I was very struck by how good this festive cartoon looked, the rich small details in all the buildings and everything is gorgeous, especially the interior of Rudolph's house, where everything looks so warm and cosy, and the enchanting snow-covered scenes of classic Christmas joy were all so beautiful, in fact I'd say this is probably the most finely done artwork of snowy scenery I've seen in one of the Fleischer animations, it's definitely a fantastically coloured and drawn short...but I don't know, I really wasn't feeling it too much with this one, beautiful as it is, it really didn't grab me and give me that heartwarming feeling of holiday cheer and goodwill like in the Fleischer Christmas shorts "Christmas Comes but Once a Year" and "Somewhere in Dreamland" did. This just seemed a little stilted and weak somewhere to me. And that bothers me, because I love the Fleischer style of animation and especially enjoy their wintry animations a lot, but I guess I must be missing something with this one. If this truly was Max Fleischer's last ever animated short than as a big fan of his, I must say that this was far from the best of what he was capable of and a mere shadow of his earlier works. I think for me it's the reindeer, I found their design really weird and off-putting, they all look so spindly and feminine, and I found the image of them walking on two legs and wearing clothes to be quite freaky, the image doesn't work the way it's meant to. And I never cared for the moral of Rudolph, they make fun of his pretty glowing red nose until it's suddenly useful to them and then he's suddenly accepted, not for who he is but for what he can do! And there was something a little off about that Santa too, he wasn't fat enough, in fact he looked positively jacked under that red gear! He voice didn't sound jolly enough either, he sounded more like He-Man! The voice actor did a terrible job. All in all though I didn't hate this, it just didn't work for me, I found it most wanting. It's just a wholesome fluff piece and a good old fashioned nostalgic throwback to the children's Christmas tales of yesteryear... X

BEWARE OF FALSE REVIEWS & REVIEWERS. SOME REVIEWERS HAVE ONLY ONE REVIEW TO THEIR NAME. NOW WHEN ITS A POSITIVE REVIEW THAT TELLS ME THEY WERE INVOLVED WITH THE MOVIE. IF ITS A NEGATIVE REVIEW THEN THEY MIGHT HAVE A GRUDGE AGAINST THE FILM . NOW I HAVE REVIEWED OVER 200 HOLIDAY FILMS. I HAVE NO AGENDA. I AM HONEST ABOUT THESE FILMSThis is not the beloved Animated Classic with "Sam The Snowman". this is the first cartoon that was ever made about the beloved reindeer. This Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is a 1948 animated short film by Max Fleischer based on the 1939 Robert L. May poem Rudolph the Red- Nosed Reindeer about the reindeer with the same name.Rudolph is a reindeer, with an unusual red nose. Because of this, he is laughed at and told to go home by his peers. Saddened, he goes home, hangs his stocking and goes to bed. Meanwhile, in the North Pole, Santa Claus notices that the coming fog will be difficult to get through. Nevertheless, him and his reindeer brave out the storm and go anyway. While on the way, an airplane throws them off their course; they land at Rudolph's house, where Santa greets him. Telling Rudolph, "I need you tonight to guide my deer on the rest of our flight", Rudolph helps them. Due to his bravery, he is accepted and respected by his fellow reindeer and made their commander-in- chief by Santa; the reindeer enjoy a merry Christmas together.Well made and very colorful. Just don't look for "Hermey the Elf" or "The Island of Misfit Toys".

While "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" (1948) is the first movie version of the story, it certainly isn't the last or the most famous. Fortunately, Rankin-Bass made a new version in the 1960s--and it's head and shoulders above this Fleischer cartoon.As for the Fleischer Brothers, this cartoon was made well after Paramount Studios fired the Fleischers and this represents the final cartoon Max Fleischer made--this time for the tiny Jam Handy Organization. It's really a shame, as Max and his brother Dave really were amazing and this cartoon is inferior to their earlier work. One of the biggest problems is the music. While it is still the original Johnny Marks song, this version is very saccharine and I wish they'd just used the wonderful Gene Autry version--but it wasn't available until the following year. As for the animation, it was decent but not distinguished and the story is a bit on the mushy side. I really think most kids today wouldn't sit still for the cartoon unless they are very, very young and not particularly demanding.

Long surpassed by the 1964 Rankin/Bass version, this 1948 animated version of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer directed by Max Fleischer is enjoyable in its own right. Narrated by Paul Wing, the story begins with the lead character already not allowed to skate on ice with the others (all of whom wear pillows on their backs to break their falls). His mother then calls him (there's no father here) and as Rudolph sleeps in his bed, Santa has trouble with his eight reindeer (who he calls by name as they pass him) with the fog and blizzard in his way. If you know the song by heart (and who doesn't?), you can figure out what happens next and I won't spoil it for anyone who hasn't heard of this story yet. Nice animation throughout and good pacing for a 7-minute short. Worth seeing for Fleischer, Rudolph, and animation fans.