I'm trying
something different to get in the holiday spirit this year. Every
day, from now through Christmas, I will be watching a different
Christmas movie or television special. I have compiled the list of
features ahead of time and am drawing one, at random, from my
Christmas stocking everyday to determine what gets watched. Thank
you for joining me in this endeavor. We are closing in on the
finale. What is the pick for day twenty-four?
Olive, the Other
Reindeer (1999)
This is one of those specials that
I knew had to be on this list. It is one that I have a huge soft spot
for but have not seen in a while. I own it on VHS but not DVD, which
explains the gap in my viewing. Truth is, I bought the DVD
specifically for this project. My personal history with this special
dates to its original airing on FOX in the holiday season of 1999.
I've mentioned that I was a moody teenager on this blog before and,
while it is something that I can poke fun at now, it was not without
reason. My time in junior high was simply awful, things didn't begin
to turn around for me at all until around the back end of 10th
grade. The point of relaying this isn't to start a pity party but
more to convey that I was not feeling the holiday spirit at all in
December of 1999.
This changed at least somewhat the
night this special aired. My parents were out of the house. I am
not quite sure why, but assuming that they both had meetings is a
pretty safe bet. So, I had the house to myself and was mostly
depressed. Looking for anything to distract me, I stumbled across
Olive, the Other Reindeer on FOX. I don't know why it worked to put
me in the holiday spirit as well as it did. Perhaps it was the
sarcastic, off-beat tone that spoke to me. Maybe it was just that it
was a really good, new Christmas special. I am not sure, but I doubt
that pulling me out of my funk, even for a few days, is something a
more traditional special could have done. All of this is to say that
this special holds a prominent place in my memory and I am excited to
see it again.
Synopsis
The
special starts with Olive, a decidedly non-dog-like dog doing the
last of her Christmas shopping. On her way home she encounters
Martini, a penguin selling “genuine” Rolexxx watches. During his
sales pitch, a police officer approaches and begins to hassle
Martini. Olive plays along and helps Martini out of the jam and then
finally heads home. At home, her owner, Tim, is short with her. He
scolds her for not acting like a normal dog and states that Christmas
might not be coming this year. Olive is hurt and confused by what
Tim meant about Christmas. She goes in to her dog house and begins
wrapping gifts with the help of her pet flea, Fido. Upon turning on
the radio for background music, she finds out what Tim meant.
Blitzen has been injured in a training flight and it sounds as though
Santa will have to cancel his flight. Fido mishears part of Santa's
speech as “Olive, the other reindeer” instead of “all of the
other reindeer” and soon convinces Olive that she is needed at the
North Pole, after all she barely acts like a dog.
 |
| Penguins selling knock-off watches may be even better that penguins in scarves. |
Olive
heads to the bus depot to purchase a ticket to the North Pole. While
there, she runs in to Martini, who asks her to buy him a ticket to
the North Pole as well. After momentary hesitation, she does so. As
Olive is heading towards the bus for departure she comes in to
contact with the villain of the special, a Postman who is sick of the
increase in mail that Christmas brings. Martini provides a
distraction to allow escape and soon Olive and Martini are on the
road to the North Pole.
The
bus is not a direct route and they have a stop at Polar Junction.
Olive, Martini, and their bus driver, Richard Stands (who used to
think the pledge of allegiance was about him), decide to grab a bite
to eat at the diner. The Postman makes another attempt to stop them
and successfully kidnaps Olive. She escapes via Deus ex Machina but
has missed the departure of the second leg of the trip to the North
Pole. All hope seems lost but they are able to get a ride the rest of
the way from Round John Virgin, a patron of the biker bar at Polar
Junction.
 |
| I wasn't just trying to rush the synopsis. |
Upon
reaching the North Pole, Olive is able to convince Santa and the
Reindeer to give her a chance and attempt to go through with the
Christmas deliveries. Olive is able to help, though she is not quite
sure how she is doing it. Santa, Olive, and the others set out on
their deliveries but, upon reaching the first house they discover a
problem: the Postman has stolen Santa's bag of presents and replaced it
with a mail bag. They are able to overcome the Postman and get back
the presents and save Christmas.
Final Thoughts
I still absolutely adore this
special. Admittedly, there is a ton a of nostalgia coloring my view
on this one. It came along at a time in my life when I absolutely
needed it. However, my girlfriend watched this one with me and
enjoyed it even though she had never seen it before. So, I am going to guess
that I am not entirely off base in my opinion on this one. That
being said, I am surprised how little this special has aired. The
original airing that I caught is the only network airing that I am
aware of. Further, I have never seen this on a cable network as part
of a holiday block. It's possible that cable airings have gone under my radar
but even if they have they certainly don't go out of their way to push
this one too much. That is a huge missed opportunity. This is one of
the most charming specials in the last twenty years and it deserves
its due. It has just the right blend of earnest holiday optimism
mixed with a sarcastic bite. It is available for cheap on Amazon and
well worth your time. That's it for today, I'll see you back here
tomorrow.
 |
| I stand corrected; Postal Service penguins are the best penguins. |
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