Austin Bucks wasn't a bad guy. He asked for purchase of Grandma's store up front, denied Cousin Mel the sale of the store because she wasn't on the deed, gave Jake a chance to stop the deal if he could find Grandma to stop the sale, stopped the deal like he said he would, and later negotiated another deal with Grandma to benefit both of them. He did not resort to any shady business deals, unlike other Christmas baddies.
Though maybe he should break up that monopoly he's got going on? Pretty sure those are unethical, if not illegal, no matter how legitimately you managed to achieve it. Assuming, of course, saying he owns everything in Cityville isn't an exaggeration.
@@ThatDudeWithBoobs The weirdest part for me was that the very first time I saw this was on TV while channel surfing and it was the scene where Mel and the lawyer did that out of nowhere hula song. I recognized the grandmother and thought "oh it's that Grandma got run over by a reindeer movie" and then the music number showed up and I was beyond confused.
Ah yes, the evil businessman, who never really did anything evil. "I want to buy your store" "No" "Understandable, have a nice day" "Don't buy the store" "I'll give you a week, kid" "Okay" "You found her? Okay, the deal is off" "I would like to partner and spread your store Arguably, she would earn something from the other stores, even if it is just on the name value, would possibly be ownership going through the family.
It seems like that could be the joke, this guy is supposed to be the villain that we root against, but he's not villainous at all. A good ending would have been for Grandma to come back and sell the store anyway, but for much more money, so the family almost got pennies on the dollar for the store just because Mel was too dumb to understand Grandma's bargaining methods.
tbf, he could've pulled a Ray Kroc and just outright steal the franchise and lie about royalties, but he doesn't seem like that kind of venture capitalist.
After spending her entire career encouraging shoplifters, Grandma was so far down Santa's naughty list that he had no choice but to run her down to reconcile decades worth of stolen goods.
So the naughty list thinks that people who don't agree with its morality are just as guilty as people who don't follow it, possibly even more guilty? Interesting.
It was an odd decision story-wise, but I actually liked the (sort of) subversion of Austin Bucks NOT being an evil businessman. It's a trope that's so played out in Xmas stories that even the slightest diversion made it interesting.
I love the idea that there's an alternate plot running along simultaneously to the main plot where Austin Bucks is taught the true meaning of Christmas, but that the creators thought the Grandma story was more interesting for some reason.
Fun fact, this APPEARS to be one of only two Christmas specials the WB aired that weren't episodes of pre-existing series. The other one was Rapsittie Street Kids.
I can't help but feel like Santa is kind of guilty. I mean he ran an old lady over and then whisked her away with ONLY a note taking up an entire year of her limited lifespan. The note which EASILY could have blown away, dissolved in the snow, and left NO possible way to contact him or her. Meaning this was a Hit And Run. . It is to the point where I am not ENTIRELY sure this excludes him from the Kidnapping charges.
And Mel didn’t really do anything worth being arrested for. The whole reindeer nip thing could have been done by Grandpa as Mel as she didn’t believe in Santa before the accident and he revealed himself. In fact there were only *two* people in the family that believed in Santa before Ashe was hit and basically kidnapped for an entire year and that would be Jake and Grandpa. Grandpa is obviously faking his senility and made Mel take the fall. She didn’t obstruct justice when she hid the note because the note said that Santa did hit Grandma and that he was taking her with him which is equivalent to a note left by a kidnapper without a ransom and he was guilty of holding her for an entire year after she regained her health and for leaving the scene of an accident. And Mel never said that any money she would have gotten wouldn’t be shared with the rest of the family. They obviously were having financial problems if customers could take whatever they wanted without paying. There’s no way to make sure you get paid if you run a business like that. Grandpa is obviously the guilty one for putting reindeer nip into the fruitcake.
I never realized until now how everyone (except Jake) takes Grandma's disappearance pretty well, especially Grandpa. Definitely makes it more.. something, that's for sure.
@@marley7868 ...that would eventually go rogue, declaring everybody to be naughty, and start annually murdering people until the holiday is renamed X-Mas. XD
@@angrynoodletwentyfive6463 true but at least he’s doing it legally speaking and for the most part he’s a decent human being. He doesn’t belittle Jake for not wanting the deal to come through, he does encourage him to seek out Santa to find his grandmother. While he does tell Mel only her grandfather can sign over the store he doesn’t force Mel to force grandpa to sign it over.
Cartoon Network tried their hardest to make this become a classic with how many times they've played it. Wouldn't surprise if this was still one of their regular Christmas specials
Austin Bucks isn't a villain. While he did want the store, he only tried to obtain it via legal means. He's actually a subversion of the corrupt corporate executive. And his new deal with Grandma is different because she still keeps the store. She even gets more money out of franchising her store than just selling it.
The problem is that I don't know if he is SUPPOSED to not be a villain... or if the makers of this movie sort of didn't communicate it successfully. . Yes... I am debating whether he is a villain in spite never doing anything seedy and going out of his way to do the right thing... on the basis that he is a monopolistic CEO and the movie might have "Expected" that was all you needed to make someone a villain.
@@Nionivek I mean, Austin did already out himself as not quite monopolistic yet. How much of an exaggeration (considering it was told to us from a child who learned it from Grandma Spankenheimer) is up for debate.
Isn't one of the biggest things about Santa is that he sees and knows everything (He freakin showed that when he proved he is Santa to Austin)? Like he knows when you are sleep/awake and knows when you're bad/good. So even if Grandma got Amnesia from the hit and run wouldn't Santa still know who she is, wouldn't he know that Jake has been looking for her, and also wouldn't he know what cousin Mel be planning and would need Jake and Grandma to save him at the trial?
@@hotsauce7084 mate have you even HEARD the song?!😅 he’s meant to know at least your name and if you’ve been bad or good🤷♀️ he might not be god but the song says he's all-knowing in the morality context XD
"what would the Holidays be...without Grandma being hit by oncoming traffic and dying to vehicular manslaughter at the hands of a drunk driving old man from the North Pole and his exotic pets that he has put on slave labor to pull his decomissioned immobile car?"
How the heck does Santa not know who Grandma Spankenheimer is? He recognized Austin Bucks _and_ remembered what toy he wanted, but he couldn't remember this old bat who's the stereotypical Christmas movie paragon that can do no wrong?
