A neglected classic. Charming, well-made, and with nary a car chase or half-clad babe anywhere. Burl Ives' voice alone is worth the price.
Classic I must be honest, at 50, I bought this for myself. It is a classic from my childhoodCLASSIC Just like I remembered it when I was a kid. My son (11) also enjoyed it alot! The figures are still a great way to do animation.Poor and a Bore! In the prominent, well-known, and award-winning movie Rudolf the Red-nosed Reindeer, FHE, (which is) also known as Family Home Entertainment, presents the most famous cartoon of Christmas. With all of its history and fanfare one would not expect a disappointment. Incessantly and irritatingly, though, Burl Ives wrecks the film as he interrupts, dances, and sings throughout all of the key moments in the movie! Perhaps singing and dancing make for a family-friendly movie, but at what expense? Leaving this narrative without any content rating whatsoever, the producers of the film neglected also to provide any content because they were more concerned about its suitability. Rudolf the reindeer relinquished its' ratings. To be fair though, the qualities that are lacking for some must have been heavily compensated for in the eyes of others in order to receive award-winning film status. If any movie escaped having been rated less than this classic, I must have missed it. Despite its shortcomings, the film succeeds in producing a very clean and prize-achieving storyline.
As you may not be aware of, this is the story of a dumb deer, bestowed with the name of Rudolf, and who lives in a fantasy setting. As described, the narrator of the story is the talking snowman that follows Rudolf in his travels as a likeminded misfit, and consequently he gradually, and yet somehow calmly melts to death when nobody is looking. This is not revealed however. Dotting the landscape with white snow, the leitmotif weather of Christmas annoys viewers with a bland background of white snow. Within this setting appears a young deer named Rudolf with what appears to be an irritating pimple on his nose. It is so big that it looks like a cherry tomato. He tries his best to cover it with mud because it is not just an ordinary pimple. It has the magical ability to glow like a nightlight! In addition to this defect, Rudolf and all of the other young reindeer have small horns that stick out of their heads like lumps of black licorice. Now, is that not silly? This important youngling also runs away since he is made fun of and meets up with a complete stranger. This stranger is a toothless runaway elf who wants to be a dentist! And so the portrayal of Rudolf continues as he squeaks about with a high voice and a short outcast of the elf society.
Although scarcely a conflict, the storm that had arisen became so strong that it prohibited Santa from applying navigation techniques, and because he was too dumb to have his elves create a flashlight, he was just about to cancel Christmas. The storm was a blanket. Santa, (who was) previously regarded as not so bright, now fires his toothless dentist wannabe. This brings Rudolf full circle. Meeting up with this ostracized elf, Rudolf seeks a new life so he teams up with the dwarf. Along the way, these two misfits meet an ignominious, oblivious, and selfish man who licks gold for a living and whose name is Cornelius. Cornelius helps them to ward-off the Abominable Snowman. After they had pretended to escape this defenseless giant, the three characters moved on to a greater cause, leaving their past in the tumult of Global Climate Change. The world's toymaker primarily suffers however from the inability to see though a storm and he has to find a solution other than search lights and that becomes the highlight of the movie at this point in the narrative.
Rudolf finally discovers hope. Above the wreck of confusion the two absentminded teenagers, (who were) having trouble fighting, racing, and competing with the storm, finally reappeared at their homes. Santa had been patiently waiting for the two because he wanted to reward them. Surprising even the smartest critic, these two outcasts saved Christmas. The poor old Abominable Snowman that I mentioned earlier is invited to top the Christmas tree with a star. The tree had been erected as a part of the huge celebration for Rudolf, who could light the way through the storm with his nose and prevent Christmas from being cancelled. Unfortunately this version of the film shows the narrator being left outside in the lonely cold and kept out of the marvelous party. If he was upset, the poor snowman did not show it, for he actually chuckled to see the outcasts enjoy themselves before they would be put to hard labor the next day. This ends the silly adventure of the pair of lazy kids. They lived happily ever after.
Rudolf the Red-nosed Reindeer is a rather depressing film because it unfortunately had a sinister motive. Rudolf actually indoctrinates little kids. Unfortunately, Rudolf the reindeer, (who was) previously regarded as being up to no good, is a movie that seems to say O.K. to running away from home but only to return after being chased by a curious monster and a snowstorm. When I am told that this movie is a classic, I laugh because classic means different things to different individuals. Even the dramatic Gone with the Wind is regarded as a classic, but classic does not mean interesting, moral or even instructive as classic probably had been defined in the past. (The phrase, "Frankly my dear, I don't give a @#!$%^&*()_+" is considered a classic but would not have survived a normal children's cartoon.) Because of the fact that Rudolf escaped any content ratings at all disturbs me. The video jacket describes the film as being harmless and suitable for all audiences but fails to warn consumers of the possible side effects which may include drowsiness, boredom, and addiction to pain killers and even death from brain inactivity. Judging this movie personally, I will agree that it is entertaining for children, but so are the Power-Rangers, Tellie-Tubbies, and Teenaged Mutant Ninja Turtles. I personally believe that Rudolf the Red-nosed Reindeer is a poor movie that should not be placed on the shelf labeled classics.
"That's Man's Work!" I love how this movie not only tells a story but depicts the times in which it was made. The Doe stay at home in the cave while Rudolph's Dad and Santa go out and do the "Man's work" (to use his words) of searching for Rudolph. Ironically, if it hadn't been for the woman going out in search of Rudolph, all the men would have probably died. Still, I think some of the comments made were a real depiction of the mindset of the time period and it makes me laugh every time I watch it. Everytime Rudolph's Daddy says that, I look at my fiance' and (jokingly) say "That's right! You heard him! It's MAN's Work!"
A great holiday classic full of laughter, fun and adventure. And the story of Rudolph speaks to one thing in particular. Our differences make us unique but those differences don't have to be a hinderance. They can be a gift. In the hands of a powerful spirit, a weakness can be transformed into a strength.
Thanks for teaching generations of kids that very valuable lesson!
