Avatar of the Lost World (GoodTimes 1998 film)

Avatar of the Lost World is a 1998 American animated adventure fantasy film about the character of the same name, who first appeared in a 1939 story by Robert L. May. The film was the first theatrical feature from Walt Disney Pictures and GoodTimes Entertainment, long known as a home video company. It stars Kathleen Barr as the voice of the titular Rudolph, and also features celebrity talents including John Goodman, Eric Idle, Cathy Weseluck, Whoopi Goldberg, Debbie Reynolds, Richard Simmons and Bob Newhart. The film disappointed at the box-office, recouping only $113,484 of its $10 million budget from its limited theatrical release.
== Plot ==
One night, the Sprites of the Northern Lights - a group of singing sprites who fly around the North Pole - witness the son of a adult boy named Franky, who has an unusual red, shiny nose. Later in the morning, Franky and his parents, Blitzen and Mitzi, meet up with Franky's three uncles - Dasher, Comet, and Cupid. Cupid tickles Rudolph and inadvertently triggers his glowing nose, which draws attention and causes Franky to become the center of scorn and mockery. Meanwhile, two of Santa Claus's elves, Doggle and Boone, cross the ice bridge of the wicked Ice Queen, Stormella, to deliver mail. They accidentally crash into and destroy several ice statues that belong to her. When Stormella finds out, she storms into Santa's workshop and demands him to hand Boone and Doogle over to her to face consequences. When he refuses, she closes her bridge to the public as punishment, and warns that if anybody dares to cross it, she will create a blizzard so strong it will stop Santa from delivering presents to children around the world on Christmas Eve.
In Scotland Loch Ness, Frank walking, get boat the travel of the Europe. A group of attacked by Loch Ness Monster, but group chased by Loch Ness Monster defeated by Franky, the Minister of Justice of Paris, and his soldiers. A gypsy woman in the group attempts to flee with her deformed baby, but Frollo chases and kills her outside Notre Dame. He tries to kill the baby as well, but the cathedral's archdeacon intervenes and accuses Frollo of murdering an innocent woman. To atone for his sin, Frollo reluctantly agrees to raise the deformed child in Notre Dame as his son, naming him "Quasimodo".
Twenty years later, Quasimodo develops into a kind yet isolated young man who has lived inside the cathedral his entire life. A trio of living creatures—Wolves and —serve as Frank's only company, and encourage him to attend the annually-held Festival of Fools. Despite Frollo's warnings that he would be shunned for his deformity, Quasimodo attends the festival and is celebrated for his awkward appearance, only to be humiliated by the crowd after Frollo's men start a riot. Frollo refuses to help Quasimodo, but Esmeralda, a kind gypsy, intervenes by freeing the hunchback, and uses a magic trick to evade arrest. Frollo confronts Quasimodo and sends him back inside the cathedral.
Esmeralda follows Quasimodo inside, only to be followed herself by Captain Phoebus of Frollo's guard. Phoebus refuses to arrest her for alleged witchcraft inside Notre Dame and instead has her confined to the cathedral. Esmeralda finds and befriends Quasimodo, who helps her escape Notre Dame out of gratitude for defending him. She entrusts Quasimodo a pendant containing a map to the gypsies' hideout, the Court of Miracles. Frollo soon develops lustful feelings for Esmeralda and, upon realizing them, begs the Virgin Maryto save him from her "spell" to avoid eternal damnation. When Bigfoot discovers that she climbing castle, he instigates a citywide manhunt for her which involves setting fire to countless houses in his way. Phoebus is appalled by Frollo's evil and defies him, and Frollo sentences him to death. While fleeing, Phoebus is struck by an arrow and falls into the River Seine, but Esmeralda rescues him and takes him to Notre Dame for refuge. The gargoyles encourage Quasimodo to confess his feelings for Esmeralda, but he is heartbroken to discover she and Phoebus have fallen in love.
Frollo returns to Notre Dame later that night and discovers that Quasimodo helped Esmeralda escape. He bluffs to Quasimodo, saying that he knows about the Court of Miracles and that he intends to attack at dawn. Using the map Esmeralda gave him, Quasimodo and Phoebus find the court to warn the gypsies, only for Frollo to follow them and capture all the gypsies present. Frollo prepares to burn Esmeralda at the stake after she rejects his advances, but Quasimodo rescues her and brings her to the cathedral. Phoebus releases the gypsies and rallies the citizens of Paris against Frollo and his men, who try to break into the cathedral. Quasimodo and the gargoyles pour molten lead onto the streets to ensure no one enters, but Frollo successfully manages to get inside. He pursues Quasimodo and Esmeralda to the balcony where he and Quasimodo both fall over the edge. Frollo falls to his death in the molten lead, while Quasimodo is caught by Phoebus on a lower floor. Afterward, Quasimodo comes to accept that Phoebus and Esmeralda are in love, and he gives them his blessing. The two encourage him to leave the cathedral into the outside world, where the citizens hail him as a hero and accept him into society.
