'Alias St. Nick' was introduced me quite late, very recently actually via Youtube, so nostalgic value plays no part whatsoever in rating and reviewing it.
It is a very charming seasonal Christmas cartoon, without being one of the best around. It doesn't necessarily do anything wrong really, just that there are Christmas cartoons, many of which with iconic childhood favourite characters and from more famous companies and directors, that have more emotional impact and more staying power.
The start is a bit draggy, and it is agreed that the humour factor is low (apart from the train sequence, but that's more amusing than laugh-out-loud hilarious). And that it does at times try too hard to be cute so the cartoon occasionally goes overboard on the sentimentality.
On the other hand, the animation is colourful and beautifully drawn, the backgrounds smooth and rich in detail. The animation on the cat in expressions and movements is a mini-masterstroke. Also outstanding is the music, with a lush understated elegance but also uses rousing and dynamic arrangements of pre-existing music like "Light Cavalry" and "Snake Charmer" (a very clever brief bit).
While there are reservations about it being too cute and sentimental, 'Alias St. Nick' is also very charming and heart-warming. The beginning with the cat has some foreboding, but the highlight is the exciting and clever climax where the pace of the story drastically picks up.
Regarding the characters, the mice are sweet, with Little Cheeser not falling on the wrong sides of annoying or cloying, but the most memorable is the cunning characterisation of the cat, most of which can be seen in the animation but with Billy Bletcher doing a marvellous job with the voice work. The voice acting generally is fine.
In conclusion, charming cartoon with a particularly engaging climax and a great character in the cat being particularly noteworthy. 7/10 Bethany Cox