As the air quickly turns colder and the sun dips earlier below the horizon, just in time for the holidays comes JACK FROST the 1979 Rankin/Bass “Animagic” classic. Created using the same stop motion animation made famous by Rankin/Bass’ 1964 “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer” this festive program, narrated by the Buddy Hackett voiced groundhog Pardon-Me Pete, tells the story of jubilant winter sprite Jack Frost and his quest for true love. Along the way to winning his true love’s heart, Jack must gain his powers back as well as foil the dastardly plans of the evil Cossack king Kubla Kraus.

The animation is spectacular and more technically precise here than those earlier productions yet JACK FROST will never be a top tier favorite. Up until this release JACK FROST has been one of the very few Rankin/Bass titles whose rights were in the public domain. It has shown up on many Dollar Store bargain DVD releases but usually in grainy, tattered visual quality and horrendous audio mastering. This DVD marks the only official DVD release of JACK FROST and the quality is indeed flawless. The picture is sharp and crisp in its fullscreen transfer and looks immaculate without showing any wear despite its age. The colors are especially vibrant and especially sparkle right off the screen. The Mono audio is clear and robust and sounds well without any background hiss of any kind.

There is no denying that this release is remastered to beautiful specifications but the modest collection of supplements is really stretching the “deluxe” moniker. The main supplement is a live action featurette titled “Totally Cool Crafty Creations” hosted by quirky female host “Flakey” which shows kids how to make paper snowflakes, instant snow and a fairly elaborate snow globe. The featurette is engaging enough with some potential fun arts and crafts for the children. “Snip’s Snowy Sing-A-Long” is an unnecessary presentation of three songs- “Jack Frost,” “Just What I Always Wanted” and “The Groundhog Song” - from the movie with onscreen lyrics. An animated snowflake bouncing over the lyrics is more interesting than simple accompanied subtitles to the songs but the whole exercise feels like space filler.

All in all, these supplements feel a bit thrown together and seem as if there was no real plan for any real deluxe presentation of this title.

There is a disappointing lack of any retrospective or archival material regarding either the making of JACK FROST or the cultural or fan base impact, if any.
The program itself remains as entertaining as it always was, and children will probably enjoy it if this type of animated special piques their interest. It is unfortunate that the supplements do not back up the worthy feature presentation but it is a welcome release that is of the highest quality when compared to those instantly previously forgettable public domain releases.