Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July (1979)

This thing is weirder than Eraserhead and more convoluted than the Matrix trilogy.

I truly believe that most of the negative reviews are just a result of people jumping on the bandwagon about "the Rankin and Bass special we're not supposed to like." One might ask then, why did it "flop" at the box office? It sounds like it was very poor marketing to have released it in July. Just because the story was set in July does not change the fact that it is a Christmas story in every sense of the word and should be shown at Christmas time. That was a tactical error which caused it to fail, obtain a bad reputation, and now everyone just agrees that it's bad without thinking for themselves. Judged on its content, it's a great story and the complaints against it make little sense. For one thing, it's a major mistake to compare this to the earlier Rankin and Bass specials, as if this movie was somehow made to be in competition with them. It was obviously created to complement them and it does an excellent job of it. Secondly, it is a delightful, heartwarming movie that anyone with a soul should enjoy. Thirdly, the movie does a very clever job of incorporating the many favorite Rankin and Bass specials together and reinforces the idea that it is all in one universe. It provides closure to many aspects of the specials, such as Frosty and Crystal's life and family together, their ongoing friendship with their former advisory Jack Frost, Rudolph's origin, and many other details. It even subtly explains Santa's more idiosyncratic behavior in past specials, such as his grumpiness in Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer and self-pity in Year Without A Santa Clause. He says to Mrs. Santa Clause, "I'm not the easiest man to get along with" and she says, "Only when it gets close to Christmas Eve." It's really a very significant special and it's a shame that it's lost on some. So, folks, watch this delightful Christmas movie, don't be influenced by the hate that others have directed towards it, avoid holding it to crazy standards that no other fantasy movie would be held to, just lighten up, sit back, and enjoy Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July with an open mind and a happy heart.

Feature-length spectacle that combines elements from previous Rankin/Bass specials (Rudolph, Frosty & wife Crystal, Santa & Mrs. Claus). Also adds an overcomplicated story and dark atmosphere. In addition to the familiar characters, we get new ones. An evil wizard named Winterbolt (who is accompanied by the creepiest music from any of the Rankin/Bass specials), good witch Lady Boreal, ice cream man Milton, Lily and Laine Loraine, Scratcher the evil reindeer, and the mega-scary Genie of the Ice Scepter.The story is about Winterbolt awakening from a deep sleep he was put into by Lady Boreal. She put her power into Rudolph's nose, which will stop glowing if it is used for evil. So Winterbolt plans to destroy Rudolph and reclaim the North Pole from Santa. That's just scratching the surface, folks, and it already seems like a very involved plot. The reason why I called it "The Movie" is because it reminds me of when a television cartoon series would put out a theatrical film. It has lots of familiar characters though they're not quite the same, plus tons of new characters that are hit or miss, and a new plot that is a bit much for what should be a simple show. Also, and I'm not sure on this but it was my impression, the budget on this seemed higher than other specials. Lots of flashier effects, particularly for the Winterbolt scenes, and added sound effects that you don't usually hear in a Christmas special. Maybe this was their attempt to make something the Star Wars generation would enjoy. The creepiest and most interesting scenes involve Winterbolt and his lair. So dark and spooky with weird music and sound effects. Those dragons! Beyond this, the rest of the film has little to recommend except for the curiosity factor. It doesn't have as much warmth and heart as the more popular Rankin/Bass specials. Why are Frosty and his family all decked out in orange? I never got that. Anyway, the voicework is fine but the new songs are weak. Animation is excellent, of course. I would recommend if you are Rankin/Bass fan you check it out but if you're a parent looking to share it with your kids, I would watch it first by yourself to decide. Because it's pretty dark in tone and Winterbolt is just oozing evil.

*CONTAINS SPOILERS*This special cannot seem to make up it mind as to which holiday it is supposed to geared to. The main focus is on Christmas and the 4 of July idea seems to come out of left field. Also Rankin/Bass reuse the mailman character from "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town" creating tons of confusion if you had seen the previous special. Adding to the confusion is that the Rankin/Bass claymation Christmas specials up to this point could be woven into a kind of continuity: "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town" , then "Year Without a Santa Claus", followed by "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer", and finally "Rudolph's Shiny New Year."This doesn't fit into ANY of that and in fact contradicts some ideas in those specials.The biggest problem though is the villain Winterbolt. In contrast to other Rankin/ Bass villains (preredemption Winter Warlock for example) he doesn't look the part. Furthermore when Lady Boreal imprisons him for being 'evil' it not exactly detailed on what he was doing that warranted such treatment (This also ignores the Winter Warlock presented in the 1970 Rankin/Bass "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town" which delt with Santa's origin.)When Lady Boreal power weakens and Winterbolt wakes up he learns of Santa Claus' existence and decides to rule the world by taking Santa's place. This is where Winterbolt's second problem comes up; he can't seem to make decisions on his own and as a result continually asks his Snow Genie for advice. It is in following this advice that Winterbolt does his 'evil'. As a result Winterbolt comes of as a pathetic pawn of the Snow Genie rather than the strong willed villain he is supposed to be and certainly not deserving of the fate he has at the end of the film.