'Toon Reviews 10: Rankin/Bass Christmas Specials Part 14: Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July

Rudolph and Frosty’s Christmas in July

Overseas Theatrical Release: July 1, 1979

Original US Airdate: November 25, 1979

Airs annually on AMC’s Best Christmas Ever

Available on DVD

Both Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and Frosty the Snowman are the first titles most people think of when it comes to Rankin/Bass and they’re both great specials on their own. Bringing them together has a lot to live up to.  In this case, sometimes it does live up to the potential, but other times certain factors of the story prevent it from being as fun and exciting as it could be.

For starters, the lore of both specials mesh together seamlessly, giving the interesting feel of all Rankin/Bass specials sharing a universe. I don't just mean having the previously hand-drawn Frosty characters in stop-motion.  The feel is even stronger with the continuity from the respective specials’ sequels. Frosty’s married life with Crystal is expanded upon with them raising snow children. Side characters like Big Ben from Rudolph’s Shiny New Year and Jack Frost from Frosty’s Winter Wonderland also play a big role at one point.  As for Rudolph and Frosty , their moments together are easily the strongest parts.  They’re both popular and likable holiday icons, yet their common bond is that they’re different from other people. This is an even bigger deal for Frosty because he and his family are unable to join in the fun other people have due to the constant threat of melting.  Through it all, they’re a perfect fit not just for their status as misfits, but also for how they support each other in dark times.  Frosty helps Rudolph keep his nose lit, and Rudolph keeps Frosty and his family alive.  This point is especially proven with the plot they’re thrown into.  They’re called to help out a struggling circus on the 4^th of July weekend by appearing as guest acts to get it out of debt. However it's set up as a distraction, so an evil snow wizard named Winterbolt can get rid of Santa Claus and reclaim the North Pole.  However, there’s so much to the plot that there’s barely much room for scenes of Rudolph and Frosty as allies.

Now, out of this plot, we do get many great moments.  Much of the comedy come from the circus Rudolph and Frosty perform at. This is especially true when the eccentric owner of the circus, Lilly Loraine, with her high energy, hilarious one-liners, and gun-wielding cowgirl appearance, is involved. 

Then there’s Winterbolt and his evil plans, and his villainous actions sell the darkness factor.  He’s an evil monarch who ruled over the North Pole long before Santa took over while Winterbolt was put under a spell by Lady Boreal.  Now awakened, Winterbolt enacts a complex plan for the simple goal of taking back the North Pole from Santa. He also plots to put out Rudolph’s nose so nothing can light the way through any foggy Christmas Eve.  Winterbolt lures Rudolph and the snowman family to the circus with Frosty and his family getting amulets so they can’t melt for a limited time. While they're gone he forms a fierce storm to trap Santa, hires a jerk reindeer named Scratcher to trick Rudolph into stealing the circus’ money. Finally, he plots to steal Frosty’s magic hat to bring an army of snowmen to life.  For forming a plan this intricate, Winterbolt is a legitimately threatening villain, but there’s just so much to the plan that it’s too complicated to keep up with it.  Also, Winterbolt’s role takes away what made Rudolph’s story so powerful.  Because that foggy Christmas Eve was created by him, Lady Boreal granted magic to newborn Rudolph to make his nose glow as long as he always uses the glow for good.  In making Rudolph’s nose a work of magic as opposed to a feature he was simply born with, he no longer feels like a representation of prejudice victims. He seems more like a supernatural god-like being, and the same can be said for the fog which is a work of Winterbolt instead of nature.  It also gives unfortunate implications that different people and things like storms are unnatural creations even though they’re normal parts of life.  In addition, the idea of Rudolph’s nose going out when using it for evil doesn’t make sense.  Yes, he helps Scratcher steal money, but it was a trick, and Rudolph didn’t know he was doing something bad.  Because he thought he was doing something good, that technically means Rudolph didn’t use his nose for evil, so it shouldn’t go out.  In addition to the complexities of Winterbolt’s plan and the story going against Rudolph’s relatability, too much focus is spent on the circus acts that don’t add to the plot. There are also many slow, unmemorable songs which could also be cut out without losing much.  The whole special is filled with many extraneous scenes without showing much of Rudolph and Frosty as friends, and the few moments they do get together have potential.  Fortunately, everything comes together for a solid conclusion. Rudolph gets his glow back when retrieving Frosty’s hat from Winterbolt in a fun chase scene to revive the snowman (even though Frosty’s Winter Wonderland showed that true love’s kiss from Crystal could’ve brought him back to life). Lilly Loraine’s eccentric ways prove productive when she kills off Winterbolt, making for one of the most awesomely constructed villain deaths you'll see in a family show.  In fact, see it for yourself:

Then, Santa finally comes to get Frosty and his family to safety while Rudolph leads the now flying circus to a triumphant cover of his theme song as it all ends.  Even with the convoluted plot the ending is still impactful.

This crossover isn’t as good as it sounds. There's an incredibly complicated scheme from the villain, too much time spent on fluff like the circus acts and most songs, and Rudolph’s story is stripped of its relatability.  Yet, it also has many memorable moments from both Winterbolt and the circus, some enjoyable new characters, and moments where the characters work well together.  So, if you want to see what it would be like if the characters in different Rankin/Bass specials share a universe, this is worth looking into. However it’s debatable if you’ll want to view them as much as their predecessors year after year.

Recommended

The Ranking

1. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
2. Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town
3. The Year Without a Santa Claus
4. Frosty the Snowman
5. The Little Drummer Boy
6. The Stingiest Man in Town
7. Rudolph’s Shiny New Year
8. Nestor the Long-Eared Christmas Donkey
9. The First Christmas: The Story of the First Christmas Snow
10. Rudolph and Frosty’s Christmas in July
11.  ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas
12. Frosty’s Winter Wonderland
13. The Little Drummer Boy Book II
14. Cricket on the Hearth

Be sure to stay tuned for the review of the next special where Jack Frost from both Frosty sequels, including this one, finally gets his own starring role.

If you would like to check out other Rankin/Bass special reviews on this blog, click here for the guide made especially for them.