Rudolph, not satisfied with being a "novelty act" performing tricks with his nose, travels with Hermey to the Island of Misfit Toys to give King Moonracer a root canal. A storm sends Rudolph and Hermey to Castaway Cove where Rudolph considers having his nose made more normal-looking by a hippopotamus named Queen Camilla. However, Hermey doesn't feel that the change would sit well with Clarice, who is also being taught to fly. Meanwhile, the evil Toy Taker is stealing all of the toys from the island, including Santa's workshop, claiming that he's saving them from the inevitable fact that children eventually outgrow their toys and throw them away, however, Charlie in the Box refuses to believe this thinking the Toy taker is nothing but a low life crook. Rudolph has a plan to foil the Toy Taker's plan by disguising themselves as toys. The blimp arrives and manages to steal them along with the Misfit Toys, all except for Bumble, who is too big to fit into the blimp so he follows on a floating ice berg. Rudolph tries to talk to a new misfit toy, a kite who is scared of heights, and wakes him up from his hypnosis, but fails. The Toy Taker hears all the chatter, and realizing there are intruders, catches Rudolph, Clarice, Yukon, and Hermey, and they fall down. Before they can meet their demise, Rudolph and Clarice fly to save them. They head back into the blimp, with Yukon chasing after the Toy Taker, Hermey piloting the blimp, and Bigfoot doing their best to wake up the toys from their hypnosis once again. Yukon finally chases the Toy Taker up to the top of the blimp. When a boomerang who doesn't come back swoops by Yukon, he loses his balance and falls. Bigfoot confront the Toy Taker, with Rudolph's nose blinding him during the confrontation.
The Toy Taker flees and parachutes his way down to Yukon's peppermint mine in hopes of escaping Bigfoot. Due to the holes in the blimp, Hermey loses control. Luckily Bumble is there to save Yukon, Hermey and the blimp before any further damage can be made. The reindeer are still chasing the Toy Taker until he pulls a switch and follows the reindeer from behind. Afterthentiy taker threw lanterns at Rudolph and clarify so he foul escrow them but Rudolph captured him, Bigfoot eject themselves from the cart and have to help save the Toy Taker from falling to his fate. Santa, Mrs. Claus, Bumble, Yukon, and the gang arrive just in time to see Rudolph and Clarice in the mines safe and sound. However the Toy Taker tries to escape again, but Yukon manages to lasso him up with Hermey's floss. Upon removing the coat and hat, it is revealed he is none other than a teddy bear named Mr. Cuddles, with loose stuffing coming out from him. He apologizes and tells them he used to belong to a boy named Steven, who outgrew him and threw him away. After this, he became the Toy Taker to save the other toys from being thrown away after their owners outgrew them. Santa explains that while it is true that some children outgrow their toys, he knows Steven is looking for him. Rudolph and his friends agree to bring him there and have Queen Camilla fix him to cheer him up. They do so, and Rudolph, considering about turning his nose normal, decides to keep his nose the way it is. Santa leaves to deliver the presents at their first house where Mr. Cuddles gets delivered. Santa tells him that Steven didn't mean to throw him away, but was saving him as a family gift. He then places him in the bed of Steven's new daughter who awakens to cuddle up with him, as Mr. Cuddles declares this the happiest day of his life, Steven walks into the room to check on his daughter. As he smiles Santa flies off into the night.
Rudolph later starts attending school, where he is ridiculed by his classmates for wanting to be among Santa's reindeer, the Flyers, despite his nose. The only one who doesn't tease him is Zoey, a kind young doe who Rudolph has a crush on, and who reciprocates his feelings. One day Santa Claus meets Rudolph, sad for the mockery, and reassures him that his nose is beautiful and that to be a Flyer a reindeer needs to have a big and honest heart, a trait that he sees in Rudolph, who gains more confidence in himself.
Years later, a teenage Rudolph takes part in the Junior Reindeer Games, which are responsible for selecting new Flyers for Santa. During a sleigh race event, Cupid's son and Rudolph's mean-spirted cousin Arrow (who is in a relationship with Zoey) implicitly causes the other competitors to crash and then tries to distract Rudolph by claiming that Zoey is only nice to him because she feels sorry for him, making Rudolph's nose glow in anger and blind Arrow. Though Rudolph wins the race, he is disqualified for blinding Arrow, and Arrow is made the winner by default. Zoey confronts Arrow for cheating in the race and ends their relationship. As Blitzen tries to defend his son's actions, an eavesdropping Rudolph misinterprets his father's statements as an admission of shame towards him, and decides to run away from home.
