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Directed by Kizo Nagashima + Larry Roemer
USA
1964

 

Burl Ives narrates and sings Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer  - an iconic 60's Christmas tale about uniqueness, conformity and acceptance. Rudolph and his electric proboscis team-up with show-stealing Hermey (a wannabe Dentist) and larger-than-life, protective Yukon Cornelius. They battle the 'Abominable snowman' (called a 'Bumble' by our friend Yukon) in a search for a place to live without rejection... but instead we, the audience, find some real spirit and meaning in Holiday season. 'Magnificent' is an understatement.

***

This classic 1964 television special featuring Rudolph and his misfit buddies set the standard for stop-motion animation for an entire generation before Tim Burton darkly reinvented it in the early 1990s. Burl Ives narrates as Sam the Snowman, telling and singing the story of a rejected reindeer who overcomes prejudice and saves Christmas one particularly blustery year. Along the way, he meets an abundance of unforgettable characters: his dentally obsessed elf pal Hermey; the affable miner Yukon Cornelius and his motley crew of puppies; the scary/adorable Abominable Snow Monster; a legion of abandoned, but still chatty, toys; and a rather grouchy Santa. In addition to the title song that inspired it, this 53-minute tape is crammed with catchy tunes such as "Silver and Gold" and "Holly Jolly Christmas." Those who grew up looking forward to watching Rudolph every Christmas season will undoubtedly be able to recite the quotable quotes ("I'm cuuuute. She said I'm cuuuute." "Hermey doesn't like to make toys.") as well as any Casablanca cult audience.  

Excerpt from Amazon located HERE

Book Panel promos

Television Premiere: December 6th, 1954

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Comparison:

Classic Media - Region 1 - NTSC vs. Classic Media (Vivendi) - Region 'A' - Blu-ray vs. The Original Christmas Specials Collection - Region FREE - Blu-ray

1) Classic Media - Region 1- NTSC LEFT

2) Classic Media (Vivendi) - Region 'A' - Blu-ray MIDDLE

3) Universal - Region FREE - Blu-ray RIGHT

 

Box Covers

 

 

   

50th Anniversary Blu-ray in November 2014:

  

Distribution Classic Media - Region 1 - NTSC Classic Media (Vivendi) - Region 'A' - Blu-ray Universal - Region FREE - Blu-ray

The initial Blu-ray is also available in The Original Christmas Classics Giftset which includes Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer / Santa Claus is Comin' to Town / Frosty the Snowman and Frosty Returns - all in Blu-ray.

         

Runtime 51:52  0:51:45.560 0:52:08.125
Video 1.33:1 Aspect Ratio
Average Bitrate: 4.98 mb/s
NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s

1080P / 23.976 fps Single-layered Blu-ray

Disc Size: 14,655,809,492 bytes

Feature: 14,234,769,408 bytes

Video Bitrate: 29.98 Mbps

Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video

1080P / 23.976 fps Dual-layered Blu-ray

Disc Size: 32,821,854,136 bytes

Feature: 14,988,859,392 bytes

Video Bitrate: 32.17 Mbps

Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video

NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.

Bitrate:

Bitrate 2016  Blu-ray

Bitrate 2018  Blu-ray

Audio English (Dolby Digital 2.0), DUB: Spanish (Dolby Digital 2.0) Dolby TrueHD Audio English 2833 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 2833 kbps / 16-bit (AC3 Embedded: 5.1 / 48 kHz / 640 kbps)
Dolby Digital Audio English 256 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 256 kbps
Dolby Digital Audio French 256 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 256 kbps / Dolby Surround
Dolby Digital Audio Spanish 256 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 256 kbps / Dolby Surround
DTS-HD Master Audio English 3360 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 3360 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 5.1 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit)
DTS Audio English 256 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 256 kbps / 24-bit
DTS Audio Spanish 256 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 256 kbps / 24-bit
DTS Audio French 256 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 256 kbps / 24-bitnd
Subtitles English, None None English, French, Spanish, None
Features

