and if you ever saw it,
You will never unsee it a-gain~
Yes the most iconic Rankin Bass film, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Based off the song of the same name, Rudolph gives the full story of the reindeer with a nose condition, and how he saved all the (actually awesome) toys on the island of misfit toys.
Though it actually looks like it had lower production values than it's sequel, Santa Claus is comin' to town, Rudolph is actually much better than it. Most of that is due to the special having free reign over the entire story except for key points (Having a red nose, being called names by other reindeer, and saving Christmas) rather than having to explain every tiny bit of lore about him. (Free reign is not always a good thing though; just see how the Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer movie went...)
As with Santa Claus is Comin' to Town, I assume everyone has seen the special, so no summary, and we go directly into the repairs.
There are rather large sections that aren't really necessary; examples being the "we are Santa's elves" song, (here's a tip: if your character is annoyed by the song, the audience is too) and the "There's always Tomorrow." Actually, Clarice isn't really important in the grand scheme of things. She doesn't add much, and Rudolph doesn't actually learn anything form her.
Also the snowman narrator... now a narrator is useful, but him having screen time and personality isn't. But, I will allow the snowman to live, because his presence made the movie better. Not him exactly, but what the inclusion of him did. You see, he was thrown in at the last minute to add a celebrity voice (Burl Ives) and forced some scenes to be cut. One of them included Rudolph being delivered to his parents via a stork... That would have ruined the beginning in my opinion, and I'm glad they weren't able to film it.
There is also the matter of the island of misfit toys... Either they have very, very minor problems, they run off of sheer awesome, or appear to have no problems at all. Examples include:
- Charlie in the box; change his name, he's good to go.
- The dolly; why is she there? she seems fine, and she's less creepy than Raggedy Ann. Word of the creators says that she has psychological problems... fair enough, but that doesn't actually prevent her from being loved by a child.
- The polka-dotted elephant; stylistic, nothing wrong with it, unless it is supposed to be an action figure. Doubtful considering it has the form of a teddy bear.
- The Cowbow on an ostrich; crazy awesome. Can you imagine cowboys that ride giant feathered birds instead of horses?!
- Bird that swims instead of flies; pretty cool, and the toy does something. Kids love toys that do something even if it is counter intuitive.
- Water pistol with jelly; replace the jelly with water.
- Boat that doesn't float; toy. does not need to do anything. However, I'd suggest removing the weight it has on, since wood is supposed to float...
- Train with square wheels; take off the wheels and round them. Bam, you're good.
It isn't the island of misfit toys... it is the island of toys with minor problems who had dickish owners.
There is also sound of rudolph's nose. It sounds like microphone feedback. Couldn't they have made it musical? like a chime, or maybe a gong? counter intuitive, but think of the song potentials!
Speaking of the songs, a lot of them are needless, and somewhat bad. The best are the last two, Holly Jolly Christmas and Rudolph; but that's because those are actual songs!
However, like Santa Claus is Comin' to Town, I advise against remaking the film. It has already been done, and fell flat within the first few moments of trying to watch it.
As one last note before I foreshadow tomorrow's special, I highly recommend The Rifftrax for Rudolph. It is very funny, and definitely spices up the special for those who have seen it far too often.
Now, tomorrow... Maybe it is time I examine some truths we hold to be self-evident about this holiday...
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