Prancer is a 1989 fantasy drama film directed by John Hancock, written by Greg Taylor, and starring Rebecca Harrell, Sam Elliott, Cloris Leachman, Abe Vigoda, Michael Constantine, Rutanya Alda, and Ariana Richards. It is set in Three Oaks, Michigan, where town exteriors were filmed. Filming also occurred at the Old Republic House in New Carlisle, Indiana, La Porte, Indiana, and at Starved Rock State Park in Utica, Illinois.

The film was followed by a direct-to-video sequel, Prancer Returns, released by USA Home Entertainment in 2001.

Plot

Eight-year-old Jessica Riggs is raised by her older brother, Steve, and widowed father, John. Their apple farm has fallen on hard times. John is temporarily being helped by his sister-in-law, Sarah.

While walking home after a school Christmas pageant, Jessica witnesses a plastic reindeer fall from a Christmas decoration being hung above the main street in town. She concludes that it was Prancer from the order given in the poem A Visit from St. Nicholas (a.k.a. The Night Before Christmas ).

Afraid he will be unable to provide for Jessica, John discusses a plan for Sarah to take her in to raise temporarily. She overhears this, but initially does not know the full details. She and her best friend, Carol, go sledding and knock down some flowers at a house owned by a reclusive widow, Mrs. McFarland. While walking home, Jessica encounters a live reindeer in the woods. It runs away, disappearing into the darkness. Later, while walking home from school, she finds reindeer tracks and follows them into the woods once more. She hears a gunshot, and continues to walk. John eventually finds her, but almost hits the reindeer who is now standing in the road. Noticing it is wounded, he grabs his rifle, intending to shoot it. As Jessica pleads for him not to do so, it disappears.

Later while dreaming of Prancer, Jessica is startled awake by the scene of the plastic reindeer falling from earlier. She hears a noise and sees the window to the barn outside is open. Investigating, she finds the reindeer is now inside among the other animals. Afraid John will find him, she moves him to a shed. Certain that he is the real Prancer, she takes it upon herself to nurse him back to health. She calls veterinarian Dr. Orel Benton who initially refuses, but comes over to find him.

Jessica later tells a mall Santa that she has Prancer, and gives him a Polaroid picture along with a letter to give to the real Santa before Christmas Eve. He takes them to the editor of the local newspaper. Eventually, Jessica apologizes to Mrs. McFarland, and asks her if she can have a job to help pay for oats for the reindeer. Mrs. McFarland agrees to pay her if she cleans a room in the house, and they become friends. The newspaper editor, inspired by Jessica s faith, writes an article which is then read by the local pastor in the middle of his sermon, which makes Jessica find out that she has been outed to the entire town. She becomes mad at Carol, who she thinks squealed. She then terminates her friendship with Carol, and later finds the article in the paper.

John, meanwhile, is reading the paper. Before he finds the article, he discovers Prancer has let all the other animals out of the barn. While he tries to round them up, Prancer goes inside the house and wrecks it. Townspeople begin to converge on the farm, wanting to see him. John grabs his rifle, threatening to shoot him when a local butcher stops him, offering to buy Prancer. Jessica, afraid the butcher will kill him, runs away in the night determined to rescue him. The butcher keeps him as a sales tool for his Christmas tree lot. Steve runs after her, telling her that he loves her even though they fight. She attempts to open Prancer s cage but falls, injuring her head in the process.

Jessica stays in her bedroom, becoming despondent. John goes to her and she asks him to read a passage from Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus . He tells her that times may continue to be hard for a long time but while he could bear losing the farm, he will not lose her. He changes his mind about sending her away. He suggests they take Prancer to Antler Ridge, which would be the perfect place for Santa to pick him up. The townspeople gather outside her window and begin singing to cheer her up. Prancer is taken to Antler Ridge where he runs out of sight. Following his tracks, John and Jessica notice that they vanish at the edge of a cliff. The faint sound of sleigh bells can be heard, and a streak of light is seen rising to meet Santa s sleigh. Jessica bids Prancer farewell, and to always remember her. The sleigh flies across the full moon and over the town towards the Riggs farm—its very first stop.

Cast

• Rebecca Harrell as Jessica Riggs
• Sam Elliott as John Riggs
• Cloris Leachman as Mrs. McFarland
• Abe Vigoda as Dr. Orel Benton
• Michael Constantine as Mr. Stewart/Mall Santa
• Rutanya Alda as Sarah
• Ariana Richards as Carol Wetherby
• John Joseph Duda as Steve Riggs
• Johnny Galecki as Billy Quinn
• Mark Rolston as Herb Drier
• Walter Charles as Minister
• Michael Luciano as Bert
• Jesse Bradford as Boy #1
• Sandra Olson as Town woman
• Dan Atherton as Town man
• Boo as Prancer

Release

Critical reception

The film received mixed to positive reviews from critics, as it holds a 67% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 24 reviews. The critical consensus reads, Prancer s good-natured holiday cheer — and a terrific performance from its young star — are enough to make this yuletide adventure a moderately rewarding watch .

