| The Christmas Raccoons | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Kevin Gillis Paul Schibli |
| Produced by | Kevin Gillis |
| Written by | Kevin Gillis Juliet Law Packer |
| Starring | Rich Little Rita Coolidge Rupert Holmes |
| Music by | Kevin Gillis Jon Stroll |
| Editing by | Gerald Tripp |
| Distributed by | CBC |
| Release date(s) | December 17, 1980 |
| Running time | 25 min. |
| Country | Canada |
| Language | English |
The Christmas Raccoons is the first of four television specials before the main animated television series succedding it, The Raccoons, took place. It was first broadcast on December 17, 1980.[1]
Contents |
The story takes place in the Evergreen Forest, home of the forest ranger Dan, his children Tommy and Julie, and their pet sheepdog, Schaeffer. It's the day before Christmas Eve, and Ranger Dan receives a call that all the trees in the forest are disappearing. Tommy and Julie are concerned, but Dan tells them that he'll get to the bottom of this. That night, Tommy, Julie, and Schaeffer go to sleep and start to dream of playing in the snow. Meanwhile, in another part of the forest, a trio of raccoons (married couple Ralph and Melissa and their friend Bert) prepare their home, The Raccoondiminium, for Christmas. Suddenly, Ralph reads in the paper that all the trees in the forest are disappearing, and he and Melissa worry that their home is next. Not too far away from the Raccoondiminium, local aardvark millionaire Cyril Sneer is revealed to be the tree thief. His plan is to cut down every tree in the forest and make a profit out of the lumber. His college-educated son Cedric tries to talk him out of his crazed plans to destroy the whole forest, reasoning that they already have enough trees. Cyril ignores Cedric and chops down a whole line of trees, including the Raccoondiminium. However, Cyril loses the Raccoons' tree and Tommy, Julie, and Schaeffer find it and take it home.
Left without a home, the Raccoons try to find who's behind the destruction of the forest. Ralph sees the kids and Schaeffer dragging it to the cabin and deduces that they are the ones responsible for stealing all the trees and they follow the kids to get their home back. Tommy and Julie go to town to collect presents for their dad, leaving Schaeffer alone in the cabin. The Raccoons make their way inside where they find the Raccoondominium decorated with ornaments, tinsel, and lights. As Melissa tries to get their Christmas stockings back, Schaeffer wakes up from his nap and chases the Raccoons through the forest. The chase leads the four animals to Cyril's lumber headquarters, where Schaeffer finds out the truth about his family's Christmas tree, as do the Raccoons about his innocence. The animals then team up to plan to catch the real tree thief. As Cyril and Cedric head out to cut down the rest of the trees in the forest, the Raccoons and Schaeffer catch the two Sneers. After some convincing that there's a profit in planting trees, Cyril eventually promises to replant all of the trees. Schaeffer hears the kids calling for him in the distance and he and the Raccoons leave in triumph.
The animals are pleased that they have saved the forest, but the Raccoons are upset that they are left without a home. The four walk back to the cabin, wish each other a Merry Christmas, and Schaeffer returns to the cabin, where Julie and Tommy wait for him. Just then, Julie and Tommy see the homeless Raccoons in the cold and realize that their Christmas tree must be the Raccoons' home. Julie phones their father to ask him to find a new home for them. Dan agrees and the group celebrate. The next day, the kids rush to open their presents, but are surprised that it's only Christmas Eve and they must have dreamt the events of the previous 'day'. However, Dan tells the kids that the trees have miraculously stopped being cut down. He reads a newspaper article to them which says that thousands of seedlings were planted overnight, but the identity of the one responsible is unknown. Suddenly, Schaeffer alerts the kids to the window again and they can see the Raccoons and a new re-planted tree not far from the cabin. The Raccoons wave goodbye to the kids and Schaeffer and climb into the tree to settle into a new home.
The Raccoons On Ice/The Christmas Raccoons VHS 1982
The Christmas Raccoons Books
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