Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
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Is it age appropriate?
About our ratings -
Is it any good?
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Common Sense says
Old-school, heartwarming classic for all ages.
Themes in this movie include: friendship, peer pressure
updated 11.04.09
Why We Rated This 
for Ages 3 and Up
The good stuff
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Role models:
What to watch out for
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Violence & scariness:
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Sexy stuff:
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Language:
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Consumerism:
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Drinking, drugs, & smoking:
What Parents Need to Know
This review of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer was written by Colette DeDonato
Parents need to know that Rudolph's story has a great message about nonconformity: Just be yourself, don't worry if you don't fit in, get the support of other "misfits," and you'll find that there's strength in numbers. Kids older than 4 will likely get the message, and for those younger than that, the cute little reindeer and all the musical numbers -- as cheesy and outdated as they might seem now -- will hold their interest. Even the show's "scary" antagonist, the Abominable Snow Monster (or "Bumble"), seems harmless, especially by today's standards.
Families Can Talk About
Talk to your kids about the media in their life. We have more tools and tips that can help
- Families can talk about what it means to not fit in with the crowd.
- How would you feel if no one wanted to be your friend because you were different?
- Families can also talk about the fact that Rudolph, who doesn't get much support from his father, decides to run away from home.
- Could Rudolph have found another way to express his feelings about not being accepted?
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More on Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
What’s the Story?
Burl Ives, in the guise of Sam the talking snowman, narrates the tale of a misfit reindeer named Rudolph (voiced by Billie Mae Richards) who's finally appreciated by peers and parents when Santa (Stan Francis) discovers the usefulness of his light-bulb nose to guide the sleigh during a terrible snowstorm on Christmas Eve. (But, of course, you already know the song: "All of the other reindeer, used to laugh and call him names.") Rudolph finds his compatriot in an elf named Hermey (Paul Soles) who has become disillusioned with his job making toys and dreams of becoming a dentist -- which is, of course, out of the question for elves. Hermey and Rudolph run away from the North Pole together and, with new friend Yukon Cornelius (Larry D. Mann), make it to the Isle of Misfit Toys. Here they find company among others who stand out from the crowd.
Is It Any Good?
This classic holiday TV special -- the highest-rated, longest-running in TV history -- seems almost inextricable from the idea of Christmas. Parents will no doubt have memories of this delightful film, which first aired in 1964, from their own childhoods. And you can't watch it without appreciating the simplicity of a pre-computer-animation world. Just hearing Ives' voice and songs transports you back to a simpler time, when Christmas didn't hold as many TV-viewing options and McDonald's wasn't part of the marketing deal.
Movie Details
Studio: Sony Wonder, Director: Larry Roemer
Run time: 53 minutes
Theatrical release: 12/6/1964, DVD release: 8/31/1999
MPAA Rating: NR
Run time: 53 minutes
Theatrical release: 12/6/1964, DVD release: 8/31/1999
MPAA Rating: NR
Our Members Say
See all 12 member reviews
Most Recent Reviews
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I rate this title on for age 4 and give it
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
Watch out for abandonment issues
I was so excited to watch this with my 3yo that I totally forgot about the Snow Monster, which definitely had her diving under the covers, but the real isse for her was concerns about Rudolph's separation from his parents. She kept asking where Rudolph's daddy is and when Rudolph returned home to find out his parents were gone, she burst into tears. Did not see that coming!
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I rate this title on for age 2 and give it
- My highlights are:
- Educational
- Good role models
luved it since i was a baby
I luv this movie and i have since i was a baby!!
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I rate this title on for age 2 and give it
Fun for my 3 yr old!
Our daughter loves this movie. She watched it last year when she was about 2 1/2 and loved it. The snow monster is a bit scary, but she handled it just fine and continued on watching the movie. That is the only part that is a bit iffy. This year, the snow monster doesn't phase her too much. She talks about him being scary, but she is more interested in Santa and Rudolph that the monster isn't such a big deal. I think it is a great Christmas classic for kids!
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I rate this title on for age 10 and give it
Great for tweens and teens
Keep in mind that Rudolph isn't for really young children because of the snow monster, but anyone older than 10 should love Rudolph. It's fun for the whole family if your children are tweens or teens.
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I rate this title off for age 5 and give it
too scary for 4 yr old
My 4 1/2 year old was terrified of the snow monster. I left the room for a bit while he was watching and came back to him huddling under the couch sobbing from fright. He is on the sensitive side, but I think this is better for older children.
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I rate this title off for age 5 and give it
Scared my 3 year 3 month daughter
The monster in the movie scared my 3 year old. Though I explained things to her as we went along, and kept telling her in the monster was really nice in the end, that end part is so short that it really didn't make a difference. She talked about the monster for close to a week. I regretted letting her watch it -- it had been so long since I had seen it I had forgotten the whole story line. I probably won't let her see it again until she's 5.
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I rate this title pause for age 7 and give it
Too scary for 3 year olds.
You really shouldn't watch this until you're at least 7 years old. The yeti or bumble really scared me when I was 3 years old. Not cause of his roar, it was cause he tried to eat reindeer. Either way, my favorite character had to be the pick axe licking weirdo.
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I rate this title on for age 2 and give it
This is such a great movie! I watched it every year and enjoyed the animation, the music, and the story. I remember my favorite character was Herbie (or Hermey... my mum called him 'Herbie', so that just stuck).
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I rate this title pause for age 0 and give it
A little too scary for our 3-year-old
We carefully screen shows for our 3-yr-old, but he saw this one without our previously viewing it. Had we seen it, we would not have let him watch it at this point. We fast-forwarded through the abominable snow monster because it was making him a bit frightened and our child asked to get to the part where Rudolph pulled the sled. Our other concern was that the guy with the dogsled had a gun in his waistband (don't know if he used it because we fast-forwarded through that too.)
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I rate this title pause for age 0 and give it
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I rate this title on for age 0 and give it
the best movie i have ever sean
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