Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July

Feature-length spectacle that combines elements from previous Rankin/Bass specials (Rudolph, Frosty & wife Crystal, Santa & Mrs. Claus). Also adds an overcomplicated story and dark atmosphere. In addition to the familiar characters, we get new ones. An evil wizard named Winterbolt (who is accompanied by the creepiest music from any of the Rankin/Bass specials), good witch Lady Boreal, ice cream man Milton, Lily and Laine Loraine, Scratcher the evil reindeer, and the mega-scary Genie of the Ice Scepter.

The story is about Winterbolt awakening from a deep sleep he was put into by Lady Boreal. She put her power into Rudolph's nose, which will stop glowing if it is used for evil. So Winterbolt plans to destroy Rudolph and reclaim the North Pole from Santa. That's just scratching the surface, folks, and it already seems like a very involved plot. The reason why I called it "The Movie" is because it reminds me of when a television cartoon series would put out a theatrical film. It has lots of familiar characters though they're not quite the same, plus tons of new characters that are hit or miss, and a new plot that is a bit much for what should be a simple show. Also, and I'm not sure on this but it was my impression, the budget on this seemed higher than other specials. Lots of flashier effects, particularly for the Winterbolt scenes, and added sound effects that you don't usually hear in a Christmas special. Maybe this was their attempt to make something the Star Wars generation would enjoy.

The creepiest and most interesting scenes involve Winterbolt and his lair. So dark and spooky with weird music and sound effects. Those dragons! Beyond this, the rest of the film has little to recommend except for the curiosity factor. It doesn't have as much warmth and heart as the more popular Rankin/Bass specials. Why are Frosty and his family all decked out in orange? I never got that. Anyway, the voicework is fine but the new songs are weak. Animation is excellent, of course. I would recommend if you are Rankin/Bass fan you check it out but if you're a parent looking to share it with your kids, I would watch it first by yourself to decide. Because it's pretty dark in tone and Winterbolt is just oozing evil.

I adore holiday specials, How the Grinch Stole Christmas and Santa Claus is Comin' to Town, you name it. Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer and Frosty the Snowman as far as I am concerned are both timeless yuletide classics.

So it was a joy to see both title characters in the same special, which is exactly what we have here with Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July.

For me, the only drawbacks to Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July are the length and some of the plot twists. At just over an hour and a half, the special does feel a little too long, anywhere around an hour to seventy five minutes would have been more sufficient. Also, while the idea of the story is great, started off really well and remained interesting, there are a few too many plot twists that makes the storytelling a tad convoluted.

However, Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July is a very enjoyable and re-watchable special. The animation is unique and holds up very nicely. The characters are all very well modelled and the backgrounds are meticulously detailed.

The special also contains some fun and well-written songs, my favourite being Ethel Merman's nifty little number. The writing is engaging, humorous and easy to remember, and all the characters are fun and add a lot to the movie, Winterbolt especially is a wonderful villain.

Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July has a very talented vocal cast, every one of whom gives their all here. Billie Mae Richards and Jackie Vernan do great jobs as the title characters, and Ethel Merman, Shelley Winters, Mickey Rooney and Red Buttons bring a pleasing shine to their characters and material and also to the special in general. The standout is Paul Frees in my opinion, who is just wonderful as Winterbolt.

In conclusion, overlong but never less than enjoyable. 8/10 Bethany Cox

In the 1960s and into the very early 70s, Rankin-Bass made some amazingly timeless and lovely Christmas specials that rank among the best of the children's specials of the holiday season. However, despite this (or perhaps because of this), Rankin-Bass returned with another stop-motion film which brought back many of the original voices from these specials (such as Mickey Rooney from "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" and "The Year Without a Santa Claus", Jackie Vernon from the "Frosty the Snowman" cartoon, and Billy Mae Richards from "Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer"). The problem is that the company had not only made these classic specials but quite a few lesser ones in between...and now it just seems like they've run out of ideas. After all, this is set in July....and it just seems weird!

Although I dislike this film, I should take time to talk about what I actually liked. The stop-motion is really good....much smoother than the older installments. It also was nice how they brought back so many of the old voices...either as the original characters or as new ones (such as Paul Frees playing a NEW bad guy in this one even though he appeared as the evil Burgermesiter in "Santa Claus is Coming to Town").

Apart from these things, I honestly cannot think of any reason to have made this other than money. As for watching it, it likely will confuse kids and the plot is convoluted to say the least. This entire film just seems like a lovely looking and sounding desperate retread...which is exactly what it is. Overall, not a terrible film...but an unnecessary one!

If you're a Ranken and Bass fan like I am, then you're bound to enjoy this one! As soon as Halloween wraps up, it seems as though Im waiting around with my Tivo at the ready to record each and every R/B stop-motion holiday special. "Christmas in July" is the longest of the group, running at an hour and a half, and was one of the last produced. Sure, its a little ridiculous in that its a Holiday plot in the middle of the summer, but its fun-filled reunion-ensemble show! And it has one of the best R/B villains: Winterbolt. This special is a personal favorite of mine! Anyone who cant enjoy it is either a Scrooge, or not appreciative of the lost art of stop-motion film-making.

I truly believe that most of the negative reviews are just a result of people jumping on the bandwagon about "the Rankin and Bass special we're not supposed to like." One might ask then, why did it "flop" at the box office? It sounds like it was very poor marketing to have released it in July. Just because the story was set in July does not change the fact that it is a Christmas story in every sense of the word and should be shown at Christmas time. That was a tactical error which caused it to fail, obtain a bad reputation, and now everyone just agrees that it's bad without thinking for themselves. Judged on its content, it's a great story and the complaints against it make little sense. For one thing, it's a major mistake to compare this to the earlier Rankin and Bass specials, as if this movie was somehow made to be in competition with them. It was obviously created to complement them and it does an excellent job of it. Secondly, it is a delightful, heartwarming movie that anyone with a soul should enjoy. Thirdly, the movie does a very clever job of incorporating the many favorite Rankin and Bass specials together and reinforces the idea that it is all in one universe. It provides closure to many aspects of the specials, such as Frosty and Crystal's life and family together, their ongoing friendship with their former advisory Jack Frost, Rudolph's origin, and many other details. It even subtly explains Santa's more idiosyncratic behavior in past specials, such as his grumpiness in Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer and self-pity in Year Without A Santa Clause. He says to Mrs. Santa Clause, "I'm not the easiest man to get along with" and she says, "Only when it gets close to Christmas Eve." It's really a very significant special and it's a shame that it's lost on some. So, folks, watch this delightful Christmas movie, don't be influenced by the hate that others have directed towards it, avoid holding it to crazy standards that no other fantasy movie would be held to, just lighten up, sit back, and enjoy Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July with an open mind and a happy heart.