Christmas: Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer

Christmas  

       
      "Grandma Got Runover by a Reindeer" is a special that first ran on October 31st 2000, on the WB network  and is based on the song of the same name. For many years it ran on Cartoon Network , a couple times on Freeform, it aired on the WB each year, and still does on the successor network, the CW.

      This is a weird Christmas special. Mostly because it's a weird song about a Grandma getting crunched to death by Santa's  Reindeer. (Merry Christmas!)  So, how you make a special based off the idea of a woman getting crunched to death by a reindeer. Well, you don't have her get crunched to death by a reindeer, because Children are watching, and because need to fill 50 minutes of run time.

          I'm going to insert a slight personal opinion: This is a special I do watch every year, even though it's not the best  it's still a weird thing to just watch for fun for me.

      This was directed by Phil Roman? wow.   The narrator for the special is  Elmo Shropshire, who is the singer of the original song so, that's nice touch.  He is being the adult version of main character Jake Spankenheimer , who is talking about his grandma.  The special starts with the famous song and grandma getting run over by a dang reindeer.  I mean, they went right for it, you saw the title Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer and well they are giving you a grandma getting run over by a reindeer.

Uhhhh  oops/ Copyright Warner Bros. 

            Jake says that this almost put an end Christmas. (almost? What, you got the insurance money?)  Meanwhile, they live in a town called Cityville (creative name for a city) and Grandma has a store.(Yeah her name is Grandma , she's not important enough for a name) If you have heard the song before, there's someone named Cousin Mel, well in this special that's a character. She's greedy.

She also attacks dolls/Copyright Warner Bros. 

          Also Jake has better speech to text software than we have in our own times, and I'm mad about this.  Jake's sister taunts him for still believing in Santa because  kids between the ages of 6-11 don't believe in Santa, I guess.   The sister gets a name, Daphne, so does the dog, Doofus, (that's the dog's name; we aren't calling you names)  The dad gets a Christmas tree that is filled with air because,  science? 

Why? / Copyright Warner Bros. 

        Austin Bucks (get it , hold on too early here please hold) is the richest man in town (get it, bucks, rich ha ha ) and he pretty much owns everything in the city.  In fact, the company is called "Own All Corp" (C O M M E N T A R Y) he doesn't own Grandma's store, so he wants to buy it.  Now why does he want to buy the store? To use it as a hub to deliver Christmas presents on Christmas Eve. (What?)  Like Santa, oh wait that's right Jake, there is no Santa hahahhahahaha. (C O M M E N T A R Y)  So he asks her if he could by the store, she says no, he offers money, she asks Jake, he says no, and she then say no. (What would have done if Jake said "Take the Money!"?)
                 

No Deal, troll/ Copyright Warner Bros.

    Mel  doesn't like this, because she thinks she going to get some of Grandma's cash if she had yes? Mel creepily hits on Austin Bucks. Grandma even tells Mel that the store will never be hers? (No will for her) Random song about fruit cake.  Like really, Jake (the narrator version) mentions his Grandma's fruit cake and a song about Grandma's killer fruit cake appears.  It's so random , you know for a special about a Grandma getting runover by a reindeer.  Which, we've not got back to yet.

The state of Kentucky is trying to leave!/ Copyright Warner Bros. 

       Cousin Mel gets Grandma and Jake away from working of fruit cake ( OOOH FRUIT CAKE SONG, cut that out! Oh Sorry)  and  she poisons the food.  Really, pours stuff in the food so the food gets people sick, and Grandma has to sell. (Genius plan?)   They found to insert that line from the song about egg nog into the dialogue. (Wonderful?)   She's allergic to eggs because we can't have Grandma getting drunk on spiked egg nog in a children-targeted special about a Grandma getting runover by a reindeer.   Oh, the dad gets a name, it's Frank, yeah Grandpa doesn't get a name, Grandma gets no one, Mom gets no name, but Dad gets a name!  The special does show us how Grandma and Jake are close.

aww , it would be bad if you like got ran over by a reindeer/Copyright Warner Bros.

more after the jump
   

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           Jake asks his Grandma if she ever saw Santa; she says no, and he says if she ever runs into him, say hello for me. (NOOOOOO)  The song is playing that must mean it's time for her to get run over by a reindeer.  They try to insert the song with actions into the special because alright then. Then she gets hit by a reindeer!  Jake looks out the window for a long time for the commercial break.  (yay!) 

After these messages/ Copyright Warner Bros. 

                   

         Jake runs down the stairs and says Grandma got Runover by a Reindeer. He tries to explain to his family. The family doesn't seem concerned that maybe the old lady got run over by a reindeer. Grandpa apparently saw this though.  Also, Grandma is not out there now. (History Channel Guy : It was Aliens!)  They call the cops who seem very non-nonchalant.  Why does the police manual say there is no Santa Claus, who is this for?  The song comes back, and it doesn't match anymore because the lines in the song they find grandma in the snow; in this special, she's not there at all, so good work special. Good work. Also, the song is the jolliest song about someone getting ran over ever.   Doofus (the dog , we aren't calling you names) finds Grandma's shoe,her mug, her drugs, cookies, and fruit cake. Also Mel grabs a piece of paper and tells no one so, she's our villain.   

