User reviews

I thought this movie was very adorable, and I'm surprised it didn't get more recognition. It's nice seeing so many famous actors doing a kids' movie together. Especially Eric Idle doing the voice of the fox with an American accent- he's truly delightful...I could barely tell it was him! OK, so it was a tad cheesy, but what's a feel-good family movie without a bit of cheese thrown in? I haven't seen it in a while, but I remember loving the voice of the younger Rudolph. I'm surprised he hasn't gotten more roles, or more of a bio on IMDb! So, if you've got kids, or you just want to giggle at how cute/corny it is, rent it or buy it. Sure, it's not a classic like the one with the Abominable Snowman, Yukon Cornelius or Hermy the elf, but it's just as delightful.

I absolutely adored this movie when I was younger, and I hate it when people compare it to 'superior' '64 version with puppets. What's so wrong with a fresh new remake anyway. Did the world suddenly stop back in 1964?

The story, like all Goodtimes films, is short, sweet and simple, and should please most children, although some little 'uns might find a few scenes scary. The animation is very fluent for a Goodtimes film, and there are some wonderful sequences with the Northern Lights and snowstorms. The songs are fun and catchy, and they are never there just for the sake of having a song. The songs help emphasise on what Rudolph or any other character is feeling right now.

I loved this movie so much when I was a kid, I wouldn't just watch it at Christmas. It was an enjoyable romp at any time of the year (look, I'm reviewing this in June!)

There's no bad language, no extreme violence, but just a sweet simple story with a strong moral that kids will love. And some open-minded adults will like this too.

An instant Christmas classic! Great cast (voices) and decent animation make this a family classic for any Christmas occasion. Considering the fact that this film isn't Disney, it belongs in the category of excellent animated films. On a Friday afternoon of September 1998, I came across "Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer : The Movie" opening today in limited release. Fortunately my movie theater was playing it and with a cast including Whoopi Goldberg, Bob Newhart, Sarah Jessica Parker, Debbie Reynolds, & John Goodman, I couldn't resist. Why Legacy Releasing opened a Christmas movie in the fall I'll never know, but if you haven't seen it with your kids, get it this Christmas season. Soundtrack includes a special musical performance of "A Wonderful Christmas Time" by Paul and Linda McCartney. Now on video from Goodtimes Entertainment.

Of course it isn't my all time favourite Christmas movie and it isn't as good as the timeless Rankin'/Bass special, but all the same it is very sweet, charming and simple. I for one am disheartened at the 4.8 rating, it is much better than that, of course it isn't perfect, but it is far from the worst animated movie ever. The animation is not too bad, a tad shoddy in places, but fifteen minutes in, the quality got better. I didn't think the songs were awful at all, honestly the songs in Secret Of NIMH 2: Timmy To The Rescue were much worse. In my opinion, they were actually quite cute. One or two of them are forgettable especially the song sung by the elves before Stormella is introduced, but I Hate Santa Claus and Zoey and Rudolph's duet were lovely, and who can resist festive classics like Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer and Wonderful Christmas time. I will admit I was annoyed by the sprites, there were a couple of moments where their presence was pointless. The movie also has some nice messaging, I really did feel for Rudolph(I know exactly what it's like to get bullied because of your nose, I used to get bullied because of my singing voice), a good story, if a little slow to start with and some fairly good dialogue. The real delight is in the very lovable characters and highly talented voice cast. Rudolph and Zoey are adorable, and John Goodman makes a suitably merry Santa Claus. Eric Idle and Bob Newhart positively delight as Slyly and Leonard, and despite her limited screen time, Whoopi Goldberg is very impressive as the villainous Stormella. Overall, a very sweet, simple and underrated Christmas movie. 7/10 Bethany Cox

I originally reviewed this movie when I was about 14 or 15, And lets just say I didn't really give it a fair try. So after actually watching it nearly all the way through, I can write a better review that doesn't look like some troll wrote it.

First off, if you loved the original Claymation original, Stick to it, it's so much better and more well received by the general public. This one isn't too much to love, unless you're from the 12 years and under demographic and you can stomach an hour-long musical.

The story is loosely, and inconsistently narrated by 4 fairies, named "The sprites of the northern lights" (Yeah, I have a whole paragraph to dedicate to them, so sit tight.) But the story itself is based around the character of Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer, a reindeer born with a red nose, making him different from the other reindeers...You know what, You should already know this story.