The film s young lead actress, Rebecca Harrell, garnered a nomination for a Young Artist Award for Best Young Actress Starring in a Motion Picture for her performance, but lost to Winona Ryder for her role in Great Balls of Fire!. Movie critic Roger Ebert highlighted Harrell s performance, saying:

And what really redeems the movie, taking it out of the category of kiddie picture and giving it a heart and gumption, is the performance by a young actress named Rebecca Harrell, as Jessica. She s something. She has a troublemaker s look in her eye, and a round, pixie face that s filled with mischief. And she s smart — a plucky schemer who figures out things for herself and isn t afraid to act on her convictions.

Home media

The film was released on DVD by MGM Home Video with several re-packagings in 2003 and 2004, and a newer release on October 7, 2014.

Year	1989
ReleaseDate	1989-11-17
RuntimeMins	103
RuntimeStr	1h 43min
Plot	A farm girl nurses a wounded reindeer she believes is one of Santa’s, hoping to bring it back to health in time for Christmas. Her holiday spirit inspires those around her, something her disheartened father is having trouble understanding.
Awards	Awards, 2 nominations
Directors	John D. Hancock
Writers	Greg Taylor
Stars	Sam Elliott, Cloris Leachman, Rutanya Alda
Produced by	Raffaella De Laurentiis, Hester Hargett, Mike Petzold, Greg Taylor
Music by	Maurice Jarre
Cinematography by	Misha Suslov
Film Editing by	Dennis M. O Connor, John Rosenberg
Casting By	Craig Campobasso, Susan Willett
Production Design by	Chester Kaczenski
Art Direction by	Marc Dabe
Set Decoration by	Judi Sandin
Costume Design by	Denny Burt
Makeup Department	Lance Anderson, Kelly Jefferson, Michael White
Production Management	Bill Badalato, Andrew G. La Marca, Richard McWhorter, David Pauker
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director	Donald P.H. Eaton, Buzz Feitshans IV, Ian Woolf, Barry Fitzsimmons
Art Department	Duane Arndt, Jim Brinson, Alan Hale Jr., Tim Hanson, Ian Hardy, Todd Hatfield, Wendy Jo Martin, Mark McCarthy, Janice Meloy, Michael Morningstar, Mark Newton, Tim Pope, Naomi Slodki, David Stonestreet, Anthony C. Thorpe, Mark S. Turner, Thomas P. Wilkins, Jessica McDonald, Greg Neff
Sound Department	Christopher Assells, Charles R. Beith Jr., George Bell, Peter DeLesDernier, Mark Friedgen, Dave Gordon, G. Michael Graham, David Halbert, Kristi Johns, A. David Marshall, Paul Massey, Dave McMoyler, Alyson Dee Moore, Patricia Nedd, Andy Nelson, James Thornton, Rusty Tinsley, Scott A. Tinsley, Don White, Marty Church, Nancy Parker
Special Effects by	John K. Brunner, Mike Menzel, J. Edward Talley, Robert G. Willard, A.J. Workman, Dan Frye
Visual Effects by	Craig Barron, Donald Bowman, Krystyna Demkowicz, Patrick Loungway, Barry Nolan, Michael Pangrazio, Michael Talarico
Stunts	Linda Arvidson, Rick LeFevour, Bobby Porter, R.L. Tolbert, Kay Whipple, Bobby Porter
Camera and Electrical Department	Eric Bartsch, Logan R. Berkshire, Frank Caslin, Lynn Dodson, Rusty Edmonson, Rick Fee, Buzz Feitshans IV, Ed Giovanni, Rufus Granger Jr., Rocco Lombardi, Daniel Cary McCrystal, Scott Miller, Gerry O Malley, Thomas Pielemeier, Gene Poole, Rick Raphael, Dennis Rice, Mark Lawson Shepard, Eugene D. Shlugleit, Salvatore Totino, John Verardi, Dan Zarlengo, Tom Countryman, Don Varda
Casting Department	Craig Campobasso, Barbara Harris, Irene Stockton
Costume and Wardrobe Department	Kaye Nottbusch
Editorial Department	Scott Brock, Dennis Brookins, Christopher S. Capp, Amy E. Duddleston, Greg Hayden, Jack Hofstra, Gilberto Costa Nunes, Mike Stanwick
Location Management	James J. Klekowski
Music Department	Michael Boddicker, Dan Carlin Sr., Patricia Carlin, Gloria Cheng, Ralph Grierson, Maurice Jarre, Leslie Morris, Shawn Murphy, Katherine Quittner, Nyle Steiner, Frank Welker, Sylvia Woods, Carl Zittrer, Patrick Russ
Script and Continuity Department	Dru Anne Carlson, Bridgette Kelley
Transportation Department	Dan Gearhart, Alvin Hurd
Additional Crew	Patricia J. Amaral, Bobby Baldwin, Joseph Bogadanovic Jr., Ronda Carr, William Estep, Tom Gray, Jack W. Haddox, Angela Lewis, David Meeks, Joshua Ravetch, Rob Risner, Patrick Russ, Jerry Scroggins Jr., Tim Seegars, Jona Swanson, Sheila A. Warner, Eric Gauvin, Robin Holm
Genres	Drama, Family, Fantasy
Companies	Cineplex Odeon Films, Nelson Entertainment, Nelson Entertainment
Countries	USA, Canada
Languages	English
ContentRating	G
ImDbRating	6.4
ImDbRatingVotes	5429
Keywords	reindeer,christmas,farm,barn,girl