Am I the only one noticing that the narrator, future Jake, shares the same voice as Grandpa? Is Jake his own Grandpa?! Grandpa's already lived thru this, that's why he doesn't care!
Did anyone else think that when Austin Bucks revealed his sleigh delivery system that he was going to be the one to run down Grandma to get rid of her for her store and frame Santa at the same time to get rid of him and take over Christmas. The film would have had a real villian then and Santa wouldn't have been an awful person. Might have made for a better film.
"Pinky, are you pondering what I'm pondering?" "I think so, Brain, but if Santa really ran Grandma over with his reindeer, would his name be in his own naughty list?"
I actually watch this every Christmas due to sentimental reasons. I used to watch it every year with my great grandmother until she ended up becoming sick and passed away a few years ago. It's a tradition of mine so I can honor her memory.
Anyone else think Cousin Mel was the actual hero of this story even if she was kind of a dick? I mean, poisoning the fruitcake really wasn't cool (And even then it only seemed to make it taste bad?) but she's the only one to actually call out Santa and seemed like she was very willing to share the LITERAL FORTUNE probably worth millions with the family. Fucking Jake did ruin everyone's lives. That trial was an absolute miscarriage of justice by the way.
Eh, her motivations kinda ruin that. Everything she did was so that SHE could be rich. It would be like Mel: Grandma STOP!! You can't beat Jake half to death! Grandma: Oh, why not? Mel: His blood'll soak into the carpet, and dry-cleaning's expensive!
I think Grandpa was faking his senility and was the one that poisoned the fruitcake together rid of Grandma. He is literally the only other person to believe in Santa before the accident and he returns Grandma home a year later. And if reindeer nip works like catnip, it must be put into the fruitcake fresh as the effects will fade over time and Grandma did get hit a second time at the end of the special. And you know who was not there to see it happen? Cousin Mel. That proves that someone else had laced the fruitcake *twice* and actually got away with it without anyone seeing the obvious clues that they did it.
Mel is apparently a supervillain considering that the entire family isn't surprised that she's behind Grandma's second disappearance. That being said, I do take her side because ulterior motives aside Santa Claus really did commit a hit and run and then kidnapped the victim. Like the movie tries really hard to make that seem like it wasn't a big deal.
@@codafett 😆Technically, Cousin Mel was the cause of the hit-and-run. If she left the fruitcake batter alone, the reindeer wouldn't have plowed Grandma into the snow. So, she just ruined her life after trying to ruin a pastry. Oh well...😁🦌 Edit: Then again, Cousin Mel actually helped the family by making Austin Bucks franchise Grandma's store.
"Hey, do you think it'll be confusing having the same person voice both the grandfather and the narrator, who is supposed to be the kid as an adult? It's not gonna sound like it's just grandpa narrating right?" "No, of course not! Why would you think that?"
This seems more like the story of a family murdering grandma to get her store, filtered through the eyes of the son who wasn't let in on the plan because of his tender age and the fact that he's the only one who cares for grandma
I got 10 minutes into it as a kid and turned it off... XD apparently I could watch Golden film's snow white as a kid and enjoy it... but not this movie...
As dumb as the movie is, the many surreal moments that are baffelingly weird more than make up for it. The random song cuts like Grandpa singing about his dead wife cucking him for Elvis, Cousin Mel's entire character, the court scene in general. Not a classic to rewatch every year, but a fond memory to go back to and realize how strange animation can get.
Fun Fact: Dr. Elmo, the guy from the duo Elmo and Patsy, wrote all the songs here already. So yes, there already was a song for Grandpas gonna sue the pants off of Santa.
Re: Santa's Intensive Care Unit It looked like it was a couple of other elves in the beds there. Just how many on-the-job accidents ARE there in Santa's workshop that require intensive care? While it looks like the elves probably get better health care than the average American citizen, you'd think by now the workshop would be up to code and the beds wouldn't be full.
This special has such a screwy, left field sense of humor, it’s kinda fascinating. Especially the grandpa. I’d almost want to meet the writers just to hear more.
I think that the Grandpa is faking being senile and is really the mastermind behind the accident and is a drug lord using the store as a front. It doesn’t make sense if Mel put reindeer nip into the fruitcake hoping a reindeer would hit Grandma considering that they all lived in a big city with no woods and reindeer not being native to Citysville since it isn’t in the Arctic Circle and Mel didn’t even believe in Santa until he brought Grandma back home an entire year later. But you know who *did* believe in Santa other than Jake? Grandpa. It would also explain why customers were allowed to literally walk out the store without paying for anything other than a promise to pay later but it is never shown that they ever did pay for anything and the store must be losing thousands of dollars per month because no one pays what they owe. No business big or small does that for everyone that comes in. Try telling the mechanic who fixed your car that you’ll pay them later. You most likely won’t get your car back until the bill is paid one way or another.
Honest question: How do people explain presents appearing under the tree in these Christmas movies if they don’t believe in Santa even though he’s shown being real?
This reminds me. Years back in the comment sections, I remember trying to come up with a Christmas story, where it could make sense for Santa Claus to be both real and not widely believed in by the a vast amount of people. The best idea I could come up with was to have a version of Santa, who mostly spends his time subtly delivering presents to adults and children, whose families are too poor to buy the presents for them. That way, the majority of middle-class and rich families do not usually have a reason to literally believe in Santa Claus, while those who do receive gifts and advice from Santa would experience him more as a mysterious helper, making him come off as more of a legend.
Wouldn’t really call it a plot hole or whatever especially since that’s just a thing in a lot of Christmas specials, movies, and etc it might be set an a world where Santa is totally real but people don’t believe in him. Doesn’t make much sense but that’s how it is.
My best guess was thinking that its some kind of magic brainwashing to nonbelievers that has them think that they bought the presents themselves or something.
Yes. I knew exactly how bad it was when announced and had to wait until family left to watch it and and it was hilariously goofy and corny and bad at times. That was expected based on the song and the movie/special knew it. Everyone knew what they were in for.
The Dingo version is a much more faithful adaptation of this song. The weird part of the movie was Castor and Pollux being in charge of Santa's workshop making the elves lick and glue the toys together.
