Now that Thanksgiving has officially ended, it is officially time to usher in the next big holiday, and there is no better way to welcome the Christmas season than by watching some classic movies. In an effort to keep the holiday spirit going, ABC is already planning to accommodate viewers with their annual special showing of "Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town," tonight at 8 p.m. EST.

ABC has made a tradition of airing the animated feature, which features the voice work of Mickey Rooney and Fred Astaire, the day after Thanksgiving every year since it debuted in 1970. That plan has not changed, with the movie airing during the usual timeslot it is given, with additional airings on ABC's sister network, Freeform, scheduled for Sunday, Dec. 3 at 1L10 p.m. and Monday, Dec. 4 at 12:55 a.m., as a part of their "25 Days of Christmas" lineup.

The movie tells the story of how Kris Kringle eventually came to be Santa Claus. Kris (voiced by Rooney), tries to deliver toys to the kids of Sombertown on Christmas Eve, but is met with opposition by Burgermeister Meisterburger (Paul Frees), a mayor who hates toys and declares them to be illegal. The story is narrated by S.D. Kluger (Fred Astaire).

Ahead of sitting down to watch the movie, be sure to check out these four fun facts:

Some Scenes Are Cut From The TV Broadcast

According to IMDb, the movie was originally made longer due to fewer commercials airing on network television in the 1970s. To accommodate those breaks now, the special is edited. ABC's version cuts the songs "If You Sit On My Lap Today" and "My World Is Beginning Today," while the Freeform version removes scenes that are considered traumatic for younger viewers, including the scene where Burgermeister burns all of the toys.

Some Of The Characters Are Featured In Other Films

Mickey Rooney's Santa Claus is featured in three other holiday specials. He is there in "The Year Without A Santa Claus" (1974), "Rudolph And Frosty's Christmas In July" (1979), and "A Miser Brothers' Christmas" (2008). In addition, Fred Astaire's S.D. Kluger made another appearance in "The Easter Bunny Is Comin' To Town" (1977).

However, Rudolph Is Not A Featured Character In This Movie

Rudolph only makes a small cameo appearance in "Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town," because as explained, his backstory is a separate one, which is told in the stand-alone movie, "Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer."

The Movie Has Since Expanded To A Video Game

In 2011, the movie was expanded to a video game for Nintendo DS and Wii systems, featuring 25 levels of play. Among the things that could be done in the game were collecting letters, snowflakes and hidden stockings; receiving magical powers from the winter warlock and getting help from Topper the penguin.

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