Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer Revisited: Prancing Through the Magic of a Christmas Classic

Last Updated on December 20, 2022

Happy Holidays, everybody! To help celebrate this holly, jolly season, we’re going to dash through the snow with director Larry Roemer’s stop-motion animated Christmas classic Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer! The Rankin/Bass production needs no introduction. Still, I don’t want to get coal in my stocking, so here we go! The story focuses on a young reindeer, Rudolph. He’s unlike others at the North Pole, but what makes him unique is about to save Christmas! Featuring a cast of iconic Christmas characters, Roemer’s film captured the world upon its release, cementing its legacy in stop-motion animation history.

In our latest chapter of Animation Movies Revisited, we’ll look back on the film’s fascinating origin, celebrate its many achievements, expose Donner for the monster he is, and witness the birth of a Christmas classic! Christmas wouldn’t be the same without Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer prancing alongside A Christmas Story, Home Alone, Die Hard, Scrooged, and more! Grab milk and cookies, get in the sleigh, and join us for stop-motion reindeer games with an animated twist!

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer has the following synopsis: Sam the snowman tells us the story of a young red-nosed reindeer who, after being ousted from the reindeer games because of his glowing nose, teams up with Hermey, an elf who wants to be a dentist, and Yukon Cornelius, the prospector. They run into the Abominable Snowman and find a whole island of misfit toys. Rudoph vows to see if he can get Santa to help the toys, and he goes back to the North Pole on Christmas Eve. But Santa’s sleigh is fogged in. But when Santa looks over Rudolph, he gets a very bright idea…

Animation Movies Revisited is written and narrated by Steve Seigh and was edited by Jasmyn Evans-Samuels. Adam Walton and Chris Bumbray produce, and Berge Garabedian is the executive producer. Check out more episodes from our Revisited series below! Do you think Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer holds up? Let us know in the comments!