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RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER
RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER is available on DVD individually for $19.98 or as part of a boxed set along with SANTA CLAUS IS COMIN' TO TOWN and FROSTY THE SNOWMAN/FROSTY RETURNS for $56.98. |
This DVD review
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DVD
reviews are Copyright © 2001 THE CINEMA LASER and may not be copied
or reprinted without the written consent of the publisher. |
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Of
all the Rankin/Bass stop motion holiday specials; RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED
REINDEER remains my personal favorite. I’ve managed to watch this
special every year since my childhood, although in later years, I’ve had
the pleasure of enjoying RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER, first
on Laserdisc and then on DVD. Actually, Golden Books Family Entertainment/Sony-Wonder
have released RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER twice on DVD, with
the second edition cleaning up the audio and adding extra features.
Using
the lyrics of the popular Johnny Marks song as a springboard, RUDOLPH
THE RED-NOSED REINDEER adds a little embellishment to pad out the
tale of the most famous reindeer to ever pull Santa’s sleigh. Additionally,
RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER has some educational value, as its
gently teaches children tolerance, without becoming preachy. Unlike other
reindeers that have black noses, Rudolph is born with a red nose. Donner,
Rudolph’s father, tries to hide his son’s non-conformity, but the truth
about Rudolph soon comes out, and the young buck finds himself shunned
by the rest of the Reindeer community.
Rudolph
runs away from home and meets up with an Elf named Hermey, who is a misfit
in his own peers because of his desire to become a dentist. A prospector
named Yukon Cornelius eventually joins our misfit heroes, but this trio
soon find themselves having to dodge a fearsome creature known as the
Abominable Snow Monster, who seems to be attracted to Rudolph’s shiny
red nose. Escaping on the ice floe, our intrepid threesome end up on the
Island of Misfit Toys, where Rudolph decides he can no longer endanger
his friends. With his new maturity, Rudolph comes to the conclusion that
he can no longer run away from his problems and goes back home. Eventually,
Rudolph finds acceptance when Santa asks Rudolph to guide his sleigh through
the worst blizzard of the century, which just happens to fall on Christmas
Eve. RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER features the vocal talents
of Burl Ives, Larry D. Mann, Billie Mae Richards, Paul Soles, Stan Francis,
Janet Orenstein, Alfie Scopp and Carl Banas.
The
re-mastered edition of RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER looks very
much like the first Golden Books Family Entertainment/Sony-Wonder DVD
release. The image on the DVD is head and shoulders above broadcast, but
the film elements do show signs of age. There are a number of blemishes
on the elements and there is a bit of noticeable film grain. Colors look
very good- taking on a bright and nicely saturated appearance. Blacks
are properly rendered and there is respectable shadow detail during the
darker moments. There are no problems with digital compression artifacts
during the presentation.
The
Dolby Digital monaural soundtrack is much improved over the initial DVD
release of RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER. Gone is the audio anomaly
that caused the soundtrack to slow down and speed up during several musical
numbers. Of course, the expected frequency limitations of a 1964 television
production remain. The music can sound a bit too bright in places, so
apply amplification to the program judiciously. No other languages are
encoded onto the DVD, although English subtitles are present.
Full
motion video, animation and music enhance the DVD's interactive menus.
Through the menus, one has access to the standard scene selection and
set up features, as well as a few supplements. Starting things off is
an introduction by Arthur Rankin, who talks about the production of RUDOLPH
THE RED-NOSED REINDEER. Since this presentation of RUDOLPH THE
RED-NOSED REINDEER is identical to how it was first broadcast in 1964,
the song Fame and Fortune, which replaced We’re A
Couple Of Misfits in subsequent broadcasts, starting in 1965,
is presented on the DVD as a supplement. Other supplements include an
interactive trivia game, an original TV promo and the program presented
again with READSPEAK action captions.
RUDOLPH
THE RED-NOSED REINDEER remains
an absolute delight and will appeal to children of all ages. The DVD looks
and sounds just fine, making a necessity for every holiday collection.
