Families can add to their holiday season celebrations with a jolly new CBS Original animated special: Reindeer in Here. The one-hour event will premiere Tuesday, November 29 (9-10 p.m., ET/PT), immediately following the Rankin/Bass stop-motion classic Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (8-9 p.m., ET/PT), on the CBS Television Network, and available to stream live and on demand on Paramount+.
Based on the award-winning Christmas book and plush set created by Adam Reed and written for the screen by Greg Erb & Jason Oremland, Reindeer in Here is the heartwarming story of how Blizzard (Blizz), a young reindeer living at the North Pole who has an unusual trait — one antler that is significantly smaller than the other — and his unique group of friends band together to save the future of Christmas. In doing so, they unknowingly create a magical holiday tradition like none other.
“I fell in love with this project the moment I read the script, and immediately connected with the ‘different is normal’ message,” said executive producer and director Lino DiSalvo (Playmobil: The Movie), who as former head of animation for Walt Disney Animation Studios helped bring Frozen, Tangled and Bolt to the big screen. “I love that Blizzard, our hero character, no matter the situation, has belief in himself, even when others might not, despite his differences.”
In the special, Blizz just wants to show Santa that his original inventions can make Christmas even better. Theo, a lonely 10-year-old boy, is the new kid in town who longs to make friends. When a mysterious villain swipes the magical snow globe that holds the wishes of every child in the world, these two unlikely heroes become Santa’s only hope to save Christmas. Blizzard and Theo can’t save Christmas all on their own, so they enlist the help of their trustworthy friends.
Their journey includes a unique, quirky and loveable cast of characters including Candy, the over-sharing Snowgirl; Pinky, the only entirely pink reindeer at the North Pole; Hawk, the endearingly dim-witted mohawked polar bear; Bucky, the big-toothed nervous-nelly reindeer; the adorable and hilarious Smiley the elf, who has served as Santa’s harried H.O.H.O (Head of Holiday Operations) for the past 500 years; and Isla, Theo’s brilliant classmate.
The first-look image released today features Blizz, Smiley, Santa and Candy.
“As Blizzard tells Theo, ‘don’t hide what makes you unique,’ and this joyful hour of television, meant for the whole family, celebrates just that,” said Reed, who is an executive producer on the special. “Reindeer in Here is a story that encourages not only accepting our differences, but celebrating them. It’s a story filled with laughter, joy, friendship and heart that we hope will join the list of beloved holiday classics families watch together year after magical year.”
Launched in 2017, Reindeer in Here sold out on Amazon in under two hours and became an instant Amazon #1 new release and best seller. The book has since won 12 major awards, including Creative Child magazine’s Book of the Year, a gold Mom’s Choice Award and the prestigious National Parenting Center seal of approval. Reed initially created Reindeer in Here for his own children because of what he felt was a lack of positive holiday tradition brands in the market that didn’t also stress out parents in the process.
Reed also runs the Emmy Award-nominated production company Thinkfactory Media. He has produced over 1,000 hours of television, including Gene Simmons Family Jewels, the Marriage Boot Camp franchise, Hatfields & McCoys, Rat in the Kitchen and Mama June. He is also an accomplished commercial director, having been shortlisted at the Cannes International Advertising Festival.
The Reindeer in Here special is created and executive produced by Reed, produced by CBS’ Eye Animation Productions. Erb and Oremland (The Princess and the Frog, Monster High: The Movie) are executive producers and writers. Jonathan Koch and Sander Schwartz are executive producers and DiSalvo is director and executive producer. Animation production is by Ottawa-based JamFilled; executive producers for JamFilled are Jamie Leclaire, Phil Lafrance and Kyle Mac Dougall.
