Thirty-seven years after his famous TV debut, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer returns in a sharp-looking computer-animated feature. Using excellent voice casting with actors that sound like the originals, this new
Rudolph looks and sounds grand. There's a mysterious Toy Taker gobbling up toys around the world. Rudolph and his team (including deer-friend Clarice, elf-turned-dentist Hermey, and the Abominable Snowman) try to track the toys down and save Christmas again. While the setup and songs hold no candle to the original, and the lessons learned are borrowed from
Toy Story 2, the final third succeeds--it's always good to have a flying reindeer when you are chasing a blimp. Kids ages 3 to 9 who have seen the original will certainly want to see the sequel; however, their parents might be less enthusiastic.
--Doug Thomas
