWorks=] Animation would later be acquired by [=NBCUniversal=] in 2016, which GE had ironically owned a majority of at one point before selling to Comcast[[/note]] library from Telepictures' founding in 1978. Creator/WarnerBros now owns the rights to those programs, having acquired L-T in 1989.

Its most ambitious projects were animated adaptations of Creator/JRRTolkien's books, with ''WesternAnimation/TheHobbit'' and ''WesternAnimation/TheReturnOfTheKing''. (Not to be confused with Creator/RalphBakshi's [[WesternAnimation/TheLordOfTheRings adaptation]], which bridged the series.) Along with ''WesternAnimation/TheLastUnicorn'' and ''WesternAnimation/TheFlightOfDragons'', these films were the first major [[{{Animesque}} U.S.-Japanese]] animation production crossovers. The co-producing Japanese company was known as {{Creator/Topcraft}} and soon after, they went on to form the company Creator/StudioGhibli. Earlier productions, such as ''Frosty the Snowman'', had been animated by Creator/MushiProductions, albeit without any input from Creator/OsamuTezuka.

Although Rankin/Bass shut down in 1987, the company still manages its trademarks. In 2001, it released its latest holiday project, ''Santa, Baby!'', which featured a mostly black cast. The duo also had a part in the ''WesternAnimation/{{ThunderCats|2011}}'' ContinuityReboot. Nonetheless, Rankin/Bass will forever be remembered for virtually defining the concept of specialized holiday programming.

Arthur Rankin Jr. passed away from an illness on January 30, 2014. Jules Bass would also pass away from an age-related illness on October 25, 2022 at an assisted living facility in Rye, New York.

While ''Rudolph the-Red Nosed Reindeer'' and ''Frosty the Snowman'' still air annually on Creator/{{CBS}} every Christmas season, as does ''Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town'' on Creator/{{ABC|US}}, near the end of the [[Main/TheNewTens 2010s]] these specials would also begin airing on Creator/{{Freeform}} as part of their ''25 Days Of Christmas'' block, including the 1968 special ''The Little Drummer Boy''.

The company's lesser-known Christmas specials (such as ''Nestor the Long-Eared Donkey'' and ''The First Christmas: The Story of the First Christmas Snow'') and followups (''The Little Drummer Boy II'', ''Rudolph's Shiny New Year'' and ''Frosty's Winter Wonderland'') currently air on Creator/{{AMC}} for their Christmas block ''Best Christmas Ever''. Sometimes the channel would air a marathon of Rankin/Bass holiday specials during the weekends after Thanksgiving. Prior to AMC, [[ChannelHop these specials used to air]] on "ABC Family" (now "[=FreeForm=]") between the late 1990s and throughout [[Main/TurnOfTheMillennium the 2000s decade]].

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!!'''Shows Produced or Distributed by Rankin/Bass'''
[[foldercontrol]]

[[index]]
[[folder:TV Specials (with Narrator)]]
* ''[[WesternAnimation/RudolphTheRedNosedReindeer1964 Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer]]'' (1964) Creator/BurlIves as Sam the Snowman
* ''The Creator/EdgarBergen & Charlie [=McCarthy=] Show'' (1965; unaired pilot)
* ''WesternAnimation/TheBalladOfSmokeyTheBear'' (1966) Creator/JamesCagney
* ''WesternAnimation/CricketOnTheHearth'' (1967) Creator/RoddyMcDowall as [[AlliterativeName Cricket Crocket]]
* ''WesternAnimation/TheMouseOnTheMayflower'' (1968) Music/TennesseeErnieFord as Willum Mouse
* ''WesternAnimation/TheLittleDrummerBoy'' (1968) Creator/GreerGarson as Our Storyteller
* ''WesternAnimation/FrostyTheSnowman'' (1969) Creator/JimmyDurante; animated by Creator/MushiProductions
* ''The Mad, Mad, Mad Comedians'' (1970)
* ''WesternAnimation/SantaClausIsCominToTown'' (1970) Creator/FredAstaire as S.D. ("Special Delivery") Kluger; this special also established Creator/MickeyRooney as the official voice of the Rankin/Bass Santa.
* ''WesternAnimation/HereComesPeterCottontail'' (1971) Creator/DannyKaye as Seymour S. Sassafras
* ''The Enchanted World of Danny Kaye'' (1972)
* ''WesternAnimation/TwasTheNightBeforeChristmas'' (1974) George Gobel as Father Mouse
* ''WesternAnimation/TheYearWithoutASantaClaus'' (1974) Shirley Booth as Mrs. Claus
* ''WesternAnimation/TheStoryOfTheFirstChristmasSnow'' (1975) Creator/AngelaLansbury as Sister Theresa
* ''The First Easter Rabbit'' (1976) Burl Ives as the older Stuffy the Rabbit
* ''WesternAnimation/FrostysWinterWonderland'' (1976) Creator/AndyGriffith
* ''WesternAnimation/RudolphsShinyNewYear'' (1976) Creator/RedSkelton as Father Time
* ''WesternAnimation/TheLittleDrummerBoy, Book II'' (1976) Greer Garson as Our Storyteller
* ''The Easter Bunny is Comin' to Town'' (1977) Fred Astaire as S.D. Kluger
* ''WesternAnimation/NestorTheLongEaredChristmasDonkey'' (1977) Roger Miller as Speiltoe, Santa's donkey
* ''WesternAnimation/TheStingiestManInTown'' (1978) Creator/TomBosley as B.A.H. Humbug (as this special was not only animated by Topcraft but was broadcast in Japan, it's listed as an anime in some sources)
* ''WesternAnimation/RankinBassJackFrost'' (1979) Creator/BuddyHackett as "Pardon-Me" Pete the Groundhog
* ''WesternAnimation/PinocchiosChristmas'' (1980)
* ''WesternAnimation/TheLeprechaunsChristmasGold'' (1981) Creator/ArtCarney as Blarney Kilarney
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Coneheads}}'' (1983)
* ''Literature/TheLifeAndAdventuresOfSantaClaus'' (1985)
* ''Santa, Baby!'' (2001) Music/PattiLaBelle as Melody Songbird
[[/folder]]

