RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER & THE ISLAND OF MISFIT TOYS

Rankin/Bass Productions, who created all the most beloved animated holiday specials of the 1960s (along with a poor cartoon adaptation of LORD OF THE RINGS and a KING KONG television series), is long gone, but their properties live on via GoodTimes Home Video and perennial TV broadcasts. Surely their most famous and best loved production ever is the 1964 TV special RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER, which brought the hit song to life in an adventure full of whimsy and delightful characterizations. Over the years, these characters were abused somewhat in a series of awkward sequels with moments of brilliance only the 1970 special SANTA CLAUS IS COMIN' TO TOWN equaled RUDOLPH.

With the revival of the Rankin/Bass characters a couple of years ago in toy form, GoodTimes decided to increase their Rankin/Bass line with the first direct Rudolph sequel since 1979's RUDOLPH AND FROSTY'S CHRISTMAS IN JULY (GoodTimes tried their hand at a cartoon RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER: THE MOVIE in 1998, with uninteresting results). Rudolph, Santa, Hermey the elf, and most of the other characters are back for their first 21^st century adventure.

Despite the title, the red-nosed rangifer spends little time on the Island of Misfit Toys, where freak playthings await distribution via Santa Claus' sleigh. That's right although all the Misfit Toys were supposed to be found homes at the end of Rudolph's first adventure, apparently there are always new rejects coming off the production lines, most likely on Mondays and Fridays. Rudolph (voiced by Kathleen Barr), still suffering an inferiority complex due to his mutant schnoz, accompanies Hermey on a trip to the island, where the elf dentist is due to perform a root canal on lion King Moonbeam.

On the way home, our heroes run into a less-than-perfect storm that grounds Hermey's amphibious office/vehicle in Castaway Cove, where hippopotamus Queen Camilla (Jamie Lee Curtis) and her gingerbread henchmen have been running some sort of free clinic and spa for damaged toys, which somehow exists without Santa's knowledge. Here, Rudolph considers getting a nose job apparently the queen has a veterinary license as well but decides to go home and see what his girlfriend thinks of the idea first. While the boys are away, the slipshod security at Santa's workshop is no match for the mysterious Toy Taker (Rick Moranis), who has been terrorizing the planet with his daring toy thefts, and absconds with the entire inventory just before Christmas. Our heroes embark for the Island of Misfit Toys, one of the few spots the Toy Taker has yet to strike, and undertake a bold plan to trap the villain.

Unable to exert all the time, expense and craftsmanship necessary for the quality puppet animation of the original specials, GoodTimes' team led by animation veteran Bill Kowalchuk instead turned to Maya CGI animation. The results are wobbly and overly plastic looking next to the animation of Pixar's level, but enough effort is made to reproduce the Rankin/Bass look and style of movement to pass as an acceptable holiday diversion for both kids and adults. However, the production still has an aura of cheapness to it. The frozen arctic is adequately rendered though at times the sea's horizon line shifts a bit but interiors look a bit underdecorated. And crowd scenes are a little skimpy after stealing toys all over the world, a trip inside the Toy Taker's massive lair for some exposition reveals the bad guy surrounded by only a dozen or so toys. The songs are catchy enough that you won't mind the kids taking in numerous repeat screenings, but don't stick in the memory, possibly due to the flat keyboard arrangements. Only the title track has a full band, and that's because it's a licensed cut of Tony Bennet singing the old standard. Some of the gags give a welcome chuckle, but there's lots of padding in between.

The extras are a bit chintzy as well. Kowalchuk is billed as contributing a commentrak, but he only covers a few scenes. A featurette on the CGI animation, all rendered with off-the-shelf software, may be interesting only to grandparents. The trailer isn't anything special, and the postcards are just image files to print from your computer.

The old Rankin/Bass specials deserve deluxe DVDs, but this entire project is transparently not much more than a bid to milk a holiday staple for all its worth.