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The original poster.

Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July is a 1979 feature-length stop-motion animated film produced by Rankin/Bass. As the title suggests, it is a follow-up to the studio's earlier Christmas specials featuring the characters of Rudolph and Frosty. It is notable for tying in the Mickey Rooney version of Santa Claus (from Santa Claus is Comin' to Town and The Year Without a Santa Claus) with Rudolph and featuring stop-motion versions of Frosty and his family, previously seen only in standard animation.

Synopsis[]

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Frosty, Chilly, Milly, and Rudolph.

As the film begins, it is late June at the North Pole, and Rudolph is paying a visit to his good friend, Frosty. Frosty and Crystal's children, Chilly and Milly, ask Rudolph (whom they look up to as their adoptive uncle) to light up his nose for them, but when he tries to do so, he finds that it seems to be going out. After the opening credits roll, Santa Claus, providing the opening narration, explains to the viewers why this is happening.

A very long time ago, an evil wizard king named Winterbolt had caused havoc upon the people who entered his domain. He was punished when Lady Boreal, the Queen of the Northern Lights, took on a human form and placed a spell that put him in a deep sleep. Eventually, years after Santa came to the North Pole (as seen in Santa Claus is Comin' to Town), Winterbolt woke from his coma and asked his "Genie of the Ice Scepter" (which is really more of a soothsayer) what happened in his absence. Upon learning how Santa's magic powers grow out of the love of children around the world, Winterbolt devised a scheme to trap Santa and his reindeer in a massive snowstorm on Christmas Eve, which would prevent him from delivering that year's toys. However, in her final act of magic before turning into the Aurora Borealis (the Northern Lights), Lady Boreal placed her magic into the newborn Rudolph's red nose, telling him that it would stop glowing if it is ever used for evil. After this, the events of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer occurred, and Winterbolt's plans were foiled by Rudolph guiding Santa's sleigh on that foggy Christmas Eve.

Back in the present, Winterbolt, having learned of how his plan failed, tries to extinguish the magic from Rudolph's nose, but after a pep talk from Frosty, Rudolph manages to survive this, and his nose is lit up again. After Winterbolt's "genie" explains that Rudolph's nose is powered by the Aurora Borealis, the evil wizard decides to lure Rudolph out of the North Pole and then make him use his nose for evil, thus extinguishing it. Just then, an ice cream man named Milton arrives to pick up his annual stockade of ice cream that he sells at the seashore on the Fourth of July. Milton explains to Rudolph that there is a big problem back home; he and his girlfriend, Lanie Loraine, had planned to marry, but her mother's Circus by the Sea is in danger of being shut down by an evil carney named Sam Spangles due to being in heavy financial debt and unable to gain enough profit to pay it off.

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Winterbolt with one of his Ice Dragons.

Winterbolt, seeing this in his magic snow globe, plants an idea into Milton's head - to have Rudolph star in the circus, thus drawing the crowds that it needs to survive. Chilly and Milly want to go too, but Frosty says that, since they are snowmen, they would never survive the Florida heat. Winterbolt appears before them at this point, pretending he wants to help them. He presents Frosty's family with magic amulets that will prevent them from melting, but they will wear off after the last of the Fourth of July fireworks finishes. When Rudolph, Frosty, and Milton explain this to Santa, Winterbolt then gives Santa the idea that he and his wife, Jessica, should fly into the circus on the Fourth of July to pick up Frosty and his family right before the fireworks are finished.

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Milton brings Frosty's family and Rudolph to the circus.

Milton brings Rudolph, Frosty, Crystal, Chilly, and Milly to the circus and introduces them to Lanie's mother and the circus's owner, Lilly Loraine. Back at the North Pole, Winterbolt recruits the help of an evil reindeer who is everything Rudolph is not - Scratcher, a rejected member of Santa's sleigh team who was fired because he kept stealing toys and candy canes. After Winterbolt sends him out to the seashore, Santa and Mrs. Claus take off in their sleigh with half of the sleigh team pulling it. At this point, Winterbolt has his two Ice Dragons conjure up a terrible hurricane, trapping the Clauses and forcing them to continue their journey on the ground until the storm subsides, severely delaying them from reaching the circus in time.

