Best Animation Movies of 1979

A symbolic reflection on issues of female sexuality, art and identity constructs.

A TV movie special that compiles of a few Looney Tunes episodes centered around an episode of a Christmas Carol, with the part of Scrooge played by Yosemite Sam.

This Emmy Award winner for Best Animated Special is based on the first book of C.S. Lewis' acclaimed series, "The Chronicles of Narnia." Four children pass through a mystic portal in a wardrobe and discover the magical kingdom of Narnia, a land of talking animals and mythical creatures. There, an evil witch's spell has cast the land into eternal winter. Fearing that an ancient prophecy is coming to fruition, and that the children are Narnia's rightful rulers, the White Witch tricks their youngest brother into betraying his family, enacting an ancient magic that she can use to halt the fulfillment of the prophecy. Now, only Aslan, noble lion and High King above all kings in Narnia, can help them defeat the witch, restore springtime to Narnia, and claim their rightful places on the throne.

Pardon-me Pete, the official groundhog of Groundhog Day, tells the story of Jack Frost, who falls in love with a beautiful young woman and begs Father Winter to make him human so that she can see him. His request is granted, but only on the condition that by the Spring he has a house, a bag of gold, a horse and a wife. But Jack finds that life as a human is more complicated than he thought.

Winterbolt is trying to make the North Pole his evil wonderland, and it is up to Frosty the Snowman, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and others to stop him.

In old New South Wales a new bunch of convicts arrives including the little convict, young Toby Nelson. Consigned to a Government farm they are subjected to the cruelty of Sergeant Billy Langdon and Corporal Weazel Wesley. Toby escapes and flees into the Australian bush where he is saved from death by the aboriginal boy, Wahroonga. Together, with another escapee, the highwayman, Jack Doolan, and Wahroonga’s animal friends, they launch a spectacular mission to rescue the blacksmith, Big George, and Toby’s sister, Polly.

Sleepy Hollow, a town plagued by the Headless Horseman, hires the most educated person they can find to fight him - Ichabod Crane. He, talking horse and dog, and Rip van Winkle go on the quest. But the Horseman has a secret.

Another baseball season is ruined for Charlie Brown and his gang - but this time by pollution!

Sandy is a little girl with a penchant for whoppers. However, when her lies start go so far as to implicate the innocent for her own misdeeds, Puff decides to step in. Using his magic, Puff takes Sandy to the Land of Living Lies where everyone tells the most ridiculous lies and honesty is persecuted. Only when Sandy realizes the need for honesty can she help Puff escape this insane world. Written by Kenneth Chisholm

Papa Bear and the cubs search the woods for the perfect Christmas tree, but run afoul of the woodland animals who live in the trees they aim to cut down.

The Flintstones and the Rubbles win a trip on "Make a Deal or Don't" to Count Rockula's castle in Rocksylvania, where they have an unpleasant meeting with the Count and his servant, Frankenstone.

The Little Prince questions the universe in this story of innocence and wonder.

An animated visual interpretation of the song "Autobahn," by German electronic pioneers Kraftwerk. A fast-paced experimental film which proved to be a groundbreaking combination of electronic and manual animation. One of the first films produced specifically for video disk.

A short illustrating Wade Hemsworth's folk song about a woman's admiration for the agility of her boyfriend, the log driver.

On Halloween night, Hairy Scarey, Winifred Witch and Screech Ghost are plotting their mean-spirited spookings. Casper refuses to join them and decides to go trick-or-treating dressed as a real boy, but neighborhood kids see through his disguise and run away in fear. Casper is heartbroken until he meets a special group of orphans who accept him for who he is, a ghost. But their fun is soon spoiled as Hairy Scary and his ghostly crew interfere. Now it is up to Casper and his new friends to stop their ghastly games and save Halloween before it is too late. --Wikipedia

Charlie Brown enters the Junior Olympics decathlon - and one of his rivals is a certain masked beagle!

A mind-twisting time-lapse beginning on a hill just outside town, doing for the concept of time what Charles and Ray Eames's 1968 film The Powers of Ten did for space. One billion years in two minutes.

The first story-time segment is about a cheerful cockroach named Don, who scurries throughout his mansion home, walks beneath the floorboards and does unspeakable things in the darkness of the cupboard, before being splatted by somebody's foot. The second segment is about an ordinary man named Albert Einstein ("the only Albert Einstein not to have discovered the Theory of Relativity") whose hands have a life of their own, staying out late at night, misbehaving and committing adultery with feet. The third segment – hasn't much story to it at all, and instead concerns the inhabitants of the moving pictures on an over-sized Christmas card, who interact with each other in all sorts of bizarre ways.

In the original short film, a young man in a green wizard costume runs throughout America at super speed, much like the superhero The Flash. Along the way, he gives a pretty girl a swift lift to another city, gives golden stars to other women who want a trip themselves. He then slips on a banana peel and comically crashes into a film stage, which he then brings to life in magical ways.

Yogi Bear, Boo Boo, Huckleberry Hound and more Hanna-Barbera characters get lost and decide to spend Christmas by vising Casper, the friendly ghost. But soon they encounter a not-so-friendly ghost.

