Prancer (1989) Online

Some occasionally clumsy dialogue only mildly undercuts the virtues of Greg Taylor's thoughtful script, which provides a surprisingly realistic depiction of the joys and heartaches of simple lives at Christmastime.

Rebecca Harrell is superb as 9-year-old Jessica, who finds an injured reindeer in the woods near her Michigan farm and determines to nurse it back to health in time to help pull Santa's sleigh on Christmas Eve. She's a marvelously realized character, refreshingly minus the cute kid mannerisms of many a Hollywood acting tyke. I particularly liked the way she deflected her father's tirades with her singlemindedness of purpose: he might get mad at her, but she was still going to do what she had to do. Very childlike, and very real.

A subplot about Jessica's helping a reclusive, eccentric neighbor (played by Cloris Leachman in a virtual cameo) seems truncated and unnecessary, but for the most part Taylor's scenario sticks to the basics and is better for it. Characters surrounding Jessica act like real people, not stereotypes, and events transpire with a sense of realism, not melodrama.

Credit for this tale's effectiveness also goes to Sam Elliott, who plays Jessica's father, a recent widower, with a harsh demeanor that seems to mask real pain and desperation. Thus his rapprochement with his wayward daughter carries unexpected depth of feeling and could not fail to move all but the most cynical. For a dad like me, I admit it put a big lump in my throat.

Despite a somewhat flawed climax -- to my mind, the vfx shot of Santa's sleigh coursing across the sky is unnecessary, given the magic moment just prior to it that reveals reindeer hoofprints leading to a precipice -- this nice little holiday film delivers a timeless message about faith and selflessness. Recommended for mature kids of 8 or older.

This is one of the best contemporary Christmas movies made. A very sincere and sweet movie, but one that won't give you tooth decay. Rebecca Harrell gives one of the most believable and intelligent performances as a young girl who nurses an injured reindeer back to health and holds the belief that the reindeer is indeed Prancer. Sam Elliot gives a strong performance as the girl's apple farmer father who has fallen on hard times and is trying to raise his kids without a mother. The rural scenery of this film is beautiful of the farms and woodlands and gives the film a real feeling of Christmas. A very simple plot fuels the movie, but it grows surprisingly darker and deeper as the film progresses and will be tugging at your heart strings by it's conclusion. Highly recommended viewing for kids and adults and all believers of Santa Claus.

This film proves that there are still unspoiled hearts left on Planet Earth. Those who find it sappy or irrelevant have spent too much time wearing Grinch suits and need a good dose of humanity to thaw that hard matter in their chests that passes for a heart.

The child actors are the heart of _Prancer_. They are real, never overacting or coming off as children playing at making a film. Sam Elliot is the epitome of the overstressed, depressed man who has lost his wife and despairs of losing everything else too. His transformation is believable and worthy of the time spent to watch his character unfold. Cloris Leachman is a delight as the female Scrooge who is touched by two children--Jessica who reintroduces her to the joy of Christmas, and a little boy in church who reintroduces her to the joy of human fellowship.

Above all, this is a story of transition. The earnest child must move forward to knowledge, and the jaded grownup must move back to mystery and faith. If your Christmas is too much take and not enough give, I prescribe hot chocolate, hot buttered popcorn, and a viewing of Prancer with people you love. Better yet, do as we have and make this movie part of your personal holiday tradition. It might help make you a better person the rest of the year.

Prancer is one of those special movies that come along every once in a great while that truly touches your heart. It doesn't rely on gimmicks or special effects, but relies on the characters themselves. Jesse, the central character in the story, finds an injured reindeer near her home, and believes it to be Prancer. And she nurses the reindeer back to health in order to deliver him back to Santa Claus on Christmas Eve. The true meaning of the movie is said by the preacher in the church during the Christmas service. Today's kids grow up so fast, and loose the child-like faith that Jesse has in a few short years. They then don't believe in anything that science doesn't prove. But Jesse, against impossible odds, sticks to her beliefs, and in the end brings back the faith of those who lost theirs long ago. Prancer is one of those holiday movies to buy for both your kids and yourself.

