Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July (TV Movie 1979)

Rudolph and Frosty’s Christmas in July: Directed by Jules Bass, Arthur Rankin Jr.. With Red Buttons, Ethel Merman, Mickey Rooney, Alan Sues. The Winterbolt is trying to make North Pole his evil wonderland, and it is up to Frosty the Snowman, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and other icons to stop him.

“I adore holiday specials, How the Grinch Stole Christmas and Santa Claus is Cominu0026#39; 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.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eSo it was a joy to see both title characters in the same special, which is exactly what we have here with Rudolph and Frostyu0026#39;s Christmas in July.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eFor me, the only drawbacks to Rudolph and Frostyu0026#39;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.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eHowever, Rudolph and Frostyu0026#39;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.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe special also contains some fun and well-written songs, my favourite being Ethel Mermanu0026#39;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.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eRudolph and Frostyu0026#39;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.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eIn conclusion, overlong but never less than enjoyable. 8/10 Bethany Cox”