Rudolph mit der roten Nase 2 - Rudolph und der Spielzeugdieb

Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer, the Rankin-Bass special made in 1964, is my favorite holiday special since I was a kid, with its memorable characters, soothing songs, and good storytelling. So imagine my shock when I saw this, a sequel.

Well, okay, Rudolph had two sequels before this (Rudolph's Shiny New Year and that crossover with Frosty The Snowman), but they basically replaced certain characters with new ones that fit the theme of the special. Here, Rudolph is back with Hermie, Yukon, Bumble and all the rest, now in the glory of early 2000's-era computer animation. A villain named the Toy-Taker is taking all the toys in the world, while Rudolph is unhappy with his fame, as after saving Christmas, he is being treated like a novelty act, considers getting his nose changed after he and Hermey end up on Castaway Cove, home of Queen Camila, who uses the island as a spa for toys to be repaired and cleaned.

The movie has a good voice cast, with the likes of Jamie Lee Curtis and Rick Moranis, as well as TV voice actors like Garry Chalk and Scott McNeil. Also, while this movie is neat, there are some flaws. One of the major ones is Rudolph and Clarice, as they are back in their younger selves, which contradicts events in the original, as they are adults near the end of the special. Also, there are some dumb ideas put in that will confound both man and beast (like Hermey having a crush on the Tooth Fairy) and some of the songs don't hold a candle to the ones in the original.