                                     

Arrest me officers,I'm evil  / Copyright Warner Bros. 

   

           The police woman calls Grandma "The old broad" which is not a line you are expecting, but am now not expecting it.  For months(!) It's hard to find Grandma. The montage, still has forced lines from the song. Never seen something based off a song try so hard to force the lyrics into the special before.  People aren't shopping at Grandma's  store because she's not there which bodes well when she dies in the future, because she's not dead.  Austin Bucks comes to the store, because Mel asks him to come over.   I will add that Austin isn't playing the evil rich guy; yeah really, like when Mel offers him the store he tells her, she can't sell because her name isn't on the deed, and only Grandma and Grandpa can do it.  No scheme on underhanded trick, it's kind of nice that they didn't stock rich guy number 9.   Mel's plan is trick Grandpa into signing.   But first, another random song. It's about Grandma hanging out with all the other dead people.  (I didn't need to see Granny undies though, that was too much.)   

Let's go! / Copyright  Warner Bros.

             He seems to have gotten over his wife getting crunched to death, fairly well.  He signs the paper giving Mel power of afternoon of his affairs.  (Because, he's an idiot.)   Mel tells the family they are going to be rich! This is where she reveals the news about her taking over the store and going to sell it to Bucks. (for bucks!)   Jake roller blades to his office to stop everything. (90s! )  There's a lawyer named I AM Slime. (LAWYER JOKE LAUGH LAUGH BECAUSE LAWYER JOKE) Bucks says that he can't stop the sale, but Grandma can.  Cousin Mel says she wants to take him out to consummate the deal.   (So that was said.)  Austin proves helpful again by saying hey Jake go find Grandma. He recommends that Jake should talk to Santa if he thinks Santa ran over Grandma.  

    IT TOOK 9 MONTHS AND NO ONE THOUGHT OF THIS!  (weeps in the corner) 9 monthts! 9 months! 

    Sorry we had to get a different writer , the other one broke.    Jake emails Santa to help him find Santa.   I'm also jealous of Jake's speech to text tech.  An elf named Quincy finds the letter while Santa is annoyed that he hasn't gotten a letter from Cityville. Why?  There are other cities, Santa!  Anyway, Grandma is there and she has amnesia.  I have a question, how come he doesn't know who she is, how many people is he running over?  But I guess, plot reasons?   

At least 35 people get ran over each year/ Copyright Warner Bros 

        Quincy goes to Jake.  He abducts Jake  (HC guy : Aliens!) while a song plays in the background about Santa giving up. Santa does know everything about Jake, which is uhhh interesting.  Oh good they found each other, they can go home , figure out the amnesia , and go save the store! Yay 30 minute special over!  Oh wait, no there's more, much more. 

          Santa and Jake go see Austin, so Mel and her lawyer kidnap Grandma. Santa explains to Austin that  something made his reindeer go "Wa-ha" and run over Grandma. He left a note (that Mel took,earlier if you were paying attention) and Santa mentions he provides free healthcare. (C O M M E N T A R Y)  Since Grandma is missing again, Mel has Santa arrested.   Mel and Slime have Grandma in a cabin in the Woods. (not the movie)  But first, a song that is a Christmas classic : Grandpa's gonna sue the  pants off a Santa! 

      Now it's time for a trial.  The D.A 's name is Hardtongue ? I'm out, let the original guy take over.   There's an O.J Simpson trial reference because why the heck not?  Now everyone believes that Santa exists.  Jake and Doofus  (the dog) go and search for Grandma. This special had weird thing where when Jake puts on his coat , his PJ are on again, it's kind of random, but yeah it's like they only had one model of Jake wearing a coat or something.  They find the Cabin the in the woods where Grandma is being kept.  Jake finds that her fruit cake returns her memories. (THAT'S THE POWER OF FRUIT CAKE)  

        

             They head to court to help Santa. Santa is found innocent of making her dis appear.  Jake then proves that Santa left a note, and that that Mel put stuff that reindeer seem to like causing them to the reindeer to run over the woman.  Mel is arrested and Austin even throws a snide remark at her.   Anyway, the special is over, Christmas is saved, Austin doesn't want to buy the store, he wants to franchise her store instead.  Then she gets hit by a reindeer again. Sequel bait? (Grandma Got Run over again: Electric Bugaloo)

   

          I'm not going to say this is a masterpiece, because it's not. It's not awful into the ground where there's nothing entertaining about it. I watch it every year.  Since it's based off a song called Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer; it's hard to expect more from it because it's based off a song called "Grandma Got Runover by a reindeer".  I'm not even sure how you could even make this special better because honestly, it could have been really worse.
 
            The animation it's middle (not bad, not good) I mean they have some strange errors and some mistakes look to have been made and kept it.  The songs are not too bad  but, not good. Grandpa Suing the Pants off a Santa is catchy as heck though.  I found enjoyment from how weird and strange it is, and can find some laughs from it.  So, it's not the Christmas masterpiece, and kind of awful, but still somewhat strangely enjoyable. 

      That's our lookback, tune in next time when we sue pants off a Santa!