Singer: She's been drinking too much eggnog. Dad: You've been drinking too much eggnog. Good god, it's like every jokes about Randy Newman rolled into one.
@@brandonlyon730 Nah, just an middle-to-upper class, usually older, entitled lady. If you have children, and are those things, you’re called a “soccer mom.”
@@RoninCatholic Well the Mayor did have a right to be mad at the girls, they literally damaged a multi-million dollar bridge just to catch jewelry store robbers.
@@thatonea-hole wasnt excused to help the city, damaged the bridges because of their actions.....at least the girls suffered the consequences. Until the shitty 2016 reboot
With all the crazy things you've reviewed throughout the years, this is a movie that should be right up your alley, Phelous! Also, your editing and comedy is on point!
I remember watching this Christmas movie on Cartoon Network as a kid, Along with the Billy and Mandy Christmas special and Tom and Jerry, the nutcracker special. Also, I just realize Jake has the same voice of Jose from Cybersix.
I just love watching these old-classic cartoons reviews that points out that the character's were supposed to root for are either stupid or plain jerks.
I get the feeling Cousin Mel was responsible for other stuff like this in the past. "The time Grandpa's car got stolen? Cousin Mel. That time Doofus caught the chicken pox? Cousin Mel. Dad's meds getting swapped for tranquilizers on the eve of his debut on network television? Cousin Mel. Everytime something goes wrong, she's at the heart of it. Maybe we should consider not inviting her over for Christmas anymore."
I don’t believe Mel did anything wrong and was made the fall guy by the true evil mastermind of this special. There are some pretty big hints that says Grandpa is the *true* bad guy that are hard to ignore whenever you notice them. First off why would Mel lace fruitcake with reindeer nip if she doesn’t believe in Santa and there are no reindeer living nearby since they live in an urban area with no signs of a forest or woods? Second if reindeer nip acts like catnip then it should have become ineffective in that fruitcake after an entire year yet it still affected the reindeer exactly the same. So why would Mel put in fresh reindeer nip in the fruitcake? And finally Mel wasn’t even present when Grandma got hit by the reindeer the second time. But there Grandpa was there both times and he is obviously faking being senile as there are clues that he is more aware of what is going on around him than he lets on. He isn’t signing the deed over because the store is a front for a drug ring that he is in charge of. He’s literally the only other person other than Jake to believe in Santa. He had full access to the fruitcake on both occasions and he could have easily laced them with reindeer nip and no one would ever suspect the senile old man of any wrongdoing. Cousin Mel also never once said that she wasn’t going to share any of the money with the rest of the family.
I remember loving this movie. 😆 The only thing I never got was how this is supposed to be portrayed as “long ago”, when it clearly takes place in modern times. What an unexpected, yet totally hilarious and welcome review, Phelous!
Yeah! I remember, I once went to a Christmas party Where fruit cake was served I enjoyed a slice And put it in the fridge It lasted for 10 months I intermittently took a bite for dessert at times
Even though I grew up with Beast wars (I didn't get into DBZ until long after the voice change over so I heard that dub years after the fact during the Buu Saga's original airing), whenever I see the Ocean cast my first thought always goes to X-Men Evolution. I recognize Scott McNeil, Venus Terzo, and Maggie Blue O'Hara as Wolverine, Jean Grey, & Shadowcat more than I do as Piccolo, Black Archnia, and Bulma.
I thought you meant that the _song_ had come out "long after the joke was old," and was utterly confused as to how this particular paradox had come about
And the song's joke was expunged from the plot of the movie. The song's whole schtick is that they're singing about something morbid with an insufferably upbeat, cornball hook in a holiday setting. I could see a really stupid wannabe National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation raucous family comedy with a side of thin satire, not a cheap cash grab of a special that's only memorable for being a cheap cash grab.
@@mightyfilm I remember the special being slightly offbeat and using a little bit of dark humor to temper its occasional sappiness, very similar to Futurama.
I constantly saw R34 art of cousin Mel on Twitter and thought it's just some bad redraw of Daphne from Scooby Doo. Now I finally know where this character is from...thanks phelous for solving this mystery for me.
![[Vinesauce] Joel - Windows Vista Destruction](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/e2qY8JtjJag/mqdefault.jpg)
Austin Bucks wasn't a bad guy. He asked for purchase of Grandma's store up front, denied Cousin Mel the sale of the store because she wasn't on the deed, gave Jake a chance to stop the deal if he could find Grandma to stop the sale, stopped the deal like he said he would, and later negotiated another deal with Grandma to benefit both of them. He did not resort to any shady business deals, unlike other Christmas baddies.
Guy may be the biggest CEO in the whole whatever, but he didn't get there by being a backstabbing sleaze.
Yeah, the defense attorney and Cousin Mel were the bigger villains, Austin was more the red herring to be fair.
There's no such thing as ethical consumption under capitalism
But damn he's close to the dream. And I respect that.
Though maybe he should break up that monopoly he's got going on? Pretty sure those are unethical, if not illegal, no matter how legitimately you managed to achieve it.
Assuming, of course, saying he owns everything in Cityville isn't an exaggeration.
@@ChargeJN You’re funny, commie. Have fun with those Sonic games you love so much.
P.S: Coming from a person from a former Soviet republic.
This movie is one of those times where I went "So this actually did exist, I wasn't imagining it".
I'm glad I'm not the only one who has a lot of these "I thought this was a fever dream as a kid" films.
@@ThatDudeWithBoobs The weirdest part for me was that the very first time I saw this was on TV while channel surfing and it was the scene where Mel and the lawyer did that out of nowhere hula song. I recognized the grandmother and thought "oh it's that Grandma got run over by a reindeer movie" and then the music number showed up and I was beyond confused.
That suing santa song is so engraved onto my memory that it couldn't not be real XD
You know if it wasn't for the lack of imagination and charm it actually would be a slightly enjoyable film
This movie haunts my dreams.
Ah yes, the evil businessman, who never really did anything evil.
"I want to buy your store"
"No"
"Understandable, have a nice day"
"Don't buy the store"
"I'll give you a week, kid"
"Okay"
"You found her? Okay, the deal is off"
"I would like to partner and spread your store
Arguably, she would earn something from the other stores, even if it is just on the name value, would possibly be ownership going through the family.
