TV Special Review: Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Fun expansion of a classic Christmas song

Cons: One sub-plot too many, theme could be handled better

The Bottom Line: 

Rudolph is bullied

But learns to rise about it

Still shining today

There is Much More to Rudolph's Story Than You Ever Knew

I rounded out my viewing of Christmas classics I had missed with Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.  This was the final special in a collection I got recently in exchange for honest reviews.  I knew that the special expanded on the story in ways I wasn't familiar with.  Some work and some didn't, but overall it's a good special.

The story starts off in the way you would expect.  Rudolph (voiced by Billy Richards) is born to Donner (Paul Kligman).  There's just one problem, Rudolph has a nose that glows red.  They try to hide it from the other reindeer, but when it comes out, everyone shuns Rudolph.  Even Santa thinks Rudolph is flawed.

Meanwhile, we meet Hermey (Paul Soles), an elf that doesn't want to make toys.  He wants to be, gasp, a dentist.  After making a mess of things one too many times, Hermey heads out, where he meets up with Rudolph.  The two decide to run away together, but soon meet up with Yukon Cornelius (Larry Mann), a prospector.  Can they find a way to survive while avoiding the Abominable Snow Monster?

Obviously, if you are going to turn a two minute song into a 50 minute special, you are going to have to expand on the story.  Most of that works well.  Hermey and his parallel journey to Rudolph's allows for the moral of the story to be reinforced.  Yukon adds some much needed fun to the second half of the story.

On the other hand, I'm still trying to figure out why the Island of Misfit Toys appears.  Yes, it provides some nice gags, but their story is never really paid off.  The Abominable Snow Monster ties into the theme a bit more, but he could easily frighten the main audience of young kids.

The only name in the cast I recognized is Burl Ives.  He narrates as Sam the Snowman and sings a few songs, which is a real treat.  The rest of the songs were pretty bland to me.  On the other hand, the cast is great at bringing life to their Claymation characters.

Claymation isn't my favorite form of animation, and the usual herky jerky movements are here.  It's well done although not as polished as other versions of the media I have seen have been.

Which brings us to the moral of the story.  With all the talk about bullying in the news right now, it amazes me to see something with that as the main theme written almost 40 years ago.  Just proves that there is nothing new in our society today after all, doesn't it?  You can really see this piece as a dual message.  If you are being bullied, remember that you are special and the others don't know what they are talking about.  Bullies need to remember the same thing; there is something special in every one.

What bugs me a bit in this piece is that everyone but our heroes turns out to be a bully.  Even Santa gets into the act before seeing how Rudolph's differences might be useful.  It would be nice to have a wise adult character who expressed those sentiments early in the story.

But I'm probably over analyzing a special meant to turn a classic Christmas song into an annual family tradition.  Or here's a radical idea, talk it over with your kids yourself after you've enjoyed it.

Even with the flaws, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is a fun Christmas tale.  I can certainly see why it is still so loved today.