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"Hooves of Fire" is one of three animated BBC Christmas comedy television specials, filmed using
stop motion Stop motion is an animated filmmaking technique in which objects are physically manipulated in small increments between individually photographed frames so that they will appear to exhibit independent motion or change when the series of frames i ...
techniques, and presented in 1999 in aid of
Comic Relief Comic relief is the inclusion of a humorous character, scene, or witty dialogue in an otherwise serious work, often to relieve tension. Definition Comic relief usually means a releasing of emotional or other tension resulting from a comic epis ...
.


Story

Robbie, son of
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is a fictional reindeer created by Robert L. May. Rudolph is usually depicted as the ninth and youngest of Santa Claus's reindeer, using his luminous red nose to lead the reindeer team and guide Santa's sleigh on ...
, arrives at Coldchester, town of the
North Pole The North Pole, also known as the Geographic North Pole or Terrestrial North Pole, is the point in the Northern Hemisphere where the Earth's axis of rotation meets its surface. It is called the True North Pole to distinguish from the Ma ...
to follow in his father's hoofprints of being a navigator for Santa Claus's sleigh team. Unlike Rudolph's glowing nose, Robbie's possesses a GPS that can find anything. Upon arriving at the team's home, Reindeer Lodge, he meets several members of the team; Donner; a young female reindeer who's secretly attracted to him, Prancer; a hip, friendly and
overweight Being overweight or fat is having more body fat than is optimally healthy. Being overweight is especially common where food supplies are plentiful and lifestyles are sedentary. , excess weight reached epidemic proportions globally, with m ...
reindeer, Vixen; an attractive but apathetic reindeer whom Robbie falls for, and Blitzen; the captain of the sleigh team and Vixen's boyfriend. Blitzen, embittered from Rudolph's sudden popularity after saving
Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year ...
, plans to prevent Robbie from being part of the sleigh team out of vengeance. Blitzen encourages Robbie to continue slacking off, claiming that
Santa Santa Claus, also known as Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Kris Kringle, or simply Santa, is a legendary figure originating in Western Christian culture who is said to bring children gifts during the late evening and overnigh ...
will accept him on the team regardless of fitness out of respect for Rudolph. During a Christmas party at Santa's house, Santa shows off a new modified sleigh design, which includes a built-in GPS system. Fearing his place on the team gone, Robbie is assured by Santa that he still has a place, granted he isn't unfit by then. Blitzen guilts Robbie into leaving after saying Rudolph will receive the blame for his son causing a late Christmas. After being found frozen in the snow by some
elves An elf () is a type of humanoid supernatural being in Germanic mythology and folklore. Elves appear especially in North Germanic mythology. They are subsequently mentioned in Snorri Sturluson's Icelandic Prose Edda. He distinguishes ...
, Robbie pleads to work with them at their toy factory. Through accidents and lack of concentration, Robbie is demoted from working on the assembly line, to sweeping, and to being used as a
forklift A forklift (also called lift truck, jitney, hi-lo, fork truck, fork hoist, and forklift truck) is a powered industrial truck used to lift and move materials over short distances. The forklift was developed in the early 20th century by various ...
. Donner later finds Robbie and reveals to him Blitzen's true intentions to rid Robbie from the team and says that he can get back on the team if he wins a
medal A medal or medallion is a small portable artistic object, a thin disc, normally of metal, carrying a design, usually on both sides. They typically have a commemorative purpose of some kind, and many are presented as awards. They may be int ...
at The Reindeer Games. She encourages him to repursue getting fit under the instruction of his father's former coach, Old Jingle, a mad elderly reindeer who lives in a teetering house atop Pointy Mountain. Jingle instructs that Robbie only needs to compete in and win the Steeplechase to solidify a position on the team. In the span of a month, Robbie gets into shape and learns 'The Nose Jump' just in time for the Reindeer Games. Blitzen is shocked to see Robbie at the event and watches as he saves Santa's infant son from being crushed by a falling walrus tenor. In an attempt to ensure that Blitzen wins the Steeplechase, Vixen tries to convince Robbie not to compete out of his attraction to her. Robbie refuses, having now fallen for Donner instead. Before the event starts, Robbie is forced to leave the race course to rescue Old Jingle, who got trapped underneath his house after attempting to push it back up Pointy Mountain. Robbie manages to rescue Jingle using some toys he made at the toy factory prior. While immensely behind in the race, Robbie manages to quickly catch back up to Blitzen, who tries to prevent him from winning by making him crash into one of hurdles. After coming to his senses from the crash, Robbie uses the nose jump to catch back up to Blitzen. A photo finish unfortunately reveals Blitzen to be the victor, but he is later disqualified and arrested after the discovery of his use of
performance-enhancing drugs Performance-enhancing substances, also known as performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs), are substances that are used to improve any form of activity performance in humans. A well-known example of cheating in sports involves doping in sport, where bann ...
, resulting in Vixen ending their relationship. Donner, being proud of Robbie, kisses him after the race, who promptly goes on to beat every record in every other event in his happiness. Santa later gives Robbie the keys to his sleigh to take Donner on a romantic night out to the
Moon The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite. It is the fifth largest satellite in the Solar System and the largest and most massive relative to its parent planet, with a diameter about one-quarter that of Earth (comparable to the width of ...
. In scenes during the credits, Prancer plays
air guitar Air guitar is a form of dance and movement in which the performer pretends to play an imaginary rock or heavy metal-style electric guitar, including riffs and solos. Playing an air guitar usually consists of exaggerated strumming and picking m ...
with a
tennis racket A racket, or racquet, is a sports implement used for striking a ball or shuttlecock in games such as squash, tennis, racquetball, badminton and padel. In the strictest sense a racket consists of a handled frame with an open hoop across which a ...
, Vixen attempts to
hitchhike Hitchhiking (also known as thumbing, autostop or hitching) is a means of transportation that is gained by asking individuals, usually strangers, for a ride in their car or other vehicle. The ride is usually, but not always, free. Nomads have ...
out of the North Pole, Blitzen is seen begrudgingly serving his
community service Community service is unpaid work performed by a person or group of people for the benefit and betterment of their community without any form of compensation. Community service can be distinct from volunteering, since it is not always performed ...
by painting
doll A doll is a physical model, model typically of a human or humanoid character, often used as a toy for children. Dolls have also been used in traditional religious rituals throughout the world. Traditional dolls made of materials such as clay and ...
s of Robbie and Santa puts his
underwear Undergarments, underclothing, or underwear are items of clothing worn beneath outer clothes, usually in direct contact with the skin, although they may comprise more than a single layer. They serve to keep outer garments from being soiled o ...
on a washing line.