It seems like that could be the joke, this guy is supposed to be the villain that we root against, but he's not villainous at all. A good ending would have been for Grandma to come back and sell the store anyway, but for much more money, so the family almost got pennies on the dollar for the store just because Mel was too dumb to understand Grandma's bargaining methods.
I thought cousin Mel was basically the villain. I never thought Austin was.
tbf, he could've pulled a Ray Kroc and just outright steal the franchise and lie about royalties, but he doesn't seem like that kind of venture capitalist.
Oh my god, that is so sinister of him; FAIR business? That's too evil for even an adult movie!
After spending her entire career encouraging shoplifters, Grandma was so far down Santa's naughty list that he had no choice but to run her down to reconcile decades worth of stolen goods.
Sometimes Santa needs to make the tough calls and grandma had to be stopped.
"The ho-ho-hardest choices require the strongest wills!"
Well, those were her stolen goods
So the naughty list thinks that people who don't agree with its morality are just as guilty as people who don't follow it, possibly even more guilty? Interesting.
Well I never thought of it like that before.😅
Grandma used to own a sex shop, but could not be bothered to change the name when she opened a kid’s toy store.
Thanks I hate it
Now that's a real nostalgia-rific observation, guy! Good meme!
"Grandma Used to Own a Sex Shop" actually fits pretty well within the original song's rhythm, must mean it's canon.
It's a family store that used to be a brothel before it became illegal.
I like it, but not as much as I love the idea of a family actually named Spankenheimer, and what the generations-ago story for that one would be.
It was an odd decision story-wise, but I actually liked the (sort of) subversion of Austin Bucks NOT being an evil businessman. It's a trope that's so played out in Xmas stories that even the slightest diversion made it interesting.
He is honestly the most likeable character in the movie (along with maybe cousin mel)
He actually went OUT of his way in order to not do anything bad... even pausing his deal a week on the protest of a child.
Especially since he’s voice by Liquid Snake lol
I love the idea that there's an alternate plot running along simultaneously to the main plot where Austin Bucks is taught the true meaning of Christmas, but that the creators thought the Grandma story was more interesting for some reason.
Fun fact, this APPEARS to be one of only two Christmas specials the WB aired that weren't episodes of pre-existing series.
The other one was Rapsittie Street Kids.
WE DONT MENTION THAT SHIT
SHUT THE DOOR!
Still convinced those characters are robots trying to act human. I mean, just listen to how the main character's grandma talks.
That visual snuff looks like a shitty ps2 game for kids
@@michaelstrong5383 "Yeeyeijydiyiyditdbiututditxitct christmus"
I can't help but feel like Santa is kind of guilty. I mean he ran an old lady over and then whisked her away with ONLY a note taking up an entire year of her limited lifespan. The note which EASILY could have blown away, dissolved in the snow, and left NO possible way to contact him or her. Meaning this was a Hit And Run.
.
It is to the point where I am not ENTIRELY sure this excludes him from the Kidnapping charges.
And Mel didn’t really do anything worth being arrested for. The whole reindeer nip thing could have been done by Grandpa as Mel as she didn’t believe in Santa before the accident and he revealed himself. In fact there were only *two* people in the family that believed in Santa before Ashe was hit and basically kidnapped for an entire year and that would be Jake and Grandpa. Grandpa is obviously faking his senility and made Mel take the fall. She didn’t obstruct justice when she hid the note because the note said that Santa did hit Grandma and that he was taking her with him which is equivalent to a note left by a kidnapper without a ransom and he was guilty of holding her for an entire year after she regained her health and for leaving the scene of an accident. And Mel never said that any money she would have gotten wouldn’t be shared with the rest of the family. They obviously were having financial problems if customers could take whatever they wanted without paying. There’s no way to make sure you get paid if you run a business like that. Grandpa is obviously the guilty one for putting reindeer nip into the fruitcake.
I never thought I'd see Daphne from Scooby Doo deliberately poisoning fruitcake in an ill-thought out attempt to get rich off Christmas.
Or swap her name with Jake's sister.
That’s all I could see during this, I was like, _Damn,_ it sure was rough for Daphne since her and Velma broke up”
She investigated long enough to become the villain.
“Grandpa’s gonna sue the pants off of Santa” is a masterpiece and no one can convince me otherwise
Still secondary to “Grandma’s Killer Fruitcake” tho.
“I’d rather sing..”
That line makes me giggle
Lol
I wouldn’t try, cause I agree.
@@trevingrayek1671 “Grandma’s spending Christmas with the Superstars!”
All the budget went to the
"Grandma's gonna sue the pants off of santa" segment
They knew where the bread should be buttered there.
And even that wasn't enough
If that’s the most expensive part, that sure says something about the rest of it.
@@dancepiglover No bloody doubt
They knew what needed the most attention.
I never realized until now how everyone (except Jake) takes Grandma's disappearance pretty well, especially Grandpa. Definitely makes it more.. something, that's for sure.
What If they hired Santa to hit her
@Chandler Burse yeah
Grandpa sent a picture of Grandma to Santa with a red X over it with the note "Get it done".
I noticed that too rewatching it just now with my wife. I pointed that out and even she thought about that
@@jsb6975.ah.crapbaskets Grandpa being "senile" is just a coverup so that no one - by which I mean Jake - will catch on to his scheme.
~Grandma’s gonna sue the pants of of Phelous. That’s what grandma’s gonna do.~
Love the film history bits. Good stuff.
The biggest surprise of the movie? The "evil" CEO is really just lawful Neutral. Trying to become a monopoly while also doing it in the "right way"
also wanting to give his city a mecha santa
@@marley7868 ...that would eventually go rogue, declaring everybody to be naughty, and start annually murdering people until the holiday is renamed X-Mas. XD
there is no "right way" to become a monopoly it is illeagle in most countries.
@@angrynoodletwentyfive6463 hence the quotation marks
@@angrynoodletwentyfive6463 true but at least he’s doing it legally speaking and for the most part he’s a decent human being. He doesn’t belittle Jake for not wanting the deal to come through, he does encourage him to seek out Santa to find his grandmother. While he does tell Mel only her grandfather can sign over the store he doesn’t force Mel to force grandpa to sign it over.
