Masterworks Museum is hosting a behind the scenes look at one of our favorite childhood memories. The stop-action movie Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer tells the familiar tale of an unlikely hero (Rudolph) who saves Christmas by lighting the way for Santa's sleigh. Masterworks not only showcases the technology behind the famous movie, but also provides an intimate behind-the-camera look at the men and women who made it all possible.

The artist Arthur Rankin Jr., a longtime resident of Bermuda, was born in New York, USA in 1924. Arthur, born into a family of actors, chose to start his career in graphic design and later became an acclaimed writer, producer and director. His career flourished after meeting partner Jules Bass and after collaborating on stop motion, cell animation, and even live action musicals. Beginning in the 1960's, Rankin and Bass' production company Videocraft International began making stop-motion productions which they called "Animagic". All of this led up to the 1964 classic, Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. Made in at Tadahito Mochinaga's MOM film studio in Japan, this "Animagic" movie still delights children and adults alike.

Stop-motion animation is a very time consuming and tedious task, which requires the animator to move the puppets one frame at a time. At the Masterworks exhibit, guests are welcomed to try their hand at it; moving the characters one frame at a time and recording it with a provided iPad and posted instructions.

Immediately upon entering the exhibit, you'll notice snow encased footprints, complete with claws, adorning the floor. It sets the scene for you to imagine the crunching sound of the abdominal snowman traipsing through the snow.

The exhibit also showcases fake passports for each characters showing stamps for how many times they've left the North Pole.

A very interesting posting in the exhibit was the chart depicting how a character's mouth would be manipulated to show different sounds being made. This detailed description of the research carried out by the production team highlights their notorious attention to detail.

Further down the exhibit are three partitioned off sections, which were actual sets from the original filming. These sets are complete with lighting and film cameras, allowing viewers to look through the camera's lens to get an 'up close and personal' feel for what the director saw when he gazed through it. The scenes depict Frosty the Snowman and Rudolph, Mr. and Mrs. Claus, and The Great Ak.

Rudolf is the longest running and highest rated Christmas special in American television history; playing year after year to delighted audiences. It's so ingrained in American culture that this year the US Post Office will be issuing special postal stamps immortalizing the cultural phenomenon.

This exhibit will run now through January 13, 2015. The exhibit is free for members and $5 for non-members.

Masterworks Museum of Bermuda Art is located inside the Botanical Gardens at 183 South Shore Road, Devonshire. Visit their website at www.bermudamasterworks.com

Lindsey Lehman Sirju is the Bermuda Editor for Wandering Educators

All photos courtesy and copyright Lindsey Lehman Sirju