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In 1995, having taken an interest in Parker and Stone's film Cannibal! The MusicalCannibal! The Musical is a student film directed by the future creator of South Park Trey Parker, while studying at the University of Colorado at Boulder. A black comedy, it is (loosely) based on the true story of Alferd Packer, America's only convicted c after its appearance at the Sundance Film FestivalThe Sundance Film Festival is arguably now the leading film festival in the United States, and ranks amongst the top five events of its type in the world. Held annually in Park City as well as Salt Lake City, Utah the festival is the premiere showcase for, Fox Network televisionSee TV (disambiguation) for other uses and Television (band) for the rock band Television is a telecommunication system for broadcasting and receiving moving pictures and sound over a distance. The term has come to refer to all the aspects of television p executive Brian Graden paid them $2000 to make another animated short as a videoVideo is the technology of processing electronic signals representing moving pictures. A major application of video technology is television, but it is also widely used in engineering, scientific, manufacturing, and security applications. Other uses of vi Christmas cardA Christmas card is a greeting card that is decorated in a manner that celebrates Christmas. Typical content ranges from truly Christian symbols such as Nativity scenes and the Star of Bethlehem to purely secular references, sometimes humorous, to seasona he could send to friends. In turn, the duo created The Spirit of Christmas, where Jesus Christ and Santa ClausFor places in the United States with this name, please see Santa Claus (disambiguation). Santa Claus (also known as Father Christmas Saint Nicholas or Saint Nick is the American, Latin American, and British variant of the European folk myth of Saint Nicho square off over the true meaning of the holiday, only to be reconciled by Brian Boitano and the four boys who would later be the stars of South Park. The film reportedly had a budget of $750, with Parker and Stone keeping the rest of their commission.
Graden initially distributed the video to 80 friends in December 1995. After months of being passed around on bootleg video and the Internet, the film caught the attention of cable television network Comedy Central. The network hired the pair to develop South Park, which premiered in the USA on August 13, 1997.