MOVE OVER, RUDOLPH; YOU KNOW DASHER AND DANCER AND PRANCER AND. . . OLIVE?Byline: David Kronke TV Critic Little actually happens in the children's book ``Olive, the Other Reindeer.'' Olive hears and misinterprets the line ``All of the other reindeer'' in the song about Rudolph and decides she's needed at the North Pole North Pole, northern end of the earth's axis, lat. 90°N. It is distinguished from the north magnetic pole. U.S. explorer Robert E. Peary is traditionally credited as being the first to reach (1909) the North Pole. In 1926, Richard E. ; she helps Santa, nominally, on his Christmas Eve run. What makes the book so much fun is J. Otto Seibold's wonderfully inventive graphics style, which is faithfully reproduced - and expanded upon - in Fox's holiday special, ``Olive, the Other Reindeer,'' executive-produced by ``Simpsons'' and ``Futurama'' mastermind Matt Groening Matthew Abram Groening (born February 15, 1954[1] in Portland, Oregon;[2] his family name is pronounced 'greɪnɪŋ', rhymes with raining and written by Steve Young (not the concussion-prone quarterback). Drew Barrymore imbues Olive's voice with a delightful spryness. In the special, it takes her pet flea to persuade her that she's needed up North, only after one of Santa's stalwart reindeer breaks a leg, imperiling the entire holiday. Providing the requisite dollops of villainy Villainy See also Evil, Wickedness. Vindictiveness (See VENGEANCE.) Violence (See BRUTALITY, CRUELTY.) d’Acunha, Teresa portrait of devilish Spanish servant and kidnapper. [Br. Lit. is an embittered em·bit·ter tr.v. em·bit·tered, em·bit·ter·ing, em·bit·ters 1. To make bitter in flavor. 2. To arouse bitter feelings in: was embittered by years of unrewarded labor. postman (Dan Castellaneta Daniel Louis "Dan" Castellaneta (born October 29, 1957) is an Emmy award winning American voice actor, actor and comedian best known for providing the voice of Homer Simpson and other characters on the long-running FOX animated series The Simpsons. , better-known as Homer Simpson), who has delivered too many tons of holiday mail to appreciate the season's finer qualities. Olive's sidekick - who appeared in the book, without mention, in one drawing - is the wise-acre penguin Martini (Joe Pantoliano, the seedy guy in ``The Matrix''), who lost his job at the zoo and is now reduced to peddling Rolex knockoffs. The colorful computer animation, directed by Oscar Moore, is chockablock with some wonderful inside jokes - blink and you'll miss them. Olive passes shops offering Ice Sculpture Repair, Hydrants New and Used, and Butters of the World; a tanker carrying eggnog wanders the streets. When Olive enters a tough North Pole bar on her way to Santa's - itself a funny idea - the sign by the door reads, ``Icicles must be surrendered at door.'' The bar is populated by Round John Virgin (mangling The term mangling may refer to:
n. A thin cutlet of veal, usually seasoned, that is dipped in batter and fried. [German, from Middle High German snitzel, diminutive of sniz, slice, from snitzen the melancholy reindeer (REM's Michael Stipe), who provides the perfect tune for a Christmas special in this era of diminished expectations: ``We're Not So Bad.'' Seibold has also illustrated a delightful series of children's books featuring a dog named Mr. Lunch, who runs a successful bird-chasing business. With any luck, Moore, Young and Groening will get to work animating his adventures, as well. The facts The show: ``Olive, the Other Reindeer.'' What: Animated holiday special about a winsome win·some adj. Charming, often in a childlike or naive way. [Middle English winsum, from Old English wynsum : from wynn, joy; see wen-1 but confused mutt. The stars: Voices of Drew Barrymore, Joe Pantoliano, Dan Castellaneta, Michael Stipe. Where: Fox (KTTV, Channel 11). When: 8 p.m. Friday. Our rating: Three and one half stars. CAPTION(S): 2 Photos Photo: (1 -- 2) The winsome mutt Olive decides she's needed at the North Pole to help Santa, left, in ``Olive, the Other Reindeer,'' airing Friday on Fox; right, Olive as Santa's helper on Christmas Eve. |
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