Rudolph's Shiny New Year
Encyclopedia
Rudolph's Shiny New Year is the 1976 stop-motion animated sequel
to the 1964 television special
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
, produced by Rankin/Bass
.
has just come back from delivering Christmas presents with Santa Claus
when he is asked by Father Time
to find the next Baby New Year
before midnight on New Year's Eve
. The baby, named Happy, was humiliated and laughed at constantly by everyone he met because of his large ears and thus ran away. However, no one who had laughed at Happy had ever meant to be cruel to him, thus causing the constant string of misunderstandings that caused him to keep running away. Unless Happy is returned in time to take his position as the new year, the old year will not end and the date will perpetually remain December 31 forever. Father Time speculates that Happy is hiding out in the Archipelago
of Last Years, where the Old Years retire and rule over an island
styled to resemble the year they ruled over.
Sent to assist in this journey are agents of Father Time: General Ticker (a military clock) and The Great Quarter Past Five (a camel
with a large timepiece in his hump). When it comes to the waters leading to the Archipelago of Last Years, Rudolph ends up riding on Big Ben (a whale
with a clock attached to his tail). Rudolph first travels to the island belonging to One Million B.C. or "O.M." for short. O.M. is a caveman
whose island is anachronistically
inhabited with friendly dinosaur
s. After unseen visits to the islands of 1492, 1893, 1965 and 4000 B.C., Rudolph and O.M. head for the island of Sir 1023, a knight
whose island is filled with medieval trappings and fairy tale
characters. They then travel to the island of 1776, which reflects Colonial America
and is ruled over by "Sev" (1776), who resembles Benjamin Franklin
. Sir 1023 and Sev join Rudolph and O.M. on their quest.
As Rudolph and his friends search for the baby, they repeatedly encounter the villain of the special, a giant buzzard
named Aeon
. Aeon is destined to live for exactly one aeon after which he will turn into ice and snow. Since his aeon will end at the turn of January 1, he plans to kidnap Happy to prevent the year from ending and thus prevent his predestined death on January 1. Eventually, Aeon captures Happy and takes him to the Island of No-Name, which is located "due north of the North Pole
".
Rudolph and his friends reach the Island of No-Name and attempt to rescue him. Aeon however, thwarts them by sending an avalanche down on the group, trapping them all inside of giant snowballs. Rudolph manages to melt his way free using his nose and climbs up to Aeon's nest, where he finds Happy, who refuses to leave. Rudolph shows Happy his nose and tells him his story(in a short song sequence) and asks Happy to let him see his ears. Happy does so and Rudolph, like everyone else before him, laughs at the sight. Happy is upset at first, but Rudolph explains that the sight of Happy's ears had made him feel so wonderful that he had to laugh out loud, just like it had done with everyone else. Just as Happy shouts out with joy at this declaration, the noise awakens Aeon. Rudolph quickly instructs Happy to take off his hat for good and the sight of his large ears causes Aeon to laugh, sending him tumbling down the side of the mountain, where he lands on top of Sev, O.M. and Sir 1023, freeing them. Rudolph realizes that Aeon is cured forever, since he is now so full of warmth and happiness that he will never turn to ice and snow. With Santa's help, Happy is brought to Father Time's castle just in time to begin the new year, which is designated "nineteen-wonderful".
Sequel
A sequel is a narrative, documental, or other work of literature, film, theatre, or music that continues the story of or expands upon issues presented in some previous work...
to the 1964 television special
Television special
A television special is a television program which interrupts or temporarily replaces programming normally scheduled for a given time slot. Sometimes, however, the term is given to a telecast of a theatrical film, such as The Wizard of Oz or The Ten Commandments, which is not part of a regular...
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (TV special)
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is a Christmas television special produced in stop motion animation by Rankin/Bass. It first aired Sunday, December 6, 1964, on the NBC television network in the USA, and was sponsored by General Electric under the umbrella title of The General Electric Fantasy Hour...
