Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July

I guess the highlight of this feature film is that we finally get to see Frosty the Snowman in Rankin/Bass's trademark stop-motion puppet-animation process, Animagic! Now, don't get me wrong, the original TV specials "Frosty the Snowman" and the sequel "Frosty's Winter Wonderland" were great but I think we all wish that they were done in puppet-animation like Rudolph, Jack Frost and Santa Claus. Unfortunately, that may be one of the only highlights of this film.

At a running time of over 95 minutes, there is very little to keep the story rolling. There is also an over abundance of non-sensical plot twists and flashbacks that even I found confusing, let alone the children this movie was targeted for. And unless your child is a fan of showtunes (and c'mon what child isn't?), then the songs which appear every few minutes will most likely bore them.

The plot concerns the evil King Winterbolt who was put into a long deep sleep by the magical Lady Boreal. Upon awakening, he finds there is a new king of the North Pole named Santa Claus, and decides to make him get lost in a blizzard courtesy of his snow-breathing dragons so that he may once again rule the North Pole with his evil ways. The only problem is Rudolph's nose, which he decides must be extinguished for his plans to be carried out. In one of the many flashback sequences we learn that Rudolph's shiny red nose which came from the magic of Lady Boreal, will go out if it is ever used for bad purposes, even once.

King Winterbolt decides to offer Frosty and his family magic emulets that will allow them to visit the great 4th of July Circus by the Sea without melting, but only until the "Final Fireworks Fade on the Fourth". Santa Claus agrees to pick them all up when the fireworks end and whisk them back to the North Pole before the Frosty and his wife and two children are turned into puddles of water.

But, Winterbolt's snow breathing dragons whisk up a storm to keep Santa and Mrs. Claus from reaching the circus in time. Meanwhile, Winterbolt gets some help from a mean-spirited reindeer named Scratcher, and the two decide to use their sneaky ways to blackmail Rudolph into using his nose for bad.

If this seems confusing, imagine actually watching this film or better yet, imagine a child watching this film! Like many of R/B's later efforts, this one is rooted more in the magic and mystical style of "Life and Adventures of Santa Claus" than the fairytale-ish style of "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer".

There are some crazy songs which I found very amusing, like "Don't Let The Parade Pass You By" which is sung by Ethel Merman in her crazy style. There are also some special guest stars including Jack Frost from "Jack Frost" and Big Ben the whale from "Rudolph's Shiny New Year". In fact, there are a lot of nice touches and this film with the three biggest stars of Christmas could have been really good, if only the writing were better, some of the songs were scrapped and the running time was shortened.

If you are a fan of Rankin/Bass's work, you will not want to miss this one although you most likely will have trouble getting your kids to sit through the whole thing with you.

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.

COME ON!!!!!! How do you get confused just because frosty is now a puppet, big deal. This is just like the people who need the godfathers to be played in order. The singing in this movie is plentiful, original, but gets annoying. The story line is very different and extravagant (as all Rankin Bass films are). The film is very rare and is a small treat to watch because you'll most likely never find someone who's seen it. It was kind of cheap how they tried to make a bang of the success of the original character's movies and tie them together, but if people didn't do that we wouldn't have any James Bond Films. All in all you should at least give it a look especially if you have kids that you can watch it with.

May I ask you how old is Rudolph? Is he supposed to be an adult or a kid because I think Rudolph has to be the strangest character with a mysterious age. This story changes from one topic to the other. First we see that Rudolph's nose goes out,then Winterbolt's story, the origin of Rudolph, and all the way back to Rudolph's nose. They also have Christmas topics and July topics at the same time. Another thing, why are Frosty and his family the same size as smurfs because Frosty's short comparing to some other characters.

If Winterbolt wants children to love him better than Santa, then why couldn't he kidnap Rudolph and force him to guide him instead of trying to extinguish his nose. It would be easier for Winterbolt's plan to succeed in his goal. That should of been something Winterbolt tried to do. Winterbolt's Genie of the Ice Sceptor seems to be smarter than he is because he comes up with all the ideas and not him. I think Winterbolt's nothing without the Genie of the Ice Sceptor. When Rudolph defeated the snow dragons that Christmas Eve, Winterbolt did nothing to stop him.

My favorite part of the movie is Scratcher because he's funny and he's deformed. Won't people find it strange seeing a talking reindeer, live snowmen, and a warlock with snakes for a sleigh team because I do. I love this movie but some of the things make no sense or switching one plot to the other.

.......7/10..........

The King of the North Pole, Winterbolt, ruled ruthlessly with his Ice Scepter. Lady Borealis casts a spell putting him to sleep for many winters. Santa Claus arrives to built his toy factory. Borealis fades and Winterbolt wakes. He aims to get rid of Santa Claus by stopping him from delivering his toys. Borealis leaves her last magic onto the nose of baby Rudolph the reindeer. With Rudolph, Santa is able to defeat the fog laid down by Winterbolt's Snow Dragons. Winterbolt has an elaborate plan to lure Rudolph out of the north and extinguish his magic nose. Ice cream man Milton arrives on his balloon who convinces Rudolph and Frosty to go save the circus. Milton is in love with circus owner Lily Loraine's daughter Lainie. Winterbolt gives amulets to keep the Frosty family from melting until 4th of July ends. Winterbolt sends sneaky reindeer Scratcher south to lead Rudolph astray.

This is a mashup of the Christmas characters from a few different specials. I don't like the circus idea or a lot of the convoluted story. I wish the story is simpler and more natural. I do like Rudolph's dilemma. It is a touching moment. In the end, this is Rudolph and Frosty together. It's good family fun over the holidays.