Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964)

Unshakable, witty and deeply felt, the film will be paying emotional dividends for a long, long time.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

The tone of this movie is interesting -- the stakes are both dramatic and high, but it's balanced with a lot of fun, tongue and cheek dialogue.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

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.

And, what would this much-celebrated time of the year be without at least one viewing of Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer (whose story I'm sure we all know)? In a nutshell - This 1964, stop-motion production certainly had its good points, as well as its not-so-good points.But, if you can forgive this kiddies' film for things like its dated, non-CGI effects and some truly strange aspects of its story-line, then you're sure to be entertained by the overall cuteness that prevails.Containing nine songs (written by Johnny Marks), this 55-minute TV Special is notable for being the longest running Christmas Special in the entire history of television. It also features the recognizable voice-talents of Burl Ives (as Sam, the Snowman).

Who doesn't love "Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer?" I do. This special that I am about to review won't be long, but I will try to give my best on what I think of this special. The story is about a reindeer named Rudolph who has a shiny red-nosed that glows, and doesn't seem to fit in with the other reindeers as they called him some bad names. So Rudolph, goes on an adventure with Hermey who is an elf that wants to be a dentist along with Yukon Cornelius who is dreaming to discover silver and gold; they come across an Abominable Snow Monster as well as the toys that are being misfitted. In my opinion, I thought the animation in this special is exactly quite good which it looks like an earlier work of stop-motion animation. Also, I really do enjoy its story; characters; songs; etc. So, that is how short that I am about to say about "Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer;" it really is a lovely Christmas Special and I give it a 10 out of 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.