Customer Reviews

Prancer [VHS]

5 star:		(67)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

Here is a story that brings us all back to what Christmas is all about faith, love, hope, and family. This film tells the story of a young girl, Jessica, that keeps the joyous feeling of Christmas in her heart all year long. Her mother has died and her father is struggling to raise a son and daughter as well as a failing farm. Circumstances seem too much, and he contemplates sending Jessica to live with a nearby aunt. This upsets Jessica because family is as important to her as Christmas, especially as she has already lost one parent. While this is going on, Jessica discovers an injured reindeer, and she needs to help him as "he is one of Santa's ". With an injured reindeer and an injured family, Jessica applies the necessary healing with hope, faith and love. Her true innocence and undying belief in all that is good and wonderful (God and Santa) brings a family and a town together in a joyous celebration.

Prancer is the story of a little girl named Jessie and her love for an injured reindeer whom she believes is Santa's reindeer Prancer. It is a lovely story of faith and love. Jessie has recently lost her mother, and now she and her brother and father are alone. Because crops are failing, her father decides she is to go live with her Aunt Sarah, but Jessie doesn't want that. She proves to her father and everyone around her that she is needed at home with her brother and dad, not with her Aunt Sarah. She further proves the bond between people in a small town and how they stand up for each other in a time of crisis.

Her favorite story is the story of a little girl named Virginia, a true life child who wrote a letter to Santa Claus, and the letter wound up in the hands of a newspaper editor. She wanted to prove there really was a Santa Claus and the newspaper editor said, "Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus..." This true life story happened around 1900. So when Jessie goes to visit the "helping" Santa Claus at the mall, she tells him to deliver a letter to the "real" Santa, that she has Prancer and that she wants to meet Santa up on a cliff so that Prancer can be reunited with Santa. This letter finds ITS way to a newspaper editor, and before long the entire town knows about this loveable reindeer.

This is a video for children ages 2 to 102, and I give this movie 5 stars for being so entertaining and wonderful, and for bringing tears to my eyes every one of the 100 or more times I've seen it.

The scenery alone is reason enough to see this movie. The little girl that plays Jessica is a wonderful actress, and I was sorry not to see her in anything after this movie. This is a nice alternative to the sometimes sappy, jello mold movies that tend to come out around the holidays. It is a truly unique story that has been loved in my family since it came out, 8 or so years ago!

It's Rebecca Herrell's unabashedly realistic performance as young Jessie that is the heart of this charming Christmas fable. Whether the reindeer involved is really the magical Prancer, we want to believe along with Jessica that he is. Sam Elliott plays the gruff father, a widower faced with losing his apple farm, and who has become embittered towares life. A glowing supporting cast including Cloris Leachman as a dotty old lady; Rutanya Alda as Jessie's sweet Aunt Sarah and Abe Vigoda as a crotchety veterinarian lends fine mettle to the proceedings. PRANCER succeeds because it's really an examination of family values, the need for love and acceptance and that childhood whimsy of belief in what may seem impossible. It's reassuring message of childhood fantasy is heartwarming and celebratory for this special season.

A really nice movie for kids and adults during the Christmas season. This isn't a Hollywood blockbuster like Cat in the Hat , etc. The only extra on this DVD is the movie trailer. There also wasn't any reading material included. But the movie is so well made you won't miss any of the usual bells and whistles. The quality of both sound and picture are up to what DVD viewers have come to expect.
I'm pleased with this purchase. It has good entertainment value for everyone in my family.
John Row

I have loved watching Prancer every Christmas and finally caved in and bought it on DVD. I have had the VCR version forever. Well, guess WHAT? They have eliminated, for some insane reason, two scenes, one of them being the KEY last scene in the movie!!! What gives?!? Who makes these decisions?! If you haven't ever seen the VCR version you won't miss them BUT....in the middle, Jessica is seen shopping at the mall with her aunt who is buying her a dress for Christmas and she runs into her friend Carol and her mom - before she and Carol had words in the lunch room at school when Carol told heaven didn't exist and then Jessica gets angry with her and asks her then where did her mom go when she died. OK so that wasn't such a key scene but the last one....when they lead Prancer to Antler Ridge and he flies off up into the moon...that is NOT the last scene. Remember at the beginning they show the town officials decorating with the big santa sleigh and reindeers and one of the reindeer falls to the ground and Jessica says it's Prancer and the town guys say they aren't going to fix it? At the end you see Prancer flying back up into the broken decoration and taking his place. I just want to know why they cut that scene out. Anyone know?

This Christmas movie has everything and then some.
Squabbles between siblings, love between siblings, love for animals, friendship tensions, losing hope, gaining faith, never losing faith, innocent childhood dreams, parent responsibilities, the loss of a parent, secrets, sleigh riding, mysterious old ladies, beautiful choral numbers, bravery, Christmas decorations, laughter, great acting from everyone, and the meaning of togetherness and Christmas all rolled into one.
Whew!!!

Prancer is a Christmas story and it is a touching depiction of innocent faith and hope but this doesn't mean you can just plop your kid down in front of it and wander off. The little girl heroine in Prancer has just lost her mother and her grieving father isnt' much help. Her sorrow and her father's pain is honestly shown and this may disturb very young or nervous children. Of course the movie wraps up with a happy ending for one and all but it is for either adults or older kids only.

I was reluctant to watch "Prancer". I expected it to be an (another) overly sentimental and unrealistic Christiams movie. I was wrong. "Prancer" is a wonderful picture, and it brings out everything that is right and good about Christmas.

It's the story about a real live reindeer that, for some reason, has strayed far south from its natural habitat. An 8 year old girl (Jessica) happens across him in the woods, and she is convinced that he is Prancer ... one of Santa's reindeer. Later the animal somehow gets wounded and mysteriously turns up at Jessica's home, where her father ... should he ever discover the reindeer there ... would shoot him. Jessica decides to nurse Prancer back to health (in secret) and then return him to Santa in time for his important Christmas Eve trip.

The reindeer has the title role here, but the girl who plays Jessica (Rebecca Harrell) is the star of the movie. She gives a very believable and very touching performance, and, if you have a heart ... no matter how small ... she will find it, take it with her, and put it in the pocket of her winter coat ... the very same pocket where she keeps her ... spare halo.

She is surrounded by some pretty good performers here. Sam Elliott plays her dad, and he is excellent, though a bit scary for the first ... 95% of the movie. Cloris Leachman plays an eccentric old shut-in whose life is touched by the little girl. Abe Vigoda is excellent (in a small part) as the veterinarian, and Michael Constantine (in an even smaller part) plays a department store Santa.

"Prancer" never falls into the "mushy" trap ... which would have been easy to do. Everything is kept realistic and believable, which is likely due to the efforts of the director, John Hancock. The setting is small town America in winter (Vermont maybe?) and everything that is shown to us rings true.

But "Prancer" can legitimately be called a Christmas classic ... a movie that families (and those wishing to have a family) can watch for years to come.

This is one of the best Christmas movies to be released since the Rankin/Bass classics of yesteryear. It touches every heart, young and old. Christmas has become so commercialized, and this brings us back to reality in a fantasy sort of way. When you have faith in something as much as you see in this film, anything is possible. Heart warming, family oriented, and just a great story!