The Laws of Physics in Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer

It’s been over 50 years now since the debut of the beloved Rankin and Bass stop-motion Christmas special Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and yet its signature charm has stood the test of time. I’d guess that its popularity remains because of its quirky songs and cast of characters combined with its limited and iconic form of stop-motion and the magical and somewhat bizarre laws of physics that makes the world of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer so original. When it comes to the physics of this film, there’s an awful lot happening that just isn’t plausible or realistic by any regards. In this film we see reindeer take to the skies, characters with body composition that allows them to break physical laws and strange behavior of ice and snow.

Perhaps the most important feature of Santa’s reindeer are their ability to fly. No part of his gift delivering operation would be possible if he didn’t have his crew of eight flying reindeer. It also happens to be the most obvious way the laws of physics are broken in this film. Reindeer being able to fly breaks the law of gravity because reindeer bodies aren’t actually equipped with the ability to resist the forces of gravity. These reindeer don’t appear to have any special physical features like wings or propulsion systems in their hooves so it doesn’t make any sense that they’d be flying around. Another interesting thing about the reindeer in this film is that it seems only male deer have the gift of flight. None of the does leave the ground and nobody seems to be waiting for them. The male deer start to develop their ability of flight around early puberty and even get flying lessons in school. Although they all can fly, it takes some practice to fly comfortably just like it did to begin walking. All young male deer eventually leave the ground and Rudolph is no exception.

Another interesting thing about the physics in this film is that it allows for certain creatures’ body compositions to defy the natural laws of physics. For example, the abominable snow monster’s body allows for it to bounce to great heights. This is very unusual because its molecular structure shouldn’t allow for much bouncing at all. This is because of all the inner structures such as bones and organs that would get completely destroyed from an impact such as falling off a high cliff. Even if it could bounce a bit, the shape of its body and texture of its fur shouldn’t allow it to bounce anywhere near the height from which it fell.  Our main character Rudolph’s body features an anomaly which is necessary for the story. Rudolph has a red nose which lights up from the inside, much like a lightbulb. His nose emits light with enough power to slice through dense fog and help Santa navigate out of the Arctic skies. In reality, the brighter his nose the harder it would be to see through fog. This is because light merely reflects off the particles in fog and this light bounces back to the eye. If his nose were incredibly bright it would allow Santa and his reindeer to see more fog particles and with greater intensity which would make the journey even more difficult. Rudolph is the only reindeer on record to have been born with a glowing nose like his. Bioluminescence could be the cause of such a nose but its immense power shouldn’t be possible unless it was some sort of high powered lightbulb. Another cast of characters which defy the natural laws are Yukon Cornelius’s sled dog pack. His pack consists of small lap dogs which under no circumstances should have the strength to pull a sled with Yukon, Hermey and Rudolph through the snow. These little dogs display incredible abilities and make it look astoundingly easy. In the real world it would probably be considered animal cruelty to demand such a task from nothing more than a few small lap dogs.

The snow and ice in this movie is rather strange as well and breaks numerous physical laws. The most obvious example is the fact that snow in this world has the ability to come to life. The narrator, Sam the snowman is a wise old being made of snow who started his life as a cloud. There’s no explanation given on how snow can become a living creature and this is probably the biggest physical law breaker in the film. In reality, snow is an inanimate substance composed of H2O molecules and these molecules alone are not sufficient for becoming sentient life (as we know it). Certainly not capable of becoming a personable narrator with a senior aged man’s disposition. Sam is the only being of snow in the film and it is unclear if he is some sort of incredible anomaly or if there are more snow beings that wander the land. It is also a mystery if he became an animate being after or before the cloud he started as made the transition into snow. Another interesting feature of the snow is that it packs incredibly quickly. For example, when Hermey is singing in “We’re a Couple of Misfits” he sculpts a fairly accurate portrait of his boss in less than a second. I would attribute this to his skill but the snow would realistically require more time packing to get it to hold in such specific shapes.

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is a quirky and endearing film that really isn’t too physically accurate. Luckily, a lot of this film’s charm comes from these inaccuracies and the films main character Rudolph is so iconic thanks to his physically impossible nose. Whether it be flying reindeer, bouncing beasts or an anthropomorphic snowman, there’s a lot in this film that requires a high level of suspension of disbelief if one hopes to enjoy its colorful cast and timeless themes. I’ve made the leap into the physically impossible and enjoyed every minute of this holiday classic.