Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964)
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 Do you recall the most famous reindeer of all?
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Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is a 1964 Christmas stop-motion animated television special produced by Videocraft International, Ltd. (later known as Rankin/Bass Productions) and currently distributed by Universal Television. It first aired Sunday, December 6, 1964, on the NBC television network in the United States, and was sponsored by General Electric under the umbrella title of The General Electric Fantasy Hour. The special was based on the Johnny Marks song "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" which was itself based on the book of the same name written in 1939 by Marks' brother-in-law, Robert L. May, an advertising copywriter for the Montgomery Ward department store chain, after his employer asked him to come up with a short Christmas-themed storybook to give to customers during the holiday season.
Why It Stands Out From The Crowd
- Nicely executed story that stays faithful to the source material, mostly to the source.
- The stop-motion is incredibly appealing to look at, even by modern standards.
- All the characters are lovable and memorable.
- Catchy and heartwarming songs such as There's Always Tomorrow, We're a Couple of Misfits, Silver and Gold, and of course, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.
- Great voice acting. Billie Mae Richards was great as Rudolph, Paul Soles was great as Hermey and Burl Ives was great as the narrator, Sam the Snowman.
- It delivers plenty of good messages for kids about being different, how to embrace it and how it can be a good thing, such as when Santa recruits Rudolph to guide his sleigh in a snow storm.
- Great character development for Rudolph.
- The scenes with Santa and Mrs. Claus in the dining room and during the We Are Santa's Elves song add great comic relief.
- Many memorable quotes, such as "Why weren't you at elf practice?!", "LAAAAAAND HOOOOOOOO!!", "No kidding." and "I'M CUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUTE".
Misfit Qualities
- It could potentially be thought of as sexist, even though most likely was considered acceptable when it was first created in 1964. For instance, Donner tells his wife that she can't come with because "this is man's work". Rudolph's mother and Clarice decide to set out on their own anyway, but they are captured almost immediately. This line was cut from airings in the 1970s.
- While not a bad character at all, Santa can be kind of a jerk sometimes, but thankfully not directly towards Rudolph nor to some extent, anyone in general. However, he does realize his mistakes, is glad to see Rudolph return, apologizes when the group gets back and fulfills Rudolph's promise to give all the Misfit Toys homes with children.
- The Boss Elf is a bit unlikeable prior to how he treated Hermie earlier until the end where he finally accepts Hermie's desire to be accepted.
- There are some inconsistencies like how there's normally nine reindeer, but in the special only seven reindeer are shown flying Santa's sleigh.
Trivia
- According to a YouTuber named Lane, he pointed out that it went through various changes when CBS acquired the rights as shown in this video.
External Links
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer at the Internet Movie Database
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer on Rotten Tomatoes