Prancer (1989)

A farm girl nurses a wounded reindeer she believes is one of Santa's, hoping to bring it back to health in time for Christmas. Her holiday spirit inspires those around her, something her disheartened father is having trouble understanding.

Director:

John D. Hancock (as John Hancock)

Writer:

Greg Taylor

Stars:

Sam Elliott, Cloris Leachman, Rutanya Alda

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Sam Elliott	...	John Riggs
Cloris Leachman	...	Mrs. McFarland
Rutanya Alda	...	Aunt Sarah
Abe Vigoda	...	Orel Benton
Michael Constantine	...	Mr. Stewart / Santa
Rebecca Harrell Tickell	...	Jessica Riggs
John Duda	...	Steve Riggs (as John Joseph Duda)
Ariana Richards	...	Carol Wetherby
Mark Rolston	...	Herb Drier
Johnny Galecki	...	Billy Quinn
Walter Charles	...	Minister
Victor Truro	...	Mr. Young
Marcia Porter	...	Mrs. Fairburn
Loren Janes	...	Mr. Soot
Robert Zimmermann	...	Wagnall

Storyline

Jessica, the daughter of an impoverished farmer, still believes in Santa Claus. So when she comes across a reindeer with an injured leg, it makes perfect sense to her to assume that it is Prancer, who had fallen from a Christmas display in town. She hides him in her barn and feeds him cookies, until she can return him to Santa. Her father finds him and decides to sell him to the butcher, not for venison chops, but as an advertising display.

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Plot Keywords:

reindeer | christmas | farm | barn | girl | 

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Taglines:

Joy. Tears. Drama. Laughter. And a 9-year-old who proves that miracles can still happen.

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Genres:

Drama | Family | Fantasy

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Certificate:

G

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film was originally set to be released by Cineplex Odeon Films, owned by the titular theatre chain, one of the largest in North America. However, due to a regime change, Cineplex Odeon dropped its distribution rights, and it eventually ended up at Orion.

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Goofs

The scene is set in a snowy, cold down in the late fall/early winter. Yet breath from the cold can never be seen emerging from the characters.

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Quotes

John Riggs: [to Steve at the dinner table] If you're gonna eat like an animal, take your food out to the barn.

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Connections

Referenced in New Girl: Kryptonite (2011)

User Reviews

Holiday sentiment, well-acted and unsappy.

Some occasionally clumsy dialogue only mildly undercuts the virtues of Greg Taylor's thoughtful script, which provides a surprisingly realistic depiction of the joys and heartaches of simple lives at Christmastime.

Rebecca Harrell is superb as 9-year-old Jessica, who finds an injured reindeer in the woods near her Michigan farm and determines to nurse it back to health in time to help pull Santa's sleigh on Christmas Eve. She's a marvelously realized character, refreshingly minus the cute kid mannerisms of many a Hollywood acting tyke. I particularly liked the way she deflected her father's tirades with her singlemindedness of purpose: he might get mad at her, but she was still going to do what she had to do. Very childlike, and very real.

A subplot about Jessica's helping a reclusive, eccentric neighbor (played by Cloris Leachman in a virtual cameo) seems truncated and unnecessary, but for the most part Taylor's scenario sticks to the basics and is better for it. Characters surrounding Jessica act like real people, not stereotypes, and events transpire with a sense of realism, not melodrama.

Credit for this tale's effectiveness also goes to Sam Elliott, who plays Jessica's father, a recent widower, with a harsh demeanor that seems to mask real pain and desperation. Thus his rapprochement with his wayward daughter carries unexpected depth of feeling and could not fail to move all but the most cynical. For a dad like me, I admit it put a big lump in my throat.

Despite a somewhat flawed climax -- to my mind, the vfx shot of Santa's sleigh coursing across the sky is unnecessary, given the magic moment just prior to it that reveals reindeer hoofprints leading to a precipice -- this nice little holiday film delivers a timeless message about faith and selflessness. Recommended for mature kids of 8 or older.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA Canada

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 November 1989 (USA)

Also Known As:

Prancer

Filming Locations:

New Carlisle, Indiana, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$2,914,486, 19 November 1989

Gross USA:

$18,587,135

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$18,587,135

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cineplex Odeon Films, Nelson Entertainment, Raffaella Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

103 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1