"Futurama" A Tale of Two Santas (2001)

Director:

Ron Hughart

Writers:

Matt Groening (creator)
Matt Groening (developer) ...

TV Series:

"Futurama" (1999)

Original Air Date:

23 December 2001 (Season 4, Episode 2)

Genre:

Animation | Comedy | Drama | Sci-Fi

Plot:

When Fry, Leela and Bender make a delivery to Neptune, they run afoul of the robot Santa Claus. Bender takes his place...

Plot Keywords:

Killer Santa Claus | Christmas | Alien | Delivery Boy | Robot

Cast

Billy West	...	Philip J. Fry / Prof. Hubert J. Farnsworth / Dr. Zoidberg / Smitty / Judge Ron Whitey / Elves (voice)
Katey Sagal	...	Turanga Leela (voice)
John Di Maggio	...	Bender / Robot Santa / Elves / URL / Robot Cellmate (voice)
Tress MacNeille	...	Linda / Little Girl / Little Boy / Mother / Petunia / Vyolet / Premula (voice)
Maurice LaMarche	...	Morbo / Elves / The Hyper-chicken / The Robot Devil (voice)
Coolio	...	Kwanzaa-bot (voice)
Phil LaMarr	...	Hermes Conrad / Bailiff (voice)
David Herman	...	Mayor C. Randall Poopenmeyer / Elves / Father (voice)
Lauren Tom	...	Amy Wong (voice)
Frank Welker	...	Nibbler / Walter Cronkite's Head / Robo-Dogs / Elves / Hyperchicks (voice)

Runtime:

Argentina:30 min

Certification:

Argentina:Atp

Trivia:

The Christmas episode "A Tale of Two Santas" was originally slated to air in December of 2000, but was deemed too violent for the show's Sunday 7pm timeslot. However, the episode finally aired a year later on December 23, 2001 at 9:30PM (Eastern Standard Time).

Goofs:

Continuity: When the shrimpy Neptunians go to deliver the mail, the tops of their hats are chopped off. A short time later, while Santa is turning off the TV, their hats are fully intact. In later scenes the hats are cut again.

Quotes:

Santa-bot: Don't you ever knock? Who knows what naughty things I could be watching? I get New Orleans on this thing, you know.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in An X-Mas Message from David X. Cohen (2003) (V)

Soundtrack:

Back to Work

1st is always best.... but this is still good.

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

Another excellent episode, but not as good as 'Xmas Story' (that would be pretty difficult to top, though). The children's letters to Santa were funny, and Santa's Neptune death fortress with poor, malnourished Elves was hilarious. The song seemed to fit in well with the whole Christ/X-mas theme, and was actually very funny, unlike some of the songs on Futurama. Bender calling the elves 'bastards' during it was good. I wonder why FOX singled out this episode as particularly violent, though? I guess they didn't appreciate Bender gleefully shooting a little girl with a bicycle, which was hilarious by the way. I guess some of the stuff was a little tasteless, but still very funny. I loved a robot about to be executed giving a message to the Robot Devil, who was in the next cell. Bender's rampage at the end was great.