But you don't know the other characters that go along with the story, Lets begin with Slyly the white fox, Who might as well be Tails the fox dragged out of a coloring book, but with the personality of Locke from Final fantasy VI. In short, he's a streetwise (Or in this case, arctic-wise) fox who's philosophy is "It could always be worse." Then we have Zoey the girl reindeer. The 1964 Rudolph movie equivalent of Clarice. and if you've seen the original, it's more or less the same character, just a little less figurine and more animated. Then there's Stormella, And I have to admit, it's comforting to know that Whoopi Goldberg can be both a gentle character as well as someone you just want to slap.

Now I promised you a whole paragraph on what I think of the sprites of the northern lights. They totally ruin the movie for me. It's like someone said "lets just throw these fairies in there to tell the story." But damn it, i'll take a singing snowman with some guy pretending to be Burl Ives any day over that. Maybe I really don't like them because I didn't like 4kid's flagship show Winx club either.

Bottom line, This is one you might want to check out, it's not Oscar worthy material but if you have an hour you don't have anything planned, it's worth a view. If not you, at least your youngest kids.

5/10

Strangely, I found this movie quite good. It fills you with a sense of Christmas and there's nothing wrong with sitting down and watching this before you open your presents. A nice little kids movie which appealed to me quite a bit. This year I was feeling a bit bah humbug, but this warmed my heart. The plot is good, sticking to the original idea while skewing away in places, but it remains a nice honest film which everyone can watch. The acting is above average IMO, and Leonard the Bear is my favourite character. A story of the underdog rising up is always great, and this delivers just like it's predessor. Especially fitting for a nice Christmas Day morning. There were some questions left unanswered, however, such as how do the reindeer's fly? But all in all, this is a worthy Christmas tale, telling a story about everyone's favourite reindeer. It is just a shame that this will forever be compared with the original. This is the way great films are ignored and this movie is getting bad feedback because 'it does not live up to the original'. This film is still great, however little can see it's potential. Sad.

i love love LOVE this movie! I have loved all Rudolph stories, always. But, this one has to be one of my very favorites. It has adorable songs, great animation, and the voices fit great for every part. It is a great Christmas movie, that can be enjoyed all year!! One of the things that I've always liked about this one, is that Rudolph's dad isn't quite as mean as he was in the other ones. You can really see how much he loves him, and I love that. It's how it should be. And it shows that good beats evil =] . The only..off thing for kids in my opinion is the "I Hate Santa Clause" song the witch sings. But other than that..

This is definitely a movie to buy and watch. Have fun!!

If you read the title, you know that I like the original Rudolph by Rankin-Bass better for the most part and don't find Rudolph the Movie by Good Times Entertainment as good, but the latter is sweet, charming, simple, and far from being one of the worst Christmas movies or movies in general, and it fixes some of the problems I have with the former. Some think this is a remake of the Rankin-Bass Rudolph, and I've heard complaints about it not living up to the original, but I think it's supposed to be its own thing and not a remake of the original because it has different characters, different songs, an almost entirely different plot, and it bears little to no resemblance to the original. Like the original, it has a strong, positive message about embracing your differences, accepting others for who they are, and not judging a book by its cover. Rudolph the Movie lacks the lifelike stop motion animation style that the RB version has, but the animation and art style here look very similar to old Disney movies and a few other cartoons I grew up with, which makes me like this even more!

The characters are likable for the most part. Unlike Arrow, Rudolph has character and true heart! I find him sympathetic, and I can't argue that his nose makes him unique! I know what it's like to be bullied. Unlike the original, Rudolph has barely stuck up for himself here, and thankfully it is explained why his nose glows (though I don't have a problem with no explanation in the former): the 4 sprites who narrate the story and have been watching him ever since he was born knew he was special, and they wanted him to literally shine. I must say that the sprites are annoying because their narration consists entirely of singing, which is repetitive. This is a movie, not a Broadway musical or an opera. Sam the snowman is a better narrator than them! I've heard criticisms about Santa Claus being a jerk and not so Santa-like in the original, and I'd have to agree. I like his portrayal here better! Unlike the RB Santa, he accepts Rudolph for who he is right away, and he's the jolly, fatherly, and giving old man that Santa usually is! I used to be scared of the Abominable Snowman aka the Bumble, and he may be too scary for younger or sensitive audiences, but I don't think I was ever scared of Stormella. The latter has more personality than the former, and I got to admit that she has an awesome voice performance by Whoopi Goldberg. I like Clarice, but I like Zoey better because she has more screentime and more personality. She has stood up to those who have given Rudolph a hard time, and she briefly tells Rudolph that he means everything to her and wishes she would've said so sooner because it was unlikely he would've run away in the first place. I don't understand why she dated Arrow in the first place, but thankfully she later breaks up with him and starts exclusively dating Rudolph. Arrow somewhat reminds me of Fireball, and I agree with Zoey: he's a huge jerk. Slyly and Leonard are interesting characters, but they don't have as good chemistry with Rudolph as Hermey and Yukon Cornelius do.