In general, I think Christmas has lost its meaning for most people. Now, the main goal of the holidays seems to be to spend as much money as possible. In the process, people lose sight of the fact that we are celebrating the birth of the Son of God. I try hard not to get too wrapped up in the frenzy of the commercialization of Christmas. So, I try to find ways to make my season peaceful and meaningful. Prancer is one of the joys of the season for me. It's themes about keeping faith in the face of all those who don't believe, love overcoming hard luck, and courageously facing loss as a way of dealing with it are timeless. Rebecca Harrell as Jessica Riggs is the star of this movie, and Sam Elliot couldn't have been cast in a better role. During the holidays, I try to find one evening to build a crackling fire, sip hot chocolate, and settle down to watch Prancer. It has become my favorite Christmas movie, and one of my favorite movies of all time. What makes it even more precious is that it was filmed near my home, in LaPorte, Indiana. The beautiful snowy fields, orchards and woods filmed in the movie are just outside my door! I hope you all enjoy Prancer as much as I do!

With all of the hype that surrounds the many Christmas releases and remakes, here's an original that all of the family should see. It is sweet yet real. It restores hope and decency to movies.

We've rented it before, now we own it. After "A Christmas Story" and the Alistaire Sim version of "A Christmas Carol", this is the Christmas movie our family MUST watch every year.

"Prancer" is about a young girl, Jessica Riggs, who unexpectedly finds a wounded reindeer, whom she believes belongs to Santa. With her father under financial pressure, and who ignores her a lot, she has a tough time. She wants to look after it and nurse it, but has to do it secretly since her father is against it and could kill it at any moment. She often have minor fights and arguments with her father regarding family matters and her own life. Meanwhile, her duty, she feels is to take good care of Prancer.

Jessica Riggs's role was played by Rebecca Harrell, and she must have been the perfect young child to do the role. Her natural, childlike attitude couldn't have got any better, and that was seen in the movie.

I still remember myself crying a bit while watching it as a child. It still brings tears in my eyes while watching even today. I advise those who wish to watch this movie watch it by around Christmas, and that would be the right time....And believe me, you won't be disappointed.

Not many peop;e remember this movie. Most of my friends have never even heard of it. But at my house, it has always been a huge part of Christmas. Every year we watch it. I think its a beautiful story about believing in Santa (or, Prancer). I love the father, and how in the end he ends up believing to. Or at least, helping Jessica believe. I'm surprised that this one isn't up there with "A Christmas Story". It should be. I love the excerpts from The Virgina Letter. I've been watchign this movie since i was born (literaly) It was made the year i was born. And i will continue to watch it with my children, and grand children.

While not without a couple of problems [like pacing], PRANCER is one of the better family/holiday movies I've seen. I didn't see this until after I saw PRANCER RETURNS about a week ago on cable. After PRANCER RETURNS [the sequel to this] was over, I went to the video store and rented this. Now while this one seemed to have a lower budget than PRANCER RETURNS, it still is just as well-acted and heartwarming [if not even more so]. Most holiday movies tend to show the holidays as times where everything is perfect, but this one shows that the holidays aren't as perfect as we'd like them to be. It's able to capture the ups and downs of the holidays while keeping everything pretty close to reality. Though I really enjoyed the film, CHRISTMAS VACATION remains to be my favorite holiday flick.

Well, Very Few Christmas Movies touches your heart immensely as Prancer do!It really captures the spirit of the Christmas, and shows that not every one have that perfect happy Christmas as they show in many movies! Life may seem & is lonely for many people, even on Christmas, but then Christmas always is magical, and if you believe in it with your heart, Christmas never remains the same, but it becomes more special than ever. This Movie has some marvelous performances by Rebecca Harrell & Sam Eliott, and makes the movie a great watch with the Family, especially on Christmas! Watch it, you wont be Disappointed!

Few movies inhabit the world of childhood quite as authentically as "Prancer." Until the very last moments, it doesn't matter whether young Jessica's belief that she has found one of Santa's reindeer is literally true. The fact that she could believe such a thing so strongly, and selflessly act on her belief to help the lost reindeer, is compelling enough on its own. Children occupy a world where naive clarity mingles with a confusing knowledge of how much of adult life remains unknown. "Prancer" creates an atmosphere that lets adults dip back into that almost-forgotten way of experiencing the world.

Sam Elliott delivers a fantastic performance as Jessica's father, a farmer who has recently lost his wife and will soon probably lose his farm. He is on the verge of losing his family, and the father-daughter relationship at the heart of the movie feels unaffectedly real. Cloris Leachman's turn as an embittered neighbor deserves note as well.

