The Beach Boys help surfing Santa deliver holiday cheer in “Little Saint Nick,” Bing Crosby goes tiki for a tropical Christmas in “Mele Kalikimaka,” Nat King Cole performs “The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire)” as a brother and sister embark on a Christmas Eve adventure and discover the meaning of Christmas, and Peggy Lee soundtracks the hustle, bustle and excitement of the last day in the office before the holiday break in “Happy Holiday,” in the first-ever official videos for these Classic Christmas songs. The videos are the latest from UMe, the global catalog company of UMG, which has partnered with legendary artists and estates to create vibrant new visuals for some of the most iconic and beloved songs in the Christmas canon that have never had a video. The initiative recently launched with animated clips for Chuck Berry, Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra and two of Crosby’s other chestnuts.
The beautifully hand drawn and painted videos were created by Fantoons Animation Studios with the exception of “Happy Holiday,” which was illustrated by BluBlu Studios in a distinctive, vintage style. The recently released videos feature Crosby bringing joy to a down in the dumps town with his trusty Bing-O-Matic™ in “Winter Wonderland” and crooning over a multigenerational military family’s holiday gatherings in “White Christmas,” guitar-clad Chuck Berry giving Santa a hand with his Christmas rounds in vintage comic book style in “Run Rudolph Run,” Ella Fitzgerald and Frosty delighting in a winter wonderland storybook setting in “Frosty The Snowman” and Frank Sinatra delivering mid-century style, glitz and grace as only he can in the holiday classics, “The Christmas Waltz” and “Mistletoe and Holly.”
“UMe is incredibly honored and excited to partner with these legendary artists and estates to celebrate their iconic holiday songs and give them official videos,” says Bruce Resnikoff, President and CEO of UMe, the global catalog company of UMG. “Last year was the first time we created holiday videos and we had such a tremendous response. These songs are some of the most popular year to year and we hope these videos brighten up fans’ holidays.”
