CHRISTMAS COMES TO DVD.

Byline: Chris J. Parker Correspondent

WITH CHRISTMAS just around the corner, it's time to load up the entertainment center with enough holiday movies to keep the kids quiet while the adults open their gifts.

Here are three DVDs that have been released just in time for holiday get-togethers:

``Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer''

Classic Media (Sony Wonder Video)

$19.98 DVD 

Time: 53 min.

Rating: Three and one half stars

For many, this 38-year-old model-animated movie is the best television has to offer during the holidays. While that's arguable - especially by ``Charlie Brown'' fans - there's no doubt ``Rudolph'' ranks as one of the best Christmas treats, and the DVD version is just more icing on the cake.

Since its release in 1964, time has not been kind to ``Rudolph.'' Oh sure, he still rescues Christmas Eve for Santa, with the help of a Dentist Elf and an unlucky mining prospector. And the movie comes wrapped in some of the best Christmas songs ever written for a Christmas movie, including Burle Ives' ``Holly Jolly Christmas'' and ``Silver and Gold.''

But each rebroadcast took a bit out of the movie - literally - as songs and scenes were trimmed to make room for more commercials, and other parts were re-edited in the name of progress.

The DVD gives the original back to its fans. ``Rudolph'' runs a full 53 minutes, and the DVD includes the song ``Fame and Fortune,'' which had replaced the reprise of ``We're a Couple of Misfits'' by the second year.

The DVD also includes an interview with producer Arthur Rankin that's a bit too self-promoting and will probably bore most children. There's also a trivia game that'll be no problem for parents who grew up on the annual rebroadcast of this Christmas classic.

``Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town''/``The Little Drummer Boy''

Classic Media (Sony Wonder Video)

$19.98 DVD

Time: 53 min./23 min.

Rating: Three stars

These might be two of the least-known animated holiday movies to come out of the Rankin Bass Studios in the 1960s and '70s. Too bad, because each one offers unique surprises that should make them annual favorites.

``Santa Claus'' tells the story of Kris Kringle's origins, including why he brings presents to kids and why he wears his red suit (among a dozen other questions every parent has been asked a thousand times). Fred Astaire narrates this model-animated movie that first aired in 1970, and Mickey Rooney is the voice of Kringle.

The story is actually very somber at times (Kringle is tossed in jail and children are threatened for playing with toys, for example). Yet, the overall resourcefulness of Kringle, the love shared by children and family, and the ``Take One Step in Front of the Other'' optimism that's personified in the song of the same name eventually overwhelm any negativity.

Like ``Santa Claus,'' ``Drummer Boy'' is loosely based on the song of the same name. Very loosely.

In this model-animation movie, the drummer boy is an orphan whose parents were killed by desert marauders. He hates people but is forced to work for a traveling circus entertaining crowds after the circus leader (voiced by Jose Ferrer) kidnaps him and his animals.

Eventually, the circus follows the wise men and shepherds to the manger where the Christ child heals his injured lamb. The drummer boy thanks the child by playing his drum for him, learning to love people again and that his life is meaningful, too.

Heavy stuff for a 23-minute animated children's movie. Yet, it's a lesson most parents would like their children to know - and in a form that most children would see again and again.

By the way, the only added bonus in this DVD version is Spanish-language dubbing.

``Frosty the Snowman''/``Frosty Returns''

Classic Media (Sony Wonder Video)

$17.98 DVD

Time: 25 min./23 min.

Rating: One and one half stars

There's no doubt that ``Frosty the Snowman'' is a holiday classic, even if the 1969 animation is as simplistic as the story line. But pairing it with ``Frosty Returns'' is like putting a bowl of mashed rutabaga next to the rum cake. The veggie tastes terrible anyway, and who's going to want it if they can have cake?

``Frosty the Snowman'' tells the story of Frosty's creation, as narrated by Jimmy Durante. Frosty comes to life when some children put a magician's hat on the snowman they built outside of school. The rest of the story is a race between getting Frosty to the North Pole before the magician steals his hat back (and snuffs out Frosty in the process).

The children are cute and clever, the magician is a bumbling bad guy, and the music - including numerous reprises of the title track - makes this an enjoyable movie for anyone in the family.

``Frosty Returns,'' on the other hand, personifies the problem with sequels in Hollywood. Yes, there's the recognizable main character. But the magic has left the hat, the snowman - heck, it's left the whole movie.

The behind-the-microphone talent in this 1992 movie is impressive, even if the end result isn't. John Goodman voices Frosty, and he's joined by Jonathan Winters, Andrea Martin and Jan Hooks, among others.

The story is standard big-business-bad-guy vs. small-town-good-girl stuff, but really, five minutes into the movie there's no point in paying attention. The writers didn't try very hard, so why should the audience?

The DVD version includes a self-serving introduction by ``Frosty the Snowman'' creator Arthur Rankin.

All three DVDs are available in a boxed set for a suggested retail price of $56.98.

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