Reindeer

The thundering hoofs of 3,000 reindeer making their way down the steep arctic mountain slopes grew steadily louder. Whistles and shouted commands from eight herders added to the clamor as the huge antlered animals headed for the turquoise-colored, ice-choked Bol'shoy Anyuy River. Every time some of the herd peeled off and headed in the wrong direction, dogs raced to the strays, leaping high into the air and nipping at their legs.

Alina Mezner stood in front of the new exhibit at the Los Angeles Zoo, scrutinizing the beige and brown furry, hoofed animals basking in the fine wood shavings of a canopied corral.

As the holiday season approaches, you might read a book about a reindeer with a bright red nose that leads Santa's sleigh ("Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer") or one about a dog that thinks she's a reindeer ("Olive, the Other Reindeer").

They live at the North Pole. They fly through the night pulling Santa's sleigh. They play reindeer games (Texas Hold 'Em, to be precise). Sure, most Americans have a few ideas about reindeer.

"Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: The Movie" is a saccharine, simple-minded cartoon that feels like an overly long TV special. The quality of the animation (or the lack of it) suggests that the film was created for the home video market, with a nominal theatrical run added to raise its profile: Releasing a Christmas-themed film two weeks before Halloween seems more than a little incongruous.

A TV reporter whose run-in with a reindeer in Fairbanks, Alaska, gained national attention says it's given her a new respect for the impact of television.