[[folder:TV Series]]
* ''WesternAnimation/TheNewAdventuresOfPinocchio'' (1960)
* ''WesternAnimation/TalesOfTheWizardOfOz'' (1961)
* ''WesternAnimation/TheKingKongShow'' (1966)
* ''WesternAnimaton/TheSmokeyBearShow'' (1969)
* ''WesternAnimation/TheTomfooleryShow'' (1970)
* ''WesternAnimation/TheReluctantDragonAndMrToadShow'' (1970)
* ''WesternAnimation/TheJackson5ive'' (1971)
* ''WesternAnimation/TheOsmonds'' (1972)
* ''WesternAnimation/KidPower'' (1972)
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Festival of Family Classics}}'' (1972)
* ''WesternAnimation/ThunderCats1985''
** ''WesternAnimation/SilverHawks'' (1986)
** ''WesternAnimation/ThunderCats2011''
* ''WesternAnimation/TheComicStrip'' (1987)
** ''[=TigerSharks=]''
** ''The Mini Monsters''
** ''Karate Kat''
** ''Street Frogs''
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Films]]
* ''Return to Oz'' [[/index]](TV; no relation to Disney's [[Film/ReturnToOz 1985 live-action film]]) (1964) [[/index]]
* ''Willy [=McBean=] and his Magic Machine'' (1965)
* ''Film/TheDaydreamer'' (1966)
* ''Wacky World of Mother Goose'' (1966)
* ''WesternAnimation/MadMonsterParty'' (1967)
* ''Film/KingKongEscapes'' (1968) (produced with Creator/{{Toho}})
* ''The Red Baron'' (TV) (1972)
* ''Willie Mays and the Say-Hey Kid'' (TV) (1972)
* ''Mad, Mad, Mad Monsters'' (TV) (1972)
* ''That Girl in Wonderland'' (TV) (1974)
* ''Marco'' (Live Action) (1973)
* ''Film/TheLastDinosaur'' (live action) (1976) (produced with Creator/TsuburayaProductions)
* ''WesternAnimation/TheHobbit'' (TV) (1977) (produced with Japanese studio Topcraft)
* ''Film/TheBermudaDepths'' (live action) (1977) (produced with Tsuburaya Productions) -- In which Burl Ives is eaten by a giant turtle
* ''The Bushido Blade'' (live action) (1979)
* ''WesternAnimation/RudolphAndFrostysChristmasInJuly'' (limited theatrical release, got most of its viewership on TV) (1979) Narrated by Creator/MickeyRooney as Santa Claus
* ''WesternAnimation/TheReturnOfTheKing'' (TV) (1980) (produced with Japanese studio Topcraft)
* ''The Ivory Ape'' (live action) (1980) (produced with Tsuburaya Productions)
* ''WesternAnimation/TheLastUnicorn'' (1982) (produced with Japanese studio Topcraft)
* ''Film/TheSinsOfDorianGray'' (live action) (TV) (1983) a [[GenderFlip gender-flipped]] modern-day (well, 1983) update with top-billed Creator/AnthonyPerkins playing the Lord Henry Wotton character (here a tycoon called Henry Lord). Dorian Gray is a model discovered by Henry Lord who's played by Belinda Bauer (''Film/PoisonIvy2Lily'' and ''Film/RoboCop2''). The portrait becomes her video-taped screen test.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheFlightOfDragons'' (TV) (1986) (produced with Japanese studio Topcraft)
* ''WesternAnimation/TheWindInTheWillows1985'' (TV) (1985) [[note]] Completed in 1985, but never premiered on TV until 1987. [[/note]] (produced with Taiwanese studio [[Creator/WangfilmProductions Cuckoo's Nest Studio]])
* ''WesternAnimation/TheKingAndI'' (1999) (with Morgan Creek Productions and Nest Family Entertainment)
[[/folder]]
[[/index]]
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!!Rankin-Bass Productions provides examples of:
* {{Animesque}}: While the character designs for their specials were done in the U.S., their specials and series animated in Japan often feature the LimitedAnimation and artistic touches like CheekyMouth common in actual anime of the era. Even future industry heavyweights like Creator/OsamuDezaki cut their teeth working on shows like ''Frosty the Snowman'', and Topcraft itself would eventually form the backbone of Creator/StudioGhibli. 1978's ''The Stingiest Man in Town'', a Topcraft co-production, was actually broadcast in Japan concurrently with its U.S. premiere, causing it to be listed in some anime sources such as ''The Anime Encyclopedia''.
