When it comes to beloved Christmas movies, there are a lot of great options to choose from. But as much as I enjoy many of the tried-and-true classics like Home Alone, The Santa Clause, Elf, and How the Grinch Stole Christmas, they admittedly get talked about a lot during this time of the year. That’s not to say they don’t deserve all the praise and attention. I myself am guilty of quoting Elf on a regular basis — and not just during the holidays. However, it should be noted that there are other less popular Christmas movies out there that are just as worthy of the holly, jolly spotlight and warrant some recognition as well. In fact, one kids’ Christmas movie instantly comes to mind that you’ve probably forgotten about entirely. I’m referring to the 1989 holiday classic Prancer. I feel like this film rarely gets talked about — if at all. But why?
That Rudolph guy and his red nose may get most of the hype when it comes to Santa’s furry transport team, but he isn’t the only caribou who’s earned his stripes… or, rather, antlers. That’s part of what makes Prancer so interesting. Most of the time, Santa’s reindeer serve as background fixtures at best, so getting a story that centers around one of the less talked about members of his flying troupe is kinda brilliant and one of the many reasons it deserves to be added to your yuletide viewing schedule.
The cast is full of familiar faces
For those of you unfamiliar with the premise, the story centers around a young girl named Jessica (Rebecca Harrell) who stumbles across an injured reindeer. She’s immediately convinced he’s Prancer and vows to help return him to Santa before Christmastime. But first, she needs to make some money. She does this by offering to do chores for a reclusive older woman named Mrs. McFarland, played by Cloris Leachman. Even now, as an adult, I find the character somewhat terrifying (but that’s a credit to Leachman’s talent).
Meanwhile, Sam Elliott portrays the role of Jessica’s widowed father, John Riggs, who’s fallen on hard times and is grappling with sending her away for a while to live with her aunt. But ultimately, helping the reindeer brings them closer together and makes him realize that staying together as a family is more important than anything else.
Johnny Galecki also makes an appearance as one of Jessica’s schoolmates, Billy Quinn. (It’s a small, blink-and-you’ll-miss-it type of role, but it’s still fun to see the actor at work pre-Roseanne and Big Bang Theory fame.)
It doesn’t need a lot of spectacle
Pizzazz and pageantry (and red noses) are all well and good to an extent, but there’s also something to be said about a Christmas movie that keeps things simple. Prancer doesn’t talk, and an actual reindeer was used for the role instead of some CGI creation (an option that didn’t exist back then). Yet, seeing the relationship that develops between Jessica and Prancer makes all of that extra stuff completely unnecessary. In fact, it probably would’ve distracted viewers from their special connection. It’s an understated masterpiece and proves that sometimes less really is more.
It’ll hit you right in the feels
From watching Mrs. McFarland’s icy heart thaw under Jessica’s sweet and innocent charm to watching a grief-stricken husband come to appreciate the love of his daughter, this film definitely delivers more than a few tear-worthy moments. Because seeing how one girl’s belief and determination in something proves strong enough to impact an entire town — now that’s real magic at its finest. And it’s what makes Prancer the unsung hero of Christmas.
