Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer

Rating:
Summary: One of the BEST Family Oriented Films EVER MADE!
Review: Who doesn't knoww this film? (Actually there are quite a few people who I have met who have NEVER seen this! ) I am shocked when I find people who have NEVER know the story about the Reindeer with red nose, the Dentist Elf, the carzy prospector who looks for Silver and Gold, but ends up with a Peppermint Mine (It is in the NEW Director's Cut Edition), the Abominable "Bumble" Snow Monster of the North, the Island of Misfit Toys, the Skinny Santa Claus, it's all here! This is the stuff that dreams are made of! This story, along with EVERY other GREAT Christmas film (excluding the Grinch) was written by one GREAT man, Mr. Romeo Muller. He also wrote the Puff the Magic Dragon series and several other films as well. You can not go wrong with this man's GREAT work! The man was a genius who REALLY understood children! If you have earlier editions of this movie buy this Golden Books edition, because it has over 5 minutes of footage not seen since 1964, when it originally aired. (There is even stuff in this tape that was NOT shown on CBS in the publisised restored edition that has aired for the last 2 years.) If you have seen this movie, buy this version, if you have never seen this movie, I suggest that you buy it as well! I grew up on this story as a child! I watched it all year round and you and your children will too, with no doubt.

Rating:
Summary: Amazing Storytelling and Fun For The Whole Family
Review: Do you recall the most famous Raindeer of all? In 1964 Author Rankin Jr., and Jules Bass created a "Claymation" production that involved, puppets, magic, music and great storytelling.

Based on the classic Johnny Marks (Ballad of Yogi Bear) song the story tells the tale of the young Reindeer who grew up a little different from everyone else. And in the process makes some great new friends who are all different and have their own special abilities.

Together they learn, friendship, teamwork and love and the real importnace of Christmas and the Christmas spirit. Amazingly charming and fun for the adults and the kids will laugh and cry and feel good about themselves knowing that being diffrent is often better then being like everyone else.

Burl Ives (The Ewok Adventure, Roots, Day in An Outlaw) does the incredible narration and even sings the second signature song in this classic "Silver and GOld". A wonderful ballad. Billie Mae Richards (Care Bears, Spiderman) is the voice of Rudolf herself. Stan Francis (Spiderman) is the voice of Santa and Larry D. Mann (Columbo, Oliver Twist)is the voice of Yukon Cornelious.

The DVD Extra's include behind the scenes storyboards, pencil tests and pictures of the original creators. There is also a deleted song that was not included in the original broadcast but added later in some versions. Rudolph trivia game.

This is a great DVD for the whole family and fun to watch EVERY Holiday season. You can't help humming the song even after the show is over. (12-11-03)

Rating:
Summary: THE BEST CLASSIC FOR CHRISTMAS!!!
Review: It took a year to put together,- each puppet, "Three Dimensional Object" cost $5.000,- over 100 technicians and craftsmen and a cost of $500.000 and the end result was a masterpiece. This is truly one of the BEST HOLIDAY films going. It's full of charm, love, adventure, and a meaning of friendship that only can come from a show like this. For me the memories come flooding back. I can remember the first time I saw this classic back in 1964, it was on "General Electric Fantasy Hour" at 5:30 to 6:30 on Sunday night on NBC. I remember running up to my room to watch it on my little black and white television. I never miss it. This DVD is a must for every home. The holidays just won't be the same without it.
Air dates for the 60's are as follows:
12/6/64 Sunday, 5:30 - 6:30 NBC
12/5/65 Sunday, 5:30 - 6:30 NBC
12/4/66 Sunday, 5:30 - 6:30 NBC
12/8/67 Friday, 7:30 - 8:30 NBC
12/6/68 Friday, 7:30 - 8:30 NBC
12/5/69 Sunday, 7:30 - 8:30 NBC

Rating:
Summary: More Reindeer Games!
Review: Do you recall the most famous reindeer of all? Sam the Snowman does (voiced by the unforgettable Burl Ives) and he tells us the unknown story behind the legendary "Rudolph Song": When the other reindeer won't let him play in all the reindeer games, rejected, red-nosed Rudolph goes on a quest to find himself. He meets up with another misfit, Herbie the Elf, who leaves Santa's reknown toymaking elves to pursue his life-long career in dentistry ("You wanna be a what? "). Together with the help of the affible gold miner, Yukon Cornelius (who's on his own quest to track down the Bumble - that's the Abominable Snow Monster to you and me) they find the island home of the Misfit Toys who just want to be loved (hey, before there was "Toy Story," there was the Island of Misfit Toys. ) Rudolph and friends return to the North Pole in time to find a frantic Santa ready to cancel Christmas on account of a blustery storm. But Rudolph's "shiny nose, so bright" helps Santa guide his sleigh through the fog...and rest, as Sam the Snowman says, goes down in his-tor-y.

