Misfits ROCK!

"Why am I such a misfit? Why am I such a misfit? Just because my nose glows..."

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is the longest running Christmas special, debuting a year before the classic Merry Christmas, Charlie Brown! We've all sung the song, but a refresher. Rudolph is born with a glowing red nose. His parents, Donner and his wife, cover up the nose but it's discovered. Rudolph is ridiculed by everyone. Meanwhile, elf Herbie is having trouble fitting in with the other elves. You see, Herbie doesn't want to make toys. Herbie wants to be a dentist! He is ridiculed by the other elves. He and Rudolph decide to run away, where they go on many adventures--befriending Yukon Cornelius, running from the Abdominal Snowman and visiting the Island of Misfit Toys. Eventually, they return to the North Pole to save Christmas.

The movie comes with humor, poignancy, yet a moral lesson at heart: Treat everyone with respect. No one's dreams should be crushed, mocked. And I must say, recently rewatching this classic, I was disturbed with how cruel everyone really was. Young reindeer? Okay, we've all made fun of that funny kid (and have been that funny kid). Head Elf/Taskmaster? Yes, we've all had this type of boss/teacher. But SANTA CLAUS? The man who determines who is naughty and who is nice? The most generous man on earth? He is downright mean to Rudolph throughout most of the movie, viewing the nose as some sort of disability that prevents Rudolph from having a normal life. Fortunately, he comes around and admits he was wrong. I guess even Santa needs to learn a lesson or two.

And why was that doll on the Island of Misfit Toys in the first place? She seemed perfectly normal to my father and I.

The special comes with some great songs, most sung by the legendary Burl Ives. Multiple viewings of Rudolph are the reason why I was listening to a music clip and was able to identify Ives immediately as the singer despite never hearing the song before. "Silver and Gold" has to be one of my favorite songs of the movie.

For a strong moral message, for being a classic, I am awarding Rudolph four candy canes out of five. It loses one because of my newfound awareness of how cruel everyone is in this special.