Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer (TV Special) - Plot

Plot

Donner's wife gives birth to a baby fawn named Rudolph, but the two are shocked to discover that Rudolph's unusually red nose is capable of glowing. Santa Claus visits their cave to meet their son for the first time and warns them that Rudolph will be unqualified to pull the sleigh if he continues to carry the trait for the rest of his life, so Donner tries to conceal Rudolph's nose with dirt.

A year later, Rudolph's parents take him to participate in the Reindeer Games (after covering his nose with mud, much to his dismay), where he, along with all of the other young bucks, will be trained to fly and help Santa deliver toys. While there, Rudolph meets a friendly reindeer named Fireball, whom he quickly befriends and romps about with. The pair come across a doe named Clarice, who seems to take a romantic interest in Rudolph. Fireball encourages Rudolph to speak with Clarice as she happens to like him, giving him the strength to perform a dazzling leap into the air. However, when Rudolph and Fireball engage in a celebratory jostle, the cover pops off Rudolph's nose, unveiling his secret that costs him his friendship with Fireball. All of the other yearlings poke fun at Rudolph's nose, and he is prohibited by Coach Comet from taking part in the Reindeer Games. Clarice, who is not the least bit bothered by Rudolph's secret, stays around to try to comfort him. Soon after, Clarice's father forbids her to hang around with Rudolph, which shatters the young buck's heart and prompts him to make the decision to run away from home.

Later, Rudolph meets an elf named Hermey who aspires to become a dentist, but is ridiculed for this ambition and has also decided to run away for the same reason. He agrees to join Rudolph and they set off together. Along the way, they meet a cheerfully boisterous, loud prospector named Yukon Cornelius, who dreams of discovering silver and gold and becoming wealthy. The trio struggle to find a place to stay when they come across a place called "The Island of Misfit Toys," where unwanted playthings with some sort of physical error or flaw go to live until the island's ruler, King Moonracer, a brown winged lion, manages to find homes for them. Rudolph, Yukon Cornelius, and Hermey tell King Moonracer that they need shelter, so he agrees to let them stay for one night in exchange for a promise from Rudolph; as soon as he returns to the North Pole, to ask Santa Claus to deliver the toys to children. Later that night, with everybody else asleep, Rudolph decides to leave the island knowing that his nose is going to be a burden for his friends (since it has already attracted the attention of the Bumbles the Abominable Snow Monster, a gigantic, hairy white monster who dwells at the North Pole and abhors Christmas).

Eventually, Rudolph grows older and decides to go home, where he is agitated to find that his matured peers still poke fun at him. When he returns to his cave, he finds that his parents, along with Clarice, have left to search for him. Rudolph leaves to search for his family and is angered to find that they have been kidnapped by the Abominable Snow Monster, who plans to eat them. Rudolph headbutts the monster, only to end up getting knocked unconscious, Fortunately, Hermey and Yukon Cornelius, who have been searching for Rudolph, eventually find him and rush to his aid. They distract the monster by knocking him unconscious, allowing Hermey to extract his teeth. Rudolph awakens, but he and his family are unable to escape with the toothless beast blocking the entrance to the cave. Yukon Cornelius chases the Abominable Snow Monster to a cliff, where he dogpiles the monster and they both fall over. He is assumed by his saddened companions to be dead. The misfits return home and are no longer mocked by their peers, who are sympathetic upon hearing their story. Much to the surprise and relief of Rudolph and Hermey, Yukon Cornelius returns with a tamed Abominable Snow Monster, whom he has taught to place a star on top of a Christmas tree. The now reformed monster decides to live with Santa Claus and the other residents of the North Pole. However, a horrific blizzard is about to prevent Santa from embarking on his annual journey. While announcing the news to the elves and reindeer, he is caught by Rudolph's gleaming nose and asks him to lead his sleigh. Rudolph agrees, and they set off to deliver the presents, but not without giving the misfit toys a lift before the credits roll.