Jack Frost

One of only two films that I'm aware of that are centered around the glorious mid-winter holiday that is Groundhog Day, Jack Frost (1979) is not one of the more widely remembered or beloved works from Rankin/Bass but it is still pretty enjoyable nonetheless, if only for some sheer silliness that occurs during its short 48 minute running time.

Caution: spoilers ahead!

This latter period Rankin/Bass stop-motion animated TV special, narrated by a bed ridden groundhog named Pardon-Me-Pete who looks suspiciously like a small, fuzzy Buddy Hackett, takes place in the vaguely eastern European village of January Junction, where downtrodden pumpkin peasants eke out a meager existence under the thumb of the tyrannical Kubla Kraus--the king of the Cossacks--who rides around the countryside on his steam powered mechanical horse, Klangstomper, stealing each hard earned and practically worthless copper kaputnik for "taxes" (100 copper kaputniks equals only a penny in this land of extreme inflation).

Where it gets truly bizarre is when the villainous Kubla Kraus, all alone in his castle atop Miserable Mountain, whips out a small metal homunculus named "Dummy" and proceeds to have a conversation with his creepily complimentary yes-man alter ego--a true puppet dictatorship in action; meanwhile the hero of our story, Jack Frost--now posing as effete human tailor Jack Snip instead of the powerful invisible Sylph he truly is, in a futile attempt to win the love of a local peasant girl--valiantly tries to rouse the peasants to rebel against the autocratic Kubla Kraus!

Some other stuff happens too: the villagers happily cut up icicles into "ice coins" to trade in "ice money" during the winter months when they're plentiful thanks to Jack Frost, and they give empty boxes called "dream presents" to each other for Christmas since they're all too poor to afford real gifts.  In the end, Jack Frost voluntarily renounces his humanity to return to his invisible, immortal weather elemental form in order to save the townsfolk from the terror of Kubla Kraus (shades of Superman II), and the girl he attempted to win, instead marries a tall blond haired, blue eyed, lantern jawed knight in golden armor instead of the strange and slight clothes maker/invisible creature of Faerie.  Jack Frost returns alone to his home in the clouds, a wiser and more bitter pagan spirit elemental.  The end.

Oh well, you can't win 'em all kids.

Here's a short promo for a repeat airing from 1980: