Rankin/Bass Productions is an American animation production company, and the former name is Videocraft International, Ltd. Rankin used to work at ABC as an art director, but he teamed up with Bass in 1955 and making TV commercials. They changed the company name from Videocraft to Rankin/Bass since they started making animated TV shows. Arthur Rankin, Jr. and Jules Bass established the production ‘Rankin/Bass Production’ on September 14, 1960. The company created numerous stop-motion animated shows and cel-animation shows such as Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964), Frosty the Snowman (1969), Mad Monster Party (1967), and more. Especially, their Christmas special show, Rudolph was the most popular and longest running holiday show. Many of their specials used famous Christmas songs; thus, their specials became Christmas icons in the US.
Rankin/Bass Productions is known as titled their stop-motion animation technique called “Animagic” which is a single-frame stop motion. According to the TV show; The WGN Morning News (2004), Rankin Bass historian named Rick Goldschmidt explains, “Animagic is a stop-motion form of animation where they would move a puppet one frame at the time and shoot it.”
Majority of Rankin/Bass Productions’ works were actually created in Japan. Rankin visited Japan and was looking for the production studios. Their first stop-motion animated TV series; The New Adventures of Pinocchio (1960) was written and designed by Rankin in the US and made by Dentsu Studios in Japan. Japanese stop-motion animator, Tad Mochinaga leaded the animation series at Dentsu Studio in the 1960’s. Japanese puppet makers created the Rankin’s puppets with woods, wires, and wools. Most of Rankin’s cel-animation projects were also made in Japan. Toei Animation, Crawley Films, Mushi Production, and Topcraft were working to create many Rankin’s films.
Filmography:
Santa, Baby! (2001)
The King and I (1999)
The Wind in the Willows (1987)
“The Comic Strip” (1987)
“Silverhawks” (1986)
The Life & Adventures of Santa Claus (1985)
“Thundercats” (1985)
“Thundercats: The Unholy Alliance (#1.2)” (1985)
The Coneheads (1983)
The Sins of Dorian Gray (1983)
The Last Unicorn (1982)
The Flight of Dragons (1982)
The Leprechauns’ Christmas Gold (1981)
The Bushido Blade (1981)
Pinocchio’s Christmas (1980)
The Return of the King (1980)
The Ivory Ape (1980)
Jack Frost (1979)
Rudolph and Frosty’s Christmas in July (1979)
The Stingiest Man in Town (1978)
The Bermuda Depths (1978)
Nestor, the Long-Eared Christmas Donkey (1977)
The Hobbit (1977)
The Easter Bunny Is Comin’ to Town (1977)
The Last Dinosaur (1977)
The Little Drummer Boy Book II (1976)
Rudolph’s Shiny New Year (1976)
Frosty’s Winter Wonderland (1976)
The First Easter Rabbit (1976) (TV)
The First Christmas: The Story of the First Christmas Snow (1975)
The Year Without a Santa Claus (1974)
‘Twas the Night Before Christmas (1974)
“Festival of Family Classics: Alice in Wonderland” (1973)
“Festival of Family Classics: Swiss Family Robinson” (1973)
“The ABC Saturday Superstar Movie: That Girl in Wonderland” (1973)
“The ABC Saturday Superstar Movie: The Red Baron” (1972)
“Jackson 5ive: The Opening Act (#2.6)” (1972)
“The ABC Saturday Superstar Movie: Willie Mays and the Say-Hey Kid” (1972)
“Jackson 5ive: Groove to the Chief (#2.3)” (1972)
“The ABC Saturday Superstar Movie: The Mad, Mad, Mad Monsters” (1972)
“Kid Power” (1972)
“The ABC Saturday Superstar Movie” (1972)
“The Osmonds” (1972)
The Enchanted World of Danny Kaye: The Emperor’s New Clothes (1972)
“Festival of Family Classics” (1972)
“Jackson 5ive: The Winner’s Circle (#1.6)” (1971)
“Jackson 5ive” (1971)
“Jackson 5ive: It All Started With… (#1.1)” (1971)
Here Comes Peter Cottontail (1971)
Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town (1970)
“The Reluctant Dragon & Mr. Toad Show” (1970)
The Mad, Mad, Mad Comedians (1970)
“Tomfoolery” (1970)
Frosty the Snowman (1969)
“The Smokey Bear Show” (1969)
The Little Drummer Boy (1968)
Mouse on the Mayflower (1968)
Cricket on the Hearth (1967)
The Wacky World of Mother Goose (1967)
King Kong Escapes (1967)
Mad Monster Party? (1967)
The Ballad of Smokey the Bear (1966)
“King Kong: The Hunter (#1.7)” (1966)
“King Kong: Dr. Who (#1.4)” (1966)
“King Kong” (1966)
The Daydreamer (1966)
Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964)
Return to Oz (1964)
“Tales of the Wizard of Oz” (1961)
“The New Adventures of Pinocchio” (1960)
Sources:
(YouTube) “We’re a Couple of Misfits” – Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
(YouTube) “Rick Goldschmidt talks about Rankin/Bass’ Animagic on the WGN Morning Show (2004)” by MiserBrosPress
(Website) IMDb – Rankin/Bass Productions
