In movie, toys save Christmas

By NANCY CHURNIN
DALLAS MORNING NEWS
For all those children who wonder how Santa Claus can deliver all those presents to children in one night, author Gianni Rodari has an answer. Santa has helpers.
One of those is an old woman who makes her deliveries on a broomstick. And in the magical animated world of "The Toys Who Saved Christmas," there are even more helpers. They are the toys themselves, who foil a plot by a greedy man who wants to sell them to the highest bidder. Instead, they sneak out of their shop, determined to deliver themselves to children.
Original title
The film, originally called "La Freccia Azzurra" or "The Blue Arrow" in Italy, is dubbed in English, with Mary Tyler Moore voicing the old woman, Granny Rose, and Tony Randall growling as her duplicitous assistant who believes Christmas is about personal profit.
Drawing on Italian folklore, the film is a reminder that all children -- not just those with the most money -- deserve to be remembered with something special.
The animation is simple but charming, with time taken to develop the personalities of all the characters, from the cowardly wizard toy to the clever crayons and the brave little orphan whose one wish for himself is a friend.
There are no DVD extras except for sneak previews. It would have been cool if the DVD came with the original Italian version of the film, with literal English subtitles, so you could see how it was really meant to be. Perhaps we'll put that wish on our list for next year.
X"How the Toys Saved Christmas," which is suitable for all ages, is available on DVD from Buena Vista Home Video.