Release Information:
Studio: Classic Media

Aspect Ratio:
Original Aspect Ratio 1.33:1

Edition Details:

Introduction by Arthur Rankin (10:46)

Rudolph Trivia game
'Fame and Fortune' Song (2:16)
Original TV promo (:58)


DVD Release Date: September 24th, 2002

Keep Case
Chapters: 27

Release Information:
Studio:
Classic Media / Vivendi

 

1080P / 23.976 fps Single-layered Blu-ray

Disc Size: 14,655,809,492 bytes

Feature: 14,234,769,408 bytes

Video Bitrate: 29.98 Mbps

Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video


Edition Details:
none

Blu-ray Release Date:
October 12th, 2010
Standard Blu-ray Case

Chapters 27

Release Information:
Studio: Universal

 

1080P / 23.976 fps Dual-layered Blu-ray

Disc Size: 32,821,854,136 bytes

Feature: 14,988,859,392 bytes

Video Bitrate: 32.17 Mbps

Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video


Edition Details:
The Animagic World of Rankin/Bass: An all-new documentary celebrating the legacy of the holiday specials created by Arthur Rankin, Jr. and Jules Bass including interviews with filmmakers and historians. (47:00)
Restoring the Puppets of Rudolph: Discover how the puppets from the beloved special were restored. (03:40)
Reimagining Rudolph in 4D: A behind-the-scenes look at the making of the new Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer attraction film. (10:54)
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer Attraction Film: A short stop-motion film originally created for a Rudolph 4D experience. (10:51)
T.E.A.M. Rudolph and the Reindeer Games: A video storybook including the untold story of the Reindeer Games (13:45)
Frosty the Snowman Original Pencil Test (01:04)
Commentaries on Frosty the Snowman and Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town
 

Blu-ray 1 - Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer:
The Animagic World of Rankin/Bass
Restoring the Puppets of Rudolph
Reimagining Rudolph in 4D
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer Attraction Film
T.E.A.M. Rudolph and the Reindeer Games

Blu-ray 2 - Frosty the Snowman:
The Animagic World of Rankin/Bass
Original Pencil Test
Commentary by Animation Historian Mark Evanier

Blu-ray 3 - Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town:
The Animagic World of Rankin/Bass
Commentary by Animation Historian Greg Ehrbar


Blu-ray Release Date:
October 16th, 2018
Standard Blu-ray Case

Chapters 27

 

 

 

Comments:

NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.

ADDITION: Universal - Region FREE - Blu-ray - November 2018: Universal have released these fabulous original Christmas specials on one Blu-ray. The first 3 films each have their own disc, with "Cricket on the Hearth" and "Little Drummer Boy" sharing the final 4th disc. These 4 discs are all dual-layered Blu-rays and most films feature a very high bitrate. The image on the Rudolph Blu-ray is quite an improvement on the prior release, now with the correct colors after the backlash on the previous altered color balance. Damage is scarce but does make the occasional appearance. Most of these films appear as they would have on television, and have only been slightly cleaned up. The level of detail is impressive too, and this is true on most of the features. "Little Drummer Boy" probably comes off looking the worst, but that is most definitely due to the source print and the film's age.

Universal have provided many audio options here, which is a very welcome addition for French and Spanish speakers, as well as English. Rudolph has a 24-bit DTS-HD 5.1 English audio track, or the original 2.0, this is also offered in Spanish and French. This is also true of Frosty the Snowman. The other features vary in their options and can be seen in the above breakdown. There are optional English (and other languages seen above) subtitles on these Region FREE
Blu-rays.

