The Night Before Christmas is short film by Edward S. Porter released in 1905. It is the first film based on the poem Twas the Night Before Christmas written by Clement Clarke Moore in 1823. The lines of the poem are shown in between the scenes. The scene of Santa Claus riding his sleigh driven by his reindeers was shot using miniatures.


The story in brief:

Santa Claus is busy doing the last-moment preparation on the Christmas eve. He feeds his reindeers and arranges the gifts by checking the wishlists. Meanwhile the children of a family in a city hangs their stockings by the fireplace and retire to bed. But they are unable to sleep due to excitement and engage in a pillow fight. Santa Claus reaches the house riding on his sleigh and enters through the chimney. Watch the film to see what happened next. 


More info on The Night Before Christmas and it’s crew:

  • Reviews and ratings of The Night Before Christmas – IMDb
  • Detailed info of the film – Wikipedia
  • Biography of the director Edward S. Porter – Wikipedia

Animation Movies by Edwin S. Porter