Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer and the Island of Misfit Toys (2001)

The Island of Misfit Toys is a made-for-video sequel to Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. Perhaps the most beloved of the original Rankin-Bass TV specials, Rudolph is also one of the few 1960s holiday specials to still make its way onto network television each year. Simply plotted and featuring crude model animation, Rudolph nevertheless contains an almost hypnotizing magic for the young at heart. Perhaps it’s the moral of the story – that it is okay to be a misfit, even at the holidays – that resonates so strongly with so many of us.

The Island of Misfit Toys, made a generation later by totally different creators at Good Times Home Video, doesn’t quite reach the heights of the original Rudolph, but then again neither did Rankin-Bass’ own sequel Christmas in July. This time around, the filmmakers rely on computer animation to bring Rudolph and his pals to life. While that may sound like a good idea – Rankin-Bass’ tabletop animation influenced Pixar, the masters of computer animation – in practice, the technique leaves much to be desired. No one ever lauded Rankin-Bass’ jerky stop-motion techniques as flawless; too often, Rudolph and the other characters were obviously merely dolls. But even the very worst tabletop animation done by amateurs has a certain amount of spark and idiosyncratic personality. Computer animation, on the other hand, is a different creature entirely. Largely due to the mastery of Pixar, audiences expect smoothly flowing pseudo-realism from computer animation. Furthermore, while Pixar continuously develops and improves upon its own computer software, a host of cheaper animation software is now available to other film studios. Both Antz and Jimmy Neutron avoided situations where the sub-Pixar animation would draw attention to itself but Island’s director Bill Kowalchuk is not as wise. Thus, we suffer through ocean sequences and several furry characters (both flowing water and unruly hair are difficult to animate via computer).

On the positive side, Kowalchuk remains true to the spirit of the original Rudolph. The story is supposedly a mystery involving stolen toys, but is actually a nice excuse to tie together some holiday-themed songs. None of the voice actors are the same as the originals, yet they do a fabulous job of evoking them. Richard Dreyfus, Tony Bennett, and Jamie Lee Curtis sound delighted to be a part of an old-fashioned Christmas special and their enthusiasm considerably buoys this video. Furthermore, there is absolutely nothing in this film that could be remotely construed as camp, parody, or tongue-in-cheek. Most recent updates of 1960s television are riddled with satirical references, and it’s a pleasure to see a film that doesn’t mock its source material. Kowalchuk’s plotting is lightweight, but this is a movie aimed solely at young children – and young children do enjoy Misfit Toys. I doubt that this video will be remembered a generation from now, but I also doubt that Rankin-Bass intentionally created a classic with the original Rudolph. As such, Misfit Toys is far more tolerable that the recent made-for-video sequels Disney insists on assaulting its audience with.

Sequels to decades-old films are guaranteed an audience, but are also controversial because they run the risk of tampering with our memories. The risks are greater with children’s films, partly because they are infused with nostalgia and partly because every generation since the Baby Boomers insists on the sanctity of their own childhood memories. No sequel to a popular Christmas special could possibly please everyone. My gripes with Misfit Toys are solely of a technical nature; I am sure most children and many parents will forgive the animation flaws. Misfit Toys works its own, somewhat moderate magic on children. I suggest renting the film over the holidays and seeing what your children’s reactions are. You may be surprised to see that their reactions are similar to the ones you had when you saw the original Rudolph many years ago.

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