Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer (1948)

This is the first ever adaptation of Rudolph. Yes, that makes it older than the song, which was based off a book.

Time for some dates. The book by Robert L. May was released in 1939. The first ever adaptation is this one by Max Fleischer with Paul Wing doing the voices. The song came out one year later, and in 1951 it was redone with the famous song replacing “Silent Night.”

Since it is public domain you can easily find the 1951 version on youtube. The original version is here. I prefer the original version, as “Silent Night” fits the mood better.

This is a very faithful adaptation. Like in the book they make just as much of a deal about his nose being twice as big as it is bright. Unlike all other adaptations the deer are a weird hybrid of anamorphic and animal like. Previously I have a problem with this, but I let it slide here , because it is consistent. The deer walk like deer sometimes(needed for the sleigh imagery). Besides that they sometimes wear clothes, eat at tables (unlike the book they at least have food there), and they even have beds. Despite this being the first adaptation it really sticks out as a result.

Is the toy deer the equivalent to a doll? Is the human toy the equivalent to a teddy bear?

Despite being the shortest adaptation it has the most dramatic paste. This is the only adaptation where Santa Claus actually tries to do his job during the storm. In the Rankin-Bass film the storm plot is just a quick add on. In the GoodTimes film it is ending fatigue. Here it is the plot, and that is why this is the only one where Rudolph being recruited to lead the sleigh is actually a powerful moment.

Then it is the typical story of using your perceived flaws to be the hero, a message that always appealed to me. It is my favorite of the adaptations despite easily being the most simple. There is no snow witch or yeti, just the unity of plot. There is no plot of not living up to a family name. Rudolph’s father is nobody important, and I like that in a hero.

I just like how the old guy looks.

Being a Fleischer cartoon made for theaters it is not surprising the animation is great, and it was actually fun watching a scene in frame by frame to appreciate it.