Critically maligned Rankin/Bass animated special introduced by Danny Thomas starring a cricket voiced by Roddy McDowell that arrives in the life of talented toymaker and daughter (Danny and daughter Marlo Thomas) as their lives fall on hard times. Toymaker, Caleb, loses his love of crafting toys when daughter, Bertha, loses her sight and passion for life after her fiancé, Edward (voiced by Ed Ames), is lost at sea after departing with his military. Unable to work and indebted to those vicious moneylenders, Caleb and blind Bertha lose their home and must brave the unknown, finding a job and new place to live. Crafty Tackelton (voiced with mustache-twirling villainy by Hans Conreid), and his insidious raven, offer Caleb a job and less-than-glamorous digs for his services. Cricket follows Caleb and Bertha, truly faithful in their rebounding from the glum and disappointment befalling them but raven is bound and determined to get rid of him...reprehensible his master, Tackelton, asks for Bertha's hand in marriage. Meanwhile Caleb befriends a fellow also enduring hardship, seemingly too old and broken by age's effects to recover and make a success of himself...but looks might be deceiving. Highlight could be how cricket is kidnapped by thugs that are friends with conniving raven, cast aboard a ship, escaping into the sea, and using fish and other water creatures-- essentially hitching a ride on them!--to return home. The use of still cells and simple, not so elaborate or distinctively impressive animation give the film a rather unmemorable visual look, but voicework is buoyed expertly by McDowell and company. The songs I thought were merely okay, with some quite forgettable...if anything, the songs might have dragged this out too long. In fact, if this had utilized McDowell even more, like a lynchpin or glue, rather than litter long songs throughout, it could have been a tightly paced thirty minute sleeper among the Rankin & Bass specials. Instead, this will never quite emerge from the obscurity, if it becomes an annual tradition considering its inclusion in Christmas classic sets now available. The abuse of Tackelton's employ where he demands so much from Caleb and expects mass production and less quality sets him up as worthy of boos but being that this is Dickens, even he is allowed a Scrooge-like transformation thanks to Bertha. Cricket as a lucky device in Caleb and Bertha's favor is challenged but ultimately he is not the albatross of ill fate that he might seem.

Cricket on the Hearth is a good family movie or for those who love Christmas and are romantic at heart. The movie is fairly short. It can be seen by the children in the afternoon or with the family at night in early prime time. The musical numbers are delightful. The story is okay. Cricket on the Hearth should be a movie staple at Christmastime, like A Christmas Carol. It is a movie that is light hearted and there is little conflict within the movie. Popcorn and soda would be good with this movie. Stringing popcorn for the tree and decorating the house is a good activity while watching this movie. It does move along quickly, but the plot is not a difficult plot to follow so you don't need to see everything -- just listen to the story and the music. Enjoy

My friend invited me over for an end-of-year Christmas DVD party. We had just finished watching "Frosty, the Snowman" and were about to watch another of the more well-known shows when I noticed the title for this. I talked my friend into at least watching the first few minutes to see what it was like. When we saw the cast, we were suitably impressed and settled in for the duration. After a few minutes, though, our jaws were hitting the floor - we could not BELIEVE how terrible it was! I was rendered speechless for a while. Then, we, like another reviewer, found ourselves laughing ourselves silly at how bad it was. It is truly a train-wreck - so awful you can't look away. You can, however, fast forward through some of the dismal songs. Too bad one can't give it negative stars.

What an awful piece of Christmas special history. Songs are horribly depressing (as well as the storyline). Animation is the worst of all R/B creations (IMO). Let's forget it was made, shall we?