Rudolph - Light Work - Niel Jacoby

Full Splash: Through the window of a house decorated for Christmas, we see a red streak across the night sky. A child looks through the window.

CAPTION: AND AS SANTA'S SLEIGH HIT MACH SPEED, THERE ERUPTED A VERY PECULIAR SOUND.

SFX: HO-HO-HO!

CAPTION: AND THOUGH FEW WERE UP TO HEAR IT, THOSE WHO DID WILL SAY TO THIS DAY THAT UPON HEARING IT, THEY FELT JUST A LITTLE BURST OF CHRISTMAS SPIRIT...

Inset Panel: Rudolph leading the sleigh, the scenery a blur around him. He's smiling.

CAPTION: ...AND THE FEELING THAT THE WORLD WAS A LITTLE HAPPIER FOR A NIGHT.

Rudolph - The Inevitable Gritty Reboot - J.D. Coughlan

Panel 1: A WW2 aerial dogfight at night, over land. Focus on one American fighter plane, its nose bursting into flame.

RUDOLPH: (From plane) Donner! Blitzen! Keep this Nazi scum off me; I'm going in!

Panel 2: In Rudolph's cockpit. You can't tell because he's wearing his mask right now, but he's the typical rugged war hero. There is determination in his eyes. The flames from his plane's nose illuminate him.

NORTH POLE: (On radio) Sleigh Nine, this is North Pole! You're burning up -- eject!

Panel 3: Close-up on Rudolph. He has, like all fictional heroes, done away with safety and removed his mask, showing us his cocky grin.

RUDOLPH: No can do, North Pole. It's black as Hell out here, and these boys could use a light to guide them.

RUDOLPH: And to think you wanted me to sit this one out.

Panel 4: Side-on view of Rudolph's plane; flames consuming the nose. In the background, American planes shoot down Nazi ones. Rudolph can be seen struggling with the controls.

NORTH POLE: (On radio) That's madness! Sleigh Nine, eject right now, that is an order!

RUDOLPH: Sorry, command, you're breaking up.

NORTH POLE: (On radio) Rud--!

SFX: KLIK

Panel 5: Aerial shot of Rudolph's plane, in flames, leading a squadron of American planes through the dogfight.

RUDOLPH: (From plane) Follow me, Reindeer! I'll light the way...

END OF PAGE

Rudolph – Won’t You Find My Sleigh Tonight – Shaun Richens.

PAGE ONE – 5 PANELS.

LAYOUT.

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1. EXT. Early evening. Dusk is setting in. A few stars twinkle in the darkening sky. A snowy scene in Lapland. The snow still falls, a forest is on the horizon. Dead centre in the foreground is a large log cabin. Smoke rises from its chimney and light can be seen from all the windows. A huge flashing neon sign above the building reads CLUB SUGAR ELF.

         CAPTION:

         Christmas eve 2012.

2. INT. Club Sugar Elf. We are inside a bar. It’s rustic and looks like the bar from Cheers. Christmas lights and decorations hang up everywhere, an open log fire burns bright in the fireplace. A big old jukebox plays in the other corner. A small Christmas elf by the name of CANDYCANE stands on a barstool behind the bar cleaning a pint glass with a red and green kitchen towel. CANDYCANE is about three foot tall, he wears a large green pointy hat, curly elf shoes and a white apron over his red Christmas jumper. His cheeks are rosy red. This is his bar. Sat on the customer side of the bar is the anthropomorphic RUDOLPH. He sits nursing his milk from a whisky glass. He wears a nice grey suit with a red tie matching his bright nose.

         CANDYCANE:

         You guna sit here all night Big Red?

         RUDOLPH:

         Don’t call me that, no one’s called me that in years.

         CANDYCANE:

         You at least want another drink?

         RUDOLPH 1:

         Give me milk.

         (Linked)

         RUDOLPH 2:

         Straight.

3. Repeat of panel 2. However now CANDYCANE is pouring RUDOLPH another drink.

         VOICE: (Off panel)

         Hold that drink Candycane.

4. Shot from behind the bar. RUDOLPH and CANDYCANE both have their backs to us as they look towards the entrance to THE SUGAR ELF to see who just spoke. Standing in front of the door, having just come in is the anthropomorphic VIXEN. She wears a knee length well fitting black dress, tights and black high heels, her lips as bright red as RUDOLPH’s nose. She has a thick fake fur coat on.

         RUDOLPH:

         What do you want Vixen?

         (Linked)

         RUDOLPH 2:

         You not out with Dasher tonight?

         VIXEN 1:

         This isn’t about us tonight Big Red.

         (Linked)

         VIXEN 2:

         It’s about Old Nick.

5. Insert panel into the bottom right of 4. Close up on the sad face of VIXEN.

         VIXEN 1:

         He’s missing Rudolph.

