Maybe it’s because the main character is named Peter. Or because the aliens look impressive (even now). Or because I first saw it when I was 5. Or maybe it’s the pet goose…
For whatever reason, the 1977 holiday special Cosmic Christmas — the first-ever cartoon from the long-time Canadian animation powerhouse Nelvana — has been my December comfort entertainment ever since I rediscovered it streaming online. This year it’s only available to watch for free on Tubi.
Unlike today’s pixel-perfect and polished animation, the drawings in Cosmic Christmas are a retro delight — it feels like a messy mashup of Mad Magazine’s Don Martin and classic animator Ralph Bakshi. Cosmic Christmas isn’t as squiggly as Dr. Katz or Home Movies, but there’s a hand-drawn chaos that seems to no longer exist in modern cartoons.
The town’s outrageous mayor and befuddled police chief get some of Cosmic Christmas’ best
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