, produced by Rankin/Bass
Rankin/Bass
Rankin/Bass Productions, Inc. , also known as Rankin/Bass Animated Entertainment, was an American production company, known for its seasonal television specials, particularly its work in stop-motion animation. The pre-1974 library is currently owned by Classic Media,while the post-1974 library is...
.
Plot
In this television special, RudolphRudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer is a fictional reindeer with a glowing red nose. He is popularly known as "Santa's 9th Reindeer" and, when depicted, is the lead reindeer pulling Santa's sleigh on Christmas Eve. The luminosity of his nose is so great that it illuminates the team's path through...
has just come back from delivering Christmas presents with Santa Claus
Santa Claus
Santa Claus is a folklore figure in various cultures who distributes gifts to children, normally on Christmas Eve. Each name is a variation of Saint Nicholas, but refers to Santa Claus...
when he is asked by Father Time
Father Time
Father Time is usually depicted as an elderly bearded man, somewhat worse for wear, dressed in a robe, carrying a scythe and an hourglass or other timekeeping device...
to find the next Baby New Year
Baby New Year
The Baby New Year is a personification of the start of the New Year commonly seen in editorial cartoons. He symbolizes the "birth" of the next year, and that the "old" year is gone; in other words, a "rebirth"...
before midnight on New Year's Eve
New Year's Eve
New Year's Eve is observed annually on December 31, the final day of any given year in the Gregorian calendar. In modern societies, New Year's Eve is often celebrated at social gatherings, during which participants dance, eat, consume alcoholic beverages, and watch or light fireworks to mark the...
. The baby, named Happy, was humiliated and laughed at constantly by everyone he met because of his large ears and thus ran away. However, no one who had laughed at Happy had ever meant to be cruel to him, thus causing the constant string of misunderstandings that caused him to keep running away. Unless Happy is returned in time to take his position as the new year, the old year will not end and the date will perpetually remain December 31 forever. Father Time speculates that Happy is hiding out in the Archipelago
Archipelago
An archipelago , sometimes called an island group, is a chain or cluster of islands. The word archipelago is derived from the Greek ἄρχι- – arkhi- and πέλαγος – pélagos through the Italian arcipelago...
of Last Years, where the Old Years retire and rule over an island
Island
An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...
styled to resemble the year they ruled over.
Sent to assist in this journey are agents of Father Time: General Ticker (a military clock) and The Great Quarter Past Five (a camel
Camel
A camel is an even-toed ungulate within the genus Camelus, bearing distinctive fatty deposits known as humps on its back. There are two species of camels: the dromedary or Arabian camel has a single hump, and the bactrian has two humps. Dromedaries are native to the dry desert areas of West Asia,...
with a large timepiece in his hump). When it comes to the waters leading to the Archipelago of Last Years, Rudolph ends up riding on Big Ben (a whale
Whale
Whale is the common name for various marine mammals of the order Cetacea. The term whale sometimes refers to all cetaceans, but more often it excludes dolphins and porpoises, which belong to suborder Odontoceti . This suborder also includes the sperm whale, killer whale, pilot whale, and beluga...
with a clock attached to his tail). Rudolph first travels to the island belonging to One Million B.C. or "O.M." for short. O.M. is a caveman
Caveman
A caveman or troglodyte is a stock character based upon widespread concepts of the way in which early prehistoric humans may have looked and behaved...
whose island is anachronistically
Anachronism
An anachronism—from the Greek ανά and χρόνος — is an inconsistency in some chronological arrangement, especially a chronological misplacing of persons, events, objects, or customs in regard to each other...
inhabited with friendly dinosaur
Dinosaur
Dinosaurs are a diverse group of animals of the clade and superorder Dinosauria. They were the dominant terrestrial vertebrates for over 160 million years, from the late Triassic period until the end of the Cretaceous , when the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event led to the extinction of...
s. After unseen visits to the islands of 1492, 1893, 1965 and 4000 B.C., Rudolph and O.M. head for the island of Sir 1023, a knight
Knight
A knight was a member of a class of lower nobility in the High Middle Ages.By the Late Middle Ages, the rank had become associated with the ideals of chivalry, a code of conduct for the perfect courtly Christian warrior....
