Rudolph's Shiny New Year (1976)

This time, Rudolph has to save the new year. But, they tried to copy the original story too much. The plot is confusing. Many of the characters have odd dates and times as their names. The film also tries to mix other stories and characters into this story, and they do this badly. In conclusion, Rudolph's Shiny New Year is a lsme sequel to the original 1964 Rudolph.

Rankin/Bass sequel to Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer doesn't come close to that classic but has charms of its own. The story is that Happy, the Baby New Year, has run away and unless he is returned by Dec 31st the current year will not end. Rudolph is asked to find Happy, which is appropriate since they both have in common that they were laughed at for physical oddities. Rudolph with his glowing red nose and Happy with his huge ears. It's a running gag throughout the special that every time someone sees Happy's ears they burst out laughing. It seems a little mean after awhile, to be honest.The most interesting part of the story to me was the Archipelago of Last Years. Basically after every year ends, that year retires to an island all of its own. It's a neat idea that allowed Rankin/Bass to toy with various characters from different times. My favorite of these was the island of the year that all fairy tales and nursery rhymes were created. So we get to see Rankin/Bass animate characters like the Three Bears and Cinderella. Throughout the story, Rudolph picks up various allies and must contend with an evil vulture named Aeon.The stop-motion animation is, as usual, excellent. I love the vulture in particular. The voicework is great. Billie Mae Richards returns as Rudolph. Red Skelton voices the narrator Father Time, as well as a short bit as Baby Bear (using one of his old standard voices from his radio & TV shows). Morey Amsterdam voices O.M. the caveman. The songs are a mixed bag and probably the special's weakest element. Also, as mentioned, the constant laughing at the baby for his ears is a little rough and the "moral" at the end, as stated by Rudolph, doesn't seem to fit. Still, it's an enjoyable special. It's not one of the best but it's Rankin/Bass so it's solid entertainment despite its flaws.

The original "Rudolph" was a lot of fun, stressed "Rudolph's growing up and taking on responsibility, and had superior songs. Some of those songs, like "Holly Jolly Christmas" "Silver and Gold" and have made their way into the secular Christmas soundtrack. Not so with "Rudolph's (Less Than) Shiny New Year".This attempt to milk the story should have been abandoned. The story badly mixes characters from other stories, has songs that just are not memorable, animation that differers dramatically from the original, and, frankly, its villain is not villainous enough!This show reminds me of how I enjoyed the charming animated "The little Drummer Boy" but not its horrid sequel "LDB, Book Two". Sometimes, one has to make a good movie and remain happy itch one has made,rather than trying for a sequel.

Rudolph's Shiny New Year can be striking, and entertaining, if you're watching it when you're little - little enough that by the time you're my age you have no clear memory of the first time you watched it, just that you did over and over. As a kid you get introduced to claymation someway or another (even those of today who don't have Gumby get Wallace and Gromit), and this plays for a fine hour for the little ones, but can perhaps be of worth for the parents here and there. The story of Rudolph saving the "baby new-year" from the clutches of Eon, a vulture looking to keep December 31st on a loop, is pretty simple, with conflicts and characters that are typical and funny enough to take. But what can be memorable for a child is how some of this special is dark (with Eon) when it's not cute (most scenes with the baby). It's also interesting as a kind of sequel-cum-remake of the original Rudolph story, as the baby has to contend with having big ears- something that a child might find more relatable than a shiny nose. The songs are also a bit of a treat, if dated, and Red Skeleton does a fine double-job with the voicing of Father time and the little Bear on the island. Basically, it's the kind of special that is worth checking out with the kids for a few minutes, and if they get into it, it may prove a treat, and if not, there's still Nickelodeon.