The classic stop-motion special is best know for introducing the world to Heat Miser and Cold Miser, and told the tale of a tired Santa Claus who decides to take a year off from his Christmas duties and the subsequent adventures of Mrs. Claus and two of the elves as they try to change Santa's mind.

The movie, reportedly, will focus instead on a man who goes on a personal quest to find Santa and save the holiday. Characters, such as the Misers, who originally appeared in the special will make appearances in the film as well.

So, what does this have to do with toys? Well, as you saw in RTM's recent Toy Fair 2000 coverage Playing Mantis is introducing a Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer line of action figures as part of their Memory Lane brand, and the company is considering other Rankin-Bass properties for future action figure treatment. While Playing Mantis has not made any announcements, having Year Without A Santa Claus get the big screen treatment could conceivably serve as an impetus.

The Hollywood Reporter article states that Warnes Bros. hopes to put the film on the fast track and have it in theaters for Christmas 2000. Such a tight release schedule could certainly affect the development time of any potential toy tie-ins for the movie.

[Updated 3/24/2000]