whose island is filled with medieval trappings and fairy tale
Fairy tale
A fairy tale is a type of short story that typically features such folkloric characters, such as fairies, goblins, elves, trolls, dwarves, giants or gnomes, and usually magic or enchantments. However, only a small number of the stories refer to fairies...
characters. They then travel to the island of 1776, which reflects Colonial America
Colonial America
The colonial history of the United States covers the history from the start of European settlement and especially the history of the thirteen colonies of Britain until they declared independence in 1776. In the late 16th century, England, France, Spain and the Netherlands launched major...
and is ruled over by "Sev" (1776), who resembles Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin
Dr. Benjamin Franklin was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. A noted polymath, Franklin was a leading author, printer, political theorist, politician, postmaster, scientist, musician, inventor, satirist, civic activist, statesman, and diplomat...
. Sir 1023 and Sev join Rudolph and O.M. on their quest.
As Rudolph and his friends search for the baby, they repeatedly encounter the villain of the special, a giant buzzard
Buzzard
A buzzard is one of several large birds, but there are a number of meanings as detailed below.-Old World:In the Old World Buzzard can mean:* One of several medium-sized, wide-ranging raptors with a robust body and broad wings....
named Aeon
Aeon
The word aeon, also spelled eon or æon , originally means "life", and/or "being", though it then tended to mean "age", "forever" or "for eternity". It is a Latin transliteration from the koine Greek word , from the archaic . In Homer it typically refers to life or lifespan...
. Aeon is destined to live for exactly one aeon after which he will turn into ice and snow. Since his aeon will end at the turn of January 1, he plans to kidnap Happy to prevent the year from ending and thus prevent his predestined death on January 1. Eventually, Aeon captures Happy and takes him to the Island of No-Name, which is located "due north of the North Pole
North Pole
The North Pole, also known as the Geographic North Pole or Terrestrial North Pole, is, subject to the caveats explained below, defined as the point in the northern hemisphere where the Earth's axis of rotation meets its surface...
".
Rudolph and his friends reach the Island of No-Name and attempt to rescue him. Aeon however, thwarts them by sending an avalanche down on the group, trapping them all inside of giant snowballs. Rudolph manages to melt his way free using his nose and climbs up to Aeon's nest, where he finds Happy, who refuses to leave. Rudolph shows Happy his nose and tells him his story(in a short song sequence) and asks Happy to let him see his ears. Happy does so and Rudolph, like everyone else before him, laughs at the sight. Happy is upset at first, but Rudolph explains that the sight of Happy's ears had made him feel so wonderful that he had to laugh out loud, just like it had done with everyone else. Just as Happy shouts out with joy at this declaration, the noise awakens Aeon. Rudolph quickly instructs Happy to take off his hat for good and the sight of his large ears causes Aeon to laugh, sending him tumbling down the side of the mountain, where he lands on top of Sev, O.M. and Sir 1023, freeing them. Rudolph realizes that Aeon is cured forever, since he is now so full of warmth and happiness that he will never turn to ice and snow. With Santa's help, Happy is brought to Father Time's castle just in time to begin the new year, which is designated "nineteen-wonderful".
Archipelago of Last Years
When a year ends, the old year retires to the Archipelago of Last Years and selects an island for himself after which time on that island remains frozen forever as the year in which the old year ruled. Among the islands of the Archipelagos of Last Years are:- 1,000,000 BC: Represented as a prehistoric island that consists of dinosaurs and cavemen. O.M. lives here.
- 4000 BC: During Rudolph's search for Happy the Baby New Year, Rudolph mentioned that all its inhabitants wanted to do was build pyramids.
- 1023: Represented as a medieval island filled with fairytale characters. Sir 1023 lives here. Referred to by Father Time as the most fantastic island in the entire Archipelago.