Fun fact: in the trailer for the VHS and DVD, when Grandma got run over, there was an honest to God cartoon "Splat" sfx.
so that means she might've actually died in the trailer
@@neetifice She died in the song this special was based on.
@@Silverstar_ Satan Claus has another victim
Oh yeah, I remember that. Everytime I watch The iron giant, I would watch the trailer and listen to that sound effect. I was naive when I was little.
If I remember correctly, they actually repeated that "SPLAT" sound effect three times at the end of the preview.
Cartoon Network tried their hardest to make this become a classic with how many times they've played it. Wouldn't surprise if this was still one of their regular Christmas specials
It is. AMC plays this right along with Christmas Vacation and The Santa Clause.
Well, lots of people remember this movie so it worked
Same here again 6:39
Mel is mirror universe Daphne Blake
Yeah, and she made sure to drink her daily glass of milk, if you get what I mean, hehee
I thought I were the only one who noticed the likeliness.
Does that mean her lawyer is mirror universe Velma ?
I thought she was the voice of leila from futurerama
Mel: Daphne's evil gold digging sister
I thought she was drawn in a similar art style.
Austin Bucks isn't a villain. While he did want the store, he only tried to obtain it via legal means. He's actually a subversion of the corrupt corporate executive. And his new deal with Grandma is different because she still keeps the store. She even gets more money out of franchising her store than just selling it.
He's the CEO of the OWN ALL CORPORATION! I don't buy his goody goody act for a second.
Fair point. The fact that he's not shady is proof that this is a Christmas fairytale
The problem is that I don't know if he is SUPPOSED to not be a villain... or if the makers of this movie sort of didn't communicate it successfully.
.
Yes... I am debating whether he is a villain in spite never doing anything seedy and going out of his way to do the right thing... on the basis that he is a monopolistic CEO and the movie might have "Expected" that was all you needed to make someone a villain.
@@Nionivek I mean, Austin did already out himself as not quite monopolistic yet. How much of an exaggeration (considering it was told to us from a child who learned it from Grandma Spankenheimer) is up for debate.
@@phelous He's an honest man, his ambition is to own everything, and he does not hide it for a second.
Isn't one of the biggest things about Santa is that he sees and knows everything (He freakin showed that when he proved he is Santa to Austin)? Like he knows when you are sleep/awake and knows when you're bad/good. So even if Grandma got Amnesia from the hit and run wouldn't Santa still know who she is, wouldn't he know that Jake has been looking for her, and also wouldn't he know what cousin Mel be planning and would need Jake and Grandma to save him at the trial?
He not god
@@hotsauce7084 mate have you even HEARD the song?!😅 he’s meant to know at least your name and if you’ve been bad or good🤷♀️ he might not be god but the song says he's all-knowing in the morality context XD
@SlyCooperRocks ah right good point
he even put her picture on milk cartons, one of the two things hes known for eating
"what would the Holidays be...without Grandma being hit by oncoming traffic and dying to vehicular manslaughter at the hands of a drunk driving old man from the North Pole and his exotic pets that he has put on slave labor to pull his decomissioned immobile car?"
Fun Fact: Reindeer are actually considered livestock, not exotics.
This movie went from no one talking about it even with it airing on cartoon network every year to everyone talking about it
Yes everyday on Cartoon Network
I hate this dumb movie! LoL
I’m surprised it took anyone took long to talk about it
Same with Scary Godmother
@@carsfan1995 and Acceleracers
How the heck does Santa not know who Grandma Spankenheimer is? He recognized Austin Bucks _and_ remembered what toy he wanted, but he couldn't remember this old bat who's the stereotypical Christmas movie paragon that can do no wrong?
PLOT CONVENIENCE 😒😒😒
@@topcatninjahousepetsdigian9336 oh hi👋
Real fans of Phelous & The Movies know this isn't the first time he has reviewed a Santa slasher.
"To make a long story short, Santa ran over Grandma."
Bill Goldberg is nothing!
And everyone pretends to like the fruitcake
*wrestling bell rings* Santa's winning streak continues!! 20 and 0!
First time he’s reviewed one that was so bad and the job, though.
The art style for this movie doesn't look like the kind that would give its human characters 4 fingers on each hand. It really stands out to me.
4 fingers is cheaper to animate
@@A-Microwave not with this style, no. It's too detailed as it is, a 5th finger wouldn't make that big a difference
Am I the only one noticing that the narrator, future Jake, shares the same voice as Grandpa? Is Jake his own Grandpa?! Grandpa's already lived thru this, that's why he doesn't care!
"I did the nasty in the past-y!"
"Indeed, and that nasty shields your mind from the brains!"
Their voiced by the guy who wrote and sang the original song Elmo Shropshire XD
I’m having Futurama flashbacks
@@MetaGiga *Cue Fry's Screaming*
🤣
Did anyone else think that when Austin Bucks revealed his sleigh delivery system that he was going to be the one to run down Grandma to get rid of her for her store and frame Santa at the same time to get rid of him and take over Christmas. The film would have had a real villian then and Santa wouldn't have been an awful person. Might have made for a better film.
Lol, I would love to watch this version of the movie.
Damn it... now I wanna see that movie...
Too bad though
That would've been a better story than Santa kinda kidnapping Grandma away from her family for ALMOST a year!
I don't know, the big corporate guy being the villain is pretty overused cliché.
and well all know this movies doesn't use those.
“That’s what you get for being selfish and stupid” is a line I still use to this day lol
Plot Twist: Grandma was actually Krampus the whole time. When she got her memory back, Santa knew he had to exorcise the demon for good.
15:53 Daphne goes Goth. And she looks like a missing member of the Hex Girls from Scooby Doo.
Very true. She looks more like she's going through a style change rather than dressing for mourning like everyone else.
"Santa claus is real! sure Gandma is dead due to a hit and run, but Santa is real!"
- Jake Spankenhimer, probably.
Did Pinky and the brain live in Jake's room? Maybe that's the explanation for the scheme plans on the wall.
After they escaped Elmyra they went to live at this dumb kids house.
"Pinky, are you pondering what I'm pondering?"
"I think so, Brain, but if Santa really ran Grandma over with his reindeer, would his name be in his own naughty list?"
It turns out that grandma died of her egg allergy. It was all Jacob’s ladder after that
If Jake was so desperate to find his grandma, he should have hired BONESTEEL. He can track down the reindeer no problem.
