Rudolph, le petit renne au nez rouge

Directors: Kizo Nagashima, Larry Roemer; Story: Robert May; Script: Romeo Muller; Producers: Jules Bass, Arthur Rankin

Rudolph is more then a Christmas special, it is a holiday tradition. I always look forward to the special time during the Christmas season when I can watch this. This beloved special is one of the few things that brings back my childhood. Most children today enjoy watching this as much as their parents did when they were little. On the DVD's introduction, producer Arthur Rankin states that Rudolph the Red Nosed Raindeer has been reportedly viewed by over a billion people worldwide. It is perhaps second only to The Wizzard of Oz as being the most viewed programme of all time.

Rudolph is the first of a line of Christmas specials that were produced by Rankin and Bass and written by Romeo Muller. Some of the others are: The Little Drummer Boy (1968), Frosty the Snowman (1969),and Santa Claus is Coming to Town (1970) as well as Here Comes Peter Cottontail (1971) and Puff, The Magic Dragon (1978). It is hard to imagine all these classic specials being the creation of one man. Mr. Muller is Mr. Christmas!

The origins of Rudolph the Red Nosed Raindeer stem from the song written by Johnny Marks back in the 1930's or 1940's. A Max Fleischer cartoon short was made in 1948 with Robert May creating its story. However, the Rankin and Bass Christmas special is based on the Johnny Marks song but other than that, it is all the creation of Romeo Muller. Hermey the elf, Sam the snowman, Yukon Cornelius, Claurice, the head elf are all Muller's creations. Even Rudolph's personality is created by Muller. In the 1948 cartoon Rudolph does not talk.

I have always liked Burl Ives as both a singer and an actor. His part as Sam the Snowman is my favourite by him. All the people behind the scenes doing the voices were all talented. They used stop motion animation with moving puppets just like they did with King Kong. Rudolph is a timeless classic that bring me back to the simpler time of childhood every time I watch it. I hope my small children will enjoy it to.

Briefly, this movie contains my favorite movie-flub (mistake) of all time. Did you catch this?

Early on, when Rudolph arrives at the Isle of Misfit Toys, one of the Misfits is a toy bird that can not fly (he swims).

At the end of the movie when the credits are running, an elf riding in the back of Santa's sleigh is "parachuting" the Misfit Toys to the homes below by handing each toy an umbrella and then tossing them over-board. Everyone gets an umbrella... everyone that is except the poor flightless bird. Just as the elf is about to hand the bird an umbrella, he looks at the umbrella, looks at the bird, apparently decides birds don't need umbrellas, and then tosses the poor bird overboard assumedly to his death.

Merry Xmas. :)

Sam the Snowman narrates the story of Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer. His parents, the Donners, try to hide his glowing nose but during the Reindeer Games, his fake nose falls off. He is ridiculed and kicked out of the games. Meanwhile, an elf named Hermey would rather be a dentist than making toys. He runs away and meets Rudolph. They join up with prospector Yukon Cornelius who is looking for gold and silver. They escape the Abominable Snow Monster and discover the Island of Misfit Toys.

This is a classic with two of the best Christmas songs ever; "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" and "A Holly Jolly Christmas". The stop-motion animation has an old fashion charm. It also brings to the world the Island of Misfit Toys. The only minor complaint is that Santa needs to be more jolly. He's a little judgmental on Rudolph's nose early on. It's a small point in what is an imaginative icon.

Christmas would not be the same without this wonderful story, 'Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer'. This film, narrated by talking snowman voiced by Burl Ives, is a claymation which tells Rudolph's story. It's a children's film, but it is one that adults can enjoy too because it is a cute film, and it offers nastalgic value. It also has a few classic Christmas songs; combine that with a good story and the warmth and happy ending, and you have the perfect Christmas family film. This film was one of my favourites as a child, and I still love it today. Excellent; I wish they made them more like this. I cannot fault this film in any way.

Videocraft International Limited; The General Electric Fantasy Hour; all those remarkable numbers; Romeo Muller's script; the legendary Hermey, the elf who wanted the world of dentistry rather than the magic of the North Pole; Burl Ives as the irreplacable Sam the Snowman, who tells our tale; the beautiful vocal of tones of ol' neon-nose himself, as uttered by Billie Mae Richards --- and that ultimate stop-motion animation paradise, the Island of Misfit Toys.

Any proper exploration of the Enchanted World of Arthur Rankin, Jr. and Jules Bass must begin here.... with Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer --- television's longest continuously aired animated Christmas special. It was the cornerstone of everything R/B would eventually accomplish over the next 4 decades; it did instill some negative feelings in me --- for a time. But until I read Rick Goldschmidt's recently published in-depth chronicle of this 1964 television landmark, featuring Muller's complete screenplay, I realized that there was much about the film I didn't know. How fortunate we are that Rick was able to open our eyes and set the record straight.

To the dum-dums of the Television Academy: I've bugged you about this for several years; now, more than ever, Arthur and Jules need to be there --- there being the Television Academy Hall of Fame. I hope those who still watch and enjoy Rankin/Bass' Rudolph will agree with me and bug the TV Academy into putting the boys there. 'Nuff said.