- 1492: In Rudolph's search for Happy, he mentions that the people on that island were too busy discovering thingsChristopher ColumbusChristopher Columbus was an explorer, colonizer, and navigator, born in the Republic of Genoa, in northwestern Italy. Under the auspices of the Catholic Monarchs of Spain, he completed four voyages across the Atlantic Ocean that led to general European awareness of the American continents in the...
to help them. - 1776: Represented as a Colonial American island that celebrates Independence DayIndependence Day (United States)Independence Day, commonly known as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain...
daily; the inclusion of this date was a reference to the United States bicentennialUnited States BicentennialThe United States Bicentennial was a series of celebrations and observances during the mid-1970s that paid tribute to the historical events leading up to the creation of the United States as an independent republic...
, which was ongoing at the time of the special's debut. Ben Franklin (1776) lives here. - 1893: During Rudolph's search for Happy the Baby New Year, he mentions that the inhabitants have never heard of HappyPanic of 1893The Panic of 1893 was a serious economic depression in the United States that began in 1893. Similar to the Panic of 1873, this panic was marked by the collapse of railroad overbuilding and shaky railroad financing which set off a series of bank failures...
. - 1965: Rudolph concluded that island was too noisy in his search for Happy the Baby New Year, a reference to both BeatlemaniaBeatlemaniaBeatlemania is a term that originated during the 1960s to describe the intense fan frenzy directed toward The Beatles during the early years of their success...
and the growing unrest brought on by the escalation of the Vietnam WarVietnam WarThe Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
.
Cast
- Red SkeltonRed SkeltonRichard Bernard "Red" Skelton was an American comedian who is best known as a top radio and television star from 1937 to 1971. Skelton's show business career began in his teens as a circus clown and went on to vaudeville, Broadway, films, radio, TV, night clubs and casinos, all while pursuing...
- Father Time (Narrator), Baby Bear - Billie Mae RichardsBillie Mae RichardsBillie Mae Richards was a Canadian voice actress, who also appeared onstage and on television.-Career:...
- Rudolph - Morey AmsterdamMorey AmsterdamMorey Amsterdam was an American television actor and comedian, best known for the role of Buddy Sorrell on The Dick Van Dyke Show in the early 1960s.-Early life:...
- One Million BC - Frank GorshinFrank GorshinFrank John Gorshin, Jr. was an American actor and comedian. He was perhaps best known as an impressionist, with many guest appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show and The Tonight Show...
- Sir 1023 - Paul FreesPaul FreesPaul Frees was an American voice actor and character actor.-Biography:He was born Solomon Hersh Frees in Chicago...
- 1776, Santa Claus, General Ticker, Aeon - Don MessickDon MessickDonald Earl "Don" Messick was an American voice actor best known for his work for Hanna-Barbera. Perhaps his most well-known voice creations include Scooby-Doo, Papa Smurf, and Dr. Benton Quest....
- Papa Bear - Harold PearyHarold PearyHarold Peary was an American actor, comedian and singer in radio, film, television and animation remembered best as Throckmorton P...
- Big Ben - Iris Rainer - Quarter Past Five
DVD details
Released with The Year Without a Santa ClausThe Year Without a Santa Claus
The Year Without a Santa Claus is a 1974 Rankin/Bass stop motion animated television special. It usually airs during the Christmas season on United States television. The story is based on Phyllis McGinley's 1956 book of the same name, illustrated by Kurt Werth.-Summary:The show is set in the...
- Release date: October 31, 2000
- Full Screen
- Region: 1
- Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
- Audio tracks: English
Production notes
- The reindeer model used for Rudolph in this special was significantly different from the one used in the original special, most notably in that it had a wider, rounder mouth and a more blunt face as opposed to the elongated model used in the original. This model was also used for the 1979 finale Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in JulyRudolph and Frosty's Christmas in JulyRudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July is a feature-length 1979 Rankin-Bass crossover sequel filmed in stop-motion animation in the style of their 1964 Christmas special Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. It was 97 minutes long. Although designed as a theatrical release , it made its U.S...