Frosty's family and Rudolph on parade

Over in Florida, Rudolph, Frosty, Crystal, Chilly, and Milly are taking part in the circus' parade. Scratcher arrives in the crowd and meets up with Sam Spangles, saying he has "an interesting proposition." Later, at the circus, Scratcher comes upon Rudolph, claiming that he has been really down on his luck and would like a job at the circus. After Rudolph's act in the circus' performance that evening, Scratcher cons him into using his nose to help him retrieve a briefcase with the performance's receipts from Lilly's wagon. Scratcher then makes Rudolph give it to a nearby police officer (actually a disguised Sam Spangles), claiming the "cop" is going to deposit it at the bank for safekeeping and cover part of the circus' debts.

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After the circus' performance is finished, Lilly sets off the fireworks, and Frosty is worried that Santa will not arrive before the last firework fades and the amulets wear off. After introducing Rudolph to Officer Kelly, the actual cop who was going to deposit the money at the bank, Lilly finds out that the circus has been robbed, bringing Rudolph to realize that Scratcher tricked him. Winterbolt then shows up in his own sleigh, pulled by "reinsnakes". Rudolph begs him to make the amulets' power last longer, but he says he will do it only if Rudolph's nose is still extinguished. Rudolph, realizing that his nose can no longer light up because he gave the circus' box office money to Sam Spangles earlier, says he is going to go tell the truth to everyone, but Winterbolt tells him that if he does that, Frosty's family will melt. Faced with a no-win situation, Rudolph is forced to take the blame and let his nose go out. His plans succeeding, Winterbolt heads back to the North Pole, telling Scratcher that now he will be the number-one reindeer there. Sam Spangles takes over the circus, and everyone is upset that Rudolph apparently gave the money to him. Worse, with his nose extinguished, Rudolph's performance in the circus is severely hampered, gaining jeers and boos from the angry audience.

As Rudolph wallows in self-pity, Frosty, the only one aware of what really happened, laments that there must be something he can do to help his friend. Winterbolt is told by his "genie" that Frosty does have something he would want - his magic hat - and that Winterbolt could find out the secret of its magic, duplicate it, and make a whole army of living snowmen. Meanwhile, Rudolph is walking on the beach when he hears a voice coming from the Northern Lights; it is Lady Boreal, who tells him that if he can be brave, his nose will be unextinguished. Just then, Big Ben from Rudolph's Shiny New Year shows up, saying he had an inexplicable urge to come here (implying that Lady Boreal guided him there). After Rudolph explains his predicament, Big Ben swims off, saying he is going to South America.

Meanwhile, Winterbolt returns and, in order to make Frosty give up his hat, claims that he will restore the Aurora Borealis light to Rudolph's nose. Rudolph shows up just as Winterbolt has taken the hat from Frosty, who is now reduced to his inanimate state. While Frosty's wife and children discover his motionless form, Rudolph chases after Winterbolt, who tries ambushing him with his "reinsnakes". Rudolph manages to elude them and then headbutts Winterbolt, causing him to drop the hat. Rudolph catches it and, at that moment, his nose regains its glow. Rudolph flies away with the hat, as Winterbolt swears he will not be defeated.

The next morning, as the others mourn for Frosty, Rudolph shows up back at the circus, accompanied by Officer Kelly with the stolen money. He explains to Lilly that Rudolph was tricked into giving the money to Sam Spangles and then returns the hat to Frosty. After Sam Spangles is arrested (it is never shown what happens to Scratcher), Winterbolt shows up and prepares to destroy everyone with his Ice Scepter. Fortunately, Lilly throws her guns at it, shattering it to pieces and causing Winterbolt to turn into a tree. As a result of him being vanquished, the storm that had grounded Santa and Mrs. Claus fades away, allowing them to make it to the circus. Unfortunately, Frosty and his family have now melted because the amulets that Winterbolt gave them are worthless now.

Frosty And Family

Jack Frost arrives to resurrect Frosty and his family.

Rudolph is devastated about his friends' apparent death since the only thing that can bring them back is a December wind, which cannot happen in July. Just then, Big Ben returns, having brought Frosty's former rival, Jack Frost, all the way from South America. Jack provides the magic Christmas wind needed to revive Frosty and his family, after which Santa and Mrs. Claus finally arrive. As they prepare to bring the snowmen back to the North Pole, with Jack keeping them cool all the way, Rudolph says that he is going to temporarily stay with the circus until they have gotten out of debt. Santa explains that should not take long, since he gave Lilly some of the Winter Warlock's magic corn that makes animals fly (from Santa Claus is Comin' to Town) for her animals. The film ends with Lilly singing "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" as he leads her new team of flying animals.

