Santa's Surprise (1947)
After Santa delivers presents to children around the world, Audrey and her new friends stow away in his sleigh, discover he keeps house alone with no elves to help him, and sneak back to clean his cottage as a Christmas morning surprise.
Santa’s Surprise marks the screen debut of Little Audrey, who Famous Studios had rushed into development as a substitute for Little Lulu after losing the rights to that character, and who went on to a long run of her own Noveltoons and, later, Harvey Comics.
Background
Santa’s Surprise is a Famous Studios Noveltoon that marks the screen debut of Little Audrey. Famous Studios had developed the character quickly as a substitute after losing the rights to Little Lulu, and Audrey went on to a long run of her own cartoons and later comic books published by Harvey Comics. Seymour Kneitel directed the short. It is a holiday cartoon built around a familiar Santa Claus premise, with the young heroine’s mischief as the main source of humor.
What to watch for
After Santa delivers presents to children around the world, Audrey and her new friends stow away in his sleigh. They discover that he keeps house alone with no elves to help him, and they sneak back to clean his cottage as a Christmas morning surprise. Watch the early sequences of Santa’s route and the way the children’s stowaway plan unfolds. The humor comes from the children’s mischief, and the house-cleaning finale is a sweet payoff. The short is worth watching as an early look at a character who became one of the best-known figures in Famous Studios’ output.
