In the 1960s and into the very early 70s, Rankin-Bass made some amazingly timeless and lovely Christmas specials that rank among the best of the children's specials of the holiday season. However, despite this (or perhaps because of this), Rankin-Bass returned with another stop-motion film which brought back many of the original voices from these specials (such as Mickey Rooney from "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" and "The Year Without a Santa Claus", Jackie Vernon from the "Frosty the Snowman" cartoon, and Billy Mae Richards from "Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer"). The problem is that the company had not only made these classic specials but quite a few lesser ones in between...and now it just seems like they've run out of ideas. After all, this is set in July....and it just seems weird! Although I dislike this film, I should take time to talk about what I actually liked. The stop-motion is really good....much smoother than the older installments. It also was nice how they brought back so many of the old voices...either as the original characters or as new ones (such as Paul Frees playing a NEW bad guy in this one even though he appeared as the evil Burgermesiter in "Santa Claus is Coming to Town"). Apart from these things, I honestly cannot think of any reason to have made this other than money. As for watching it, it likely will confuse kids and the plot is convoluted to say the least. This entire film just seems like a lovely looking and sounding desperate retread...which is exactly what it is. Overall, not a terrible film...but an unnecessary one!

Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July_720p(480P)

Trailer—Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July

source: Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July

*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.

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.

The evil wizard Winterbolt (deliciously voiced with plummy aplomb by the great Paul Frees) gets reawakened from his centuries of slumber and decides to take over Christmas from Santa Claus. He gives Frosty the Snowman and his family magic amulets so they can go see a circus in July without melting. Moreover, Winterbolt tries to get Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer to do something bad so his nose will go out. This typically pleasant and good-natured feature length holiday television program from the always reliable Jules Bass and Arthur Rankin, Jr. benefits greatly from a steady pace, nifty stop-motion animation, cool characters (Winterbolt's fearsome snow dragons are genuinely gnarly), a simple and engaging story, an amusingly easy'n'breezy sense of gentle humor, and plenty of catchy'n'merry songs. Moreover, the cast all voice their roles with tremendous flair and affection: Jackie Vernon as Frosty the Snowman, Shelley Winters as Frosty's sweet wife Crystal, Red Buttons as affable lovestruck ice cream salesman Milton, Ethal Merman as feisty cowgirl circus owner Lily Lorraine, Billie Mae Richards as the endearingly nasal Rudolph, Mickey Rooney as the warm and lovable Santa Claus, Shelby Flint as fetching high wire artist Laine Lorraine, and Alan Sues as nasty, jealous, spiteful outcast reindeer Scratcher. A really fun and entertaining show.

Seriously. It even has a "portals scene" and this was meant to tie a perfect bow on the entire series, and does it. Everything is explained, every character who isn't dead is brought back, every story comes to a complete end and it even involves an honest to God battle at the end against the final boss of holiday specials. TLDR summary: thousands of years ago the evil, godlike being Winterbolt ruled the universe and along with a dragon he turned everything into a lifeless wasteland of snow. Then, Princess Boreal comes and defeats him, sealing him away in a mountain, but she knew he would awaken again as she was exhausting all of her power to keep him imprisoned, and she's slowly dying. So before she dies, she basically triggers a series of events that spawn Santa, Rudolph and Frosty who act as vessels for her power (no seriously!) so they can come together someday to defeat Winterbolt when he awakens. Eventually Boreal dies, and Winterbolt is freed, and now they have to defeat him in what I can only describe as a reproduction of the final battle of Endgame but with puppet characters. And yes, there is a "sacrifice myself to save everyone" part and yes also an "every character steps out of the portals" part right before. Absolutely brilliant. A little long, but it says it all. 9/10, I watch it every Christmas and so should you.

It's obvious why this theatrically released Rankin/Bass holiday claymation movie is not considered a family classic. It just goes way too far in being creepy and disturbing, uniting the stories from three Christmas specials of the '60s and '70s into one overlong feature. The voices of the original TV Rudolph, Frosty and Santa (from different holiday classics still beloved today) get together to fight an evil Ice King, seemingly forgotten by Rankin and Bass that they had created Freeze Miser just a few years before. Paul Frees, who had voiced the role of the Burgonmeister Meisterburger, takes on the role of this evil sleeping king woken up and it determined to take over Santa's kingdom, destroy Rudolph and reclaim the far north for himself, and it's ironic that one of the characters he encounters looks like the Burgenmeister, even though the script indicates that it's another character. Mickey Rooney once again is Santa Claus, with "The Bold and the Beautiful'" belived Darlene Conley as the voice of Mrs. Claus. Jackie Vernon returns as Frosty and has a bride in the sweet tones of Shelly Winters. Billie Mae Richards hasn't changed in voice at all as the youthful Rudolph, his blinking nose in danger from the icicle breathing dragons who are the evil king's tools of evil. Joining in this bizarre story that has Santa and Mrs Claus in danger when they take a little vacation and Rudolph and Frosty traveling with the circus run by Ethel Merman's Lily Lorraine. She gets a couple of campy songs while looking in claymation like Annie Oakley, playing the mother of the jazz singing Shelby Flint who breaks into a bizarre version of "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree". Alan Sues gets a comical villain roll as a demented reindeer jealous of Rudolph and determined to sabotage their journey at the evil king's request, and there are other characters as well that pop into this overpopulated animated fiasco that did have a brief theatrical release before going to television. Some of the line readings sound exactly like a bunch of actors sitting around a table speaking into a microphone, not really giving any effort other than to get the job done and collect a paycheck. After a while, it's just a bit too much, overcrowded with detail and twists and very bizarre elements that really make no sense. This is certainly one Christmas adventure that I can skip on a yearly basis, having seen bits and pieces of it in passing and truly aghast at how it comes off as a whole.

I adore holiday specials, How the Grinch Stole Christmas and Santa Claus is Comin' to Town, you name it. Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer and Frosty the Snowman as far as I am concerned are both timeless yuletide classics. So it was a joy to see both title characters in the same special, which is exactly what we have here with Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July. For me, the only drawbacks to Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July are the length and some of the plot twists. At just over an hour and a half, the special does feel a little too long, anywhere around an hour to seventy five minutes would have been more sufficient. Also, while the idea of the story is great, started off really well and remained interesting, there are a few too many plot twists that makes the storytelling a tad convoluted. However, Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July is a very enjoyable and re-watchable special. The animation is unique and holds up very nicely. The characters are all very well modelled and the backgrounds are meticulously detailed. The special also contains some fun and well-written songs, my favourite being Ethel Merman's nifty little number. The writing is engaging, humorous and easy to remember, and all the characters are fun and add a lot to the movie, Winterbolt especially is a wonderful villain. Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July has a very talented vocal cast, every one of whom gives their all here. Billie Mae Richards and Jackie Vernan do great jobs as the title characters, and Ethel Merman, Shelley Winters, Mickey Rooney and Red Buttons bring a pleasing shine to their characters and material and also to the special in general. The standout is Paul Frees in my opinion, who is just wonderful as Winterbolt. In conclusion, overlong but never less than enjoyable. 8/10 Bethany Cox