Songs[]

Christmas in July songbook

Broadcast history[]

Print ad for R&F's Christmas in July

The print ad for the film's televised premiere.

After debuting through a limited theatrical engagement in July 1979, the film made its televised premiere on ABC on November 25th of the same year. It reaired on HBO (Home Box Office) and Cinemax throughout the 1980s, then on the Disney Channel in the 1990s. From 1998 to 2017, it aired annually as part of the 25 Days of Christmas on Freeform and its predecessors, though in 2000 it was instead aired on Toon Disney. As of 2023, it currently airs on AMC as part of their Best Christmas Ever programming event.

Availability[]

The film was first released on VHS by Lightning Video, a subsidiary of Vestron Video, in the 1980s. After Vestron Video was shut down in 1992 and the distribution rights for the post-1974 Rankin/Bass specials were acquired by Time Warner, Warner Home Video released the film on VHS in 1992 and 1999, and then on DVD in 2004. For some reason, the print used on the DVD is slightly out-of-sync, with its audio coming one second early. Unfortunately, this DVD was re-released as part of the Christmas Television Favorites box set in 2007 and the Complete Rankin/Bass Christmas Collection box set in 2022. The film itself was also included, alongside other Rankin/Bass Christmas specials, on Warner's Classic Christmas Favorites and Santa's Magical Stories DVD sets. The special made its physical high-definition debut on the Complete Collection's Blu-ray version, released in October 2023.

Notes[]

Clarice in Christmas in July

Clarice's cameo in the flashback.

  • Clarice, Rudolph's girlfriend from the original Rudolph special, makes a brief cameo in the flashback to his backstory. She, along with Father Time from Rudolph's Shiny New Year, can also be seen in autographed photos that fall off of the wall during the "No Bed of Roses" song. Oddly, no other character created for the original Rudolph special (aside from Rudolph's mother, Mrs. Donner) appears in the film.
  • In the flashbacks depicting scenes from Santa Claus is Comin' to Town, the Winter Warlock strangely does not appear alongside Santa, Mrs. Claus, and the Kringle elves.

Edits[]

When aired on ABC Family/Freeform, the following edits were made to fit the film into a 2-hour time slot:

  • The first reprise of "Everything I Always Wanted", "Chicken Today and Feathers Tomorrow", and "I See Rainbows" were cut.
  • The scene with Frosty's family and Rudolph leaving the North Pole and traveling to the circus in Milton's hot air balloon was cut.

On AMC's airings, some of the songs were slowed down by half a second in order to fill the two-hour, thirty-minute (with commercials) airtime.

Cast[]

Voice actor/actress Character(s)
Billie Mae Richards Rudolph
Jackie Vernon Frosty
Mickey Rooney Santa Claus
Red Buttons Milton
Ethel Merman Lilly Loraine
Alan Sues Scratcher
Shelley Winters Crystal
Paul Frees Winterbolt
Officer Kelly
Jack Frost
Keeper of the Cave
Hal Peary Big Ben
Shelby Flint Lanie Loraine
Don Messick Sam Spangles
Cuckoo clock
Clowns
Darlene Conley Jessica Claus
Nellie Bellflower Lady Boreal
Cynthia Alder Mrs. Donner
Steffi Calli Milly
Eric Hines Chilly
Howard Shapiro Genie of the Ice Scepter
Bob McFadden Donner
Santa Claus (singing)

Gallery[]

References[]

External links[]

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Rankin/Bass
Rudolph the Red-Nosed ReindeerCricket on the HearthThe Little Drummer BoyFrosty the SnowmanSanta Claus is Comin' to Town • "A Christmas Tree" • 'Twas the Night Before ChristmasThe Year Without a Santa ClausThe First Christmas: The Story of the First Christmas SnowFrosty's Winter WonderlandRudolph's Shiny New YearThe Little Drummer Boy, Book IINestor, the Long-Eared Christmas DonkeyThe Stingiest Man in TownRudolph and Frosty's Christmas in JulyJack FrostPinocchio's ChristmasThe Leprechauns' Christmas GoldThe Life and Adventures of Santa ClausSanta, Baby!
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