Reindeer games with a fun edge

You’ll doubtless recall the most famous reindeer of all. But the most happening one? That has to be his son, Robbie.

It’s not because Robbie is sophisticated or suave; in fact, he is fairly dimwitted and clumsy. Yet as the star of “Robbie the Reindeer in Hooves of Fire” and “Robbie the Reindeer in Legend of the Lost Tribe,” a pair of British imports tonight on CBS, he leads some of the coolest holiday programs around.

Quirkily funny and teeming with pop culture references, the clay-animated programs don’t follow the strait-laced style of such classics as “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” which precedes them at 8 p.m. Instead, their slightly skewed charm lies closer to that of Tim Burton’s “The Nightmare Before Christmas” -- and Aardman Animations’ “Wallace & Gromit,” which is no coincidence considering that director Richard Goleszowski has an Aardman pedigree.

“Hooves of Fire,” the first “Robbie the Reindeer” installment, originally aired in Britain in 1999 with an all-star British cast and made its way to the Fox Family Channel a while back. Tonight’s version, however, has been revoiced with mostly American actors, but with no diminution in star power.

It opens with Robbie (Ben Stiller) landing at the North Pole, sent there by his dad to build some character. The sleigh team welcomes him, except for its longtime captain, Blitzen (Hugh Grant), who resents Rudolph’s fame. “Do children sing a song about me? No. Am I on the magazines? No. Do I endorse carpet cleaner? No, no, no, no,” Blitzen fumes, as he plots to crush Robbie.

With the young buck facing elimination from the team, he realizes the only way to regain the favor of Santa, a hipster nicknamed Weirdy Beardy (Jim Belushi), is to win in the Reindeer Games. Potbellied Robbie enlists the help of Donner (Britney Spears) and daft Old Jingle (Jerry Stiller) to train.

If the story seems somewhat predictable, it is -- because it’s riffing off films ranging from “Chariots of Fire” and “Star Wars” to “Rocky” and “The Karate Kid.” Just as delightful are allusions to musical figures like Sgt. Pepper’s and Seal.

The same elements combine equally well in the new sequel, “Legend of the Lost Tribe.” It pits Blitzen against his fellow reindeer in a diabolical scheme to build an amusement park, and Robbie leads the charge against him with the help of a band of Vikings, all named Magnus (and voiced by James Woods).

In both programs, many of the jokes work on separate adult and kid levels. Somewhat surprising for TV-G-rated fare, there are a few liberties taken in the language department. Strangest of all, Donner and the sexpot Vixen (Leah Remini), the two female reindeer, have breasts -- as if their long eyelashes and voices weren’t making their femininity clear enough.

Particularly prudish parents may want to shield their kids from this stuff -- and secretly tape it for themselves to watch later on.

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On the air

“Robbie the Reindeer in Hooves of Fire” airs at 9 tonight on CBS, followed at 9:30 by “Robbie the Reindeer in Legend of the Lost Tribe.” The network has rated both shows TV-G (suitable for all ages).