Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964)
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A young reindeer with a glowing red nose must find his place in the world and lead Santa's sleigh during a winter storm.
The story
Donner, Santa Claus’ lead reindeer and his wife are surprised to find out their new fawn, Rudolph, has a glowing red nose. Donner attempts to first cover Rudolph's nose with mud and later uses a prosthetic nose so Rudolph will fit in with the other reindeer. The following spring, Rudolph goes to the reindeer games where the new fawns learn to fly and are scouted by Santa for future sleigh duty. Rudolph meets a doe named Clarice, who tells him he is cute, making Rudolph fly. While celebrating with the other bucks, Rudolph's prosthetic pops off, causing the other reindeer to mock him and Coach Comet to expel him.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
After being expelled from the reindeer games, Rudolph meets Hermey, a misfit elf who wants to be a dentist, and Yukon Cornelius, a prospector. The trio escapes the Abominable Snow Monster and land on the Island of Misfit Toys, where they meet King Moonracer. Rudolph leaves the others to find his way home, and later, the group reunites to rescue him from the monster's cave. After a series of adventures, including Yukon taming the Abominable Snow Monster, the group returns home. On Christmas Eve, a massive snowstorm threatens to stop Santa's delivery, but Rudolph's glowing nose provides the light needed to navigate the storm. Rudolph leads the sleigh, making a stop at the Island of Misfit Toys to pick up the abandoned toys for delivery.
- First release year
- 1964
- Runtime (minutes)
- 52
- Production countries
- United States; United Kingdom
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Larry Roemer
- Writers
- Romeo Muller · writer
- Cast and characters
- Burl Ives · Sam the Snowman; Larry Mann · Yukon Cornelius; Billie Mae Richards · Rudolph; Paul Soles · Hermey the Elf; Stan Francis · Santa Claus, King Moonracer; Alfie Scopp · Fireball, Charlie-in-the-Box, Various male elves (speaking voices), Various male reindeer; Janis Orenstein · Clarice; Paul Kligman · Mr. Donner, Coach Comet
- Genres
- Christmas; Family; Comedy; Musical
- Themes
- Acceptance of difference; Overcoming prejudice
- Tone and mood
- Whimsical; Heartwarming
- Setting
- A winter wonderland and the Island of Misfit Toys during the Christmas season.
- Premise and plot tags
- Stop-motion; Holiday; Fantasy
- Source material / true-story basis
- The 1949 Johnny Marks song 'Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer' based on a 1939 poem by Robert L. May.
- Franchise connections
- Rankin/Bass Holiday Specials
- Reception
- The special was initially met with a positive reception from critics and has become widely popular among both young children and adults, often regarded as one of the best Christmas films ever made.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 9.37 · scale: 10
- Production trivia
- The special features an invalid copyright notice listing the year as 1164.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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