| Rudolph | |
|---|---|
| File:Imagergts.jpg | |
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Gender |
Male |
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Species |
Reindeer |
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Eye Colour |
Brown |
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Fur/Hair Colour |
Fur: Light Brown and Cream (as a newborn) |
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Home |
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Family |
Blitzen (father) |
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Friends |
his doefriend Zoey, Slyly, Leonard, Santa Claus Stormella, Ridley, Flyers, his cousin Arrow, Aurora, Glitter, Sparkle, Twinkle, his teacher Mrs. Prancer, Boone, Doggle, Stormella's Wolves |
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Enemies |
Stormella (formally), Ridley (formally), Arrow (formally), Stormella's Wolves (formerly) |
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Voiced By |
Eric Pospisal (child) |
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Appears In |
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: The Movie |
This article is about the 1998 character. For the character from the 1944 film, see Rudolph (1944) and for the Rankin/Bass character, see Rudolph (Rankin/Bass)
Rudolph is the son of Blitzen and Mitzi, the nephew of Dasher, Comet, and Cupid, the cousin and rival of Arrow, the best friend, later boyfriend of Zoey, the lead reindeer on Santa's sleigh team, and the main protagonist of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: The Movie and it's sequel book Rudolph Saves The Sprites.
Appearances
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: The Movie
Early Life
Rudolph is first seen in his house as a newborn fawn taking his first steps. He stumbles into a pile of hay, causing him to sneeze, and his nose to light up for the first time.
He is later seen with his parents showing him their village, where he meets his uncles Dasher, Comet, and Cupid. Rudolph is tickled by Cupid, and as a result his nose glows again. This causes him to be laughed at by the other villagers. He leaves with his parents to see Santa's toy factory, where he is given a teddy bear by one of the elves and witnesses Stormella threatening to cast a storm if anyone crosses her Ice Bridge.
As a Yearling
A year later Rudolph starts school, where he is ridiculed by his mean-spirited cousin Arrow and the other students because his nose, except by a young doe named Zoey. Rudolph leaves the school, where he meets Santa, who tries to convince him that his nose is grand.
At The Christmas Eve Launch, Rudolph watches his father, along with the other Flyers, guide Santa's sleigh off into the night. Afterwards, he acts out a speech about himself joining the team (which includes thanking his parents, Santa and most of all the doe of his dreams: Zoey) and accepting a Medal of Valor. Zoey joins him and says that she'd like to be his friend, and that she doesn't care about being seen with him. She says that she finds his nose unique like him, and asks Rudolph if he'd like to take a walk with her. They end up under mistletoe, but before the two can kiss, Arrow, who also has feelings for Zoey, arrives. Zoey tells him that she and Rudolph were just talking but Arrow says it looked more like kissing to him. Zoey then says to Arrow there's no reason to be jealous as she and Rudolph are just friends. Arrow denies being jealous of Rudolph and tells Zoey to come with him, which Zoey reluctantly does and Arrow laughs at Rudolph and calls him a loser. As he watches the two leave, Rudolph quietly pleads for Zoey to look back which to his happiness, she does causing Rudolph to realise she likes him and he jumps around in joy.
Teenage Life and Saving Christmas
Years later, a now teenaged Rudolph is seen with Zoey preparing to compete in The Junior Reindeer Games. Before the start of the games, Zoey gives him her pendant for good luck and gives him a kiss. At the start line for the first game, "The Sleigh Race", Arrow, who is now in a relationship with Zoey, notices the pendant on Rudolph and reminds him that Zoey is "his doe". Rudolph repiles that Zoey "isn't a trophy and shouldn't be treated like one".
