Review of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: The Movie (1998) by Oliver O — 23 Jan 2015

On a search to find good Christmas movies, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: The Movie came across my path and sounded like fun.

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: The Movie seems to be one of those films which has the ability to entertain children, but when it comes to delivering much outside of that target demographic, there is not really much to boast about.

The first thing any viewer notices about an animated film is the quality of the animation. When it comes to Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: The Movie, director William R. Kowalchuk reduces the feature to an overly simplistic piece which is short on creativity. There is a lot of colour in the film which will divert young audiences, but with a budget of $10 million, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: The Movie has the production values of a TV movie or a direct-to-video sequel. The characters in the film are designed well and everything is presented with a colourful layout, but the visual aesthetic of the film can only go so far before it wears thin. That distance is impeded by the repetitive scenery of the film with its overreliance on the same basic snow scenery as a setting as well as giving less that organic movements to the characters. As well as that, the movements of the characters' mouths in Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: The Movie are not in tune with the voice acting well enough. Frankly, the animation in Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: The Movie has its charms about it occasionally, but it is at a very sporadic rate while the majority of the film uses it in the most simplistic of situations. This is a combination of the animation in general and the writing in the film which puts the characters in generic situations. The animation in Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: The Movie is nothing to really boast about.

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: The Movie turns the tale of its titular character into one about being a social outcast based on one arbitrary difference between him and the rest around him, and it follows a predictable plot device about loneliness, the value of friendship and redemption. The entire film feels a bit too tame in this regard because it is the same kind of story that has been told countless times, and since the entire plot in the film is based off a song that any hearing person in the western universe is unlikely to have ever missed at one point in their lives, it is obvious where the tale is going to end. Along the way, Rudolph makes friends with wacky sidekicks such as Slyly the Albino Arctic fox and Leonard the Polar Bear as they end up on an unlikely quest to bring Christmas to the world in the face of oppression from the evil cold hearted ice queen Stormella, only to end up with a happy ending where she is changed by the magic of a Christmas wish. It is such a childish story which borrows elements from so many other stories and particularly fairy tales without maintaining the same spirit or general sense of creativity, leaving it as an unexciting film. Young audiences may end up appreciating the film's messages about bullying and about valuing people who are different because of the way that they contribute to helping the world in one way or another, but adult viewers are likely to have heard this before or developed it through common sense and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: The Movie will serve as little more than a boring reminder with an overly sentimental political agenda to it. It is difficult to be touched by Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: The Movie because it is an all too familiar film with little creativity to it, and while the musical score may be somewhat atmospheric, it does not mean that viewers will feel what the film wants its viewers to.

To distract from the predictable story in Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: The Movie, a side plot is included about the aforementioned Ice Queen. But again, it is a story that has been told too many times and the characters in the tale do not seem strong at all. They are either empty sources of inconsistent comic relief and nothing more or characters who have poor motivations to justify their actions. When the hero is nothing more than an outcast and the villain has nothing to justify her evil, that is the tipping point for negative writing in a film. The humour in the film is also weak with the only chance that many people are going to laugh being predicated on how they value the performances by the voice cast.

The voice cast is good though. Kathleen Barr puts a charming sense of youthful spirit into her role as the titular Rudolph, as well as the fact that she deals with all the situations and material with the atmosphere that is intended.

John Goodman is also perfect for the role of Santa Claus. With his naturally large build in real life and deep hearty voice, it only seems normal to say that he is an ideal fit for the role of Saint Nicholas. He manages to make himself a fine fit for the part and says every line with a gentle and likable approach.

Eric Idle proves to be the funniest member of the cast. Considering the fact that he is an English actor and comedian attempting a New Jersey accent for the part, the gimmick is interesting and he is able to make it work.

Bob Newhart provides a likable supporting demeanour to his role, and though Whoopi Goldberg must work with a terrible character, her gimmicks are somewhat fun to have on board.

But despite a decent voice cast, the generic quality of the animation in Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: The Movie combined with its weak plotting ensure that it comes out as a derivative and boring holiday special with little value for people beyond a single digit age.