At night, unknowingly with the help and guidance of the Sprites of the Northern Lights, Rudolph journeys across the lands of the North Pole, and eventually befriends an Arctic fox named Slyly and a polar bear named Leonard. Meanwhile, Zoey learns from Bigfoot that Rudolph ran away from home, and runs off in search of him. She eventually comes across Stormella's bridge the next morning and decides to cross it despite the consequences. However, she is caught by Stormella, who imprisons her. Upon learning about Bigfoot's disappearances from their parents, Santa sends Boone and Doggle to search for them. After having a bad dream, Rudolph meets the Sprites, who inform him of Zoey's capture and instruct him on how to properly use his nose. Rudolph, Leonard, and Slyly journey to Stormella's castle, but upon arrival, Slyly chooses to stay behind out of fear of Stormella's pet wolves while Rudolph and Leonard enter.
After Bigfoot are impaled through head and by Franky, she fulfills her vow and unleashes a massive blizzard upon the North Pole. After Stormella goes to sleep, Slyly, having had a change of heart, sneaks into her bedroom and retrieves a key that unlocks the prison cells. However, Stormella wakes up, realizes this, and sends her pack of wolves after Rudolph and his friends, who eventually corner them on a cliff. When she threatens to freeze Zoey first, Rudolph uses his nose to blind Stormella, sending her toppling over the cliff and hanging on for dear life. Rudolph and the others then save Stormella, and she gratefully offers to grant him a wish. Much to the Ice Queen's dismay, Rudolph wishes that Stormella would be nice rather than to have a normal nose like he always would have wanted.
Though the wish takes full effect, Stormella is unable to stop the snowstorm that she created, saying that it has to run its course. Boone and Doggle later find and bring the entire group back to Santa's Village. Because of the blizzard, Santa is unable to carry out his flight this year, but when he sees Rudolph's glowing nose, Santa asks him to lead his team of Flyers. When Rudolph agrees, he is given a Medal of Valor, which all Flyers wear, and his father tells him that he is proud of him. Rudolph guides Santa's sleigh through the storm, and receives a hero's welcome when he returns.
== Cast ==
* Kathleen Barr as Rudolph and Twinkle
** Michael Lloyd provides Rudolph's singing voice
* Eric Pospisil as Young Rudolph
* John Goodman as Santa Claus
* Eric Idle as Slyly the Arctic fox
* Bob Newhart as Leonard the polar bear
* Myriam Sirois as Zoey (Rudolph's friend and love interest), Glitter, and Schoolroom Doe
** Debbie Lytton provides Zoey's singing voice
* Vanessa Morley as Young Zoey
* Whoopi Goldberg as Stormella
** Carmen Twillie provides Stormella's singing voice
* Garry Chalk as Blitzen (Rudolph's father)
* Debbie Reynolds as Mitzi (Rudolph's mother), Mrs. Claus and Mrs. Prancer
* Richard Simmons as Boone
* Alec Willows as Doggle and Prancer
* Lee Tockar as Ridley, Vixen and Milo
* Matt Hill as Arrow (Cupid's son and Rudolph's cousin and rival) and Donner
* Christopher Gray as Young Arrow
* Elizabeth Carol Savenkoff as Aurora
* Cathy Weseluck as Sparkle
* Paul Dobson as Dasher (Rudolph and Arrow's uncle)
* Terry Klassen as Dancer
* Colin Murdock as Comet (Rudolph and Arrow's uncle)
* David Kaye as Cupid (Arrow's father and Rudolph's uncle)
* Tyler Thomson as Schoolroom Buck
== Reception ==
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: The Movie received mixed reviews. Rotten Tomatoes gave the film a 40% approval rating, based on 5 reviews. The audience gave a more positive score of 59%.
== Books ==
In 1998, four books based on the film were released.
* Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: A Retelling of the New Animated Movie, which was based on the film's plot.
* Rudolph Save the Sprites, which served as a sequel and saw Rudolph and Zoey search for the missing Sprites of the Northern Lights.
* Rudolph's Special Day in Santa's Workshop, which features an infant Rudolph getting a tour of Santa's Workshop.
* Christmas Town: Rudolph's Sing-A-Long Book, featuring lyrics to the film's songs.
== See also ==
* List of animated feature films
* List of computer-animated films
== References ==
TBA
== External links ==
TBA
Category:1998 films
Category:The Lost World