 | Competing with the time-tested, 1964 original Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer , with the abominable snowman, the misfit toys, the lovably clunky motion, and Burl Ives as narrator, is no easy task. So this feature-length, animated musical skirts a straight squaring-off of versions. The story line is a bit more complex, with the abominable snowman's antagonist role played by the Whoopi Goldberg-voiced Ice Queen, Stormella, and Rudolph's running buddies depicted as a polar bear (excellently voiced by Bob Newhart) and, not surprisingly, a cutesy doe, Zoey. The animation is first-rate and completely convincing, making this new Rudolph ideal for the discriminating 3- to 7-year-old viewer. Stormella looks for all the world like a hybrid of King Triton and Ursula, the Sea Witch from Disney's The Little Mermaid . As for the story, none of it is either heavyhanded on the good versus evil front for the younger set, or so sappy that it's intolerable for adults. As with so many animated features ... (less) Director: William R. Kowalchuk ♦ Actors: John Goodman, Whoopi Goldberg, Debbie Reynolds, Bob Newhart, Richard Simmons | $1 - $40  3 Merchants |
