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Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is a 1964 stop motion Christmas animated television special produced by Videocraft International, Ltd.[2] It first aired December 6, 1964, on the NBC television network in the United States and was sponsored by General Electric under the umbrella title of The General Electric Fantasy Hour.[3] The special was based on the 1949 Johnny Marks song "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" which was itself based on the poem of the same name written in 1939 by Marks's brother-in-law, Robert L. May. NBC will air the special annually starting in 2024, having previously done so until 1971. From 1972 to 2023, the special aired on CBS, which unveiled a high-definition, digitally remastered version of the program in 2005, re-scanned frame-by-frame from the original 35 mm film elements.
As with A Charlie Brown Christmas and How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer no longer airs merely once annually, but several times during the Christmas and holiday season. It has been telecast every year since 1964, making it the longest continuously running Christmas TV special in the United States. The 50th anniversary of the television special was marked in 2014,[4] and a series of postage stamps featuring Rudolph was issued by the United States Postal Service on November 6, 2014.[5] A special exhibit was also mounted at the Masterworks Museum in Bermuda, where the original puppets are held.[6] Since 2019, Freeform has aired the special as a part of its 25 Days of Christmas holiday programming block.
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer was initially met with a positive reception among critics, who praised the voice acting, soundtrack, animation style, characters, and sets. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is often regarded as one of the best Christmas films ever made, being featured on numerous "top ten" lists. It has become widely popular among both young children and adults familiar with the Christmas season, and has garnered a large cult following since its initial debut.
On November 1, 2024, it was announced that the special will return to NBC beginning with its airing on December 6, 2024, its 60th anniversary.[7][8]
- ^ Goldschmidt, Rick (February 1999). "Creating Animagic". Cinefantastique. Fourth Castle Micromedia. Retrieved November 25, 2024.
- ^ "The Magical Animation of 'Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer'". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved October 18, 2020.
- ^ Crump, William D. (2019). Happy Holidays—Animated! A Worldwide Encyclopedia of Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and New Year's Cartoons on Television and Film. McFarland & Co. pp. 259–260. ISBN 9781476672939.
- ^ "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer celebrates 50th anniversary". CBS News. December 9, 2014. Archived from the original on December 10, 2014.
- ^ "Rudolph all red-nosed over stamp of approval". United States Postal Service. November 6, 2014. Archived from the original on December 24, 2014.
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, the nation's longest-running and highest-rated Christmas television special 'went down in history' to receive its stamp of approval today. The set of four Limited Edition Forever stamps depicting Rudolph, Hermey, Santa and Bumble were created from still television frames from the special which premiered 50 years ago in 1964.
- ^ Wood, Heather (December 5, 2014). "Christmas special turning 50". The Royal Gazette [Bermuda]. royalgazette.com. Retrieved April 27, 2022.
- ^ Adalian, Josef (November 1, 2024). "CBS Holiday Staple Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer Is Flying Over to NBC". Vulture. Retrieved November 1, 2024.
- ^ Petski, Denise (November 1, 2024). "'Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer' Animated Special Returning To NBC After 5 Decades At CBS". Deadline. Retrieved November 2, 2024.
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