Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer

-Sony Wonder (1964)

Summary:

Running away will solve all your problems.

My Thoughts:

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is a classic among Christmas classics. For those of you who don't know, my last name is Rudolph. Let me tell you that its damn tough growing up with a last name that's most famous for leading Santa's sleigh. Needless to say, Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer has a special place in my heart. I share the reindeer's pain.

I don't know anyone who hasn't seen Rudolph at least once or know the story. Still, I'll go over it a bit for those of you who are communists. Rudolph is the story of a young reindeer that has a glowing red nose. Why his nose glows red is never explained, but it’s apparently a very bad thing for a reindeer to have. Rudolph is ostracized from the reindeer society and he runs away with an elf who has a career problem. The plot is simple enough and it serves as an endearing story for kids. It also is great platform for some  truly memorable characters like Hermie, Yukon Cornielus, and the Bumble. I find the songs rather hit or miss, but there are a few I still find charming. Rudolph is best watched with the view that its a nostalgia trip, because you won't be blown away by anything found in the film.

The quality of the edition is about average, but it is better than I expected. The sound is plain old stereo and the picture is crisp. The source film needs some restoration, though I don't think that's going to happen any time soon.

Rudolph is a must have for anyone who fondly remembers the feature and doesn't want to worry about catching it on television. This edition isn't that much better than what you'd see on TV, except it doesn't have commercials and you could watch it in July if you pleased.

Extras:

There are a few extras on this disc that are worth checking out. The motion menus are simple and a nice touch that fit right into the spirit of the special. The intro featuring Arthur Rankin doesn't offer a lot of insight into the film itself, but it does offer a look into the making of the film that was enjoyable.

Also included is a trivia game that I thought was so-so and I’m sure it was meant for children to take rather than a semi-grown man such as myself.

The best part of this edition of Rudolph is the inclusion of the “Fame and Fortune” song that replaced “We are a Couple of Misfits” in 1965. I love the fact that the song is included here for posterity’s sake. Perhaps George Lucas should take some notes from the Golden Books people.

The other treat included on this disc is the television commercial for Rudolph that aired so many years ago. Apparently, Rudolph aired on the General Electric Fantasy Hour. Doesn’t that sound sadomasochistic?

There’s also an ad for other Golden kids cartoons and a neat feature called “Readspeak Action Captions." This feature has the dialogue visibly coming out of the characters' mouths one word at a time. Supposedly this is to help kids read; I’m not sure it does or not, but it actually is better than watching regular captions.

Score:

Film: 8.0

Extras: 6.5

Edition: 7.0

-Paul