Hans Christian Andersen's The Emperor's New Clothes

Hans Christian Andersen's The Emperor's New Clothes
Official logo
GenreAnimated TV special
Written byRomeo Muller
Directed byArthur Rankin, Jr.
Jules Bass
Voices ofDanny Kaye
Cyril Ritchard
Imogene Coca
Allen Swift
Bob McFadden
Gary Shapiro
ComposersMaury Laws
Jules Bass
Country of originUnited States
Denmark
Japan
Original languageEnglish
Production
ProducersArthur Rankin, Jr.
Jules Bass
CinematographyAkikazu Kono
EditorIrwin Goldress
Running time50 minutes
Production companyRankin/Bass Productions
Original release
NetworkABC
ReleaseFebruary 21, 1972 (1972-02-21)

Hans Christian Andersen's The Emperor's New Clothes is an animated television special broadcast on ABC on Monday night, February 21, 1972. The special was produced by Rankin/Bass Productions, a former division of Tomorrow Entertainment, using their "Animagic" stop-motion puppetry technique in Japan, along with some live-action footage shot in Denmark.

The special, a musical adaptation of the fable of the same name by Hans Christian Andersen, starred Danny Kaye as the voice of the narrator and main character named Marmaduke. Kaye was strongly associated with the author, having previously played the title role in the 1952 film Hans Christian Andersen. The cast also included Cyril Ritchard, Imogene Coca, Allen Swift and Bob McFadden. Kaye sang five original songs written by Maury Laws and Jules Bass: "Come Along with Me", "Clothes Make the Man" with Swift, "The Tailor's Song", "Creation", and "All You Need Is Money to Be Rich" with Coca, while Ritchard sang "I See What I Want to See".

The special was intended to serve as a pilot for a series titled The Enchanted World of Danny Kaye, with various specials and installments planned, and the special was initially marketed as such. Cartoonist Jack Davis, who designed characters for the special, also had concept drawings for further specials, which can be glimpsed in the making-of documentary on the 30th anniversary DVD release by Sony Wonder and Classic Media in 2002. No further specials were produced.