Skip to content
MovieCove
Jules Bass

Jules Bass

Producer, director, writer and composer · Died October 25, 2022, aged 87 · Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

Jules Bass (September 16, 1935 - October 25, 2022) was an American director, producer, composer, and author, best known for the stop-motion holiday classics he created with partner Arthur Rankin, Jr.

Biography from TMDB.

Born
September 16, 1935
Died
October 25, 2022 (aged 87)
From
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Works as
Producer, director, writer and composer
Titles
33 on MovieCove · 66 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 37 days to Oct 26Down 17% in 30 days

What are Jules Bass' films like?

Across their 32 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Society.

Genres

Animation25 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 68th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Animation movies
Action2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 25th percentile
: browse their Action movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
21%
Society
20%
Self
19%
Morality
17%
Ideas
10%
Power
7%
Survival
4%
Community10 titles, browse their movies with this themeHope10 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds7 titles, browse their movies with this themeRedemption5 titles, browse their movies with this themeFriendship6 titles, browse their movies with this themeComing of age4 titles, browse their movies with this themeFaith4 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love3 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 29 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 21 · Serious 7 · Dark 1

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 2 · Stylized 15 · Heightened 12

Gentle: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their gentle movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 17 · Charged 10 · Intense 2

Steady: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their steady movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 20 · Shifting 8 · Whiplash 1

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 8 · Some laughs 18 · Funny 3

Slow burn: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their slow burn movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 21 · Even-paced 8 · Relentless 0

Casual: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their casual movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 24 · Engaged 4 · Full focus 1

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 29 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Joyful
16
Hopeful
17
Warm
12
Thrilling
9
Melancholic
11
Other
23

How their films linger

Feel-good22 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful22 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteWistful4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteCozy2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 3 with a twist

  • Happy22
  • Bittersweet8
  • Tragic1
  • Ambiguous1

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Jules Bass' films?

As of October 24, 2026, 14 of their 33 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Jules Bass' titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

66 credits, 33 with a MovieCove page; 1 appearance as themselves is hidden until asked for.

  • ThunderCats Roar (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2020)

    Show 52 episodes · Consulting Producer

  • Snarf: Butterfly Blues (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)

    Consulting Producer

  • ThunderCats(2011)

    Show 26 episodes · Consulting Producer

    Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all shows

  • Monte Carlo(2011)

    Novel

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • The Year Without a Santa Claus(2006)

    Lyricist

    Midcredits score: 9th percentile of all films

  • TigerSharks (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)

    Show 26 episodes · Executive Producer

  • Silverhawks(1986)

    Show 65 episodes · Producer

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all shows

  • SilverHawks: The Origin Story (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1986)

    Director

  • The Life & Adventures of Santa Claus(1985)

    Director · Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films

  • Thundercats(1985)

    Show 110 episodes · Executive Producer · Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all shows

  • The Wind in the Willows (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1983)

    Director · Composer · Lyricist · Producer

  • The Coneheads (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1983)

    Director · Producer

  • The Sins of Dorian Gray(1983)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films

  • The Last Unicorn(1982)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

  • The Flight of Dragons(1982)

    Director · Lyricist · Producer

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

  • The Leprechauns' Christmas Gold (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1981)

    Director · Lyricist · Producer

  • The Bushido Blade(1981)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 18th percentile of all films

  • Pinocchio's Christmas (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)

    Director · Lyricist · Producer

  • The Return of the King(1980)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films

  • The Ivory Ape (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)

    Executive Producer

  • Jack Frost(1979)

    Director · Lyricist · Producer

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July(1979)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films

  • The Stingiest Man in Town(1978)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films

  • The Bermuda Depths (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)

    Lyricist · Producer

  • Nestor, the Long-Eared Christmas Donkey(1977)

    Director · Composer · Lyricist · Producer

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films

  • The Hobbit(1977)

    Director · Lyricist · Producer

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • The Last Dinosaur(1977)

    Executive Producer · Lyricist

    Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films

  • The Easter Bunny Is Comin' to Town(1977)

    Director · Lyricist · Producer

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films

  • The Little Drummer Boy Book II(1976)

    Director · Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films

  • Rudolph's Shiny New Year(1976)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films

  • Frosty's Winter Wonderland(1976)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • The First Easter Rabbit (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)

    Director · Lyricist · Producer · Writer

  • The First Christmas: The Story of the First Christmas Snow(1975)

    Director · Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films

  • The Year Without a Santa Claus(1974)

    Director · Lyricist · Producer

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films

  • 'Twas the Night Before Christmas(1974)

    Director · Lyricist · Producer

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films

  • Marco (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)

