While created nearly 60 years ago, “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” remains a timeless classic. The magic that Rankin/Bass Production puts into the animation is still impressive to this day. But also a Christmas animated film that still captivates you, no matter your age. I absolutely love this animated Christmas film and it’s definitely a holiday film for those with the Christmas spirit, should watch every year!
Purchase “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” on Amazon
TITLE: Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
FILM YEAR: 1964
DURATION: 53 Minutes
COMPANY: Universal Pictures Home Entertainment
Directed by Larry Roemer
Written by Romeo Muller
Story by Robert May
Song by Johnny Marks
Produced by Jules Bass, Arthur Rankin Jr.
Music by Jules Bass, Maury Laws
Production Design by Paul Coker Jr.
Starring:
Burl Ives as Sam the Snowman
Billie Mae Richards as Rudolph
Paul Soles as Hermey
Larry D. Mann as Yukon Cornelius
Stan Francis as Santa Claus/King Moonracer
Paul Kligman as Donner/Clarice’s Father/Comet
Janis Orenstein as Clarice
Alfie Scopp as Charlie-in-the Box
Carl Banas as Head Elf
Corinne Conley as Doll
Peg Dixon as Mrs. Donner/Mrs. Claus
Have a holly jolly Christmas with the most famous reindeer of all in the original holiday special, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer! After being told he could not play in any Reindeer Games due to his glowing nose, Rudolph sets out on a fantastic journey where he meets Hermey the elf, prospector Yukon Cornelius and a host of Misfit Toys, all while trying to hide from the Abominable Snow Monster. It’s a race against time as his family and Clarice try to find him during a big snowstorm that threatens to cancel Christmas. Based on the timeless story and song, the Rankin/Bass production of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer features groundbreaking “Animagic” stop-motion animation, narration by Burl Ives and unforgettable songs including “A Holly Jolly Christmas,” “Silver and Gold” and “We’re a Couple of Misfits”. It’s pure holiday magic for the entire family!
In 1964, a stop-motion animation titled “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” was produced. Based on Johnny Marks song of the same title (which was based on the 1939 poem by Robert L. May), the animation has aired every year on television and is a Christmas classic.
The story begins with an introduction by Sam the Snowman (voiced by Burl Ives) who tells the story of a young reindeer with a glowing red nose.
Donner’s wife has given birth to a male fawn named Rudolph (voiced by Billie Mae Richards), and to their surprise, he was born with a glowing red nose. But when Santa (voiced by Stan Francis) comes to visit and says that Rudolph would not be able to pull his sleigh if his red-nose continues through adulthood, Donner (voiced by Paul Kligman) tries to his Rudolph’s red shining nose by placing dirt over it.
A year later, Rudolph’s parents take him to meet all the other young bucks who will be trained to fly and pull Santa’s sleigh once they get older. He meets Clarice (who is attracted to him) and becomes friends with Fireball. But when they all start playing, the dirt comes off Rudolph’s nose and everyone makes fun of him. Also, he is no longer allowed to join in on any reindeer games. To make matters worse, Clarice’s father forbids her from hanging around Rudolph.
Rudolph runs away and meets an elf named Hermey who also wants to run away because his parents want him to make toys, while he prefers to become a dentist. Both consider themselves misfits and team up and run away together.
When it comes to Christmas specials on TV, myself and my siblings had the opportunity to grow up and watch classics such as “Rudolph the Red-Nose Reindeer”, “Frosty the Snowman”, “Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town”, “The Little Drummer Boy”.
And decades later, our children or grandchildren are now growing up with these animated classics.
Timeless, entertaining and family friendly, these classic stop-motion specials long with other classic animated TV specials remain to be endearing for us who grew up watching them. It’s a big part of a lot of people’s lives.
But it’s important to note that for those who watched “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” a long time ago, they may have remembered the song “Fame & Fortune” (which was used from 1965-1997), but the original 1964 “We’re a Couple of Misfits” replaced that version in 1998 and is retained today.
While created nearly 60 years ago, “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” remains a timeless classic. The magic that Rankin/Bass Production puts into the animation is still impressive to this day. But also a Christmas animated film that still captivates you, no matter your age.
I absolutely love this animated Christmas film and it’s definitely a holiday film for those with the Christmas spirit, should watch every year!
Purchase “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” on Amazon