The songs are good, but not as catchy or as memorable as the songs from the original. Slyly's song, "It Could Always Be Worse," has an inspiring message saying things aren't always as bad as they may seem and could always be worse, hence the title. "What About Rudolph's Nose?" is a good song, but not the best. Rudolph's parents sing about how handsome they find their son's nose, which I like because they're being accepting him for who he is, they don't hate his nose like Rudolph's dad does at first in the original, and they're being good parents! Towards the end of the song, Rudolph's dad says maybe the kids from school will make fun of his nose when he gets older, and Rudolph's mother says maybe they'll ignore him or learn to adore him. Who knows whether or not kids will be bullied when they start school, and it's best to ignore those you don't have anything nice to say to. The other reindeer and elves, who sing backup, have negative comments about Rudolph's nose, but they sound way too happy and upbeat, as if they are faking and secretly love his brightly colored schnoz. My favorite song from the movie might have to be Rudolph and Zoey's duet, "Show Me the Light," because it's an incredibly beautiful love song, and it reflects on the relationship between the two of them! However, Rudolph's singing voice sounds nothing like his speaking voice, and he sounds like he has gone through puberty when he sings. To be fair, my singing voice sounds nothing like my speaking voice either; I usually sing in an opera voice, whether or not I'm singing an opera song, because it's more fun to sing in, and I'm not as good at singing in my natural voice. And of course, who can resist classics like Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer and Wonderful Christmastime? The only song I don't like is Stormella's song, "I Hate Santa Claus," and the sprites' narration too if that counts.

There is a reason I give this a 7/10, other than the ones I mentioned above (not being as memorable as the RB version, the backup vocals in the first song sounding too happy and upbeat for the lyrics to be considered insults, the sprites being annoying): Stormella's redemption arc magically comes out of nowhere. There is a witchcraft law about Stormella having to grant a wish, and Rudolph wishes for her to change from bad to good. I don't understand why Stormella didn't redeem herself the minute Rudolph saved her from falling off a cliff. The former could've reformed on her own right away, or the latter could've told her, "We'll go home right now if you promise to be nice from now on."

Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer the Movie is an underrated movie and a nostalgic piece of my childhood! You should check it out if you haven't seen it before. If you don't like the original Rudolph, there's a chance you might like this better because it lacks the mean-spiritedness some have complained about, it has a more optimistic and upbeat tone, and most of the characters are friendlier than some of the RB characters, though some have misinterpreted the RB version's message, after all both versions are allegories about the trouble with discrimination.

It seems as though EVERY new Christmas movie that comes out is listed as an "Instant Classic" and this is no different.

I think this as a so-so effort with a different approach to the Rudolph story known by all. When presented with the incredible animation process of Polar Express this is, in my opinion, less enjoyable than the Rankin Bass production from 1964. The songs are simple and, even though the Paul and Linda McCartney hit "Wonderful Christmas Time" is listed as one of them, it is only a small snip-it version of perhaps 30 seconds.

I prefer the classics that I grew up with like the original Grinch or Rudolph, but my child enjoys the show and, as the saying goes, "To each his own".

I have to say, this was good. Not great or excellent, but average-good. Nothing will ever beat the original 1964 Rudolph, but this remake almost did. This remake took everything from the original, and tried to twist into the 90's version of Rudolph. The plot was great, the whole story had a goal to achieve, you knew what the characters were trying to accomplish, everything just had a good purpose that gave this remake a solid flow to it. The songs were amazing. You won't remember them like the one's from the 1964 Rudolph, but the songs used in this remake are just as unforgettable in my opinion. Every other scene has you wondering were the story will take you next, and the climax toward the end will actually give you that feeling whether it's gonna be a happy or bad ending. Overall, this is absolutely worth seeing, and a great remake to the classic 1964 Rudolph.

BEWARE OF FALSE REVIEWS & REVIEWERS. SOME REVIEWERS HAVE ONLY ONE REVIEW TO THEIR NAME. NOW WHEN ITS A POSITIVE REVIEW THAT TELLS ME THEY WERE INVOLVED WITH THE MOVIE. IF ITS A NEGATIVE REVIEW THEN THEY MIGHT HAVE A GRUDGE AGAINST THE FILM . NOW I HAVE REVIEWED OVER 300 HOLIDAY FILMS & SPECIALS. I HAVE NO AGENDA

I was looking forward to seeing this. This was a feature film based on the beloved Christmas Song. However I thought they were going to use some of the charterers from the television classic but no.

