Rudolph And The Island Of The Misfit Toys [VHS] [2001]

My son. aged 2 1/2, loves this sort of thing, and if he likes a film will want to sit through it again and again (and again, ad infinitum :). Even he got bored halfway through and wandered of, which given his current love of deers is quite telling.

If you've already got Toy Story 2, just watch it again, if you haven't - buy it, it's far superior (in every way).


Avoid: Cautionary Tale from a Tortured Aunt   January 29, 2010
Made of Cheese
My 2 year old nephew somehow got hold of this movie last Christmas (I think my mother in law might have picked it up, probably from a petrol station). Anyway our stay was agony as he insisted on watching it again and again as kids do. I love animation but the crude CGI graphics on this are boxy, unfinished and ugly to look at. The characters and story seem just as computer generated - empty and charmless. The music has the quality of a robot playing fart noises on a casio keyboard. Also, it is hard to describe how incredibly s-l-o-w it is. By the end you can't remember what happened at the beginning and you really don't care.

Some parts are actually strangely inappropriate - there's one bit where Rudolph is encouraged by a sinister makeover consultant to get plastic surgery on his nose and you see lots of animals who've been cosmetically enhanced. Not really a topic for the under fives I would have thought.

The bright colours and talking animals in this movie will no doubt hold the attention of a very small child, but for anyone mentally developed enough to cut up their own food, it is pure brain-torture.

If you have little ones and will therefore be obliged to watch something multiple times, do your sanity a favour and get them hooked on something decent instead. Yes, even that will get annoying, but our kids deserve better than this.


Lost the will to live   January 5, 2010
Madgie (Orkney, Scotland)
I spent 90 terrible minutes suffering this sad excuse of a film. I was expecting so much more given Richard Dreyfuss and Jamie Lee Curtis involvement. What were they thinking of accepting the invitation to participate in what must be one of the low points of film making not just in the last decade but the entire history of film making. The animation was laggy, glitchy and slowed down and sped up at points, however this pales into insignificance when compared to the CGI and the quite woeful kite character. What the hell were they thinking of when they came up with the idea of Rudolph assisting Santa to change a fuse when the lights went out, I dread to think where one replaces the batteries for Rudolph's nose when the light dies in his torch hooter. But I guess it would be advisable to change them promptly incase the old battery acid leaks out, passing stools would probably make his eyes water more than mine did after enduring this preposterous folly. The score lacked imagination, creativity and competence. The arrangements were pitiful, the sampled sounds are almost indescribably poor. How on Earth could anyone sit in a recording studio and listen over and over again as tracks were layed down during the overdub process?!!? The internation and arrangements combined to form a quite staggering level of incompetence musically this is really very sad. Now the songs, where do I begin to tell the story of this inept collection of bankrupt juvenile delinquent drivel, the lyrics were perfectly in tune with the rambling corny story line. The songs are most memorable for being unmemorable, the writer can take great credit for his continuity of unmemorable melodies, hooks and structures. I cannot believe for one minute the writer has managed to secure any further gainful employment in the industry. The Producer of this quite extra-ordinary project must take great credit for securing any type of budget let alone convincing Messers Dreyfuss and Curtis that involvement would not put their entire careers in grave jeopardy. Goodtimes Entertainment could be no further from the truth despite brave attempts to research further offerings from this organization. I am relieved to report that it appears there is no other output. What a relief.
I would strongly advised anyone involved in "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer and The Island of Misfit Toys" project strike mention of this abomination from their CV's, as for me I am seeking psychiatric assistance to cope with the trauma caused by exposure to this moribund lethargy.
The biggest mistake was at the end. Santa gave the teddy bear to the original owner's daughter forgetting the fact that she would throw him away exactly like her Father had done. Why doesn't someone get a grenade and put it up the sucking pipe on the Zeppelin and blow it up sending all the stolen ornaments flying everywhere back to their owners.
To make a long review short,
DON'T BUY IT!!! EVER!!!!!! I am going to sue the newspaper it came free with.


Dreadful   July 12, 2009
Debra from Hull (England)
I thought this was dreadful. I collect Christmas film & TV and will gladly watch anything associated with the season. However, this was poor. The animation was awful and there was no soul to the film. Upon seeing the names of Richard Dreyfus, Rick Moranis and Jamie Lee Curtis I was expecting so much more.

I watched the definitive 1964 claymation version the previous night and that was in a different league. Definately buy that one instead - you'll waste your money if you buy this!