Wile E. Coyote chases the Road Runner through some snowy mountaintops, leading to a series of snow-related traps such as the Acme Blizzard Machine which makes instant snow....a little too instant for the Coyote's taste.

A concert pianist prepares to begin his practising for a major concert coming up. Unfortunately, he has this procrastination problem that prevents him from getting any serious time done, even when his frustration with it literally driving him into a frenzy.

Aunt Agatha threatens to call the police on innocent trick-or-treaters. Her nephew, Ralph, would love to be out with them. But what he wants most of all is a pumpkin. From across the street, Raggedy Ann and Andy watch the drama unfold. Andy is furious at Agatha for preventing the boy from enjoying the wonderful, horrible holiday. Ann, with her irritating insistence on fairness, decides that Agatha has merely forgotten what it's like to be young. The pressing matter ahead is getting Ralph a pumpkin. Andy scoffs at the idea of finding one at this late date. Ann reasons that if there's a little boy who needs a pumpkin, there must be a pumpkin who needs a little boy. She's right. Not far away, a miserable pumpkin is blubbering out pumpkin seed-tears because no one wants him for Halloween.

Old Mr. Pascal dreams of his youth as he sits beside a crucifix. He then decides to liberate the tortured figure of Christ and the world about him is transformed.

A child, who is afraid, of the dark forms a unique relationship with the objects that once frightened him.

In this retrospective on creators Hanna and Barbera, Bill Bixby hosts a behind-the-scenes look at technical and sound artistry. Segments spotlight families and famous women in cartoons as well as romance.

Yosemite Sam is miserly Ebenezer Scrooge in this spoof of Charles Dickens' classic tale. Porky Pig, as Scrooge's clerk, Bob Cratchit, is fired on Christmas eve for the unpardonable act of using coal to keep warm. When Scrooge evicts Cratchit and his family from their modest dwelling, heroic Bugs Bunny decides to dress like a ghost and teach the hot-tempered miser a lesson on the meaning of Christmas.

This animated short follows an unwanted baby who is passed from house to house. The film is the Canadian contribution to an hour-long feature film celebrating UNESCO's Year of the Child (1979). It illustrates one of the ten principles of the Declaration of Children's Rights: every child is entitled to a name and a nationality. The film took home an Oscar® for Best Animated Short Film.

Watch out as Elmer Fudd lays down his rifle in favor of a bow and "love arrows". None of the Loony Tunes favorites are safe from klutzy Elmer "Cupid" Fudd: Forhorn Leghorn and Daffy Duck are chased by love-crazed females and Bugs Bunny winds up getting hitched to Yosemite Sam!

Bugs Bunny's Thanksgiving Diet is a 1979 Looney Tunes Thanksgiving television special. It premiered on CBS on November 15th, 1979.

Driven by his love of cannabis, a street dog displays incredible promise for the drug squad when he chases down a local dealer. He makes headlines worldwide as he takes on smugglers and crime lords. But when his drug habit and his work inevitably collide, a clear message emerges: dogs and cannabis don't mix.

Enigmatic, stop-motion, animated story of a man's day.

This film promotes, in the best K-Tel tradition, a new device used to speak French.

The Tasmanian Devil escapes from a plane and lands in Santa's suit. After taking off in Santa's sleigh he lands on Bugs' roof where he tries to eat everything in sight including the present Bugs got for him.

Gulliver washes ashore on Lilliput and attempts to prevent war between that tiny kingdom and its equally minuscule rival, Blefuscu. This version of Gulliver's Travels aired in 1979 on CBS as part of "Famous Classic Tales".

This short animated film is about Wop May, one of Canada's leading bush pilots in the 1920s.

An unemployed American gets a job in a shooting gallery as a live target. The greedy capitalist owner charges patrons double for the chance to shoot at a human being.

Pink Panther once again becomes a toreador once the first one chickens out.

Lucy van Pelt instructs Charlie Brown and Snoopy in the finer points of proper flossing technique for healthy teeth and gums.

The only fragments remaining of the film today depict a dentist named Dr. Maxwell Payne making bloody experiments with his patients. He tries a woman, and after that the monster of the title shows up, roaring. In the following clip, the woman leaves, as Dr. Maxwell Payne searches for another victim.

John Lasseter’s 1979 student film.

An experimental animated film, adapted from a poem narrating a young child's dream.

The metamorphosis of a map of Canada into human forms who share the natural resources to the rhythm of a dance.

The Pink Panther follows a very long piece of string.

The Pink Panther uses a big magnet to find a lost coin that fell down a grate.

As a hospital janitor the Pink Panther takes up first aid, to the disgust of the duty doctor.

The Pink Panther goes to the launderette, and causes mishaps to a customer there.

An very very old man lives with his very old cat, his old old goldfish and his old dog on a houseboat, until one day the wolf Cuthbert Q Divine knocks on the door...

An egg desperately tries to prevent being hatched. In this animated short from the Canada Vignette series, learn how societies in evolution are often in danger of self-destruction.