Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

This disc blinks like a blinkin' beacon!

Reviewed by Randy Miller III November 3, 2022

Finally released on 4K as part of Universal's The Classic Christmas Specials Collection (which also includes Frosty the Snowman and Santa Claus is Comin' to Town) as well as this separate combo pack, Arthur Rankin, Jr. and Jules Bass' first ever stop-motion special Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is fast approaching its 60th birthday and finally, finally looks better than ever. This fully-restored release shines like new, allowing die-hard fans and newbies alike to wholly appreciate its hand-made charms and playful production design that make Rudolph such an enduring classic.

For a synopsis and appreciation of the film, please see Kenneth Brown's review of Classic Media's Original Christmas Classics gift set. But since you're probably here for the technical write-up, let's get right down to business.

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

NOTE: This review's screenshots are sourced from the included Blu-ray, which utilizes the same new 4K master but is downsampled to 1080p and presented in SDR. My thoughts on that disc are also included below.

"But it's a stupid kid's movie!", says Joe Netflix. "What, do you want to see each individual piece of fur or somethin'?" Why yes, yes I do, thanks. And you'll be able to on this sparkling new 4K restoration from Universal, whose HDR10-enhanced 2160p transfer runs absolute circles around previous all home video releases. Even to untrained eyes, the sizable jump in overall fine detail and texture will be obvious here, from the soft appearance of coat fabrics to Yukon's woolly beard and, of course, all those tangles in The Abominable Snow Monster's gnarled coat. Contrast boosting is no longer an issue, which means that grays and gradients are better modulated with tighter shadow detail and no visible black crush or blooming beyond baked-in source lighting issues. From head to toe, it's a quite a face lift and, combined with the ever-present texture of film grain, this leads to a fantastic-looking restoration indeed.

The HDR10 enhancement also adds a few meaningful saturation bumps in obvious areas -- costumes, toys/presents, Rudolph's nose, etc. -- and its few nighttime scenes look noticeably better due to colors standing out more strongly against the shadows. Its tastefully darker overall appearance in HDR also smooths over a few moments of baked-in blooming, such as the excessive light on Sam the Snowman's head and other brightly-lit moments.

Perhaps the only little speed bump -- and it's one that also affects the similarly restored Blu-ray, covered below -- can be seen in three or four frames of digital combing/interlacing around the 6:33 mark, when Rudolph shakes his head during Santa's song "Jingle, Jingle, Jingle". I compared both new discs to the older Universal Blu-ray and did not see the same hiccup, but the good news is that it's very brief and does not look all that distracting due to this particular style of animation. Still, it's well worth pointing out and the reason I can't award Rudolph a 5/5 rating.

Speaking of which, the included Blu-ray, which is likewise sourced from the same restored master, shows a similarly high level of detail and much better contrast, color saturation, and stability than the older Blu-ray. Overall fine detail competes reasonably well with the 4K disc, and in some cases the stray flaws on handmade details of the costumes and background details remain more softly hidden. Colors balance is actually handled a little differently, with reindeer taking on a slightly less reddish-brown hue while still looking vary accurate to the source, which gives this 1080p presentation a slightly less robust but still nicely controlled palette. Within the stricter boundaries of Blu-ray, it's a very good effort that might just be worth an upgrade for die-hard fans not yet equipped for the newer format.

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The new 4K master may have wrung a touch more sonic detail out of its source elements than what we heard on the studio's previous Blu-ray, but the included DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and DTS 2.0 Mono options sound more or less identical to those older tracks and get the job done just fine. Obviously, this isn't Dolby Atmos territory.

Optional English (SDH) subtitles are included during the main feature and all applicable extras.

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This two-disc release ships in a dual-hubbed keepcase with artwork similar to previous Universal releases (same goes for the menus), a matching slipcover, and a Digital Copy redemption code. The bonus features, which are repeated on both discs, are likewise identical to the older Universal Blu-ray and are all detailed below.

• The Animagic World of Rankin/Bass (47:00) - This 2018 retrospective featurette runs nearly as long as the special itself but also covers other entries in the duo's celebrated catalog including Frosty the Snowman, Santa Claus is Comin' to Town, and a few lesser-known works. It's clip-heavy but very entertaining with great behind-the-scenes footage, TV promos, pencil tests, rare photos, and comments from lots of filmmaking fans including Henry Selick (The Nightmare Before Christmas), Jon Favreau (Elf), Kevin Lima (Enchanted), Brenda Chapman (Brave), the friggin' Chiodo Brothers (Killer Klowns from Outer Space), producer Lee Mendelson (A Charlie Brown Christmas), animation historian Jerry Beck, and more. I'd award this one more points but it's also included on Frosty the Snowman and Santa Claus is Comin' to Town, which you'll probably buy too.

• Restoring the Puppets of Rudolph (3:40) - Another 2018 featurette, this briefly details a careful restoration job by the stop motion collective Screen Novelties, who temporarily acquired the original Rudolph and Santa puppets from their owner and got them back to pristine condition after years of neglect.

• Reimagining Rudolph in 4D (10:54) - This 2018 featurette promotes an abridged stop-motion remake of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer by SimEx-Iwerks in 2016 as a 4D attraction shown at select theaters. Along with clips from the finished film, we get a few behind-the-scenes clips, comments by first-hand participants (including director Chel White), and several comparisons to the original, which is blown up to 1.78:1.

• Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer Attraction Film (10:51) - The completed film, minus actual 4D effects. As far as remakes of beloved classics go, it's actually not too bad: there's a lot of respect paid to the look and feel of the original, from its unique visual aesthetic to the character movement and voice acting.

• T.E.A.M. Rudolph and the Reindeer Games (13:45) - An animated reading of Joe Troiano's 2017 book.

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Sure, it teaches a pretty awful lesson, but who doesn't love Rudolph? Rankin/Bass first' and most popular stop-motion TV special, which helped pave the way for countless such films in its wake, is almost 60 years old but can still entertain kids of all ages. Universal's new 4K disc, like their treatment of Santa Claus is Comin' to Town, easily blows past earlier releases and makes the film shine like new. While you're better off picking up The Classic Christmas Specials Collection rather than these piecemeal combo packs, it's good enough on its own if you don't want the other two.