During the race, Rudolph and his elf driver Doggle see Arrow cheating by ramming his sleigh into another competitor, causing them to crash. When neck-neck with Arrow, Rudolph is able to jump over a broken sleigh (which had also been knocked off course). When nearing the finish line, Arrow starts taunting Rudolph by saying that Zoey only nice to Rudolph because she feels sorry for him. Rudolph tells him that isn't true, but Arrow replies that Zoey told him so. Overcome with rage, Rudolph's nose starts to glow and blinds Arrow, causing him and his elf driver to crash, allowing Rudolph and Doggle to win. Unfortunately, the referee disqualifies Rudolph for this incident and makes Arrow winner instead, much to the anger of Blitzen and Zoey. Later, Rudolph overhears Blitzen arguing with the referee, saying that his red nose wasn't Rudolph's fault, and that it was an accident, (attempting to persuade him that Rudolph couldn't have controlled his nose's glow and avoided blinding Arrow). Rudolph thinks that his father is ashamed of him, and decides to run away from home, leaving a letter to his parents.
After running away, Rudolph goes into a cave and meets a arctic fox named Slyly, who at first tries make him leave the cave, but after Rudolph fights him off, he lets him stay. In the morning the cave is blocked by an avalanche so the two are forced to find a new home. They find a cave owned by a polar bear named Leonard, and trick him into leaving. Leonard realizes he's been duped, however, and returns in anger. After Rudolph apologizes, though, Leonard lets him and Slyly stay. Later that night, Rudolph has a nightmare about the remarks people made about his nose and wakes up to get fresh air. Whilst he is out there he meets "The Sprites of the Northern Lights", Twinkle, Sparkle, Glitter, and Aurora, who tell him that they are admirers of his nose and that everyone has a light inside them but only a few have a light bright enough for the whole world to see. They reveal that Zoey has been captured by Stormella and teach him how to control his nose by telling him to think about everyone he loves and everyone who loves him and to let this love be the light of his heart.
Rudolph and Leonard travel to Stormella's fortress Ice Castle and find Zoey in an ice dungeon, but are caught and imprisoned by Stormella. As a result of Zoey crossing her Ice Bridge, Stormella reveals that she will ruin Christmas with a storm of the century. During this time, Rudolph and Zoey confess their feelings for each other. Afterwards, Slyly arrives and steals the key to free them, the group start to leave, but are confronted by Stormella (who is joined by her wolves and her penguin butler Ridley), who threatens to harm Zoey. Rudolph jumps in front of Zoey and his nose glows, causing Stormella to fall over the edge of a cliff. With the others help, however, Rudolph saves her. As thanks, Stormella grants Rudolph one wish, so he asks for her to be nice and turns down her offer to give him a normal nose. Stormella becomes nice, but says that she can't call off her storm. The group are then found by Doggle and Boone, who were sent out by Santa to find Rudolph and Zoey. They return home, where they are happily welcomed back by their parents and the other villagers.
After seeing the light coming from Rudolph's nose, Santa asks him to guide his sleigh through the storm, to which Rudolph accepts. After good luck wishes from his friends and a kiss from Zoey, Rudolph is given a Medal of Valor by Santa, before guiding the other Flyers through the storm to deliver the presents. The next day it is shown that Rudolph left presents for the others, such as his teddy bear for Slyly, his red scarf for Leonard, and Santa leaves a new ice statue for Stormella. When Rudolph returns from the flight, everyone celebrates and sings "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer".
Rudolph Saves The Sprites
In this book set after the film, Rudolph along with his now doefriend Zoey look for the Sprites after they fail to show up at Santa's Winter Celebrations to put on their light show, after Santa, Blitzen and the other Flyers were unable to find them.
He and Zoey follow a path of blossoms that lead to Ice Castle and find the Sprites in an ice cage and uses his nose's light to melt the bars. Rudolph and Zoey also learn that Ridley took the Sprites to put on a surprise private light show for Stormella since she has never been invited to Santa's Winter Celebrations (due to her being wicked in the past). Rudolph says that Stormella is nice now and maybe Santa wouldn't mind if she came.
On the day of the light show, Stormella is guest of honour and the Sprites spell out a message in the sky: THANKS RUDOLPH.
Description
Rudolph compared to his parents.