This unfortunately is not related to that animated special. What this is is a retelling of the song, I can't call this a remake but another version of the story of Rudolph.

Now this film has a great voice cast. However it also too many "NEW SONGS" that are terrible. If someone performed them on "The Gong Show" they get a "GONG".

This cartoon might be better if you never have seen the Rankin Bass version. However most of us have and this version just isn't very good.

The film begins in Santa's Village where the Sprites of the Northern Lights perform a light show in the sky which makes Santa and his wife Mrs. Claus wonder what the occasion is (Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer).

The Sprites then arrive at the home of one of Santa's reindeer Blitzen and his wife Mitzi, who have just become parents to a newborn buck whom they name Rudolph. Rudolph gets to his feet and does his first steps, but trips and tumbles into a haybale. Blitzen and Mitzi rush over to see if their son is okay. Rudolph emerges from the haybale unharmed, but when upon letting out a sneeze, his nose lights up red, to the shock of his parents.

The next day, Blitzen and Mitzi take Rudolph a tour of Santa's Village where they meet with Blitzen's three brothers and fellow Flyers Comet, Cupid and Dasher. At first Blitzen tries to hide Rudolph from them (worried at what they'll think of his nose), but Mitzi makes him stop. Cupid playfully tickles Rudolph and causes his nose to light up again, in front of the rest of the villagers to which Blitzen tells them that Rudolph has allergies before leading his son away. Blitzen along with Mitzi, hope that others will overlook Rudolph's nose and grow to accept it and he will become a Flyer, but leave after the villagers laugh at Rudolph (What About His Nose).

Meanwhile, two elves named Boone and Doggle are delivering mail to Santa with hopes they will be promoted to the factory floor. However when crossing the ice bridge of the ice queen Stormella, Boone loses control of the mail sled and along with Doggle crash into Stormella's ice garden, destroying her statues. The two elves quickly leave, but Doggle accidentally leaves his hat behind in the wreck.

Now this isn't a bad movie its just "OKAY" when you compare it to the other Rudolph Animated Special

Okay - I'm not sure why anybody would seriously call this something that ranks along with Disney, but the only reason you want to watch this is to see how bad it is.

I can't understand how the producers managed to get such good high profile voice talent... but I also would be incredibly surprised to see if John Goodman thinks this is truly something he wants anybody to see. It's absolute animated crap.

Obviously the producers had money and spent it on hiring a great casting director, who was well connected... and yet all the actors signed on to something that was absolute crap... did they even SEE any of the animation before it was being voiced?

Why didn't the producers spend any money on hiring GOOD animators? As it stands, this ranks among the worst of the lowest-level outsourced amateur-level Saturday morning animation in the world.

Reading the praise it's received in previous comments is making me crazy. Seriously, all of you need to see more television and film if you can sit there and actually say this is worth seeing. More likely, you hated it too, but in some malicious, disturbed form of sadism you need others to suffer, too.

AAAAAAAARGH!

I grew up watching children's television and I work in children's television today. I guarantee you, if you're looking for quality holiday film viewing for your family for the holidays, you should buy a copy of the original 1964 TV special.

Inflicting this piece of "entertainment" on your family should be considered a mild form of spousal, elder and/or child abuse.

As I mentioned, I work in television and I have to watch this movie today as part of my job and I just wanted to share my pain with you.

I can't tell the difference between watching this, or stabbing myself in the eye with a fork. At least with the fork, my eye will heal. But the scars inflicted on my psyche watching 'Rudolph: The Movie' will never heal.

Never.

Please ignore me now as I crawl into a fetal position under my desk and die.

I liked this movie and thought that it was great even for adults. I didn't find the music distracting from the overall message of the film. The wonderful fact that it teaches courage in the face of insecurity is one that is lost in a lot of movies that are made today. It also teaches that we do not have to be the same as everyone else around us. We can be different and even if we get teased about it we can find solace in ourselves in the fact that we are the way we are because that is the way that we were made and we are each special and unique. I found it a joy watching it by myself for the first time and again watching it with my 4-year-old nephew. It is one that I am glad that I bought and will watch many times over the holidays.

If you do not like this see your doctor immediately your heart has turned to coal.