The film's greatest flaws occur in its last two minutes. First, a critical continuity error shows that the reindeer has shed a jingle-bell harness just before the sound of the harness is supposed to indicate the animal's presence. Finally, at the very end, the movie shatters its ambiguity about the literal truth of the reindeer's identity. In doing so, it negates the foundation of the story's authenticity and dramatic power, and trivializes the final reconciliation between Jessica and her father. If the reindeer is not a supernatural being, then Jessica is a silly little girl and the audience has been had. But if the reindeer is a magical beast from Santa's stable, then it is not a leap of faith for Jessica's father to accept her improbable belief in the animal. By revealing the answer one way or the other, "Prancer" cheapens itself and significantly undermines the emotional power of an otherwise subtle and moving drama.

I have to say, as for the quality of the movie, I am a bit biased, because if was filmed largely in my home town. A small town like ours (LaPorte, IN) doesn't get national attention (except for the movie "Daylight" where Sly asks Amy Brenneman's character where she's from), so it was exciting to have all the celebrities in town. Still, I think it is a great family movie that was well done.

And on the topic of celebrities, I don't think you could have assembled a nicer, more gracious group. Chloris Leachman came and spoke at our high school, Rebecca Harrell and Ariana Richards visited with kids at one of our elementary schools, and all of them met with fans at an autograph session. In addition, the producers showed their thanks in several ways. They had a giant mural painted that was autographed by the celebrities and placed in our mall during Christmas time. Also, they bought all new light post Christmas decorations for the city's main streets.

Check this movie out!!! Don't listen to those people who say it's for little girls only...

Most modern day Christmas stories are too hygienic, with perfect homes, perfect looking children, perfect looking parents, too neatly constructed plots, ending up with something too sugar coated to allow the viewer to suspend disbelief while watching it. For instance, the remake of "Miracle on 34th Street" should have been named, "The Yuppies Get the 5,000 Square Foot House for a Family of Three". What trash.

But not so with the movie, "Prancer". Jessica is not too pretty, but quite ordinary looking. Her father looks like a real working class individual who has lost his job and is down on his luck, not like a hedge fund manager living in Fairfield, Connecticut.

But what makes this story so very special is a cute story, realistically set, with great performances by Sam Eliot, Abe Vigoda, Cloris Leahman, Michael Constantine, but especially by Rebecca Harrell Tickell as the main character! Rebecca portrays Jessica with the right touch of innocence, and willfulness. I could not imagine anyone else playing Jessica so perfectly.

I love this movie. I love Rebecca Harrell Tickell's performance as Jessica. My favorite scenes are those involving Abe Vigoda and Rebecca Harrell Tickell, and Rebecca in Church. They are side-splitting.

This movie ranks up there with "A Christmas Carol" and "It's a Wonderful Life." Christmas is not Christmas without "Prancer" for my family. If you have not seen it, get it.

You know Scrooge, and Bailey, and Cratchett, and Nutcracker; Charlie Brown, the Grinch, White Christmas and Rudolph. But Virginia, do you recall this sweet classic from 1989 about a famous reindeer? Prancer was the name of the movie and it's a true classic among Christmas movies.

In a story inspired by Yes, Virginia: There Is a Santa Claus, a little girl named Jessica Riggs is being told by others around her there is no Santa yet holds to her faith that he exists. This modern day Virginia O'Hanlon loves Christmas and everything about it, and is horrified to see a street decoration Prancer (the reindeer) damaged in an accident. When she comes upon an injured real reindeer soon after, she assumes it to be Prancer, and hides him and takes care of him. She's feisty at times, but shows a good heart always in her efforts.

The child's faith is only part of the story. How Jessica (Rebecca Harrel) touches others who have lost their hope and faith in various ways is even more profound, and touching. A village recluse (Cloris Leachman), a veterinarian (Abe Vigoda), her jaded widowed father (Sam Elliot), her skeptic friend (Ariana Richards), a newspaper writer (Michael Constantine) are all wonderful in these roles.

The movie's plot plays out very well; each scene evokes different emotions, and captures them all well. There are scenes that will bring a tear. I'd reference a favorite scene, but just realized there are too many to list.

Sweet, heartfelt, genuine, touching. Everything a Christmas movie should be.

Every now and then I come across a movie that missed the movie theaters, never was on the shelve at the local stores and "was under the radar" for some unknown reason.

