The Christmas Tree (1991 film)
The Christmas Tree is a 1991 Brazilian-American animated Christmas special directed by Flamarion Ferreira and written by Nels Christianson. This special has been called "the worst Christmas Special of all time", and has been compared to The Room, being dubbed "The Room of Christmas Specials".
Plot
An orphanage in a small town is run by the cruel Mrs. Malvilda. The seven orphans who live there don't have any new clothes or toys or enough food to eat because whenever the mayor donates money to the orphanage every year before Christmas, Mrs. Malvilda either spends it on herself or gambles it away in poker games. One of the few things the orphans take comfort in is the large pine tree growing outside their home, which they call "Mrs. Hopewell." They believe that Mrs. Hopewell is magical, that it watched over them, and that the tree would one day bring them parents who would adopt them.
After a time, a family of four arrives in town, looking for work and a place to stay. Although the father, Ray, is given a job at a lumber mill and thus can stay in a boarding house, the rest of his family must live somewhere else. Thus, his wife Judy is given a job as Mrs. Malvilda's assistant in return for herself and her two children, Lily and Pappy, being allowed to live in the orphanage. However, her children are forced to reside in the dormitory with The Other Children during their stay and adhere to the same rules and punishments as the orphans. The orphans warm up to Judy and her children, and they introduce them to Mrs. Hopewell and Licorice, a stray Labrador that they keep secret from Mrs. Malvilda after she attempted to turn him over to the pound.
Judy tells the orphans all AbOUT Christmas, and even builds a small playground for them outside around Mrs. Hopewell. When the mayor sees the other children getting along so well and living so happily under Judy, he decides to donate even more money to the orphanage this year. However, Malvilda puts all of the money on the line in a poker game and loses it all. Judy finds out about how she gambled it away, but Malvilda forces her to keep quiet about it. Nevertheless, she decides that she has to get rid of Judy, and decides to frame her for theft, just as she apparently did to a previous assistant. She calls up an associate named Frank to help her frame Judy, but one of the orphans overhears the plot and tells the rest of the children. They decide that they must get help from Santa Claus, and the five orphans select Lily and Pappy to go to the North Pole. They embark in an old sled pulled by Licorice, but are attacked by a grizzly bear. In the ensuing fight, both Lily and the bear plummet off a cliff. Pappy and Licorice search for Lily, to no avail.
Back at the orphanage, Malvilda decides to thoroughly RUiN the children's Christmas by firing Judy and [...] down Mrs. Hopewell. She calls up Frank and orders him to bring an electric chainsaw to cut down the tree, but Judy and the five orphans make their stand to defend the tree. The noise draws the attention of the mayor as he passes by in his limousine, and he arrives on the scene. Shortly afterwards, Pappy and Licorice return, and the former informs his parents of Lily's fate. The mayor finally discovers the truth behind what has been happening to his donation money when he sees the children in ragged clothing, and when Judy further explains the situation, the mayor assures the children that the tree will be fine, and Mrs. Malvilda will be punished. The scene eventually draws a massive crowd, and Mrs. Malvilda make a final stand by taking the chainsaw from Frank and attempting to cut down the tree herself. However, a bolt of lightning strikes the tree at that moment, destroying the chainsaw and electrocuting Malvilda.
Santa Claus flies in on his sleigh, dropping bright lights onto the tree and lavishly decorating it, bewildering the entire town. Lily then jumps out of Santa's sleigh and is reunited with her family and friends. Santa leaves, dropping gifts down into the town and magically transforming all of the children's ragged clothing into fine, brand new outfits before leaving. The narrator explains that Judy took control of the orphanage, with a reformed Mrs. Mavilda as her assistant, and all of the children are now happy. The film ends with the narrator giving the film's message, "You always win when you are good. Merry Christmas everybody."
Cast
- Dr. William Louis Griffin Jr as the Narrator / Buzz / Santa
- Elyse Meryl Elly Drygas as Lily Kindle
- Ayal Joseph Kleinman as Pappy Kindle
- Karen Weinstein Drygas as Judy Kindle
- Dr. Paul Michael Whyte as Ray Kindle / The Mayor
- Helen Quirk as Mrs. Malvilda
- Maya Salzman Melczer as Louie
- Maki Wendi Becker as Maria
- Michele Aki Becker as Sarah / Jeff
- Leana Sussman Kleinman as Bob
External links
- The Christmas Tree on TV Tropes