The extras are mostly on the first 3 discs, starting with the documentary "The Animagic World of Rankin/Bass". This 47-minute piece celebrates the legacy of these holiday specials that were created by Arthur Rankin, Jr. and Jules Bass. Included here are interviews with various filmmakers and historians. There is a commentary on "Frosty the Snowman" with animation historian, Mark Evanier. There is also a commentary on "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town" with writer, author, and animation historian, Greg Ehrbar. These two commentaries provide an ample amount of information, especially with regards to the history and methods of animation. "Restoring the Puppets of Rudolph" is a 4-minute piece showing the work that went into bringing these puppets back to life. There was once a project to make a 4-D immersive experience out of Rudolph, eventually to be featured in a theme park. Though these plans didn't come to fruition, we are treated to this with "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer Attraction Film", an 11-minute feature that is quite beautifully rendered. Also here is the 11-minute, "Reimagining Rudolph in 4D" which is a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the new Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer attraction film. "T.E.A.M. Rudolph and the Reindeer Games" is a video storybook including the untold story of the Reindeer Games and this lasts around 14-minutes. Of interest to animation buffs, included here is a 1-minute original pencil test for Frosty the Snowman.

This wonderful
Blu-ray collection of animation from Universal is pure nostalgia. The transfers are pretty good, and the accompanying documentary and extras are very worthwhile. Recommended, especially if you have kiddies.

***

ADDITION: Classic Media (Vivendi) - Region 'A' - Blu-ray - October 2010: There isn't much to say here. My 2002 DVD is single-layered and interlaced (see sample). The new Blu-ray by Vivendi (Rankin/Bass sold the rights a few years back) may be bare-bones but the image is cleaner than the DVD and colors come to life although I can't vouch for their accuracy. Yukon Cornelius' coat moves from blue to green (?) but reds brighten up notably. Every visual facet is improved in the higher resolution (less artifacts and speckles, smoother in-motion etc.) with the 1080P Blu-ray providing a superior presentation in-motion.

Audio also improves with a lossless DTS-HD Master 5.1 at 2833 kbps. There isn't a lot sharp separation but everything is more dynamic (the DVD often sounded hollow) and the music is a giant leap forward. There are no optional subtitles on the new format transfer (there are on the DVD - see sample) and my Momitsu has identified it as being a region 'A'-locked.

 

On the extras front - we lose the 10-minute Rankin introduction, Trivia game and TV promo. The Blu-ray has no supplements at all. There is some griping on the web about no commentaries etc. and this is a valid complaint with Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer being a short enough feature (less than an hour) that something like that should have been included - especially at the price offered.  

The 1964 Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, for many, IS Christmas. I worked with a gal who actually had the little figurines on her desk year round. The underlying theme of acceptance is universal and I'm very happy to have this disc ready for my kids in late December after building a snowman, hot chocolate and a fire roaring in the fireplace! For 51-minutes, methinks, this is as good as life can get... 

Gary W. Tooze

 


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3) Universal - Region FREE - Blu-ray BOTTOM

 


1) Classic Media - Region 1- NTSC TOP

2) Classic Media (Vivendi) - Region 'A' - Blu-ray MIDDLE

3) Universal - Region FREE - Blu-ray BOTTOM

 


1) Classic Media - Region 1- NTSC TOP

2) Classic Media (Vivendi) - Region 'A' - Blu-ray MIDDLE

3) Universal - Region FREE - Blu-ray BOTTOM

 

 


1) Classic Media - Region 1- NTSC TOP

2) Classic Media (Vivendi) - Region 'A' - Blu-ray MIDDLE

3) Universal - Region FREE - Blu-ray BOTTOM

 


1) Classic Media - Region 1- NTSC TOP

2) Classic Media (Vivendi) - Region 'A' - Blu-ray MIDDLE

3) Universal - Region FREE - Blu-ray BOTTOM

 


1) Classic Media - Region 1- NTSC TOP

2) Classic Media (Vivendi) - Region 'A' - Blu-ray MIDDLE

3) Universal - Region FREE - Blu-ray BOTTOM

 

The other Four Films in the Universal - Region FREE - Blu-ray Package


Box Covers

 

 

   

50th Anniversary Blu-ray in November 2014:

  

Distribution Classic Media - Region 1 - NTSC Classic Media (Vivendi) - Region 'A' - Blu-ray Universal - Region FREE - Blu-ray

The initial Blu-ray is also available in The Original Christmas Classics Giftset which includes Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer / Santa Claus is Comin' to Town / Frosty the Snowman and Frosty Returns - all in Blu-ray.

         



 

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