Matrixston Wow! Such a good movie.

Dynamixor The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

AnhartLinkin This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

Humaira Grant It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

Stompgal_87 I remember seeing the first half of this at Christmas when I was about 13 and up until now the only part I could remember was the mention of the 4th of July in Olive's opening song. Also I actually thought Olive was a reindeer but she is really a dog and an endearing character who was superbly voiced by Drew Barrymore who was particularly recognisable in this special. This morning when I was flicking through the channels, I caught this towards the end on E4 so I watched it from the beginning on E4 +1 and I found it more substantial and entertaining that time around.The animation style is unusual but it matches the cover illustration of the book (I haven't read it, I just saw its cover whilst looking at it on Amazon) and the character movements are smooth. While I thought the lip-sync was initially basic, it turned out to be more detailed than I remembered. Although the backgrounds look as through they were rendered using cheap CGI, they were quite vibrant. Further to the characters, the postman is a decent villain who has a sudden change of personality but it was comical when he disguised himself as a waitress. Fido's mishearings of Santa saying he had to "make do with all of the other reindeer" and Tim apologising to Olive through the window of her kennel as she hides were essential parts of the story and Martini the penguin is funny. In addition to Barrymore as Olive and Dan Castellanetta (best known for his role as Homer Simpson in my all-time favourite animated sitcom) as the postman, other well-known cast members include Michael Stipe (REM's frontman) as Schintzel the reindeer, Matt Groening (one of the special's executive producers and creator of 'The Simpsons') as Arturo the Elf and Edward Asner (who later provided the voice of Carl in Disney and Pixar's bittersweet adventure 'Up') as Santa. All songs but 'Merry Christmas, After All,' which was initially forgettable but was likable the second time around due to its rock 'n' roll feel and accompanying around-the-world sequence, are memorable, especially Olive's opening song and the incidental music is magical and whimsical if generic and slightly repetitive in parts. The story has several twists and turns if some parts are clichéd but it is very different from the stories of many other Christmas specials and when I told one of my university classmates about this special, it kind of reminded her of the storyline of 'Annabelle's Wish' (due to Olive and Annabelle both wanting to be reindeer) that I should finish watching someday because it is so far so good. Although I felt that Olive should have worn the headband with antlers during Santa's sleigh ride rather than towards the end, I still found this a cute and amusing part of the film.Anyway, here's my verdict. I found this a slightly bizarre yet adorable and underrated animated Christmas special with its brightest spots being the character animation, the storyline, the dialogue, the voice acting and the majority of the music. 8/10.

j1j Somewhere in the middle of this movie, our main character is in a bind in a mail truck. Looking around, she finds a package, addressed to her, that helps get her out of it. The sender? Deus ex Machina. It is quite common for children's movie makers, especially in the animated genre, to try to be modern, hip - to push the limits of their audience. The results are usually just vulgar - anyone who ever watched 8 Crazy Nights, regardless of their opinions on the rude, contrived piece - can't help but wonder if it is appropriate for all children, at least those whose behavior we have to live with. Olive is witty, funny, and original, and yet there is no smart- alecky kid, no fart jokes - it's interesting because it's tightly written, well-crafted, and voiced by excellent people. Several people have written about Ms. Barrymore's voice in it - it's laughable to imply that she had meant to create a refined, beautiful sound, as well as a bit sexist. No one questioned that Dan Castellaneta (read: Homer Simpson) also sings an off-key silly song - but Drew Barrymore is compared to Alicia Keys? No, if a Dog - no, a dog who was eager, sweet, and unflappably lovable - had a speaking and singing voice, hers would be it. Altogether, I can think of no modern Christmas or holiday special (Martini, Olive's penguin friend, is Jewish, somehow), that succeeds in being warm, smart, and interesting all at the same time. There is no preaching, no moralizing, and yet, it leaves you feeling good about being good, almost the same way the Charlie Brown Christmas Special did just over 40 years ago. There's a fine line between sappy and sweet, rude and witty - Olive the Other Reindeer stands firmly on the good side of that line.

jandalco I thought this movie was very cute. The author was clever with Olive's mistake but it turned into quite an adventure for her!! She's a good-hearted dog whose only concern was that she "do the right thing" and help wherever she could. It held my attention for the entire movie.

dlbrehm The animation in "Olive, the Other Reindeer" is truly impressive. The unique style of J. Otto Seibold has been captured in a most beautiful way by the animators at DNA Productions in Dallas. Most people don't realise that "Olive" is a three dimensional animated special, yet it manages to carry the traditional charm and warmth of any classic 2D holiday cartoon.