Rudolph's Shiny New Year facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Rudolph's Shiny New Year |
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Cover of the 1999 VHS release
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| Written by | Romeo Muller |
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| Narrated by | Red Skelton |
| Theme music composer | Johnny Marks |
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| Running time | 50 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Rankin/Bass Productions |
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December 10, 1976 (USA)December 24, 1979 (Japan)
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| Preceded by | Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964) |
| Followed by | Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July (1979) |
Rudolph's Shiny New Year is a fun stop-motion animated TV special from 1976. It's a sequel to the famous 1964 special, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. This special was made by Rankin/Bass Productions.
It first aired in the United States on ABC on December 10, 1976. Later, it was shown in Japan on TV Asahi on December 24, 1979. In Japan, it had a different title: 赤鼻のトナカイ ルドルフ物語 (Akahananotonakai Rudorufu Monogatari).
Contents
Story of Rudolph's Shiny New Year
This story happens right after the first Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer special. Santa Claus gets an urgent message from his friend, Father Time. Father Time needs help finding Happy, the Baby New Year. If Happy isn't found before midnight on New Year's Eve, time will stop, and it will be December 31 forever!
Santa asks Rudolph to find Happy. Rudolph is the perfect choice because of his bright nose, which can light the way through a big snowstorm.
The Evil Vulture's Plan
There's a giant, evil vulture named Eon the Terrible. Eon is supposed to live for exactly one "eon," which is a very long time. When his eon ends on January 1 of the New Year, he will turn into ice and snow and disappear. To stop this from happening, Eon plans to kidnap Happy. If Happy is gone, the New Year can't start, and time will freeze forever.
Rudolph's Journey Begins
Rudolph meets General Ticker, a military clock, and Quart, a camel with a clock in his hump. They take Rudolph to Father Time's castle, which is beyond the Sands of Time. Father Time thinks Happy ran away because his big ears were laughed at by Nanny Nine O'Clock. He believes Happy is hiding in the "Archipelago of Last Years." This is a group of islands where old years go to retire. Each island looks like the year it represents.
On his way to the islands, Rudolph is attacked by Eon over the ocean. Luckily, Big Ben, a sperm whale with a clock on his tail, saves Rudolph. Big Ben then carries Rudolph across the ocean.
Exploring the Islands of Last Years
Rudolph arrives at the Archipelago. His first stop is the island of O.M. (short for One Million B.C.), a caveman. This island is full of friendly dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures. Rudolph and his friends search for Happy. Happy had left this island after his hat fell off while saving a baby Pterodactylus, showing his big ears and making the dinosaurs laugh.
As they search, Eon keeps showing up, trying to stop them. Rudolph and his friends visit other islands like 4000 B.C., 1492, 1893, and 1965, but they don't find Happy.
Next, Rudolph and O.M. go to the island of 1023. This island belongs to a Scottish knight named Sir 1023. His island looks like the medieval times and has many fairy tale and Mother Goose characters. Meanwhile, Happy becomes friends with the Three Bears. But he gets sad again when he takes off his hat, showing his big ears. Even though Baby Bear begs him to stay, Happy leaves.
The Final Chase
The group then travels to the island of 1776. This island looks like Colonial America and is ruled by "Sev" (1776), who looks like Benjamin Franklin. After Happy feels rejected again on this island, Eon finally kidnaps him. Eon takes Happy to his secret lair on the Island of No-Name, which is "due north of the North Pole."
Rudolph and his friends leave the Archipelago to chase Eon. When they catch up, they try to rescue Happy. But Eon causes an avalanche, trapping them in giant snowballs. Rudolph uses his glowing nose to melt his way out. He climbs to Eon's nest and finds Happy. Happy is still upset and doesn't want to leave.
Rudolph shows Happy his own nose and tells him how he was once bullied for being different. He asks Happy to show his ears. Happy does, and Rudolph laughs, just like everyone else. Happy gets upset, but Rudolph explains that seeing Happy's ears made him feel so wonderful that he had to laugh out loud.
Happy shouts with joy, which wakes Eon. Rudolph quickly tells Happy to take off his hat and leave it off. When Eon sees Happy's big ears, he bursts into uncontrollable laughter. This laughter makes him tumble down the mountain, crashing into the snowballs and freeing O.M., 1023, and Sev. Rudolph realizes that Eon is now full of warmth and happiness, so he can't turn into ice and snow. Santa arrives, and everyone returns to Father Time's castle with Happy just before midnight. The New Year is saved and is called "19-Wonderful."
Islands of Last Years
When an old year is done, it retires to an island in the Archipelago of Last Years. On these islands, time stays still. Here are some of the islands:
- 1,000,000 BC Island: This island looks like prehistoric times. It has dinosaurs, other ancient creatures, and cavepeople living together. O.M. lives here.
- 4,000 BC Island: Rudolph mentions that everyone on this island was busy building pyramids.
- 1023 Island: This island is like a medieval land filled with fairy tale characters. Father Time says that all the famous fairy tales and nursery rhymes actually happened in the year 1023. Sir 1023 lives here.
- 1492 Island: Rudolph says the people on this island were too busy discovering things to talk to him and O.M.
- 1776 Island: This island looks like Colonial America. They celebrate American Independence Day every day. 1776 (Sev) lives here.
- 1893 Island: Rudolph says the people here had never heard of Happy. The year 1893 was a tough time in the United States because of a big economic problem called the Panic of 1893.
- 1965 Island: Rudolph said this island was "too noisy" to search for Happy. In 1965, there was a lot of noise from Beatlemania and growing protests against the Vietnam War.
Voice Cast
Many talented actors lent their voices to the characters in this special:
- Red Skelton as Father Time (the Narrator) and Baby Bear
- Billie Richards as Rudolph
- Morey Amsterdam as One Million BC (O.M.)
- Frank Gorshin as Sir 1023 and Quarter Past Five (Quart)
- Paul Frees as 1776 (Sev), Santa Claus, General Ticker, Eon the Terrible, and Humpty Dumpty
- Don Messick as Papa Bear, Rumpelstiltskin, Prince Charming, and a Dwarf
- Harold Peary as Big Ben the Whale
- Iris Rainer as Mama Bear and Nanny Nine O'Clock
- June Foray as Happy (uncredited)
Songs from the Special
The special features several songs that help tell the story:
- The Moving Finger Writes
- Turn Back The Years
- It's Raining Sunshine
- What A Wonderful World We Live In
- Fourth Of July Parade
- Have A Little Faith In Me
- Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
- Have a Happy New Year
Production and Design
This special was filmed in 1975, but it first aired on ABC on December 10, 1976. For this show, Rudolph got a new look, designed by Paul Coker, Jr..
Television Rights and Home Release
The rights to show Rudolph's Shiny New Year belong to Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution. For a while, they let The Walt Disney Company show it on their Freeform channel during the "25 Days of Christmas" marathon. Sometimes, it even aired on ABC.
Since 2018, Warner Bros. has licensed the special to AMC and its related channels. They show it as part of their "Best Christmas Ever" block.
The special was first released on VHS tapes by Warner Home Video in 1992. It was re-released on VHS in 1999. Then, in 2000, it came out on DVD for the first time, bundled with The Year Without a Santa Claus. You can also find it in several Christmas DVD box sets from Warner Bros., often with other classic holiday specials.