Yep
*BONESTEEL WILL GET THE JOB DONE!!!*
*BONESTEEL ASSURES YA, SON!!!!*
Bonesteel?
I need context, who or what is Bonesteel?
@@cintronproductions9430
A big game hunter from tmnt: the next mutation! Kinda like Kraven the hunter from Spiderman but more crazy!!
Even after all these years, Phelous' fake endings still make me laugh every time.
It’s gotten old really fast
@@TheRealGaucelm nah you're randomly stating it as fact. it's not fact. also why are you here? ruining the fun
Me too, Nightwolf, me too XD it's so fun
Why make Grandma say that replay so many times? 6:44
Boy did I not realize back then how uncaring the family is about Grandma
Scott McNeil played the chair Grandma sat in to tell stories. Couldn’t you tell?
"I hate Grandma!" -- Grandpa
You missed the obvious joke “Cityville the sister city of Townsville(PPG)”
THANK YOU!!!
It's only a short drive from Wellsville (Adventures of Pete and Pete).
At least Cityville doesn't get destroyed by an evil monkey or trashed up by a group of green miscreants.
@@josephrowe849 Naaaww! That's New York!
honestly, this movie goes into the so bad its good territory
Yep
I actually watch this every Christmas due to sentimental reasons. I used to watch it every year with my great grandmother until she ended up becoming sick and passed away a few years ago. It's a tradition of mine so I can honor her memory.
I'm sorry for your loss.
Now this is what I call a Christmas classic.
At least when compared to stuff like The Christmas Bigrade and Rapsittie Street Kids...
Santa Claus has been arrested and it has been replaced by Beauty's father. With a Wabuu drawn sleigh.
This movie sounds soooooo stuuupid...
Bold of you to assume Wabuu would allow himself to be harnessed
Wabuu wouldn’t pull the sleigh. Tio, Cree, Peek, Oro and the other dinosaurs from dingo pictures would make the sleigh fly... with SCIENCE!!!
Wait... What ? Golly gosh, my word !
Or the dalmatians. After a beating and another one and a third beating they will do everything.
Anyone else think Cousin Mel was the actual hero of this story even if she was kind of a dick? I mean, poisoning the fruitcake really wasn't cool (And even then it only seemed to make it taste bad?) but she's the only one to actually call out Santa and seemed like she was very willing to share the LITERAL FORTUNE probably worth millions with the family. Fucking Jake did ruin everyone's lives.
That trial was an absolute miscarriage of justice by the way.
I'm on stone cold Austin bucks side.
Eh, her motivations kinda ruin that. Everything she did was so that SHE could be rich. It would be like
Mel: Grandma STOP!! You can't beat Jake half to death!
Grandma: Oh, why not?
Mel: His blood'll soak into the carpet, and dry-cleaning's expensive!
I think Grandpa was faking his senility and was the one that poisoned the fruitcake together rid of Grandma. He is literally the only other person to believe in Santa before the accident and he returns Grandma home a year later. And if reindeer nip works like catnip, it must be put into the fruitcake fresh as the effects will fade over time and Grandma did get hit a second time at the end of the special. And you know who was not there to see it happen? Cousin Mel. That proves that someone else had laced the fruitcake *twice* and actually got away with it without anyone seeing the obvious clues that they did it.
Mel is apparently a supervillain considering that the entire family isn't surprised that she's behind Grandma's second disappearance. That being said, I do take her side because ulterior motives aside Santa Claus really did commit a hit and run and then kidnapped the victim. Like the movie tries really hard to make that seem like it wasn't a big deal.
@@codafett 😆Technically, Cousin Mel was the cause of the hit-and-run. If she left the fruitcake batter alone, the reindeer wouldn't have plowed Grandma into the snow.
So, she just ruined her life after trying to ruin a pastry. Oh well...😁🦌
Edit: Then again, Cousin Mel actually helped the family by making Austin Bucks franchise Grandma's store.
Santa: Hit & Run?
No one wants that.
People want Simpsons: Hit & Run!!
Actually I wouldn't mind playing as Santa in that game. Sounds hilarious!
I go buy eggs for Bart
@@misteryA555
*ONLY EGGS CAN SUSTAIN ME!!!*
@@thatonea-hole *I AM YOUR CHARACTER ARC!*
@@crimsondynamo615
*I AM YOUR WIFE!!*
*I WILL LOVE YOU FOREVER!!!!*
"Hey, do you think it'll be confusing having the same person voice both the grandfather and the narrator, who is supposed to be the kid as an adult? It's not gonna sound like it's just grandpa narrating right?" "No, of course not! Why would you think that?"
"Your selfishness has destroyed Christmas, Jake! Lose my email!"
I actually kinda like this movie. It's so ridiculous, I just can't hate it.
It plays on Cartoon Network every year, so I've seen it a lot, and I agree it's really dumb but I kinda enjoy it. 😆
😂 same
Why do people keep calling this a movie? It's a TV special.
Damon Pollitt
Well it’s movie legally when sold as such.
@@shwahgamer yeah I did before too but now idk..taste change I guess.😌😅
18:43 Especially considering how popular stealing apple juice is!
XD YES we must steal ALL the apple justice !!! MWHAHAHA!
This seems more like the story of a family murdering grandma to get her store, filtered through the eyes of the son who wasn't let in on the plan because of his tender age and the fact that he's the only one who cares for grandma
I remember this movie. Even as a kid I cringed but still watched it.
OMG SAME! I was like 11 at the time and I cringed so hard. I still like the songs from Dr Elmo’s album.
As a kid, I knew this movie was dumb, but it’s like a train wreck; you can’t stop watching
@@darthgamer9861 Exactly
I got 10 minutes into it as a kid and turned it off... XD apparently I could watch Golden film's snow white as a kid and enjoy it... but not this movie...
Sweet another santa slasher movie review
My personal favorite Santa slashers being Christmas-Evil and Silent Night, Deadly Night!
As dumb as the movie is, the many surreal moments that are baffelingly weird more than make up for it. The random song cuts like Grandpa singing about his dead wife cucking him for Elvis, Cousin Mel's entire character, the court scene in general.
Not a classic to rewatch every year, but a fond memory to go back to and realize how strange animation can get.