Last week I came across Prancer on IMDb and was blown away why it's not on the top 10 list for Christmas movies?

Prance is definitely a hidden gem for Christmas movies!

A beautiful movie about hard times and simple fun loving kids who believe in Christmas. Make sure to have the Kleenex box close by when you watch this at Christmas.

The kids will be glued to the TV for sure!

Sam Elliott and Cloris Leachman were perfect for the storyline. Rebecca Harrell will steal your heart for sure!

This movie is cute and full of Christmas spirit. A must see for those that like the child-like spirit of Christmas.

Not many people seem to remember Prancer, but I saw it in the theater when I was a little girl. The storyline escapes me, since I haven't seen it in years, but I remember I cried quite a bit while I was watching it. Maybe I'll rent it one of these days. It doesn't deserve to be so forgotten.

When I was a preteen(11 and 12 years old),I watched this countless times. It drove my Mom crazy, but I didn't care. I was told by a family member that they had to watch it constantly with a grandmother and it bothered them. While the amount of times I saw it as an 11 year old would be bothersome for me now, I still say those amounts of times I saw were justified.

Today(10/1/18) I saw it again for the first time in 8-9 years. I love it even more now, to the point that it's one of my top 10 all time favorite movies. It's also my 2nd favorite Christmas movie, after Love Actually, which is one spot higher.

The movie is about a 9 year old girl named Jessica, a girl who has faith that an injured reindeer is Santa's Prancer. She nurses him back to health, and plans to bring him back to Santa-before her Dad finds him and shoots him for his meat.

This movie gave me so many emotions while watching it. I beamed through most of it. But I also cried a little, and I hardly cry at movies. But it made me feel good most of the time, and I can't imagine another person not feeling the same way. Hardly any movie can put me in so much emotion as Prancer did.

The cast is amazing, too. Sam Elliot and Cloris Leachman are the main huge stars, but the hit of the show is Rebecca Harrell, who plays Jessica. She was not in many other movies afterwards,and that is a shame. But I learned today that she has directed many documentaries.

The movie is Rated G and that fits very well. Aside from some gun use, this movie is very tame. The parents guide mentions in the Sex and Nudity section that pregnancy is referenced. Yes, a vet says that he was up all night with a pregnant cow that was giving birth. Big deal. What parent should forbid a child from seeing a movie just because the word "pregnant" is used? That's silly. Prancer is a great movie for families.

I mentioned that I had not seen Prancer in about 8-9 years. Despite this, I could remember many of the scenes and lines before they occurred. If that's not proof of how memorable the movie is, I don't know what else could be.

Prancer is definitely one of the best holiday movies I have ever seen, and one one of the best movies in general that I have ever seen as well. It is great for family viewing and I can only name a few movies that I could recommend more. This is sadly underrated. If you get the chance to see Prancer, take it and let this movie enchant you the way it does for me.

Excellent film for the whole family. I predict this movie will become a cult classic in the ensuing years as people are re-discovering it. One never grows weary of it. The adorable lead child-actress, Rebecca Harrell, is awesome and captivating as little Jessica Riggs. The film has many redeeming qualities and so many remarkable scenes, backdrops, poignant dialogue, and subtle details with great casting. This is a holiday classic that should be presented each year as a choice for viewers by some intelligent broadcasting organization. I own the DVD now because there were some years it wasn't offered on the seasonal menu - where it belongs - up there with the BEST!

Don't get me wrong I really love this movie and it never fails to put a lump in my throat however...

(SPOILER AHEAD) I only wish towards the end they didn't show that really goofy special effect streak across the sky and Prancer flying off to join Santa. Sure it adds the magic element that every Christmas movie needs but it would have been much better just to have the hoof prints going to the cliff and have Jesse hear the bells. It would have gone more along the lines of what the father was saying when he read the passage from "Yes Virginia There is a Santa Claus" that as long as you believe, there is a Santa Claus and there is a Prancer. (END SPOILER)

Despite this one short coming I still give the movie a 9/10 1 point taken off for the ending. If you haven't seen it go out and rent it because it is usually overshadowed by "A Christmas Story" and every version of Scrooge imaginable during the holiday season.

Most Christmas movies are oriented toward "miracles"- this one is more grounded in reality, and is therefore not restricted in being effective only during the Christmas season. It is about having a clearer understanding of another person, but the usual breakthroughs are much more subtle, and therefore much more realistic.