    Producer

  • Festival of Family Classics: Alice in Wonderland (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)

    Director · Composer

  • That Girl in Wonderland (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)

    Director · Lyricist

  • A Christmas Tree (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)

    Director

  • The Red Baron (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)

    Director · Producer

  • Jack O'Lantern (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)

    Director · Producer

  • Willie Mays and the Say-Hey Kid (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)

    Director · Producer

  • 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)

    Director · Producer

  • The Mad, Mad, Mad Monsters (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)

    Director · Producer

  • Festival of Family Classics (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)

    Show 1 episode · Director · Composer · Creator · Producer

  • The Osmonds (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)

    Show 17 episodes · Director · Producer

  • The Emperor's New Clothes (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)

    Director · Lyricist · Producer

  • The Jackson 5ive (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1971)

    Show 23 episodes · Director · Creator · Producer

  • Here Comes Peter Cottontail(1971)

    Director · Lyricist · Producer

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town(1970)

    Director · Composer · Lyricist · Producer

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films

  • The Tomfoolery Show (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1970)

    Show 17 episodes · Director · Composer · Producer

  • The Mad, Mad, Mad Comedians (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1970)

    Director

  • Frosty the Snowman(1969)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all films

  • The Smokey Bear Show (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)

    Show 51 episodes · Director · Composer · Creator · Lyricist · Producer

  • The Little Drummer Boy(1968)

    Director · Lyricist · Producer

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films

  • The Mouse on the Mayflower (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)

    Director · Producer

  • Cricket on the Hearth(1967)

    Director · Lyricist · Producer

    Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all films

  • The Wacky World of Mother Goose (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)

    Director · Composer · Songs

  • Mad Monster Party?(1967)

    Director · Lyricist · Producer

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • Ballad of Smokey the Bear (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1966)

    Co-Producer

  • The King Kong Show (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1966)

    Show 73 episodes · Executive Producer · Theme Song Performance

  • The Daydreamer(1966)

    Director · Lyricist · Songs

    Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films

  • Willy McBean and His Magic Machine(1965)

    Associate Producer

    Midcredits score: 34th percentile of all films

  • Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer(1964)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • Return to Oz (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1964)

    Producer

  • The New Adventures of Pinocchio (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)

    Show Creator

Career shape

A full career of 66 titles from 1960 to 2020.

Biggest box office

Monte Carlo (2011)

$40M worldwide

Highest rated

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964)

Midcredits 96th

Most popular right now

Thundercats (1985)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Directing46 of 66: 3 only directing, 43 with another role · typical Midcredits score68thWriting28 of 66: 2 only writing, 26 with another role · typical Midcredits score68thProducing55 of 66: 13 only producing, 42 with another role · typical Midcredits score68thMusic7 of 66: 0 only music, 7 with another roleOther crew7 of 66: 1 only other crew, 6 with another role

66 titles, 47 with more than one role — producing and directing overlap on 38 of them.

By decade

1960s14 · crew1970s32 · crew1980s15 · crew2000s1 · crew2010s3 · crew2020s1 · crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

How do Jules Bass' films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 65th percentile, the median of all 30; across their 29 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 59th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

59thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 29

Approval · how many liked their films

70thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 29

Reach · how many have seen their films

70thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 29

Midcredits score across 33 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up11
  • 50th to 74th14
  • 25th to 49th5
  • Below 25th3

Shape of the crowd

17 of their 33 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved7
  • Crowd Pleaser17
  • Mixed9

Most divisive · writer

The Year Without a Santa Claus (2006)

87th percentile spread · 61% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · producer

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964)

Midcredits 96th · 85% liked

Reviewers score the atmosphere 63/100 and the pacing 44/100 in their films, across 28 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a director.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Jules Bass' work okay for kids?

Across up to 7 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore, sex & nudity, profanity and alcohol & drugs run lighter than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore7 titles8–39 · median 23 · mildlighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity7 titles0–32 · median 21 · mildlighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity7 titles2–29 · median 18 · mildlighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs7 titles11–29 · median 19 · mildlighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense7 titles13–51 · median 31 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Jules Bass work with?

People who share at least 2 of Jules Bass' MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Arthur Rankin Jr. shares the most, 31.

Directors

Writers

Actors

  • Paul Frees15 titles    See newest 12 of 15 shared titles with Paul Frees
  • Bob McFadden8 titles    See all 8 shared titles with Bob McFadden
  • Don Messick7 titles    See all 7 shared titles with Don Messick
  • Billie Mae Richards4 titles    See all 4 shared titles with Billie Mae Richards

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers