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Hooves of Fire is the first film in the Robbie the Reindeer trilogy and was broadcast on 25 December 1999.

It was followed by two sequels; Legend of the Lost Tribe in 2002 and Close Encounters Of The Herd Kind in 2007.

Synopsis[]

Robbie must fulfil his destiny to run the race of his life and take on his father's sworn enemy... If he can get out of bed in time.

Plot[]

The story begins one August day when a young reindeer named Robbie arrives in Coldchester a town in the North Pole to follow in his father Rudolph's footsteps and join Santa Claus's sleigh team as the navigator. Once arriving at the team's home Reindeer Lodge, Robbie meets several members; Blitzen (the captain of the team), Prancer, Vixen (who is Blitzen's girlfriend) and Donner (who takes an instant liking to Robbie), but is dismayed to learn from Blitzen that the sleigh team exercise for the other 364 days of the year.

When being taken to his room by Donner, Robbie reveals to her that his father sent him to Coldchester for character building as he is easily distracted which is proven true when he notices and falls in love with Vixen much to Donner's dismay. Meanwhile Blitzen reveals to Prancer and Vixen his hatred of Robbie. The reason is that Blitzen is jealous of Rudolph for being more famous than him (to the point that he will not allow the other reindeer to say Rudolph's name in his presence) and declares that if he can't get Rudolph, he'll get Robbie and won't sleep until he destroys him. Blitzen later encourages Robbie to carry on his lazy ways and even hands him a pipe, a newspaper and a cheeseburger with large fries. Blinded by Blitzen's kindness Robbie is unaware of Blitzen wanting him off the team.

A month later, Robbie goes to the medic room where Donner works and tells her that he's met a special reindeer. At first, Donner thinks that Robbie is talking about her, only to realise to her annoyance that it is Vixen, whom Robbie cannot speak to as he is unable to talk to girls he likes. The reindeer are later invited to a party at Santa Claus's house to show off his new sleigh equipped with a stereo, a talking ash try and a navigation system (added by Blitzen). Robbie fears that his place on the team is gone but Santa assures him that he still has a place as long as he is fit and in shape, which Robbie realises that he isn't. Back at Reindeer Lodge, Blitzen finds Robbie looking up at a painting of Rudolph and says that he thinks Santa will put Robbie on the team anyway as he liked Rudolph and would kick someone off who trained all year and because of Robbie, the sleigh would be slow, but Robbie would not be blamed, Rudolph would for having Robbie. Blitzen also says that due to the slow sleigh, children would not get their presents. Saddened by this suggestion, Robbie decides to leave.


Later Robbie is picked up by a group of elves who discover him frozen in an icecube. He convices them to let him stay and work in their factory. They first give him a job as a assemblyman where after failing to paint lipstick on a doll and ends up being stuffed in a box promps the Head Elf to demote him to sweeping. Robbie's lack of concetration makes him demoted to being a forklift after he is found making toys out of spare parts.

Donner later arrives at the factory and finds Robbie and tells him of Blitzen's true intentions and convices him that if he wants a place on the team, he has to compete in The Reindeer Games. After consulting Wise Old Coaches who can save the day in a phone book, the two reindeer pay a visit to Old Jingle a mad old reindeer coach who lives in a teetering house on the top of a hill. He decides to take Robbie on as a pupil so Blizen can be stopped, ven though Old Jingle has never heard of Blitzen. Old Jingle then proceeds to slide his house down the hill and starts the training.

Old Jingle tells Robbie that if he wants to pull the sleigh, he must win The Steeplechase. Robbie begins his training with Donner and the Head Elf close by. Jingle teaches Robbie The Nose Jump. Robbie completes his training the day before the games. Jingle decides his house is perfect at the bottom of the hill but hours later, he decides to move it back to the top. When he lets go, the house slides down the hill trapping him and the Head Elf is unable to free him.

On the day of the games, Blitzen takes drugs to enhance his performance and Robbie shows off his speed by saving Santa and Mrs Santa's baby son Baby Claus from squashed by The Three Ton Tenors after one of the tenors falls off their platform. Blitzen is outraged that Robbie has came back so Vixen tries to convice Robbie to not race by using his crush (as she wants Blitzen to win so he becomes famous and take her away from the North Pole) but Robbie refuses, saying that he is going to try and win. When questioned by Vixen over why he can suddenly talk her, he replies that he grew up and can talk to any girl now. However, he then finds out that he cannot talk to Donner. After hearing about Jingle being trapped, Robbie leaves to free him. He rejoins the race late but is able to catch up with Blitzen, who attempts to slow Robbie down by hitting him with a hurdle, much to the shock of the spectators. With encouragement from Donner and Jingle, Robbie uses The Nose Jump to catch up with Blitzen and both reindeer appear to cross the finish line at the same time and Robbie ends up being ran over by the other reindeer crossing the finish line. However a photo finish reveals that Blitzen won by a nose. As Blitzen celebrates his victory, Donner comes to Robbie's side and realises that Robbie is in love with her and gives him a kiss. Happy that Donner loves him, Robbie begins to break the record on the other events of the games.

Having discovered Blitzen's bag where he kept his drugs, a group of elves call him out as a cheat and take him away to have give them a sample. Annoyed that Blitzen cheated, Vixen breaks off their relationship. With Blitzen disqualified, Robbie is made winner by default. Santa gives Robbie the sleigh for the night to practice leading it. Robbie pulls the sleigh to the moon where he and Donner enjoy a romantic dinner together looking back at Earth.

The end of the film shows Blitzen painting Robbie dolls in The Elf Factory, Vixen hitchhiking out of town, Prancer playing air guitar with a tennis racket and Santa washing his underwear.

Cast[]

Ardal O'Hanlon (UK)/Ben Stiller (US) as Robbie (UK), The son of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, who comes to Coldchester to character build and become navigator of Santa's sleigh team. At the end of the film, he becomes Donner's boyfriend.


Jane Horrocks (UK)/Britney Spears (US) as Donner, Support Crew to the sleigh team and a friend of Robbie (whom she has a crush on). At the end of the film, she becomes Robbie's girlfriend.


Paul Whitehouse (UK)/Brad Garrett (US) as Prancer (UK), A member of the sleigh team. He is strong and powerful but isn't very smart. He is a good friend of Robbie and Donner.


Harry Enfield (UK)/Jerry Stiller (US) as Old Jingle (UK), A elderly reindeer who trains Robbie for The Steeplechase. He later becomes a good friend of Robbie's.


Steve Coogan (UK)/Hugh Grant (US) as Blitzen, The Captain of the sleigh team who was jealous of Rudolph and decides to take this out on Robbie by trying to stop him from joining the team. At the end of the film, he is arrested for drug taking and is put in prison.


Caroline Quentin (UK)/Leah Remini (US) as Vixen (UK), A member of the sleigh team. She is Robbie's first love interest but she doesn't return the feelings as she is in a relationship with Blitzen. At the end of the film, she dumps Blitzen after learning that he took drugs to cheat in the games and hitchhikes out of town.


Alistair McGowen (UK)/Dick Enberg (US) as Des Yeti, a commentator for The Reindeer Games.

Alistair McGowan (UK)/Dan Dierdorf as Alan Snowman, a commentator for The Reindeer Games.


Ricky Tomlinson (UK)/Jim Belushi (US) as Santa Claus, A holiday icon who delivers presents to children all around the world on Christmas Eve. In the film he invites the sleigh team to a party to show off his new sleigh.

Sean Hughes (UK)/Jim Belushi (US) as Tapir (UK), A member of the sleigh team


Rhys Ifans (UK)/Rob Paulsen (US) as Head Elf, the leader of Santa's elves.


Jean Alexander (UK)/Grey DeLisle (US) as Mrs Santa, Santa's wife who like him has a beard.


Robbie Williams (UK)/James Woods (US) as Narrator

Unknown as Bus Driver

Soundtrack[]

  • Crazy - Seal
  • Robbe the Reindeer - Mark Knopfler and Guy Fletcher
  • Get Busy - Mark Knopfler and Guy Fletcher
  • Poison - The Prodigy
  • Chariots of Fire - Vangelis
  • Ochri Tchotniye - The Three Tenors


Gallery[]

Miscallenous[]

Promotional Images[]

Goofs[]

  • Robbie arrived in Coldchester in August and had been there a month by the time we see him getting physio from Donner. However in the montage of Robbie training for The Reindeer Games, August is shown to the month the training started when it should have been September.

Trivia[]

  • The title of the film is a parody of the title of the 1981 film Chariots of Fire. Coincidentally, the film's famous theme song features in the scene where Robbie imagines taking part in The Reindeer Games.
  • This is the only Robbie the Reindeer film to be Christmas themed.
  • The name of the bus Robbie takes to go to Coldchester is Polar Express. The name is most likely a play on the name of real-life bus company National Express.
    • The bus's number plate R3D NO53 is an in-joke about Rudolph due to him having a red nose. Later in the film another in-joke is shown; the postcode on the envelope containing The Sleigh Team's invitation to Santa's party is R3D NO56.
  • In the 2002 CBS airing and the 2003 DVD, Robbie's nose and the fake nose on Rudolph's zeppelin were repainted brown and yellow respectively. All references to Robbie having a red nose were also removed.
  • Hooves of Fire took two years to make.
  • It is unknown how Robbie is roughly the same age as Donner, Prancer and several of the other Sleigh Team members as this film takes place after "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer". Though it is possible that Robbie was born some years before Rudolph guided the sleigh and that this film takes place a few years after this.
  • On the back cover of the phone book Donner is reading for "Wise Old Coaches Who Can Save The Day", there is a picture of the Direct Line red phone.
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