Fun Fact: Dr. Elmo, the guy from the duo Elmo and Patsy, wrote all the songs here already. So yes, there already was a song for Grandpas gonna sue the pants off of Santa.
Nice.
That awkward moment when you realize these songs were more or less forming a goofy yuletide rock opera.
Re: Santa's Intensive Care Unit
It looked like it was a couple of other elves in the beds there. Just how many on-the-job accidents ARE there in Santa's workshop that require intensive care? While it looks like the elves probably get better health care than the average American citizen, you'd think by now the workshop would be up to code and the beds wouldn't be full.
It probably doubles as the main hospital for the elves too since there likely isn't a large population at the North Pole.
frostbite never happens in the north pole and people never do stupid stuff that gets them cold
It’s understandable that Grannyheimlich would be upset about them getting a tree from her shop, seeing as how she hates turning a profit.
this christmas movie is a bona fide animated Agatha Christie mystery
This special has such a screwy, left field sense of humor, it’s kinda fascinating. Especially the grandpa. I’d almost want to meet the writers just to hear more.
I think that the Grandpa is faking being senile and is really the mastermind behind the accident and is a drug lord using the store as a front. It doesn’t make sense if Mel put reindeer nip into the fruitcake hoping a reindeer would hit Grandma considering that they all lived in a big city with no woods and reindeer not being native to Citysville since it isn’t in the Arctic Circle and Mel didn’t even believe in Santa until he brought Grandma back home an entire year later. But you know who *did* believe in Santa other than Jake? Grandpa. It would also explain why customers were allowed to literally walk out the store without paying for anything other than a promise to pay later but it is never shown that they ever did pay for anything and the store must be losing thousands of dollars per month because no one pays what they owe. No business big or small does that for everyone that comes in. Try telling the mechanic who fixed your car that you’ll pay them later. You most likely won’t get your car back until the bill is paid one way or another.
@@kenthuang436 You'd be surprised, my pizzeria always forgets to make sure you paid, and they've been around 40 years now, lol.
The wonky eyes in this special get me every year
Honest question: How do people explain presents appearing under the tree in these Christmas movies if they don’t believe in Santa even though he’s shown being real?
IKR? These aren't plot holes, they're plot canyons!
This reminds me. Years back in the comment sections, I remember trying to come up with a Christmas story, where it could make sense for Santa Claus to be both real and not widely believed in by the a vast amount of people.
The best idea I could come up with was to have a version of Santa, who mostly spends his time subtly delivering presents to adults and children, whose families are too poor to buy the presents for them. That way, the majority of middle-class and rich families do not usually have a reason to literally believe in Santa Claus, while those who do receive gifts and advice from Santa would experience him more as a mysterious helper, making him come off as more of a legend.
Wouldn’t really call it a plot hole or whatever especially since that’s just a thing in a lot of Christmas specials, movies, and etc it might be set an a world where Santa is totally real but people don’t believe in him. Doesn’t make much sense but that’s how it is.
I always wondered the same!
My best guess was thinking that its some kind of magic brainwashing to nonbelievers that has them think that they bought the presents themselves or something.
I can't with the thumbnail, it's great.
Well this was inevitable
‘Okay Doofus! Do your smell thing’
*Doofus shits on the floor*
LOL, by the looks of it everyone has a love-hate relationship with this bizarre movie. XD
It's a special, not a movie.
This was a trip. The second I started, I thought: "Oh, Cartoon Network, why did you inflict that upon us?" (Selective memory, but humor me.)
Yes. I knew exactly how bad it was when announced and had to wait until family left to watch it and and it was hilariously goofy and corny and bad at times. That was expected based on the song and the movie/special knew it.
Everyone knew what they were in for.
The Dingo version is a much more faithful adaptation of this song. The weird part of the movie was Castor and Pollux being in charge of Santa's workshop making the elves lick and glue the toys together.
What if the plot twist was that grandpa and Mel hired santa to kill grandma to be together
That's basically what the original music video implies.
@@lizzychrome7630 hmmmmmm....................
@@lizzychrome7630 OH SHIT!
That would make the story make more sense.
I think Phelan is contractually obligated to review everything that involved a TMNT and/or Transformers actor.
Or just Cam Clarke.
I literally didn't know Susan Blu was in this.
Well Phelous, I'm sure you'll be happy to know that "lort" actually means shit in danish
Wow I didn't know
WOW XD
"I hate Grandma! I think she's the worst!"
Grandpa
Ah, I remember watching this every year on Cartoon Network. Glad you're getting around to reviewing it!
They used to show this all over Cartoon Network over the holidays
I remember that too!
Along with Olive the Other Reindeer. :3 💞
That was thee old CN 😭
@@dayzsaclark7543 I loved that olive movie as a kid!
I bet they still do
What a great hero - He won't let the rest of his family be happy so long as he gets what he wants.
Grandma was an average fighter, but she was a brilliant scientist!
When the sleigh hitted Grandma, Rudolph thought it was just cargo
"The only person in this family that needs help is GOKU"
Why am I laughing at this stupid joke?
Because it's a nice reference.
I think the boy's reaction was more to the effect of, "i've been proven right!"
Yah but he was too happy still
Singer: She's been drinking too much eggnog.
Dad: You've been drinking too much eggnog.
Good god, it's like every jokes about Randy Newman rolled into one.
Reminds me of Peppa Pig.
Peppa Pig-Narrator: "that reminds him of Peppa Pig"
I can’t believe I would ever say this in my life but... Cousin Mel is a Karen.
@jbiehlable
Damn boi, she's thicc!
She was a Karen before Karens were "cool".
She’s actually a Leela. Or a Peggy. Or a Smart House.
But I thought you had to be a mother to be a Karen?
@@brandonlyon730 Nah, just an middle-to-upper class, usually older, entitled lady. If you have children, and are those things, you’re called a “soccer mom.”
I find this special a guilty pleasure during every Christmas season. It's not terrible, and some of the characters are likable.
Cityville does neighbour Townsville in the Powerpuff Girls
Cityville really went down hill, after the Powerpuff Girls was there
@@thatonea-hole It was already a hole and vehemently anti-superhero before they showed up.
