Another one of the things that made Chirstmas interesting is this fantasy tales that have been constructed, much like with Greek Myth it's just timeless; just as this special is. I remember seeing this Christmas special when I was about six and to this day I still watch it; it's one of my personal favorite Chistmas films.
The stop motion claymation effects are just great, to this day they hold up because they all look real, you can tell the Ralkin and Bass company really went to great lengths to make this possible, not just to give us great visuals but to also simply help tell a great story. The backgrounds are great they really construct a cold yet fascinating fantasy world where there could be anything just around the next bend. But most impressive is the character animation where everyone looks diverse from each other.
The music is great from a few of the songs from the late great folksinger Burl Ives which are memorable my favorite from him is "Holy Joly Christmas" it's just fun and energetic. Though my favorite song believe it or not is "There's always tomorrow" from the character Clarise which I think is a sweet and touching because it's a song about hope.
The characters are great, the protagonists each I feel are sympathetic because they have one think in common their outsiders and they have a dream. Herbie the Elf is one that wants to be a dentist, I really don't see what the problem is health for your teeth is important but I guess in the north pole they don't take it seriously.
Yukon Cornelous whom is a fun character, he's tough, ambitious, has a keen sense of taste as he licks his pick Ax to detect minerals of value, but also indecisive as he always can't decide whether he wants gold or silver; which is something I can sometimes emphasize with since I'm a little indecisive sometimes.
But of course the main character Rudolf is the one that is the most sympathetic of the bunch since his character throughout the film is getting crap canned left and right all because of his nose. Man, I still want to kick Fireball ass, just take his antlers and knee him in the face. Sorry that sounded extreme but after the crap he gave Rudolf for his nose, will push anyone over the edge.
Prejudice is a revolving theme throughout the film, as the characters go to a place full of Misfit toys whom are all labeled that because each of these typical conventional toys all have one feature that makes them different. I personally don't think are bad toys at all, I'd play with those toys. I'll admit this fact just made me feel sad for Rudolf, Herbie, and those toys all the more; being banished because your different isn't right. Personally I've always believed that differences exist because there is a reason for them, and this of course is the pay off in the end.
The film has a good anti prejudice message, about accepting people for who they are no matter their differences. But also that just because something is different doesn't mean it's bad.
Rudolf lit up our hearts and still shines bright to this day.
Rating: 4 stars
