Christmas special this year. Fox Television will air Mr. Rankin's upcoming Santa Baby in mid-December.

Santa Baby features all star cast and tell the story of a composer in need of a hit. "The composer is missing the beat. He ain't got it anymore,'' Mr.

Rankin told The Royal Gazette , "until, he finds inspiration in the story of the Partridge and the Pear tree.'' The title is taken from classic Eartha Kitt song of the 1960s and Ms Kitt is also providing one of the voices for the animated TV special. "She plays a cat,'' said Mr. Rankin. A role Ms Kitt knows well, having played Catwoman in the 1960s television series Batman.

Santa Baby is set in an African American community in a large, but unspecified US city, Mr. Rankin said. It features an all-star, all-black cast.

Having already given the world holiday season animated classics such as Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, Frosty the Snowman, and the Little Drummer Boy, high expectations surround Mr. Rankin's upcoming effort.

His original Rudolph is currently on display in the entrance of the Bermuda National Gallery.

Mr. Rankin refused to give away the names of all the stars he's lined up for the animated special. He'll be announcing the names of these performers and giving away more details about the feature during a lecture at City Hall this evening.

However, he did tell The Royal Gazette that Grammy Award winner Patti LaBelle joins Eartha Kitt in the cast.

At this stage the soundtrack to the feature has already been laid down and 500 animators are currently illustrating the film "one frame at a time'', he said. Twenty-four illustrated frames yield one second of film time.

Mr. Rankin said it takes roughly a year and two months to complete the massive, collaborative work.

Serving as writer-executive producer-director is a large role but Mr. Rankin has over 500 people scattered around the United States helping him complete the TV special. "I don't do it alone,'' he said.

Before starting Rankin-Bass Productions with partner Jules Bass, Mr. Rankin served as Art Director for ABC-TV for five years. The Bermudian was the pioneer the stop motion animation featured in animated classics such as Rudolph and Here Comes Peter Cottontail.

Mr. Rankin's lecture tonight at City Hall will focus on the process of stop motion animation, the evolution of computer animation and life in show business as well as his current project.

The lecture opens at 5.30 p.m. with wine and hors d'oeuvres. Mr. Rankin will speak at 6.00 p.m. Admission is $10 for members and $15 for non-members