Prancer (1989)

The entire family will delight in the charm of Prancer which is sure to be around for many holiday seasons to come. It's the heart-warming story of 8-year old Jessie who rescues a reindeer that she firmly believes is Santa's Prancer. It's also about her strained relationship with her father. They've had difficulty communicating with each other, since the recent death of Jessie's mother. Jessie, fearful that her father will disapprove, hides Prancer in the shed and does neighborhood chores to pay for Prancer's food. She decides to write to Santa about their plight and delivers her letter to a shopping mall Santa and instructs him to deliver it to the real Santa. The mall Santa takes her disarmingly innocent letter to the town paper where it's printed as a holiday feature article. The town is enchanted with Jessie and her Prancer, who is no longer a secret. When a door is left open and Prancer wanders in, making shambles of the house, Jessie's dad sells Prancer. Jessie is saddened to see her beloved reindeer fenced in a small area and used as a Christmas display and resolves to return him to Santa.