It is instant Christmas classic! Great cast (voices)(though I wouldn't give it a grade A for animation but hey, that my opinion) make this a family classic for any Christmas occasion. Considering the fact that this film isn't Disney, it belongs in the category of excellent animated films. On a Friday afternoon of September 1998, I came across "Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer : The Movie" opening today in limited release. Fortunately my movie theater was playing it and with a cast including Whoopi Goldberg, Bob Newhart, Sarah Jessica Parker, Debbie Reynolds, & John Goodman, I couldn't resist. Why Legacy Releasing opened a Christmas movie in the fall I'll never know, but if you haven't seen it with your kids, get it this Christmas season. Soundtrack includes a special musical performance of "A Wonderful Christmas Time" by Paul and Linda McCartney and show me the light is a very good and sweet song. Now on video from Goodtimes Entertainment.

Though the sprites I think really ruined the movie.

and the romance between Zoey and Rudolph is quiet sweet.

(by the way I hope a remake of it comes and DEATH TO SPRITES)

Good points- * The romance beetween Zoey and Rudolph

* Whoppi Goldberges portrayal of the no-nonsense villain Stormella

* The song "show me the light" one of the only three good songs in the film

* like the fellows comment the second bellow me, It shows being brave in the face of fear and rising above the mockery (i'm teased a lot at school so I know how it feels)

* Some of the humour that some people miss is quiet funny

-Bad points (do not let these ruin the film just fast forward through them)

* the sprites and their singing arrrrrrrrrrrrrgh, ahck DEATH TO SPRITES

* some of Slyly's script was pathetic in the leonard cave incident

* the songs: It could always be worse, santas family and Christmas time are awfully bad

This is the dumbest thing I have ever seen. This is not the Rankin-Bass version by any stretch of the imagination. That was a stop-motion short that is now considered a Christmas classic. Rudolph: THE MOVIE is no where near that special. The entire package, from the animation to the characters, should never have been released in theaters. That's right, this thing was on the big screen for, like, a whopping three weeks b4 going straight to video. As I said before, the animation would be right at home on UPN's Saturday Morning Lineup right next to the New Tex Avery Show. It's not The Prince of Egypt, let's just say that. Also, what is with the army of wacky side kicks? We get a polar bear voiced by Bob Newhart (Bob, what happened?), a thumb-sucking Arctic wolf, some kareoke singing faeries who painfully narrate the story, and a penguin who wears a tuxedo (Ha! My sides!). At the very, very least they added a new element to the old legend of Rudolph with the ice queen, who is voiced by Whoopi Goldberg, but even she isn't that interesting. Plus, it's a musical. And a bad one, at that. Listening to two different people do Rudolph's speaking voice and singing vocals is hilarious, since Singing Ru is about eight octaves deeper than Speaking Ru. So basically, stay away. This is one tiresome flick. 1 out of 4 stars.

DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME. This movie is absolute excrement, and I cannot recommend it for children or adults. It's quite obvious they were trying to do things on the cheap; which area they saved the most money on is not so obvious. The "B-list" celebrities for voices? Richard Simmons proves why he never succeeded as an actor. Eric Idle can't decide whether his character is from Liverpool or the Bronx. I truly believe Bob Newhart was disguising his voice so no one would realize he had stooped to this level. Whoopi Goldburg and John Goodman do their best to add some life to this worthless script and fail quite spectacularly.

The music? It sounds as if it were written by a freshman music major - who is failing out of college. They had to bring a previously-released Paul McCartney tune to give the soundtrack some semblance of professionalism. The animation is difficult to look at, and I found some of the supposedly happy faces "scary" looking.

We bought this in a pile of used movies for 99 cents. FREE wouldn't have been cheap enough for this waste of videotape. I think once they realized they had made such a terrible cartoon, their only hope of making money relied on people confusing it with the wonderful Rankin-Bass version. My advice? If you're looking for a Rudolph movie, spend an extra couple of bucks and buy the original!

This film has some diversity in it which is a good thing. The acting in it is good as well but a lot of this film is boring and the storyline of this film is too hard to understand. Credit where credit is due, the animation of this film is good. There are a few scenes of this film which are very enjoyable but most of it isn't very interesting and is too babyish for adults to be likely to enjoy it. This film is nice to look at and is very colourful but it isn't as much the kind of film which has clever messages for adults to understand while children enjoy it as it could be. It does at least give the message that we all are different and nobody should treat anyone else in a way which is mean and I can get a lot enjoyment from some parts of this film but I don't enjoy watching all of it very much. Not all films are terrible or brilliant, some are average and this is an example of one of those films.