As I sat through the first hour of the almost agonizing slow-paced plot-roll-out, I stayed with it in the hopes there would be some reward for my loyalty. It was not to be. This movie has a lot of fans in its reviews, but I'm not one of them.

The cast is full of past, present, and future stars; at least two of the supporting child actors went on to be in huge hits in television and/or movies. Their acting talent shows this movie, as it does with the adults. Unfortunately, a predictable story line, unresolved conflicts, and underdeveloped subplots do nothing to justify the time it takes to get things rolling.

Sam Elliot does what he does well, playing a hard-working but broken farmer and widower whose only response to his daughter caring for a wounded reindeer in their midst is to find his shotgun. Rebecca Harrell plays a convincing 9-year old who seems to be frustrated at every turn for her good deeds.

The winter setting is dim, cold and desolate, excellently communicated through the cinematography.The music lacks imagination, primarily depending on long chords. Maybe that is a plus for the gloomy atmosphere.

If you are looking for fun and adventure in your holiday movie fare, skip this one. It's better for drawn-out drama fans.

Not a great movie, the plot was missing things, but a very good family movie. I really like Cloris Leachman's character. I also like the part when Jessica is sitting on the Mall Santa's lap telling him the situation. I kind of wished the ending was better.

Jessica Riggs is a pretty annoying and dopey little girl living with her caring but strict father on a farm in a small town. Her mother is gone and she has a lot to deal with in life at the moment, so the last thing she was expecting was to find a reindeer injured on Christmas (There are reindeer in Canada but everyone just calls them caribou, they aren't very special, they're on the Canadian quarter as well, just some extra trivia). Anyway, her loving pops is the very guy to run over the poor thing, and suggests eating it, to which Jessica freaks out and ends up hiding the reindeer in the horse stable, getting an elderly veterinarian to take care of it. She names the reindeer Prancer (ugh...) and hopes it'll somehow fly off like a jumbo-jet into the night sky to get back to Santa on Christmas Eve. Meanwhile she gets her cranky neighbor, Mrs. McFarLand, to stop being such a... a witch... and ends up making a new friend. But how long will Prancer remain her secret before pops finds out? I saw this when I was a little girl, and hated it. I decided recently to watch it again and see if maybe I'd enjoy it more, but no, just as bad if not worse. The soundtrack was typical and unmemorable, the acting decent but not enough to improve the movie, and so many flaws that you'd have to be either a three-year-old or a drunk to not see them. For one, Mr. Prancer the lovable reindeer, is a female caribou. And I'm not anti-religious or anything, but I'm not religious and I don't need all the "have faith in god" stuff shoved down my throat in a kid's movie. The story was easily predictable and boring.

Now, I'm an adult and this is a movie for children, so I watched it with my little brother to see if he enjoyed it since he's a kid. Well, he told me halfway through it to pause it so he could go use the bathroom, and the next thing I knew he was climbing out the window, into the backyard and heading out to the shopping mall to escape. I honestly don't blame him.

I love this movie because it brings me to tears at multiple points but doesn't taste sickly sweet or manufactured. With clutter and tight rooms, their old farmhouse looks like it was plucked straight from the Michigan countryside rather than designed on a Hollywood set. The actors look like real people that you would find in a small rural town - heavy-set bodies, frizzy hair, wrinkles, and lived-in wardrobes. Sam Elliot is in perfectly rugged form as the grieving, widowed father.

Some of the themes are dark for a children's Christmas film. The little girl, Jessica, is grieving her mother's death. She discusses the existence of God with her school friend. Her father struggles to keep their family afloat and is faced with tough decisions that may tear them apart.

And while the movie is comfortably rooted in the real world, there's just enough Christmas-wish-fulfillment to make the movie sparkle. The townspeople are close-knit and know each other's first names. There are Christmas carolers, candle-lit church services, and a constant blanket of beautiful snow on the ground. Oh, and there's a reindeer that just might be Santa's Prancer.

Underneath the literal storyline, the film is about faith and the power of belief. It reminds us that Christmas is a time to once again believe in a magic beyond which we can see - a belief that comes so easy during childhood.

Give this under-praised Christmas classic a try and you won't be disappointed. Kids will love the Prancer storyline while adults will end up sobbing watching the father-daughter relationship deepen and grow.

"Only faith, fancy, poetry, love, romance, can push aside the curtain and view the supernal beauty and glory beyond."