Voices

This UK animation has been aired in both
America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
and
Britain Britain most often refers to: * The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands * Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...
. Each had its own
dubbing Dubbing (re-recording and mixing) is a post-production process used in filmmaking and video production, often in concert with sound design, in which additional or supplementary recordings are lip-synced and "mixed" with original production sou ...
.


British

In the original British production, Robbie was voiced by
Ardal O'Hanlon Ardal O'Hanlon (; born 8 October 1965) is an Irish comedian, actor, and author. He played Father Dougal McGuire in ''Father Ted'' (1995–1998), George Sunday/Thermoman in '' My Hero'' (2000–2005), and DI Jack Mooney in '' Death in Paradise'' ...
. Other voices were provided by
Jane Horrocks Barbara Jane Horrocks (born 18 January 1964) is a British actress. She portrayed the roles of Bubble and Katy Grin in the BBC sitcom ''Absolutely Fabulous''. She was nominated for the 1993 Olivier Award for Best Actress for the title role in th ...
(Donner),
Steve Coogan Stephen John Coogan (; born 14 October 1965) is an English actor, comedian, producer and screenwriter. He is most known for creating original characters such as Alan Partridge, a socially inept and politically incorrect media personality, which ...
(Blitzen),
Caroline Quentin Caroline Quentin (born Caroline Jones; 11 July 1960) is an English actress, broadcaster and television presenter. Quentin became known for her television appearances: portraying Dorothy in ''Men Behaving Badly'' (1992–1998), Maddie Magellan in ...
(Vixen),
Ricky Tomlinson Eric "Ricky" Tomlinson (born 26 September 1939) is an English actor. He is best known for his television roles as Bobby Grant in ''Brookside'', DCI Charlie Wise in '' Cracker'' and Jim Royle in ''The Royle Family'', and playing the titular char ...
(Santa),
Paul Whitehouse Paul Julian Whitehouse (born 17 May 1958) is a Welsh actor, writer and comedian. He was one of the main stars of the BBC sketch comedy series ''The Fast Show'', and has also starred with Harry Enfield in the shows '' Harry & Paul'' and ''Harry ...
(Prancer),
Harry Enfield Henry Richard Enfield (born 30 May 1961) is an English comedian, actor, writer and director. He is known in particular for his television work, including ''Harry Enfield's Television Programme'' and '' Harry & Paul'', and for the creation and ...
(Old Jingle), Sean Hughes (Tapir),
Seal Seal may refer to any of the following: Common uses * Pinniped, a diverse group of semi-aquatic marine mammals, many of which are commonly called seals, particularly: ** Earless seal, or "true seal" ** Fur seal * Seal (emblem), a device to impr ...
as a singing seal performing "
Crazy Insanity, madness, lunacy, and craziness are behaviors performed by certain abnormal mental or behavioral patterns. Insanity can be manifest as violations of societal norms, including a person or persons becoming a danger to themselves or t ...
", and impressionist
Alistair McGowan Alistair Charles McGowan (born 24 November 1964) is an English impressionist, comic, actor, singer and writer best known to British audiences for ''The Big Impression'' (formerly ''Alistair McGowan's Big Impression''), which was, for four years ...
taking off
Alan Hansen Alan David Hansen (born 13 June 1955) is a Scottish former footballer and BBC television football pundit. He played as a central defender for Partick Thistle, for the successful Liverpool team of the late 1970s and 1980s, and for the Scotland ...
(portrayed as a snowman),
Tony Anscombe Tony may refer to: People and fictional characters * Tony (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Gregory Tony (born 1978), American law enforcement officer * Motu Tony (born 1981), New Zealand international rugby leag ...
as Elf 3 and
Des Lynam Desmond Michael Lynam, (born 17 September 1942) is an Irish-born television and radio presenter. In a broadcasting career spanning more than forty years, he has hosted television coverage of many of the world's major sporting events, presentin ...
(as a
yeti The Yeti ()"Yeti"
''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary''.
is an ape-like creature purported t ...
).


