Instant Favorite.

Great movie. Not sure what people expected but I found it highly entertaining.

Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

"Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" is an American television movie from 1964, so this one is already over half a century old. The original ran for 47 minutes, the disc release is almost five minutes longer. In any case, it can no longer be described as a short film by imdb standards. This is of course an animated movie and the title character is still very well-known to most people and be it only because of the famous song. The director is Larry Roemer and this is probably his most known career effort, which does not really say too much though because he wasn't that prolific. Still this is not his only work at all that he made with Rankin/Bass. There are several voice actors in here who may not be too well-known, at least not today, and that includes the one who voiced the title character, actually a woman in her 40s. The most known cast member is maybe Burl Ives thanks to his Oscar win. Now as for the film itself, you can see that the animation style here is very different from this gigantic amount of cartoon works from the Golden Age of Animation. But it is definitely easy to appreciate and I am not surprised that also so many grown-ups still enjoy this one, preferrable during the holiday season of course. But the story also offers several approaches and ideas that audiences can connect with through their own experiences, such as the underdog story, the "loving" father/parents, the physical flaw component, bullying and so on. And of course, the winter time and many many references about Christmas give it additional attention every time the last month of the year begins like Wham!'s Last Christmas does. Here in Germany, this film is probably not as famous as in other parts of the world, but really everybody knows the song. All in all, it was a good watch I guess. The best thing perhaps was the animation, but almost all characters were fun too, the story as a whole was decent (maybe 5 minutes could have been cut) and the music adds a lot too. A great watch maybe not as the emotional impact is not as massive as I hoped, but all in all there is no denying this was a convincing watch that gets a thumbs-up from me. Check it out. You still got 1.5 weeks this year. Or just watch it whenever you want.

It's an easy story to understand , even the song is easy to understand. It's simply about being an outcast, something different about you and others will pick on you about it - but don't let that stop you because one day your nose, err, star will shine and you'll show them what you are capable of doing - including outshining those that made fun of you. Rudolph represent who or what many of us have experienced in our own personal lives and that is one of the attractions to this film: being a misfit in our society but overcoming it.As far as the stop motion claymation - I'm still a fan of it. It was super for it's time era and it still is. There are a lot of long hours of work in creating a timeless masterpiece like this one. It's so much better than the CGI of today, which is good if used properly but really can't beat the old way of animations.10/10

This was a staple in our home growing up the same as it was in many others. It tries very hard to have a deep moral message and catchy tunes and creating a fairy tale around a classic Christmas Carol. I hate to say anything bad about it but watching it now (and I still try to every year) I can't help but wonder why it has stood the test of time. The animation for its time was probably very good and is still decent but the story itself is very dark. The characters are a little rugged and edgy. The songs are clumsy and simple (yet still somehow ridiculously catchy) and Santa is almost downright mean. That to me might be the worst thing about it. He is grumpy, and almost disrespectful to his elves, reindeer and wife. Santa should be anything but. I suppose in my middle age I am over-analyzing a children's story but I'm doing it for the sake of review. I still watch it every year and it gives me a great deal of nostalgia to do so, so I must remember it fondly from my childhood. Still I will say that the animation style is very unique, still looks okay nowadays (different enough to not truly show its age) and their is no shortage of action and adventure even if it feels just a little rushed.Burl Ives narrating the story as the snow man is a stroke of brilliance. There is a calming, "Grandpa telling a story" sound to Mr. Ives voice and of course his singing voice is beautiful. He is perfect for the role of the jolly snowman telling the story. Everyone's voice fits their characters relatively well. Their voices are all something of classic characters now and its hard to imagine them sounding any differently. Billie Mae Richards is excellent as Rudolph. She has the right tone and inflections and emotions to her voice. Larry Mann is very good as the gruff and heroic voice of Yukon Cornelius. Paul Soles is the voice (now considering something of a controversial role) as Hermes, the elf that wants to be a dentist. The controversy is that apparently (even aside from his rather strange lispy voice) there are indications of him being homosexual. That is ludicrous because first of all...who cares...and second of all, someone is truly over analyzing this. His voice is strange but there are a lot of strange elements about this little animated classic. Stan Francis is okay as Santa but as previously mentioned, Santa is not so well created in this movie. The supporting cast of voices all do a good job.I suppose the film is best described as if you love, you'll love it and if you don't you'll see a lot of the more strange and negative aspects of it. I always felt like it was weird (even as a kid) but there is something appealing about it too. There is absolutely no doubt that they created something unique and something that has stood the test of time and is a must watch in many homes every holiday season. I'm not sure when I will let my daughter watch it (she's not even born yet...due in April) but there is absolutely no doubt the film has definitive pros and a few cons but who am I to say anything bad about it. See it for yourself and add it to your holiday repertoire. 6/10

After reading some of the reviews, I think most of the people who see this wonderful Christmas classic in a negative light, are not grasping the true meaning of the story. Many of them mention that it makes Santa and the other characters who work at the north pole seem cruel and mean because of how they treat Rudolph until they need him. That is not what happens in the movie because 1. Rudolph's dad is sorry for how he treated him when Rudolph goes missing, and 2. Santa tells Rudolph, he is sorry when he and his friends get back from their adventure, not when he suddenly he needs Rudolph after learning about the storm. The meaning of the story is the importance of accepting who you are and working through life's adversities instead of trying to fit in to accepted norms. It also shows that even though those we hold in highest esteem can sometimes be wrong, it is just as important to be able to forgive them as it is to do so for those we see as our equals. Other complaints focus on the misfit toys saying they are mistreated by being dumped out of Santa's sleigh and by being brought to a snowy island in the first place. Maybe they are being dropped, with the help of umbrellas I might add, to homeless children somewhere in the world where there are no homes with chimneys. Children who will love them no matter what their shortcomings are, unlike spoiled well off kids. And the bird suddenly being able to fly, well it is the season for miracles and Santa is suppose to be magical. Finally people point to the dolly not having any obvious problems. My answer to them is that there are plenty of perfectly normal or even beautiful beings out there who have to go through life being unloved because of their beliefs or actions. King Moonracer doesn't go out each night looking for toys that are odd or ugly, he looks for toys who are unloved and feel unwanted. He rescues them and gives them a home, the only home he has to offer and it may not be the best but it shows that at least he cares.