         (Linked)

         VIXEN 2:

         He’s gone.

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer – SUPER-RUDOLPH – MK Stangeland Jr.

(7 Panels)

Panel 1: Scene is the frozen wastes. RUDOLPH stands on a icy cliff looking out over the horizon. A Holographicesque image of an older reindeer’s portrait is stretches high across the sky, a la SUPERMAN’s dad.

NARRATION BOX: And then, as Rudolph stood along among the frozen wastes, he had a vision!

Panel 2: The older reindeer fills the panel as it sits in the sky.

NARRATION BOX: And then the vision spoke to him! It said…

REINDEER: RUDOLPH! Rudolph, my son!

Panel 3: The elder reindeer overlooks RUDOLPH as he speaks.

REINDEER (1): You wondered what your purpose was.

REINDEER (2): I tell you it is this: To be a beacon of light to this world!

Panel 4: Close up on RUDOLPH, now with a heroic look of determination on his face.

REINDEER: (Off-panel) And to SAVE CHRISTMAS!

Panel 5: The panel is largely dark, but the light from RUDOLPH’s nose makes it bright enough to see that RUDOLPH is punching SAURON (of the LORD OF THE RINGS variety) in the face as SANTA, ELVES, and other REINDEER cheer him on off to the side.

NARRATION BOX: So Super-Rudolph flew back to the North Pole and saved Christmas from the Dark Lord Sauron!

Panel 6: This panel cuts to the actual scene as we see who’s telling the story – It’s PINKIE PIE (MLP:FIM), and she’s telling the story to APPLEBLOOM, SWEETIE BELL, and SCOOTALOO.

PINKIE PIE: And that’s why we decorate with strings of light every year!

Panel 7: APPLEBLOOM, SWEETIE BELL, and SCOOTALOO sit in front of PINKIE PIE, and all three of them have a ‘WTF?’ look on their face while having not the slightest idea WHAT it is they just heard.

(END PAGE)

Rudolph- Beacons -Dan Hill

Page One

1.1
OPEN on a tight shot of a REINDEER looking at us, its head tilted slightly. Snowflakes fall around it like confetti.

CAPTION

In the beginning it was just about the money. An assignment.

CAPTION

A story to fill a colouring book.

1.2
ZOOM OUT to show that the reindeer is in an enclosure. We’re in Chicago Zoo in the winter of 1938. Snow continues to fall from the cloudless, pale blue sky.

A man with his back to us holds the hand of his four year old daughter in front of the enclosure. They are both wrapped up in winter clothes.

This is ROBERT L. MAY and his daughter, BARBARA.

CAPTION

Enter Robert L. May, native of Chicago.

1.3
CUT TO a CLOSE UP on Robert, facing us, as he crouches down at his daughter’s side pointing towards us/the reindeer. She smiles gleefully.

CAPTION

Loving father.

1.4
CUT TO a CLOSE UP on Robert’s hands. Both of them are holding the frail and pale looking hand of his wife (off panel) as she lies in bed.

CAPTION

And devoted husband.

CAPTION

Even during times of hardship.

1.5
CUT TO a shot of Robert, looking up at him at an angle. He’s sitting at a desk, a typewriter in front of him, a piece of paper curling slightly towards us from its top.

CAPTION

Slowly the story became something more. Something he needed to finish.

CAPTION

It became a reminder.

1.6
Wide panel: CUT TO Robert sitting on the edge of Barbara’s bed. He reads to her from the same sheet of paper that was in the typewriter from the last panel.

CAPTION

A reminder that even when the storm comes and hope seems lost we each have our beacons.

1.7
Wide panel: TIGHT SHOT on Barbara as she beams back at her father.

CAPTION

We can all make it through the dark.

Rudolph - That Nose - Ben Rosenthal

1.  A snowy night.  Deadpool is crouching in the show.

DEADPOOL

“Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer,

Had a very shiny nose…”

2.  In the distance you can see the slight glow of Rudolph’s nose through the trees and the dark.

DEADPOOL

“And if you ever saw it…”

3.  The full panel is a sound effect – BANG!

4.  Deadpool is walking away, another job completed.  His rifle slung over his shoulder.

DEADPOOL

“You would even say that your target has been eliminated and now it is time for beer.”

Why Rudolph?

It is that time again.

Each Christmas week for the past few years the tenured writers here at Thought Balloons have put aside their differences (I guess) and chosen to write on an X-Mas character. This year we bring you a week of the shunned loner turn leader of magical flying reindeer, Rudolph.

When you think about it Rudolph has a lot in common with comic book heroes. He can fly, is shunned by those close to him for being different and pulls a fat man in a suit. In a sleigh - it's not like he's Silk Spectre.

Merry Christmas to everyone from us here at Thought Balloons!