MonsterPerfect
Good idea lost in the noise
Plustown
A lot of perfectly good film show their cards early, establish a unique premise and let the audience explore a topic at a leisurely pace, without much in terms of surprise. this film is not one of those films.
Francene Odetta
It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.
John M Joseph
A Christmas classic that never gets old. Ignore the bad animation since this was made in the 60's. A classic my kids and I enjoy every year.
zkonedog
When a televised special like this one continues to capture the hearts of children (and their nostalgic parents) year after year since 1964, it must portray an aura of "timelessness" in order to have such a long shelf-life. Well, "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" does exactly that by using the "misfits" theme to appeal to such a wide audience.For a basic plot summary, "Rudolph" sees the young reindeer with the glowing red nosed mocked for his differences and unable to "join in any reindeer games". Without any chance of joining Santa's sleigh team, Rudolph (along with fellow misfit Elf Herbie, who wants to be a dentist instead of making toys) embarks out into the wilderness himself, encountering an Abominable Snow Monster and a hearty prospector who helps him survive. Along the way, Rudolph and Herbie find themselves on the "Island of Misfit Toys", an experience that encourages both of them to return home.Because every child (whether perceived or otherwise) goes through that "ugly duckling" stage in life, the themes in this little special are indeed timeless. The children who watched it originally back in 1964 and the following years grew up, but never quite outgrew its classic holiday themes, passing it on to their own children until it now has become a holiday tradition.What also helps "Rudolph" stand apart from the rest of the holiday specials is its Claymation format. There is probably a reason why Claymation is no longer used today in Hollywood on this sort of scale, but that rarity only enhances this show's appeal.Overall, there are three holiday media events that I try not to miss each December: "It's A Wonderful Life", "Frosty the Snowman", and this "Rudolph". I can watch them with a sibling/child and introduce a new generation to the old traditions, or I can watch them by myself and rekindle those "Christmases long, long ago".
Dragoneyed363
Will there ever be a timeless holiday classic as marvelous as the claymation masterpieces of Christmases past? This is definitely my favorite "Time of the Year" movie. I believe it is usually the first one I watch, and always gets me so happy. The characters are lovable, the story is fun for everyone who watches it; I can not think of any one person who would not enjoy seeing Rudolph conquer his fears and achieve his dreams with all his friends along the way. The Yeti is a fearsome protagonist. Hermey is a great co-star and ultimately charming. Everything about this was just handled with care and love, and it shows. The songs are catchy and vivacious, the voice-overs are spot on. I can not say anything more about this movie, it speaks for itself. It is the ultimate. If you have not seen it yet, you are missing out.
Michael Sloane
While I gave Frosty the Snowman 10 out of 10 and feel it deserved it,Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer is a classic to behold and EASILY the best of the Christmas specials of the 1960's. A good place to start is Rudolph himself. Rudolph is wonderfully voiced by Billie May Richards and is an easy character to root for right from the start. We see a wonderful character progression from Rudolph being mistreated by everyone in Christmastown to him being on the run to him growing older and realizing he has to face his troubles rather than run from them and that he must go home to the big moment where Santa says "Rudolph with your nose so bright won't you guide my sleigh tonight." Rudolph's journey is just fantastic. What the producers have also done with this show is expanded on the misfit theme and added other characters not in the song to obtain a reasonable length show. There's a misfit elf and a wonderful collection of "misfit toys" on the Island of Misfit toys. I especially like the train with square wheels on its caboose. The idea for the misfit toys was bloody brilliant! And then there's the music. All the music throughout this show is wonderful. But I especially love Holly Jolly Christmas and Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer Not many people know that Holly Jolly Christmas was originally written for the purpose of being included in this show and it's still one of the best Christmas songs there is. And Burl Ives's performance of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer is far superior to the Gene Autry version of the song. Everything about Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer is wonderful and classic. I watch this show 2-3 times every December,including every Christmas Eve night. And last November I purchased the mp3 Versions of Burl Ives Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer and 3 mp3 versions of Holly Jolly Christmas,including Burl Ives. Rudolph the Red Nosed is a timeless and classic Christmas special that can't be anything but 10 stars. :)
