The Christmas Toy
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| The Christmas Toy | |
|---|---|
 "The Christmas Toy" VHS cover |
|
| Directed by | Eric Till |
| Produced by | Jim Henson |
| Written by | Laura Phillips |
| Starring | Dave Goelz Steve Whitmire Kathryn Mullen Jerry Nelson Richard Hunt Camille Bonora |
| Music by | Jeff Moss |
| Editing by | Geoff Craigen |
| Distributed by | Henson Associates Sony Pictures |
| Release date(s) | December 6, 1986 |
| Running time | 50 minutes |
| Language | English |
| IMDb profile | |
The Christmas Toy is a 1986 made-for-TV movie by The Jim Henson Company. It originally aired on ABC on December 6, 1986.
It has only been released on VHS format, with the latest release in 1998.
The film later led to a series: The Secret Life of Toys.
Contents |
[edit] Plot
When no people are around, the toys still play in the playroom. But since a toy will be frozen forever if a person catches it out of position, they have to be very careful. It's Christmas Eve, and Rugby the Tiger remembers how he was the Christmas Toy last year, and thinks he's going to be unwrapped again. And it's up to Apple the Doll, whom Rugby supplanted as favorite toy, to tell him what's in store. But Rugby won't believe her, and tries to get into the Christmas package and lets Meteora, Queen of the Asteroids loose. Unfortunately, she doesn't know she's a toy, and thinks she's landed among aliens. And it's up to Apple, Mew (the Cat's toy mouse), and the other toys to get Rugby out of the box and Meteora back in it before they're found and frozen forever!
[edit] Featured cast
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Dave Goelz | Rugby the Tiger |
| Steve Whitmire | Mew the Cat's Toy Mouse |
| Kathryn Mullen | Apple the Doll |
| Jerry Nelson | Balthasar |
| Richard Hunt | Belmont |
| Camille Bonora | Meteora, Queen of the Asteroids |
| Brian Henson | Cruiser |
| Rob Mills | Bleep |
| Nicky Tilroe | Ding-a-ling the Phone |
| Marsha Moreau | Jamie |
| Zachary Bennett | Jesse |
| Jim Henson | Kermit the Frog (Narrator) |
[edit] Similarities to "Toy Story"
A number of people have noticed striking similarities to the plot of this film and to Disney/Pixar's computer-animated feature film Toy Story, released in 1995. These similarities include (but are not exclusive to):
- Rugby, Jesse's old toy, is jealous and feels threatened by Meteora (who is a newer, space-themed action figure) and tries to get rid of her. In Toy Story, Woody, Andy's old toy, is jealous and feels threatened by Buzz Lightyear (who is a newer, space-themed action figure) and tries to get rid of him.
- Meteora, like Buzz Lightyear, does not understand that she is, in fact, a toy and not "Queen of the Asteroids". Rugby must teach her that being a toy is not inferior to her assumed role, as Woody must convince Buzz.
- As the voice of reason (and practically the only main female character in the cast), Apple the Doll serves the same purpose as Bo Peep.
- The toys revert to their inanimate form the moment a human nears. (Although The Christmas Toy adds the plot device that a toy is frozen forever if seen by human eyes.)