* ChristmasSpecial: They were responsible for many of the most iconic ones.
* DarkerAndEdgier:
** Compared to their future Christmas Specials, their second stop-motion Christmas Special ''The Little Drummer Boy'' has a very melancholy and somber tone. Since Aaron (the special's main protagonist) is angry at humanity after witnessing a group of thieves killing his parents and stealing his parent's flock of sheep. Alongside being one of the only Rankin/Bass specials to show an on-screen murder even if it's bloodless.
** ''Nestor, The Long-Eared Christmas Donkey'' also has a more somber tone than usual, particularly when Nestor's mother [[HeroicSacrifice sacrifices her life]] for her son by shielding him with her body during a blizzard. Generally, the Biblical-themed Christmas specials are all more serious and melancholy than the ones centered on Santa Claus and secular festivities.
** Their films, [[WesternAnimation/TheHobbit The Hobbit]], [[WesternAnimation/TheReturnOfTheKing The Return of The King]], [[WesternAnimation/TheLastUnicorn The Last Unicorn]], and [[WesternAnimation/TheFlightOfDragons The Flight of Dragons]] are much darker than the specials they're usually known for- having nightmarish imagery, on-screen violence, and delving into very mature themes.
* {{Disneyesque}}: The character designs for their 2D animated works mix this art style with {{anime|sque}} and SaturdayMorningCartoon influences.
* FamousForBeingFirst:
** ''WesternAnimation/SantaClausIsCominToTown'': As an origin story for Santa Claus, the special features a fictionalized account of where the first Christmas presents, Christmas stockings, and Christmas tree came from.
** ''The Easter Bunny is Comin' to Town'': In the same vein as the previous ''Santa Claus Is Comin To Town'' but for Easter, the special features a fictionalization of where certain American Easter traditions came from, including the first Easter eggs, the first chocolate bunny, and the first Easter lily.
** Discussed in "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lT3AC7LD9rU Someone's Gotta Be First]]", with the {{Aesop}} that people have to try new things in order to make progress.
--->''Someone's gotta be first! All things gotta be faced! Someone's gotta brave the worst, Someone's gotta take a taste!''
* HeelFaceTurn: A recurring theme in many of their specials is the villain eventually learning the errors of their ways and befriending the heroes.
* InternationalCoproduction: All of their shows, movies and specials were co-produced with many Japanese companies. Particularly {{Creator/Topcraft}} and to a minor extent, Creator/TsuburayaProductions throughout the 1970s and early 1980s.
** ''WesternAnimation/TheJackson5ive'', ''The Osmonds'' and ''The Tomfoolery Show'' also had most of their animation done at British studio Halas and Batchelor, better known for ''WesternAnimation/AnimalFarm1954''.
* LaughTrack: The only shows that used this practice were ''The Jackson 5ive'', ''The Osmonds'' and ''Kid Power'', played on Saturday mornings from 1971-1972. Eleven years later, it was used on their ''Coneheads'' special.
* SharedUniverse: Their Christmas specials have several subtle connections between each other (the shot of Santa's sleigh flying at the end of ''Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer'' being replicated or referenced multiple times throughout the specials, for example, and a few of their specials taking place in the same world as ''Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer''), and they outright have a crossover in ''Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July''.
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