[Columbia, SC] - Visitors at Riverbanks Zoo and Garden's Lights Before Christmas may be blinded by the 600,000+ twinkling lights throughout the Zoo, but they won't want to miss the holiday movie Santa's Polar Blast scheduled to begin running at Riverbanks' 3-D Adventure Theater the day after Thanksgiving.

"O Entertainment and Steve Oedekerk, the creator of Jimmy Neutron and funny films like The Nutty Professor, Ace Ventura, Patch Adams and Bruce Almighty, have teamed up with nWave Pictures to create a holiday classic that packs an extra punch," said Tommy Stringfellow, director of marketing at Riverbanks Zoo and Garden. "Whether you're five or fifty, the next best thing to seeing Santa in person is seeing him in 3-D."

Santa's Polar Blast features the voices of Jonathan Winters, Ben Stein and Victoria Jackson. Cut from the full-length IMAX feature film, Santa vs. the Snowman, Santa's Polar Blast is a militant take on the traditional holiday fun-fest. Things go bad when an innocent and lovable snowman discovers Santa's Village and reaches in the workshop window to pick up a shiny, new flute. What follows is an all-out battle with the Snowman and his minions facing off against Santa and his elf army, fighting for the rights to the worldwide gift delivery franchise known as Christmas.

Stein's typically dry, familiar sense of humor gets flipped on its head as the voice of Spunky the Elf, Santa's head elf and a zealot for holiday cheer. As the big guy himself, comic icon Jonathan Winters is the sometimes loveable, sometimes crotchety voice of Santa.

The 20-minute film will play once an hour on the hour at the 3-D Adventure Theater through the month of December, in between showings of Riverbanks' longer-running 3-D movie, Bugs. During Lights Before Christmas, which runs from November 25 through December 30, Santa's Polar Blast will play every half an hour exclusively.

Lights Before Christmas celebrates its 18th year this holiday season and will open November 25 at 6:00pm when Columbia mayor Bob Coble flips the switch, officially proclaiming Riverbanks Zoo and Garden's holiday season in session. It'll snow every evening from 6:00 to 9:00pm and guests should take advantage of all the festivities in addition to enjoying the twinkling lights decorating the entire Zoo. Take photos with Santa at Riverbanks' Holiday Village, roast marshmallows at the Jingle Bell Bonfire, and enjoy a cup of hot cocoa in Palmetto Plaza. Don't forget to mail a letter to Santa at the Zoo's Polar Post Office. Society members receive one free visit and general admission is $5 for children and $7 for adults. Santa's Polar Blast tickets are an additional $3 and come with a pair of 3-D glasses kids can keep. Lights Before Christmas tickets can be purchased in advance online at www.riverbanks.org, by calling 803.779.8717 or at the Zoo gate.