This historic 1948 animated short film marks the first screen adaptation of Robert L. May’s 1939 poem Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Produced by the Jam Handy Organization for the retail chain Montgomery Ward and directed by veteran Fleischer Studios animator Max Fleischer, this film represents a key transitional moment in American commercial animation and mid-20th-century holiday media culture. Preserved and digitized by the Library of Congress National Audio-Visual Conservation Center (Packard Campus), the short adheres closely to May’s original verse narrative prior to the popularization of Johnny Marks’ 1949 musical adaptation.