Nonureva Really Surprised!

Gurlyndrobb While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

Lollivan It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

Quiet Muffin This movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.

MartinHafer HOOVES OF FIRE is a very pleasant little Christmas special from BBC. Oddly, however, when the DVD for this nice show was released in the US, a "special" audio track was substituted for the original voices. Instead of Ardal O'Hanlon and the rest doing the voices like they did in the original, Ben Stiller and some other Americans did the voices for track #1. Fortunately, the original sound track is included, though oddly it's #3. And, sadly, the original voice credit were all removed from this American edition! That sure seems tacky! As I had already seen this show on American television with the British/Irish voice track, I refused to listen to track #1 and stuck with the original when I watched it again tonight.The story involves Robbie the Reindeer--the son of Rudolph. Sadly, however, unlike his famous father, Robbie lacks ambition or confidence. He also is a bit lazy and doesn't see a need to keep in shape like the other reindeer who hope to pull Santa's sleigh. This mindset is made worse by Blitzen, who turns out to be a jealous jerk who hates Rudolph and by default also wants to see Robbie fail. He encourages Robbie to give up and for the first half of the film, Robbie is a loser. He doesn't recognize how sweet and stuck on him Donner is and he thinks it's impossible to be chosen so he just gives up. However, being a bit formulaic, you know that he eventually gets out of his rut, goes into training with Old Jingle (who is batty, to say the least) and ends up winning the day by the end of the film.Overall, this is a very nice kids show that adults can enjoy as well due to some decent writing and voice talents. Don't expect something of the same high quality as an Aardman production (the famous British company that also makes stop-motion shows--but of a considerably higher quality) but it still is good fun.If you liked this, two years later, a sequel, LEGENDS OF THE LOST TRIBE was made and is quite fun.

James In 1999, when Hooves Of Fire was put into production, who could've known that it would have turned out to be one of the best Christmas films ever made. From that echoing opening music, to the brilliant acting by Adral O'Hanen (Or however it's spelt), playing Robbie, "Robbie The Reindeer's" first appearance has blown away fans, not just in Britan, but all over the world.According to the narrator, the film is set in "Coldchester," which is Norther than North, where good old Santa (Father Christmas, Saint Nicolous) lives. Robbie, son of Rudolph, ("Don't EVER... say that name.") has turned up to take a position on the sleigh. At first, there is some mistaken identity ("It's a... It's a... It's a thing!"), which is soon settled ("It must be the last of some poor, endangered animal."), then re-opened ("Cool! Let's kill it!"), and then settled once more ("Call me Robbie, 'cus, I am.") And those jokes are nothing compared to some of the films other lines.This film will captivate audiences all over the world at any time of the year. A FULLY recommended Christmas comedy with a gift. Maybe you could sit down and watch it late on Christmas Eve, early on Christmas morning, after Christmas lunch, or late at night before bed. Whenever you watch it, be it Christmas, Christmas Eve, or April, you will love it.

ermyntrude I really enjoyed "Hooves of Fire", and thought the voices were an important part of the characters. With all due respect to the US cast, I agree with everyone who feels the "Americanized" version just isn't as good -- and I am an American. I was fortunate enough to see the original on Canadian TV. I have no explanation as to why some British programs get "dubbed into American". But I do I wonder if some US media and marketing people are just rather shallow, insecure, and naive about the rest of the planet, and assume everyone in America is as dumbed-down as they are. It's downright embarrassing at times. My apologies.

Templeton Moss No one ever says "hurrah" do they? You never see, "And Gene Shallit says, 'Hurrah!'" in a newspaper. Which is a shame, because it's so much fun to say. Go on try it. No one's looking. Okay, on three, ready? One...two...three. HURRAH! There, that wasn't bad, was it?Anyway, onto the actual film, it's wonderful. The story concerns Robbie (voiced by Irish comedian extraordinare Ardal O'Hanlon), the son of another famous reindeer (whose name is never uttered) who wants to be on Santa's sleigh team. Trouble is, he's lazy. In the end he gets up off his butt, defeats the evil Blitzen ("Around the World in 80 Days" star Steve Coogan) and finds love. The writing, performances, animation and everything are superb. You will find yourself laughing out loud at these reindeer and the silly things they do. But make sure you see the UK edition, because on CBS here in the States they've rerecorded the dialogue with Ben Stiller, Britney Spears, Hugh Grant and Brad Garrett and removed charming Britishisms like, "You're chucked" rather than "I'm breaking up with you."There is an important point here. Americans are obtuse about other cultures. We are so convinced that ours is the best nation out there despite never EVER having set foot off her shores. Anything foreign, we remake and redo and Americanize. This is the logic behind American versions of British comedies, Kevin Costner as Robin Hood and the decision that American primetime TV audiences wouldn't like an Irish reindeer so let's make him Derrick Zoolander instead.See the British version, I beg you. And its sequel, "Legend of the Lost Tribe."