Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer - A Movie Review

You know all of Santa’s reindeer, but do you recall the most famous of all?

Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer has entertained audiences since 1964. Rudolph stands out from the other reindeer. His nose glows red. Outcast by his friends, family, and even Santa, Rudolph learns to love himself.

I have watched Rudolph almost every Christmas when it is on TV. Re-watching movies is a given. For my most recent watch of Rudolph, I found new meaning in it. Over the last year, controversy has plagued the beloved Christmas tale. Accepting yourself for who you are is one of the most beneficial lessons that anybody can learn.

Rudulph is born with a shiny red nose. All he wants is for others to accept him. I have always liked Rudulph’s positive outlook on himself. But the way others negatively bully him gives Rudolph the wrong message. Rudolph dons a message to all audiences that anyone can do anything they set their minds to.

Friendship is powerful. Feeling outcast by the elves all because he would rather be a dentist, Hermey and Rudolph become friends. I adore their friendship. Their voice actors, Billie Mae Richards and Paul Soles, remained close friends until Richards passing.

There’s an assortment of memorable characters in Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. Yukon Cornelius is a fan favorite. Clarice has become my favorite character upon my most recent viewing. She is very sweet to Rudolph. And who could forget the abominable snowman?

Voice talents for Rudolph deserve recognition. Burl Ives, Billie Mae Richards, Paul Soles, Larry D. Mann, Stan Francis, Alfie Scopp, Janis Orenstein, Paul Kligman, Carl Banas, Corinne Conley, and Peg Pixon were fantastic. Some actors played multiple parts creating different voices.

Interestingly, I never paid attention to the Island of Lost Toys until now. Apparently when the show was first released writers didn’t give a proper resolution to this subplot. It’s because of letters written from children complaining that the Island of Toys were never helped that they were given an ending.

The animation is fun and quirky. The overall design for Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer needs to be talked about more. Animators spent hours creating puppets, movements, and designing facial expressions. They were working with puppets that were palm size! I was surprised to learn this because I thought the puppets were full size.

At times, there are noticeable hitches in the animation. Rudolph is a holiday masterpiece. Decades later, the puppets of Rudolph characters were discovered in the attic of one of the animators in poor condition. Since then they have been restored and put on display in trade shows.

Viewers backlashed how characters, specifically Rudolph’s parents and Santa Claus neglected Rudolph. Even I was aghast at how Rudolph’s father happily beckoned that his son will ‘be normal’ by fixing his red nose. This is why audiences backlashed the popular classic Christmas tale. Children can learn in a positive way that bullying is wrong. It taught us to sit down and talk about the bullying aspects of Rudolph to erase bullying from our society.

Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer is forever a Christmas classic across generations. Some themes don’t live up to today’s standards. However, these themes make significant learning lessons for children of all ages. The world has changed. Larry Roemer’s commitment brought out a wonderful short film with an inspiring message. Be yourself.

If you have not yet seen Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, I suggest that you find a showing on TV. I always get excited when I see it on in December. Rudolph is a classic that should never be forgotten.