As a child, I used to watch this film, which actually started out as a television special (but is now treated more like a movie), during the holiday season. It focuses on the origin tale of the famous reindeer with a red nose.

I rewatched it some time in my 20s, as well. It remains memorable with its characters, songs, and scenes.

Below are the biggest parts that stand out to me:

1: Rudolph could talk right after he was born

After the snowman guy lists the other reindeers’ names and the title sequence comes up, he narrates to when Rudolph was born. Not only is he with his parents, but also Santa Claus. And he can talk, although not the same way as when he gets older. He just says one word to communicate anything relevant.

I know—it’s a cartoon. And unrealistic moments happen in animation all the time. But it felt a little strange for me to see Rudolph speak right after he was born.

Aside from how no one is born knowing how to talk, another reason could be because Bambi the Disney character couldn’t speak right after he entered the world.

Yes, the two are unrelated—especially since Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer was NOT made by Disney. But like Bambi, Rudolph is basically a deer—and an animated one.

I guess Rudolph being born with speech is just cartoon logic.

2: Hermey’s dream job as a dentist

Hermey is an elf who doesn’t really enjoy making toys. He wants to be a dentist instead, despite how others give him a hard time about that—particularly his boss.

I find this interesting and a unique twist on an elf character, especially for the 1960s. Back then, traditional and even insensitive stereotypes were still normal and acceptable in media.

Therefore, this approach is something to applaud. Does Hermey ever get his dream job? See the film to find out. If you already did, then you know the answer.

3: When Hermey is told that elves make toys

His boss says the exact quote: “You’re an elf! And elves make toys!”

When I saw this movie as an adult, I thought to myself, That’s elfist. Okay, that’s not a word. But it was still prejudicial.

Just because someone is born a certain way, that doesn’t mean they have to follow the traditional roles for their kind. We constantly see people acting differently from what one might consider standard for them.

For example, some girls like to dress masculine and do activities that were once strictly for boys. And that is totally fine.

I’m glad that Hermey didn’t listen to what his boss said and tried to pursue his dream job.

4: The land of misfit toys

At some point, Rudolph, Hermey, and Yukon Cornelius end up in a place called the land of misfit toys. They include non-traditional toys that no one wants.

I consider this a strong plot point. I also feel sorry for the toys since they are unwanted.

Which brings me to my next listing:

5: The Charlie-in-the-box

It’s like a Jack-in-the-box, except with a different name. This character complained about how nobody would want to play with a Charlie-in-the-box.

Like with Hermey’s boss’s hurtful saying, I thought to myself how discriminatory that was. I considered that name-ist. All right—that’s also not a word. But you probably get the idea.

It was name discrimination, which doesn’t get as much attention as other types. So, this was unique.

Even though prejudicial content was still normal in the 1960s, I am impressed with how they addressed the practice of discriminating against somebody because of their name. I don’t see that a lot these days. If I do, it’s because the person was given an unusually embarrassing name as a baby.

6: “A Holly Jolly Christmas”

This song is played during the last several minutes of the film. The reason it stands out to me is because it became played a lot during the holiday season for past several years. Radios constantly play it, just like Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas.”

Aside from the fact that I think it’s overplayed now, I think it’s interesting that music stations treat this like a pop song. It obviously became that popular.

Conclusion

So, there you have it—the most memorable moments from Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. You might also find these parts interesting or standing out to you.

What do you think? Let me know in the comments if you wish.