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

Directors:

Jules Bass
Arthur Rankin Jr.

Writer:

Romeo Muller (writer)

Release Date:

1 July 1979 (USA)

Genre:

Animation | Family | Fantasy | Musical

Plot:

Long ago the Lady Borealis placed the evil Winterbolt under a magic spell, and put the last of her magic into the nose of a newborn reindeer: Rudolph...

Plot Keywords:

Circus | Based On Song | Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer | Santa Claus | Sequel

Cast

Red Buttons	...	Milton (voice)
Ethel Merman	...	Lilly Loraine (voice)
Mickey Rooney	...	Santa Claus (voice)
Alan Sues	...	Scratcher the jealous reindeer (voice)
Jackie Vernon	...	Frosty (voice)
Shelley Winters	...	Crystal (voice)
Paul Frees	...	Winterbolt / Jack Frost / Policeman (voice)
Billie Mae Richards	...	Rudolph (voice)
Harold Peary	...	Big Ben (voice) (as Hal Peary)
Shelby Flint	...	Laine, Lilly's daughter (voice)
Don Messick	...	Sam Spangles (voice)
Darlene Conley	...	Mrs. Santa Claus (voice)
Nellie Bellflower	...	(voice)
Steffi Calli	...	(voice)
Howard Shapiro	...	(voice)
Eric Hines	...	(voice)
Cynthia Adler	...	(voice)
Bob McFadden	...	(voice)

Directed by
Jules Bass
Arthur Rankin Jr.

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Romeo Muller		writer

Produced by
Jules Bass	....	producer
Masaki Îzuka	....	associate producer
Arthur Rankin Jr.	....	producer

Original Music by
Johnny Marks

Production Design by
Arthur Rankin Jr.

Production Management
Iwao Kondo	....	production manager

Art Department
Shinichi Noro	....	set designer

Sound Department
John Curcio	....	sound recordist
Bob Elder	....	sound recordist
Dave Neland	....	sound recordist
John Richards	....	sound recordist

Visual Effects by
Ichirô Komuro	....	character model sculptor

Camera and Electrical Department
Takeo Ando	....	camera operator
Mitsuharu Hirata	....	lighting technician
Hiroshi Otokozawa	....	camera operator

Animation Department
Seiichi Araki	....	animator
Paul Coker Jr.	....	character designer
Shigeru Ohmachi	....	animator
Hiroshi Tabata	....	animator

Music Department
Michael Colicchio	....	additional music arranger: vocals
Maury Laws	....	conductor
Maury Laws	....	music arranger
Lois Winter	....	vocal supervisor

Other crew
Thomas Bush	....	production assistant
Akikazu Kono	....	supervisor: Animagic

Production Companies

• Rankin/Bass Productions

Distributors

• AVCO Embassy Pictures (USA) (theatrical)
• American Broadcasting Company (ABC) (1979) (USA) (TV)
• Lightning Video (1986) (USA) (VHS)
• Warner Bros. Home Video (2007) (USA) (DVD)
• Warner Bros. Pictures

Runtime:

USA:90 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Canada:G (Manitoba/Quebec) | USA:TV-G

Company:

Rankin/Bass Productions

Trivia:

This was released theatrically first. It played only a few play dates and was a flop. One sheets from the theatrical release are out there, but rare.

Quotes:

Lilly Loraine: Well, that's the show, folks. A little corny but expensive.

Movie Connections:

Follows Frosty's Winter Wonderland (1976) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Frosty the Snowman

Going a little too far with Frosty and Rudolph...

Original Claymation Rudolph: Pretty good. Original Frosty cartoon: Needs a little work, but could be worse. But Frosty and Rudolph together on the Fourth of July? C'mon! Give me a BREAK!!! This was one movie that shouldn't have been made. It was bad. It didn't really go for any holiday in particular, except July 4. That made it especially bad since Frosty and Rudolph are usually associated with the Christmas season. And any movie can be ruined by too much singing. The frequent songs made this movie seem a lot longer than it really was. The movie tried mixing two familiar Chirstmastime characters with an American traditional holiday (which almost seems to "limit" it to America), too many pointless songs, and a lousy plotline. The result? A bad movie that can't really be watched at any time of year. I would suggest you forgo this movie even if you like Frosty and Rudolph.