American

The program was first shown in the United States on Fox Family with the original British voices until 2001.
CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...
then acquired the rights and began airing the special in 2002. However, the program was redubbed with American accents.
Ben Stiller Benjamin Edward Meara Stiller (born November 30, 1965) is an American actor, comedian, and filmmaker. He is the son of the comedians and actors Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara. Stiller was a member of a group of comedic actors colloquially known as ...
voiced Robbie, while other voices included
Britney Spears Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American singer. Often referred to as the " Princess of Pop", she is credited with influencing the revival of teen pop during the late 1990s and early 2000s. After appearing in stage productio ...
(Donner), Leah Remini (Vixen),
Hugh Grant Hugh John Mungo Grant (born 9 September 1960) is an English actor. He established himself early in his career as both a charming, and vulnerable romantic lead and has since transitioned into a dramatic character actor. Among his numerous a ...
(Blitzen; Grant used his usual British accent, largely imitating Coogan's original characterization),
Dick Enberg Richard Alan Enberg (January 9, 1935 – December 21, 2017) was an American sportscaster. Over the course of an approximately 60-year career, he provided play-by-play of various sports for several radio and television networks, including N ...
and
Dan Dierdorf Daniel Lee Dierdorf (born June 29, 1949) is an American sportscaster and former football offensive tackle. A native of Canton, Ohio, Dierdorf played college football for the University of Michigan from 1968 to 1970 and was selected as a consen ...
(Allen Snowman and Des Yeti, parodying Enberg and Dierdorf's ''
NFL on CBS The ''NFL on CBS'' is the branding used for broadcasts of National Football League (NFL) games that are produced by CBS Sports, the sports division of the CBS television network in the United States. The network has aired NFL game telecasts sinc ...
'' roles),
Brad Garrett Bradley Henry Gerstenfeld (born April 14, 1960), known professionally as Brad Garrett, is an American actor and stand-up comedian. Possessing a distinctive deep voice, he has appeared in numerous television and film roles in both live-action and ...
(Prancer), and Stiller's father
Jerry Jerry may refer to: Animals * Jerry (Grand National winner), racehorse, winner of the 1840 Grand National * Jerry (St Leger winner), racehorse, winner of 1824 St Leger Stakes Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Jerry'' (film), a 2006 Indian fil ...
(Jingle and a talking garbage bag).


Awards

''Hooves of Fire'' won the 2000 BAFTA for Best Entertainment (Programme or Series). It was also honored at the 3rd International Festival of Animated Feature Films and TV Specials where it won the prize for Best TV Special.
KAFF 2002 – Díjak
' (English:

). Kecskeméti Animáció Film Fesztivál. 2002.


References

{{Comic Relief BBC television comedy Christmas television specials Comic Relief 1999 in British television