@@RoninCatholic Well the Mayor did have a right to be mad at the girls, they literally damaged a multi-million dollar bridge just to catch jewelry store robbers.
@@thatonea-hole wasnt excused to help the city, damaged the bridges because of their actions.....at least the girls suffered the consequences.
Until the shitty 2016 reboot
@@Dim4323 And as Phelous pointed out, they _still_ haven't fixed the bridge completely!
With all the crazy things you've reviewed throughout the years, this is a movie that should be right up your alley, Phelous!
Also, your editing and comedy is on point!
"♪I HATE GRANDMA♪"
-The Spankenheimers
Now you are working together as a family, hohoooo!
24:52 I also got to agree with you Phelous, I enjoy the "Grandpa's Gonna Sue The Pants Off Of Santa" song.
I remember watching this Christmas movie on Cartoon Network as a kid, Along with the Billy and Mandy Christmas special and Tom and Jerry, the nutcracker special.
Also, I just realize Jake has the same voice of Jose from Cybersix.
God, I loved the Billy & Mandy Christmas Special! What with vampire clauses and the vampire elves!!
Holy shit I remember them too.
I should have known that Jake was a child clone of a Nazi scientist
I was like tf Santa is CLEARLY A Human and he has a problem with a Human being there
Maybe santa is a different species
Possibly a beast war transformer
Lol there's no way Santa is a human the guy doesn't die.
He's a maia.
I’m surprised phelous didn’t mention how mel’s legs swap sides during the “sue santa” song
Oh my gosh, I didn't notice that before!😄
I've watched this movie at least 10 times on CN and have never actually finished it.
I think him touching the elf's finger was supposed to be an ET reference. Hilarious review, btw. Loved every second of it
Hell yes another Phelous Christmas review
I just love watching these old-classic cartoons reviews that points out that the character's were supposed to root for are either stupid or plain jerks.
This movie is terrible in all the right ways, I love it. 😂😂😂
I watched it all the time as a kid and had no clue how odd it was XD
Is it any wonder why this was mostly remembered for Cousin Mel?
Just like the super mario bros movie
@Bezaliel13 I think cousin Mel and grandpa were from opposite sides of the family
So, it wasn't incest, as phelous said
The footage is so high def it’s weirdly uncomfortable
I get the feeling Cousin Mel was responsible for other stuff like this in the past. "The time Grandpa's car got stolen? Cousin Mel. That time Doofus caught the chicken pox? Cousin Mel. Dad's meds getting swapped for tranquilizers on the eve of his debut on network television? Cousin Mel. Everytime something goes wrong, she's at the heart of it. Maybe we should consider not inviting her over for Christmas anymore."
"All hail the Watcher!"
I don’t believe Mel did anything wrong and was made the fall guy by the true evil mastermind of this special. There are some pretty big hints that says Grandpa is the *true* bad guy that are hard to ignore whenever you notice them. First off why would Mel lace fruitcake with reindeer nip if she doesn’t believe in Santa and there are no reindeer living nearby since they live in an urban area with no signs of a forest or woods? Second if reindeer nip acts like catnip then it should have become ineffective in that fruitcake after an entire year yet it still affected the reindeer exactly the same. So why would Mel put in fresh reindeer nip in the fruitcake? And finally Mel wasn’t even present when Grandma got hit by the reindeer the second time. But there Grandpa was there both times and he is obviously faking being senile as there are clues that he is more aware of what is going on around him than he lets on. He isn’t signing the deed over because the store is a front for a drug ring that he is in charge of. He’s literally the only other person other than Jake to believe in Santa. He had full access to the fruitcake on both occasions and he could have easily laced them with reindeer nip and no one would ever suspect the senile old man of any wrongdoing. Cousin Mel also never once said that she wasn’t going to share any of the money with the rest of the family.
I can't believe they cut Santa's closing line
"I'm not covering that one"
Little known fact, The Spankenheimer was a German torture device in WW2.
This family must be wanted for war crimes.
There were also designs submitted by Strokenweiner, Hardwang, Longpuller, and Wackenwood, but these were all rejected.
@Simple Weirdo Oh Germany! *Sad trombone.*
Sounds like a German adult film title.
@@otakunthevegan4206 It was a joke by the way.
I remember loving this movie. 😆 The only thing I never got was how this is supposed to be portrayed as “long ago”, when it clearly takes place in modern times. What an unexpected, yet totally hilarious and welcome review, Phelous!
17:58 ACTUALLY, TO BE FAIR, there are cases of fruitcakes being edible despite being over 100 years old.
Yeah! I remember, I once went to a Christmas party
Where fruit cake was served
I enjoyed a slice
And put it in the fridge
It lasted for 10 months
I intermittently took a bite for dessert at times
We Finally got that DBZ vs TMNT crossover... Sort of
Even though I grew up with Beast wars (I didn't get into DBZ until long after the voice change over so I heard that dub years after the fact during the Buu Saga's original airing), whenever I see the Ocean cast my first thought always goes to X-Men Evolution. I recognize Scott McNeil, Venus Terzo, and Maggie Blue O'Hara as Wolverine, Jean Grey, & Shadowcat more than I do as Piccolo, Black Archnia, and Bulma.
And mentioning the dub reminds me of another voice actor, Kirby Morrow. RIP to a legend
Ah, yes, the animated special based off of a joke song, and that came out long after the joke was old.
*TRUER WORDS HAVE NEVER BEEN SAID!!*
I thought you meant that the _song_ had come out "long after the joke was old," and was utterly confused as to how this particular paradox had come about
coming next year “ All i want for Christmas is..... my two front teeth, the Holiday Special “.
And the song's joke was expunged from the plot of the movie. The song's whole schtick is that they're singing about something morbid with an insufferably upbeat, cornball hook in a holiday setting. I could see a really stupid wannabe National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation raucous family comedy with a side of thin satire, not a cheap cash grab of a special that's only memorable for being a cheap cash grab.
@@mightyfilm I remember the special being slightly offbeat and using a little bit of dark humor to temper its occasional sappiness, very similar to Futurama.
5:07 And that's how Blockbuster Video went outta business.
I constantly saw R34 art of cousin Mel on Twitter and thought it's just some bad redraw of Daphne from Scooby Doo. Now I finally know where this character is from...thanks phelous for solving this mystery for me.