Rating: 
Summary: There's a reason you don't remember this "classic..."
Review: Although this is a Rankin/Bass production, it certainly should not qualify as a "sequel" to any of their earlier productions. While "Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer" is a legitimate Christmas classic, replayed each season to the delight of children everywhere, this stinker must have been quickly dropped from network rotation--and for good reason! Where the original is cute, friendly, kind-hearted and straightforward, this one is dark, mean-spirited, convoluted, confusing and pointless. To make matters worse, there are continuity problems that will make children question all that they know about the story of Rudolph and Santa Claus. The storyline is completely nonsensical, with an overbearing amount of mystical mumbo-jumbo with the capacity to frighten any child. I truly cannot overstate just how bad this movie is...I hate to even give it one star. I'm just glad we checked it out from the library and didn't buy it. Oh, and did I mention it is unbearably long, too? I'm typing this review as we "watch" it, and my son just volunteered to go to bed in the middle of the movie! That pretty much sums up its appeal.
Rating: 
Summary: Christmas in July?
Review: Finally, Rudolph and Frosty come together to share top billing in a Rankin/Bass animated feature! Winterbolt, the evil creature who caused the big snowstorm on Christmas Eve that year that Rudolph saved the day, decides to get his revenge. Apparently, Rudolph's glowing nose was a magical gift, but with a catch. Winterbolt finds out that if Rudolph ever uses his glowing nose for evil, it will go out forever! While Rudolph and Frosty(and his wife and kids) try to help out a failing circus by putting on a Christmas In July theme, Winterbolt and the rotten reindeer Scratcher try to frame Rudolph.
This is one of those things that for a long time I was unsure if it was real or a dream I had...I mean, they didn't show it anywhere for a very long time, yet somehow I remembered seeing a film with Frosty and Krystal, AND two snowkids, and I remembered Rudolph was in it too, and I remembered it was in the Puppet-animation style of the classic Rankin/Bass Rudolph, yet the Frosty characters were based very much on the traditionally animated Rankin/Bass Frosty. I still don't know if I saw it at school (they used to show us Holiday Specials, don't know if that's taboo in schools nowadays...), or if I saw it at the movies, or just on TV, but I didn't think it was a dream, so when I finally saw this being run on Cable again, I was happy to finally know. The original appeal it had for me was the fact that Frosty and Rudolph were together, and he had the fam and everything too! For me that was soooo cool! It's like House of Mouse, seeing all the Disney Characters together interacting! Or like in my all time favorite film, Who Framed Roger Rabbit! I love that sort of thing. But I admit that watching it again there is one thing that turns me off of it, and that's the whole "Christmas in July" thing. Even though I love Christmas, I'm not all that into the Christmas in July idea, it's silly. I wish it had been a new story that took place at Christmas again, but it's enjoyable nonetheless. I'm not sure though, when is the proper time of year to watch this, at Christmas or in July? For me though, I think I'd enjoy it better at Christmas since the mood is meant to be Christmassy so I don't think I'd be able to get into it otherwise...
Rating: 
Summary: rankin-bass all stars reunited
Review: I am certain that someone thought this was a great idea. Let's take two classic holiday cartoons and make a long, tedious, poorly written musical cartoon out of them. There are more plot twists than a soap opera, and they are written about as convincingly. The only high point here is the appearance of Ethel Merman, doing a take-off of her famous Annie Oakley characterization. It is obvious that this project had been re-tooled over many years, as Merman's voice sounds younger, stronger and in complete control through most of the film. In the last part, you hear the age and wobble evidenced in Ethel's voice in her later years. Merman fans will love this; everyone else will snooze.
Rating: 
Summary: Nice to see a forgotten favorite...
Review: I have always wanted to find this item on DVD... and this past x-mas I did! As a prior review stated, the sound is a bit out of sync, but... I am a fan of Ethel Merman, and it is a kick to hear her sing about 4 to 5 songs... the price was nice, and it brings back good memories. It's just fun stuff, and new kids should be introduced to items which are truly classics, without all the high tech stuff!!
Rating:
Summary: Great for Rankin-Bass fans
Review: I have more to say about it at DVDtoons.com, but here's the short of it: It does run a little long, and could have certainly used some editing, but this movie is fun and rates well against the R-B TV specials. Anyone who thinks this movie is too confusing could not have been paying much attention, and I also would not say it's scary--- my 3-year old loved it (of course, it will depend on your own child's "scare threshhold"). Personally, I enjoyed the "origin" of Rudolph, found the new mythology of the characters charming, and thought Winterbolt to be a great villain. The movie gets a 7/10 from me, although the video quality could have been a little better on the disc. The lack of extras was disappointing too.
