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Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer - The Movie

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer - The Movie

List Price: $9.95
Your Price: $9.95
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A wonderful update on a timeless classic!
Review: Being a long time fan of the original "Rudolph" series that airs every Christmas, this video caught my eye with its all-star cast. I believe this movie is a great triumph for Goodtimes Entertainment! I found the animation to be superb and the songs endearing. This film pulled me in from beginning to end...I kept expecting to see the original story line, but this fresh new twist I found to be very contemporary by today's standards. John Goodman and Whoppi Goldberg portrayed their characters with humor and heart felt goodness. Though I must admit there is a certain level of violence invloved, but nothing shy of what one might find in a Disney movie today. I was however upset to find that the video was not recorded in Hi-Fi Stereo. The CD sound track is wonderfully mastered in Dolby stereo. I have since bought the DVD release of this film and though the special features are not on par with other DVD manufacturers, it brought the Dolby 2.0 sound I wanted to hear. It's not 5.1 DD sound, but I'm still delighted. I spoke with Goodtimes Entertainment on numerous occasions about the production of this film and they somewhat admitted they were pushed for time on its release date. The voice synch did not get polished as others have mentioned in their reviews. I still really like the movie and stand behind my comments!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A wonderful update on a timeless classic!
Review: Being a long time fan of the original "Rudolph" series that airs every Christmas, this video caught my eye with its all-star cast. I believe this movie is a great triumph for Goodtimes Entertainment! I found the animation to be superb and the songs endearing. This film pulled me in from beginning to end...I kept expecting to see the original story line, but this fresh new twist I found to be very contemporary by today's standards. John Goodman and Whoppi Goldberg portrayed their characters with humor and heart felt goodness. Though I must admit there is a certain level of violence invloved, but nothing shy of what one might find in a Disney movie today. I was however upset to find that the video was not recorded in Hi-Fi Stereo. The CD sound track is wonderfully mastered in Dolby stereo. I have since bought the DVD release of this film and though the special features are not on par with other DVD manufacturers, it brought the Dolby 2.0 sound I wanted to hear. It's not 5.1 DD sound, but I'm still delighted. I spoke with Goodtimes Entertainment on numerous occasions about the production of this film and they somewhat admitted they were pushed for time on its release date. The voice synch did not get polished as others have mentioned in their reviews. I still really like the movie and stand behind my comments!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: First don't compare, then see it for what it is
Review: I and my children really enjoyed this version of rudolph. Interestingly enough, this was the first version my children saw before the original Rudolph of so many years ago. What's wrong with a different twist almost 40 years later. Is the world suppose to stop back in 1964. Don't get me wrong I love the original Rudolph. I'm not particular to the follow up movies to it, but the original was a classic.

But this isn't the movie nor would I want it to be. This is a fresh take a new look, a new feel, and most of all just fun.
It has good messages to it and while sure I prefer my girls to see stuff like everafter and ella, there is also a place for the damsel to need saving, why because she is still strong willed, but admit it most women want to be a damsel in distress from time to time, whether its a mouse, a spider, or something more substantial. Come on its how rudolph shows he cares and is willing to go through anything for love.

now with all that said. This film is in its own right a classic, but it never got a chance to really shine because to many people compare it to something 40 years ago. Its the same fate that the new superman movie will befall, especially after reeve's death, and that is it will be forever compared to the original, no matter how good it is. All the actors who played bond after Connery have always been compared to Connery.

I just feel its sort of sad to see such an excellent film such as this be pushed to the wayside because it doesn't measure up to something it was never intended to be.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: some parts very scary for young children
Review: I expected this video to be a very enjoyable, light, happy story about Rudolph whom my children love. Instead we found a movie which has Rudolph lost at times, confronted by very scary wolves and other forest animals. One reindeer friend Zoe is imprisoned by the ice witch, Stormella, and various other things happen which are actually very scary for young (under 5) children. At one point Stormella sings a song with the refrain "I hate Santa Claus" and lights a fire in the chimney so Santa is set on fire! The movie ends with a happy ending but I think some parents will be surprised and dismayed at the overall negative storyline which is very unexpected. I would not recommend this video for under 5 year old children.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Great voices, but flawed
Review: I have very mixed feelings about this movie. My 6-yr old daughter loves it and strongly prefers it to the classic Rudolph with the abominable snowman. The voice acting is first-rate, especially Woopie Goldberg as Stormella. The story line has some improvements over the other Rudolph. In particular, Santa doesn't reject him and his parent's don't force him to cover his nose. I found many of the songs to be fun, too. I also liked the themes of courage and honor. Rudolph has much more character in this version than in the old classic.

My biggest complaint is that it lapses back into the sexist roles so common in kids videos. True, there is a feminist moment when Rudolph says to another buck (referring to his doe-friend, Zoe) "she's not a trophy. You shouldn't treat her like one!" But other than that, we're back to the damsel in distress story line. It might be picking nits to note that the reindeer in this movie look more like whitetail deer than true reindeer (this is common in christmas books and videos). Unfortunately, this confusion between deer and reindeer winds up giving us a sleigh that is pulled by an all-male team with antlers while the antler-less females stand by and admire them. Anybody who's actually seen reindeer knows that both the males and females have antlers. I would have prefered it if my little girl were watching a sleigh pulled by a pack of reindeer of both sexes. (Why couldn't Vixen, Dancer, and Dasher be girls?)

So, in the world of flawed kids videos, this one's not too bad, but with a little more thought, they could really have done better.

P.S. As with most videos, this one's not appropriate for kids under 5 (too much good-evil, scary stuff).

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Great movie for kids
Review: I rented this video for my 3-year-old twin girls (now 4) and ended up buying it a couple of days later because they just absolutely fell in love with it. I know there is some negative scenes in it but they didn't phase my kids. It's a great story and a real treat for youngsters of any age.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Not at ALL like the original!
Review: I was very disappointed when I put this in for my children ages 9 and 4. It was far too intense at times for my 4 year old and the cartoons were loud and abnoxious. This is NOT an age appropriate movie for the young - Over 5 maybe - but not a feel good movie like the original classic "Rudolph The Rednosed Raindeer". VERY disappointed

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A treat for the whole family!
Review: It's great! The actor's are great,the animation is good and the color's are pretty. I like the part when Young Zoe and Rudolf are under mistletoe. (To bad they didn't kiss!) I recamend this for kids and adult's of all age's!

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Good actors can't save this poor movie
Review: My 4 yr old son really likes this movie, but I personally can't stand it. I tend to pick cartoons apart for their animation, and this one was just terrible. The characters suffer from extreme unneeded movement, the action is barely (if at all) synchronized with the dialog, and the cartoon doesn't come anywhere close to expressing the emotion that the voice actors are trying to convey. It's almost like they finished the animation before they recorded the voices, then didn't go synch them up. It could have been better if they had taken a little more time on it.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: I don't reccomend it.
Review: Nothing can compare to the original 1964 stop motion animation Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Nothing. This movie was just "really bad" to say the least.


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