. - A lady with blonde hair at the front of the crowd at the end of the special was also used as the mother in The Year Without a Santa ClausThe Year Without a Santa ClausThe Year Without a Santa Claus is a 1974 Rankin/Bass stop motion animated television special. It usually airs during the Christmas season on United States television. The story is based on Phyllis McGinley's 1956 book of the same name, illustrated by Kurt Werth.-Summary:The show is set in the...
. - While Rudolph's Shiny New Year takes place after Rudolph The Red-Nose Reindeer, Rudolph appears in this film as a fawn, without a full set of antlers. This seems to be out of continuity with the end of Rudolph The Red Nose Reindeer, where he appears to be a fully grown deer with antlers.
- The camel who carried Rudolph and General Ticker to Father Time's castle was the same camel who served as "Joshua" in The Little Drummer Boy, another Rankin-Bass puppetoon.
- In one scene, the characters are on a boat using a calendar page as a sail. The calendar page is of August 1928, a reference to writer Romeo MullerRomeo MullerRomeo Muller, Jr. was an American screenwriter and actor most remembered for his screenplays such as for the 1964 TV special Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.-Early years:...
who was born on August 7, 1928. The calendar page is inaccurate, since it shows the month starting on Thursday, whereas August 1, 1928 was actually a Wednesday. In addition, August appears with 30 days instead of 31. - In the "The Moving Finger Writes" sequence, the calendar dates seen accurately reflect a common year starting on MondayCommon year starting on MondayThis is the calendar for any common year starting on Monday, January 1 . Examples: Gregorian year 1990, 2001, 2007 and 2018or Julian year 1918 ....
. - None of the characters from the original specialRudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (TV special)Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is a Christmas television special produced in stop motion animation by Rankin/Bass. It first aired Sunday, December 6, 1964, on the NBC television network in the USA, and was sponsored by General Electric under the umbrella title of The General Electric Fantasy Hour...
returned in voiced parts except for Rudolph and Santa Claus. Rudolph's parents, (his father being Donner) are shown in the scene where Rudolph explains to Happy about himself, but are not referred by name nor do they have any lines. Donner is seen as part of Santa's sleigh team towards the end after Happy makes the AeonAeonThe word aeon, also spelled eon or æon , originally means "life", and/or "being", though it then tended to mean "age", "forever" or "for eternity". It is a Latin transliteration from the koine Greek word , from the archaic . In Homer it typically refers to life or lifespan...
laugh and it strikes midnight when Rudolph says "There's got to be a way to get to Father Time's castle before the 12th bong" and Santa and the reindeer team showing up instantly, but again is not referred by name. In the scene when 'Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer' is being played, when young reindeer are seen playing ball, a female reindeer resembling ClariceClariceClarice is a given name of Latin and Greek origin. The "Clarice" spelling is the Germanic variant of the Latin Clarus and the Greek Clarissa .It may refer to:*Clarice Vance, American actress...
, Rudolph's girlfriend, (due to her bow, which is red with white polka dots, like in the original special) is seen. However, when in the original special where Clarice is the only reindeer that does not make fun of Rudolph's nose, in this special she runs away with the other reindeer and appears to be laughing at him. - One more difference between the original special and this one is the role of the narrator in the story. In the 1964 special, Sam the Snowman apparently knows Rudolph, but doesn't interact with him. In this special, Father Time acts as the narrator and has some interaction with Rudolph.
- The special currently airs annually on ABC FamilyABC FamilyABC Family, stylized as abc family, is an American television network, owned by ABC Family Worldwide Inc., a subsidiary of the Disney-ABC Television Group division of The Walt Disney Company...
as part of its 25 Days of Christmas programming block (despite the fact that it is not a Christmas special); it is occasionally aired on sister network ABCAmerican Broadcasting CompanyThe American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
in the week between Christmas and New Years Day. - Big Ben would later appear in Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in JulyRudolph and Frosty's Christmas in JulyRudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July is a feature-length 1979 Rankin-Bass crossover sequel filmed in stop-motion animation in the style of their 1964 Christmas special Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. It was 97 minutes long. Although designed as a theatrical release , it made its U.S...
, albeit briefly.