Rudolph had a light brown coat with white spots as a yearling, and dark brown and cream fur and short antlers as a teenager. He also has black tipped ears, brown eyes, blond hair, and a bright red nose. Like all Flyers, he wears a Medal of Valor.
In the books Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: A Retelling of the New Animated Movie and Rudolph Saves The Sprites, Rudolph's appearance remains the same except his antlers are smaller than they are in the film and look more like the antlers his Rankin/Bass counterpart had as a yearling.
Rudolph takes after both of his parents: He has Mitzi's fur colour and her grace and style whilst he has Blitzen's eye colour and smile. Though it's unknown where Rudolph inherited his blond hair from as neither Blitzen or Mitzi have blond hair. Though he may have gotten it from either Cupid or Comet as they are the only two of Rudolph's uncles to have blond hair or he might have gotten it from one of Mitzi's relatives.
Songs sung by Rudolph
Relationships
- Romantic - Rudolph and Zoey
- Familial and Antagonistic - Rudolph and Arrow
- Familial - Blitzen and Rudolph
- Familial - Mitzi and Rudolph
- Friendly - Rudolph and Slyly
- Friendly - Rudolph and Leonard
- Friendly/Formally Antagonistic - Rudolph and Stormella
Trivia
- Rudolph's antlers appear and disappear twice in the film, first when he and the Flyers are about to take off and second near the end of the film when he and the Flyers return from delivering the presents.
- In the scene when Rudolph is packing things to leave home and looks over at the mantlepiece, his hair briefly turns brown.
- At an early story development meeting, a Good Times merchandising exec claimed that the team's biggest challenge would be how to translate a reindeer with long spindly legs into a huggable plush doll. She proposed a "cuter and more cuddly" Rudolph character design reminiscent of a Care Bear with short stubby legs and a heart-shaped birthmark on his chest. Thankfully, that idea was scrapped.
- Heated behind-the-scenes discussions took place over Rudolph's age and the exact length of his antlers. The writer believed that Rudolph should mature into adulthood (as in the '64 Rankin/Bass version), but a merchandising exec insisted that a younger Rudolph would make a cuddlier plush toy.
- At the treatment stage, the writer proposed a very different opening: Longing for a child of their own, Blitzen and Mitzi patiently wait as a flock of storks deliver babies to other expectant reindeer parents. Blitzen and Mitzi remain long after the other reindeer couples depart with their newborns until they lose hope that their package will ever arrive. Meanwhile, the stork carrying Rudolph suffers a terrible cold and accidentally loses his bundle after a violent sneeze. Baby Rudolph lands on a drifting ice floe until The Sprites of the Northern Lights take pity on him. They endow baby Rudolph with a glowing nose so Blitzen and Mitzi will notice and rescue him. Blitzen and Mitzi believe baby Rudolph is the answer to their prayers and his glow as a miracle that saved his life and made them a family. The writer hoped this approach would begin the story on a dramatic note, help distinguish it from other versions of Rudolph, explain the origin of his nose, and establish a personal relationship with the sprites that would run through the rest of the story. However, one Good Times executive worried the beginning was too similar to "Dumbo" and the producer rejected the idea as too dark and potentially frightening for young children.
- When Boone and Doggle safely return Rudolph and friends to Santa's village toward the end of the movie, an earlier draft of the script had Mitzi planting a sloppy welcome home kiss on Rudolph's cheek. Rudy blushed and said, "Aw, Mom! Not in public!" A Good Times exec insisted that the screenwriter remove the line because "Rudolph would never say that."
- Rudolph's name means famous wolf in German.
- Despite their relation, Rudolph and Arrow never address each other as cousins in the film. Probably because, Arrow doesn't want to be reminded that he's related to Rudolph.
- Despite their differences, Rudolph and Arrow share the same goal in life: To be Flyers like their fathers.
- In the book Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: A Retelling of the New Animated Movie, Rudolph is shown to have smaller antlers than he does in the film and that they are smaller than Arrow's that remain the same size they are in the film. This is either a mistake or the illustrators wanted to make Rudolph younger than Arrow.
Gallery