Christmas just ain't Christmas without watching RUDOLPH, THE RED-NOSED REINDEER. This is my favorate Holiday cartoon (closely tied with Santa Clause is Coming To Town). This stop-motion animation classic paved the way for more recent animators like Tim Burton to flesh out the medium, so to speak. But nothing touches the heart and soul of Christmas like this story does. I'll admit it, I still wait for it to come on every year just so I can sing along and hear some of my favorate lines again: "I'm cuuuute. She said I'm cuuuute!" , "Bumbles bounce!" and "Eat. No one likes a skinny Santa" to name just a few. Am I glad it's out on DVD? Yes! But, as always I wish, wish, wish that there could be some extras included. Even just a little making of featurette. Ah well, at least now I can pop in my favorate holly, jolly Christmas special anytime I want. So when you are feeling in the mood to play some reindeer games, pop in this DVD and have at it.

Rating:
Summary: Great Christmas TV Special
Review: A Great Christmas TV special.Great songs and Great story.One of the best scenes is with the song "There's Always Tommorow" is romantic with the animals singing.

Rating:
Summary: Amazing Storytelling and Fun For The Whole Family
Review: Do you recall the most famous Raindeer of all? In 1964 Author Rankin Jr., and Jules Bass created a "Claymation" production that involved, puppets, magic, music and great storytelling.

Based on the classic Johnny Marks (Ballad of Yogi Bear) song the story tells the tale of the young Reindeer who grew up a little different from everyone else. And in the process makes some great new friends who are all different and have their own special abilities.

Together they learn, friendship, teamwork and love and the real importnace of Christmas and the Christmas spirit. Amazingly charming and fun for the adults and the kids will laugh and cry and feel good about themselves knowing that being diffrent is often better then being like everyone else.

Burl Ives (The Ewok Adventure, Roots, Day in An Outlaw) does the incredible narration and even sings the second signature song in this classic "Silver and GOld". A wonderful ballad. Billie Mae Richards (Care Bears, Spiderman) is the voice of Rudolf herself. Stan Francis (Spiderman) is the voice of Santa and Larry D. Mann (Columbo, Oliver Twist)is the voice of Yukon Cornelious.

The DVD Extra's include behind the scenes storyboards, pencil tests and pictures of the original creators. There is also a deleted song that was not included in the original broadcast but added later in some versions. Rudolph trivia game.

This is a great DVD for the whole family and fun to watch EVERY Holiday season. You can't help humming the song even after the show is over. (12-11-03)

Rating:
Summary: Great Christmas TV Special
Review: A Great Christmas TV special.Great songs and Great story.One of the best scenes is with the song "There's Always Tommorow" is romantic with the animals singing.

Rating:
Summary: THE BEST CLASSIC FOR CHRISTMAS!!!
Review: It took a year to put together,- each puppet, "Three Dimensional Object" cost $5.000,- over 100 technicians and craftsmen and a cost of $500.000 and the end result was a masterpiece. This is truly one of the BEST HOLIDAY films going. It's full of charm, love, adventure, and a meaning of friendship that only can come from a show like this. For me the memories come flooding back. I can remember the first time I saw this classic back in 1964, it was on "General Electric Fantasy Hour" at 5:30 to 6:30 on Sunday night on NBC. I remember running up to my room to watch it on my little black and white television. I never miss it. This DVD is a must for every home. The holidays just won't be the same without it.
Air dates for the 60's are as follows:
12/6/64 Sunday, 5:30 - 6:30 NBC
12/5/65 Sunday, 5:30 - 6:30 NBC
12/4/66 Sunday, 5:30 - 6:30 NBC
12/8/67 Friday, 7:30 - 8:30 NBC
12/6/68 Friday, 7:30 - 8:30 NBC
12/5/69 Sunday, 7:30 - 8:30 NBC

