Underplayed Gems

Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July (1979)

Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July poster
Directed by
Arthur Rankin Jr.
Genre
fantasy film, musical film, crossover fiction, Christmas film
Country
United States
Runtime
1h 37m
Rated
G
Rating
6.4 of 10 from 79 voters
Elsewhere
IMDb
The 3D catalogue: film cases on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalogue in 3D

The film shelves have a room of their own that you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real films from the same catalogue when you tell them what you feel like watching. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this film is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

More films like thisWatch the trailer

or watch the trailer on YouTube

How it feels

This stop-motion film mixes characters from Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and Frosty the Snowman in a story that blends Christmas and Independence Day. Santa and a wizard try to keep a winter wonderland from melting in the summer heat.

whimsicallightheartedmusicalfestivecheerfulnostalgicmelodicanimated

What happens

Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July (titled on-screen as Rudolph and Frosty: Christmas in July) is a 1979 American Christmas/Independence Day film produced by Rankin/Bass Productions, featuring characters from the company's holiday specials Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964) and Frosty the Snowman (1969), among others. It was filmed in Japan using the company's trademark "Animagic" stop-motion animation style. The film was originally a theatrical film released on June 8, 1979, in Lexington, Kentucky, through Avco Embassy Pictures, where it ran for only one week; the film's expansion to other cities was quietly cancelled. Later that year, on November 25, the film premiered on television in the US on ABC. This is the last Rankin/Bass production to star Billie Mae Richards as Rudolph and Jackie Vernon as Frosty. Mickey Rooney reprises his role as Santa Claus from Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town (1970) and The Year Without a Santa Claus (1974). Additional voices are provided by Red Buttons, Ethel Merman, Alan Sues, and Paul Frees. Shelley Winters and Frees reprise their roles as Frosty's wife Crystal and Jack Frost, respectively, from Frosty's Winter Wonderland, and Hal Peary reprised his role as Big Ben the Clockwork Whale from Rudolph's Shiny New Year. This is the final Rankin/Bass production to use Rudolph and Frosty, and the only one to feature the latter in stop-motion form. All other specials and films starring the characters are produced by other companies. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

More like this

This page is from Underplayed Gems. Not quite it? You can browse by genre, country and year, or take this one into the 3D catalogue and ask the Catbot for something closer.