# Elliot the Littlest Reindeer

Elliot the Littlest Reindeer is a 2018 Canadian animated Christmas film written and directed by Jennifer Wescott and featuring the voices of Josh Hutcherson, Samantha Bee, Martin Short, Morena Baccarin, Jeff Dunham and John Cleese. When Blitzen suddenly announces his retirement, Santa needs to find a replacement. Against all odds, Elliot and his best friend, Hazel, set out to prove that he is the pony for the job. As Elliot and Hazel take on the North Pole reindeer try-outs, Hazel learns that Christmas may be headed for disaster. Meanwhile, back at their farm, a sinister lady threatens the lives of their friends, and Elliot is faced with the biggest decision of his life.

## Plot

At the struggling Whittick Petting Zoo in North Dakota, pony Elliot dreams of flying with Santa's reindeer. His only supporter is goat Hazel. The zoo, inherited by former baseball star Walter Whittick, doubles as a training camp for reindeer. Although Elliot trains too, his efforts go unnoticed by Walter.
When Santa’s reindeer Blitzen announces his retirement, a competition is held at the North Pole to find a replacement. Walter hopes his athletic but arrogant reindeer, DJ, can secure the spot on Santa's sleigh team and save the zoo. Meanwhile, businesswoman Ludzinka offers to buy Walter’s animals, but Elliot and Hazel realize her plan is to turn the animals into dehydrated food. To save their friends, they stow away in Walter’s flying hybrid sled-car and travel to the North Pole.
At the competition, Hazel disguises Elliot and signs him up. Despite his small stature, Elliot narrowly advances in the first round. In the second round, where competitors must retrieve a hat from a totem pole, Elliot suggests teamwork, leading to success for all the reindeer. Meanwhile, journalist Corkie investigates the strange disappearance of Santa’s reindeer and discovers a secret room filled with motor-powered flying sleighs.
Hazel overhears DJ confessing to his father that he does not want to continue the family tradition of flying for Santa. She also sees DJ's father secretly giving him an extra magic cookie to boost his performance in the final round. Despite the odds, Elliot wins the competition. However, DJ sees Hazel and exposes Elliot’s true identity, causing chaos.
During the commotion, Hazel and Corkie uncover the real culprits behind the past reindeer that left: elves Lemondrop and Jolene, who sabotaged the sleigh team to push Santa toward motor-powered sleighs. Furious, Lemondrop activates his weather machine, but it spirals out of control. Elliot shuts it down, saving everyone.
When the group returns to the zoo, they find the animals have subdued Ludzinka, who is later arrested. In the end, Santa recognizes Elliot’s courage and invites him to join his reindeer team.

## Voice cast

* Josh Hutcherson as Elliot, a pony
* Samantha Bee as Hazel, a red goat
* Martin Short as Lemondrop/Ludzinka/Blitzen
* Morena Baccarin as Corkie
* Jeff Dunham as Clyde/Peanutbutter
* John Cleese as Donner
* George Buza as Santa Claus
* Angela Fusco as Mrs. Claus
* Robert Tinkler as Walter/Russian Coach
* Julie Lemieux as Olga/Computer Translator/Swedish Coach/Reindeer 1/Moshennika/Blueberry
* Christopher Jacot as DJ/Ignacio/Kitchen Elf
* Carly Heffernan as Sasha/Reindeer 4

## Reception

The film received negative reviews from critics and has a 29% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 21 reviews with an average rating of 4.8/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "On Dancer, on Prancer, on Vixen, on Blitzen -- but off with Elliot: The Little Reindeer, a farcical Christmas romp that's only slightly more entertaining than a heap of coal." Nell Minow of RogerEbert.com awarded the film one and a half out of four stars. Tara McNamara of Common Sense Media awarded the film two stars out of five.