‘Olive’ Is Another Christmas Video Delight

Video

Olive, the Other Reindeer. Fox Home Entertainment. $15 (VHS).

J.otto Seibold’s witty, computer-generated world, with its 3-D, cut-paper style and retro pop-art look, is a unique visual treat and comic holiday fun for the whole family. Based on the book by Seibold and collaborator Vivian Walsh, it’s the story of a dog named Olive who thinks that Santa needs her when he announces on the radio that Christmas is in peril because Blitzen is on the injured list.

When Santa says that “all of the other reindeer” will help, Olive’s pet flea hears, “Olive, the other reindeer.” So the little tan and white dog heads for the North Pole, aided by a crafty penguin. She wins the support of a rough crowd of elves and reindeer at the Top of the World Bar and eludes a mean postman who doesn’t want Christmas to happen because he hates the extra work.

The voice cast is terrific, with Drew Barrymore as Olive, Ed Asner, Dan Castellaneta, Joe Pantoliano, Peter MacNicol, Tim Meadows, REM’s Michael Stipe, and Jay Mohr. Seasonal sweetness is nicely balanced with clever comic dialogue and visual jokes aimed at adults as well as children.

The Tangerine Bear: Home in Time for Christmas. Artisan/Family Home Entertainment. $15 (VHS and DVD).

The children’s book by the Paraskevas team--artist Michael and writer Betty (they are mother and son)--supplies just the right heart-warming touch for this cartoon (it aired on ABC last Sunday). It’s about a little toy bear who ends up in an old junk shop because no one wants to buy him: It seems his smile was sewn on upside down at the factory, giving him a permanent frown.

Longing for a home, he sits in the store window with other misfits--a broken jack-in-the-box, a battered cuckoo in a clock, the store’s watchdog--and the sun bleaches his brown fur orange. In the end, after a surprise encounter with Santa, he gets his wish.

The storytelling is enhanced by the engaging voice actors, led by Trisha Yearwood, who sings, too; Jonathan Taylor Thomas as the Bear and Tom Bosley, splendid as the gentle junk store owner who calls the toys “my little ones.” Howie Mandel, David Hyde Pierce, Jenna Elfman and Marlon Wayans round out the cast.

Teletubbies: Christmas in the Snow, Volumes 1 and 2. Warner Home Video. $30 (VHS, two cassettes).

Here’s a chirpy, two-cassette video release for toddlers--and for parents able to withstand multiple viewings of giggly, robotic, baby-talking alien tots with TV screens embedded in their bellies.

With the baby-faced sun chuckling overhead, winter comes to Teletubbies land, and Tinky Winky, Dipsy, Laa-Laa and Po go ga-ga over snow: “Ook, ook, ‘no.” (“Look, look, snow.”) They see how favorite toys make shapes under the snow, build a snowman, slide down a hill and show video clips (on their tummies) of children involved in holiday activities.

Bear in the Big Blue House: A Berry Bear Christmas. Columbia Tristar Home Video. $13 (VHS).

In this cozy, beautifully presented show, reassuring Bear and friends learn the giving spirit of Christmas when they meet a sad old homeless hound dog. They also get a taste of Christmas, Kwanzaa, Hanukkah--and Winterberry, a special Bear holiday.

Music is top-notch and Luna the Moon’s lovely duet with Bear is a keeper: “From up here in the sky, the world just glistens . . . listen.”

How the Grinch Stole Christmas! Warner Home Video. $15 (VHS); $20 (DVD).

There’s the blockbuster movie, and then there’s the evergreen TV special that brought Dr. Seuss’ unique world of Whoville to life, with Boris Karloff’s unforgettable narration. This sparkling new re-release is a little treasure. The DVD version includes Seuss’ “Horton Hears a Who” and other extras.

Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer. Warner Home Video. $15 (VHS).

Elmo Shropshire recorded Randy Brooks’ irreverent, anti-Christmas song in 1979, striking a chord with the carol-weary everywhere. Shropshire narrates this cartoon version, but even though Grandma survives her ordeal here, there’s nothing remotely engaging about this lame holiday release.