Rating:
Summary: Animatic Classic
Review: My wife returned from some Christmas shopping w/ the Rudolph / Frosty / Santa Clause is Coming to Town 3 DVD pack. While I had hoped The Year w/out a Santa Clause was among them so I could see the boys again [Heat Miser and Snow Miser] this collection supplements its cousin nicely. Both in our mid-30's there is something comforting about watching Rudolph and remembering your childhood and past Christmases where the family would gather on the day this was being broadcast and enjoy Burl Ives plowing about as the nattily dressed snowman narrator. Approached w/ an adult sensibility, one really sees how disparaging if not outright cruel the mocking was on Rudolph and to a lesser extend Hermey. The misfit toys solicit 'aww's as usual and we actually found ourselves rooting for the ultimate misfit, that poor prisoner of his station, the bumbling abominable snowman. That toothy visage was actually scary once upon a time. Rudolph's personal journey and eventual transformation to hero is handled deftly and will appeal to people across the age range. The songs and feeling of nostalgia definitely make for a feel-good holiday viewing.

Rating:
Summary: Bumble Up!
Review: Okay, so the movements of the characters look a bit awkward sometimes, and the dialogue rarely matched the lip movements. Oh yes, let's not forget the occasional not-so-synchronized sound effect or two. Big deal. Despite these quirks, the Rankin-Bass stop-motion classic "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" is always on my short list of Yuletide chestnuts to watch each and every holiday season. And this is from a guy who usually can't stand musical productions! I guess it's just due to the holiday spirit somehow managing to weave its way through that labyrinthine façade of jadedness I've built up over the course of the rest of the year, and warmin' up that black little heart of mine, encouragin' me to enjoy such corny numbers as "Why am I Such a Misfit?", "We Are Santa's Elves", and "Island of Misfit Toys". I'm still not hip to "There's Always Tomorrow", though. Oh well, ya can't please everybody alla' the time...

Actually, the main reason I catch this classic bit o' stop-motion 'toonage each year is for the chance to see my fave character on the show. It's not Rudolph, nor is it Hermey, the elf with aspirations of becoming a dentist. Neither is it Santa Claus, King Moonracer, or the pick-pokin' prospector Yukon Cornelius. Nope, my fave "Rudolph" character is... Bumble, the dentally-challenged abominable snow monster. Hey, what can I say-- he's gotta be the most adorable-lookin' "heavy" ever cast in a Christmas special! Oh man, did I just use the word "adorable"?! I think that sound I hear is the revocation of my "Macho Men Club of America" membership...

Anyhoo-- aside from the show itself, this platter has a couple extra features, none of which are particularly extensive. Included among the sideshow fluff is the "Fortune and Fame" song that temporarily replaced Rudolph & Hermey's "Misfits" duet following their self-imposed exile from Christmas Town. After watching this piece, I found myself glad this DVD's producers decided to put it off to the side, and keep the original song in place. Also thrown in is the original TV spot for the show, which harkens back to the days when an entire hour of prime-time network TV programming was sponsored by some corporation or another, and was referred to as the "(Name of Corporation) Adventure Hour", or something of the like. Apparently the corporations found it less than cost-effective to advertise their names on an entire hour of tube programming in the ensuing years following the original broadcast of this show, and decided to try their hands at stickin' logos on sports stadiums and arenas...

Oops, almost forgot: also included is the Spanish-language rendition of the show, and a ten-minute-long "fireside" monologue with co-producer Arthur Rankin, who talks about the significance and symbolism of Rudolph's adventure, as well as a few technical details regarding stop-motion animation. Although I was aware that one of the show's production designers was Paul Coker (I recognized his style right away after I became a regular reader of MAD magazine), I was not aware that fellow MAD artist Jack Davis also had some input on the looks of the characters. I guess his influence was subtler, hmm? I was also kinda wowed to discover that the stop-motion animation work was done in Japan! Does this mean that, technically, "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" is anime? It would definitely explain why Rudolph and the other reindeer have those big ol' eyeballs...

'Late