Rating:
Summary: Audio not in sync!
Review: I just purchased this DVD and I must say I am greatly disappointed!
The audio is not in sync!!!
The audio is ahead of the video by 1 to 2 seconds.
I just can't imagine how this could happen with a Warner Brothers release.
Being a huge Rankin and Bass fan this was an utter let down.
I hope this error is corrected and Warner Brothers offers some sort of exchange.
Rating:
Summary: Sweet, fun claymation, love stories and good songs
Review: I've given this video a less than perfect rating for it's misleading representation of circus life regarding animals. Many of the cute-looking animals we saw as living toys on the Island of Mis-fit Toys from the previous show were brought to life as circus performers. All the animals look content to have whips waved at them and perform uncomfortable acts... you don't see any cages, just animals that seem like they volunteered to be in the circus because it's nothing but fun. I know this is a kid's show and it wouldn't be appropriate to show what really goes on in the circus, but I wish a lot of the cheesy scenes w/ the "real" animals were just eliminated.Now that I'm off my soapbox, I have to admit this was a fun film. It wasn't the same caliber story as the original "Rudolph" movie but still highly enjoyable and a fun diversion for kids who love claymation year 'round and not just in December. The songs are sweet, but not as catchy as the originals... but the most endearing part of the video is the love story between Mr. & Mrs. Claus and the love story between Frosty & Crystal. Sweet, sweet, sweet! The storylines were made to be enjoyable by all ages, and they indeed are.
Rating:
Summary: rankin-bass all stars reunited
Review: If you are a Rankin-Bass fanatic like me, you will want to add this video to your holiday viewing schedule. While it's not perfect, the enjoyable parts outweigh the flaws. It's wonderful to see old friends like Rudolph, Frosty, Crystal (along with their two snow children), Big Ben, Jack Frost, and others all reunited. Winterbolt and his crew are without a doub the most scary of all Christmas villains and lend a chilling element to the story that adults will love, but which may be a bit too much for children. Though I do agree that it would have been even better to see Clarice, Hermie, and Yukon again too, the characters who DO appear are wonderful. I think you'll enjoy this one.
Rating:
Summary: Ultimate torture!
Review: Once again, another christmas blow-up. Ethel Merman should stick to "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, World." Her talents were wasted. Winterbolt is not scary. And neither are his henchmen. And people say the villain is scary! Please. Frosty sings like a drunk. Don't wanna hear him. Everyone sings horribly (they should stick to singing in the shower.) I think the plot wasn't that good. The movie says that Rudolph got his nose from some fairy god mother. The real answer is he was born that way. He's a freak of nature. Spend your money on something fun like roller skates with square wheels or twinkie hotdogs or something useless. I think Rankin Bass was desperate for money when they made this. The actors got tired of doing advertisements when they got the script.
Rating: 
Summary: It's Hard To Find Christmas Spirit In July - Or In This Film
Review: Originally released to theaters in July 1979, this 97-minute children's film was trimmed to 75 minutes for broadcast on ABC around Thanksgiving 1979. The DVD uses the longer version, which may not be preferable. Rankin and Bass brought back the original voice talents from the previous fifteen years of holiday specials to reprise their roles, which may provide some interest for older viewers.
In this film, the evil wizard Winterbolt learns the secret of how Rudolph got his red nose, and devises a plan to dethrone Santa by setting off a complex chain of events (complex by Rankin-Bass standards, anyway). By the end of the film, children will have to endure the following disturbing images: Santa and his sleigh trapped in a black tornado; Rudolph being blackmailed into giving up his red nose forever; and Frosty being reduced to a puddle of melted snow.
Unlike previous Rankin-Bass villains, Winterbolt is a scheming loner with no human henchmen to interact with. He spends most of the film sitting patiently in his icy lair monitoring the characters and manipulating their thoughts like an evil puppetmaster. He obviously enjoys watching the events slowly unfold before him; most younger children will not be so patient.
The Animagic version of Frosty wears a constant smile on his face, making it easier for him to hold that corn-cob pipe in his mouth. Unfortunately, this leaves him unable to express any feelings of sadness or danger. All the members of his snow family suffer from the same disorder. Santa narrates the film, but only up to the point where he becomes part of the plot. It's a shame that the film didn't use a friendly, charismatic narrator like Sam the Snowman or S.D. the Mailman in the tradition of the original holiday specials.
Technical note: the budget-priced DVD is mastered from a theatrical print, and the sound is out of sync with the picture. For that reason, along with the reasons listed above, I can recommend this only to Rankin-Bass completists. In other words, not for kids.
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