Robbie the Reindeer in Close Encounters of the Herd Kind (2007)

What better way to liven up a stale franchise than to add aliens? Robbie and Donner are on the verge of marriage when he discovers a Nargathron crystal and a message warning him of an extraterrestrial plot that signals the end of the world (or something like that; the plot is kind of incomprehensible). I hate docking animation for lack of vision, but at this point it's diminishing returns.

2 telepathy devices out of 5

Note: Apparently this was an entirely computer-generated special, but it does a good job at mimicking the previous stop-motion designs.

Robbie the Reindeer in Legend of the Lost Tribe (2002)

The first one wasn't great, but the limitations of the story begin to show in this follow-up to Hooves of Fire. I admire it more for its creativity and visual style, but I found myself bored and my attention span wavering. This special again involves the villainous Blitzen seeking to sabotage the other reindeer, while Robbie discovers an underground tribe of Vikings named Magnus and rows with his girlfriend Donner. It all just feels a bit pointless.

2½ rabbit masks out of 5

Robbie the Reindeer in Hooves of Fire (1999)

Robbie (son of Rudolph) wants to become one of Santa's reindeer, so he must compete in the Reindeer Games, an Olympics-like event, to prove his worth. Blitzen tries to sabotage him, while Robbie has eyes on his girlfriend, Vixen.

Created by Richard Curtis and with a distinctive Aardman-esque claymation style, it's the first of three Christmas specials that aired on BBC One across 1999-2007.

3 sexy reindeer with tits out of 5

Note: This special was released both in its original British format, and also an American dub, weirdly enough. I was only able to find the original language version, so I can't comment on the quality of the latter, but I have listed the US voice cast alongside the UK version for consistency.