- Peggy the Pig
When it comes to the true classics of Christmas entertainment, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is one of the most beloved and sadly the most exploitative. After the famous television special, its creators Rankin-Bass did two sequels that are best left avoided. In the 1990's, GoodTimes Entertainment certainly didn't bring good intentions with a near rip-off of the original special called Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: The Movie. GoodTimes didn't stop there and made a deadly hybrid of Rankin-Bass and their own tepid output by creating the nostalgia-baiting, 3D animated Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and the Island of Misfit Toys.
I remember, back in 2001, that this direct to video release was going to be a colossal dud. Both the commercials and the front cover art had the "Robin Williams Push", where the Hollywood movie stars that they got to voice for them were more important than anything else. I also recall the terrible rendition of the popular song that legendary singer Tony Bennett sang at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. He looked more bored and wooden than he did in The Oscar. Then, there's the nonsensical nature of the movie title. Viewers are already aware and love the Island of Misfit Toys so attaching this subtitle makes it seems like a retread of the first film.
The main story of the film isn't about the island but that of the Toy Taker, a mysterious entity that steals people's toys through a strange pied-piper routine that isn't explained. Also, because of budget limitations, the Toy Taker only steals a couple of toys but a map of his crimes point all over the world. Meanwhile, Rudolph has an identity crisis yet again for no reason and wants a real nose despite everyone being nice to him. He goes with Hermey to the Island for a dental appointment where we meet a new crew of Misfit Toys that do not appear or matter again. After a storm crashes them in a place called Castaway Cove, they meet a weird fairy-hippo named Queen Camilla who rehabilitates old toys into new. The film then wakes itself up again about the Toy Taker and Rudolph chases after him that leads into a finale that wholeheartedly steals straight from Toy Story 2.
To be fair, the film isn't a complete waste of time and could have had some potential. Some scenes are pretty good, including a long party scene done without any dialogue and a mine cart chase. However, the decisions by the GoodTimes crew ruin any hope and make a mess with the dearly-loved characters. For instance, that silent scene just mentioned ends with a really horrible love song coming out of nowhere that reeks of Disney-wannabe. As with the original, this "sequel" has multiple songs and they certainly aren't pleasing to hear unless you like to hear the word "toys" said over twenty times. The worst and the strangest lyric is when the Toy Taker sings he is Ghandi but has to pronounce it as "Ghan-Dye". On the other side of the audio, the voice work is supplied by many popular voice actors, such as Scott McNeil and Gary Chalk, that do fine though Kathleen Barr's Rudolph gets grating. The movie star attractions are mixed, as the always sadly underrated Rick Moranis goes through his type-cast emotions while Jamie Lee Curtis brings charisma to Queen Camilla, whose animation jerks negates it entirely. Richard Dreyfuss is insufferable as a Sam rip-off named Scoop D. Snowman who ruins the flow of the story by constantly interrupting and over-explaining things.
The low-budget animation, worse than early Sony Playstation, impacts the experience greatly with many characters appearing more simplistic than their Rankin-Bass's designs, bad rendering, and a lot of clipping. Two big examples of the dire animation are when Rudolph somehow opens a car door without moving his legs and a dreadful iceberg collapse. As mentioned, the story is a chore with many mood swings, bad characterization, and plagiarism. There is so much repetition in the dialogue, whether it is from Scoop or others. For example, after the awful "Island of Misfit Toys" song, which sings the problems of the new misfits, the new misfits then explain and showcase their problems again. There also are some plot holes that are pretty grim; The toys that the Toy Taker has kidnapped, including a cameoing Charlie In The Box and A Dolly For Sue, are never rescued from his stronghold and seemingly left to die inside an empty volcano.
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and the Island of Misfit Toys is a disservice to fans of the Rankin-Bass classic. It was simply made for a cash grab when it is worth nothing at all. And with this film, we end "Cynical Christmas Movie Week." It certainly was an unique yet frustrating experience but it is about to be more commercial-oriented and duller with five television examples with "Christmas Wrapping Specials."
TOMORROW'S ENTRY: Teenagers who should be fighting a campy Christmas creature instead stay on the sidelines for a schmaltzy boring holiday hosted by a polarizing supporting player.
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