Search - Cricket on the Hearth on DVD


Cricket on the Hearth
Cricket on the Hearth
Actors: Danny Thomas, Marlo Thomas, Hans Conried, Paul Frees, Roddy McDowall
Directors: Arthur Rankin Jr., Jules Bass
Genres: Kids & Family, Television, Animation
NR     2007     1hr 0min

A delightful, animated musical version of Charles Dickens? classic tale, Cricket on the Hearth, tells the story of a poor toymaker and his daughter whom a helpful Cricket named Crocket befriends on Christmas morning. When...  more »

     

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Movie Details

Actors: Danny Thomas, Marlo Thomas, Hans Conried, Paul Frees, Roddy McDowall
Directors: Arthur Rankin Jr., Jules Bass
Creators: Danny Thomas, Arthur Rankin Jr., Jules Bass, Aaron Spelling, Shelley Hull, Charles Dickens, Romeo Muller
Genres: Kids & Family, Television, Animation
Sub-Genres: Animation, Classics, Family Films, Christmas, Television, Animation
Studio: Classic Media
Format: DVD - Color,Full Screen - Animated
DVD Release Date: 09/04/2007
Release Year: 2007
Run Time: 1hr 0min
Screens: Color,Full Screen
Number of Discs: 1
SwapaDVD Credits: 1
Total Copies: 0
Members Wishing: 1
MPAA Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Languages: English
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Movie Reviews

Glad this is out on DVD...A RANKIN/BASS TV Special!
Richard J. Goldschmidt | Oak Lawn, IL USA | 10/11/2006
(4 out of 5 stars)

"The cover looks nice BUT Should say A RANKIN/BASS Classic at the top BUT CLASSIC MEDIA and SONY WONDER continue to package the RANKIN/BASS catalog in a very generic way (NOT sure why, it only hurts sales). Anyway, this was originally a 1967 TV Special, which features a very nice LIVE introduction and closing by DANNY THOMAS. Not one of the better Cel Animated RANKIN/BASS specials BUT not bad either. The soundtrack is enjoyable and it is GREAT to hear MARLO THOMAS work with her dad. For this price, I definitely recommend it to any RANKIN/BASS fan!"
A Murderous Christmas Special
Michael Arnold | East Coast | 06/22/2008
(2 out of 5 stars)

"Like most people I'd never seen this special (though being a Rankin & Bass fan I knew of it) and as it was included in the collection I was finally able to see it. I have to say though, that it's not difficult to understand why it has rarely been seen since it's release. Unlike the rest of the Rankin & Bass specials, this one somehow looks dated and doesn't quite have the charm of the rest of their efforts. I don't think the character design was the best they'd ever done either. It was good up to a point and had some good music for the kids so I won't give it a zero but I didn't find it all that interesting and what happened next totally turned me off to it forever.

About halfway through, there is a scene (which I can't understand why it wasn't cut or wasn't changed in some way) that I was very, very disappointed to see. At one point the cricket is kidnapped by the typical bad-guy henchman and delivered to a sea captain and when they ask to be paid the sea captain says "I have your payment right here' and pulls out a gun and murders them!!! Bang! Bang! Bang! Are you kidding me??? I couldn't believe what I was seeing!!! They don't actually show it but you see a long shot of the boat and the flashes from the gun muzzle. Unbelievable.

I can't tell you how uncomfortable it is on Christmas Eve trying to explain what just happened to your two young children who were expecting to see a nice Christmas video with their parents. If you like that sort of thing then give it a look but we won't be watching 'The Cricket On The Hearth' in our house anytime soon."
Cricket on the Hearth
Pj Thorp | 03/22/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)

"Another Rankin Bass classic released. Enjoy it, but it doesn't last long.
Running time is less than an hour, which makes me wonder about the price. The company should really put out several of Rankin-Bass's unreleased specials and features as a box set, with 2 or 3 features to a disk.
LET'S SEE MORE PLEASE. There are still so many that haven't come out yet.
Releasing the "Festival of Family Classics" series, one volume at a time as "Classic Adventures" doesn't do it justice. Put the full series out on DVD, please.
Let's have their other unreleased features and their 70s serieses like "Smokey Bear," "Osmonds", etc.
Don't let them sit on vault shelves for more decades.
Peter"
Good Rankin/Bass TV Special
R. Rosik | 03/08/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)

"Enjoyable soundtrack. Great to hear Danny Thomas and daughter Marlo Thomas working together. A must-have for Rankin/Bass fans."