Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer MPAA Rating: G Entertainment: +3 Content: -1/2

It's a bird. It's a plane. No, it's Superman with a bad cold. Wrong Again! It's the unlikely Christmas hero RUDOLPH THE RED NOSED REINDEER, flying back into the holidays and into our hearts with an all-new animated feature film. With the celebrity voices of John Goodman, Bob Newhart, Debbie Reynolds, Richard Simmons, and Whoopi Goldberg this all-new Christmas musical brings a new story twist. It also includes catchy new songs along with the traditional Rudolph song we all know and love. This version of the Rudolph tale introduces new characters like Slyly the fox, Leonard the Polar Bear, the Sprites of the Northern Lights, Queen Stormella, and Rudolph's doe-friend Zoe. And, of course, he saves Christmas by guiding Santa's sleigh through the worst winter storm in history. The film's colorful animation and lively tunes are likely to appeal to the whole family.

This children's film appears void of any obvious offensive elements, but subtle hints toward a Non-Biblical philosophy are quite disturbing. The Sprites of the Northern Lights and Queen Stormella practice some magic and introduce a new age, mystical idea into the story. The Sprites are like a dramatic chorus, flying in and out of the story with encouraging songs and messages and working a bit of magic here and there. A central New Age message is that Rudolph needs to let his "inner light" shine through and find the courage he needs to save the day. Queen Stormella uses a crystal ball, voices a couple of incantations, and wields a magical ice wand. While some of these elements may appear to be just fantasy magic, others promote a new age concept and exploit witchcraft to entertain. Some very traditional family values, including love, courage, and character, are encouraged throughout the film, but we can't whole heartily recommend RUDOLPH THE RED NOSED REINDEER with its subtle new age philosophy.

Preview Reviewer: Cliff McNeely
Distributor: Good Times Entertainment