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Annabelle's Wish is a 1997 American direct-to-video animated Christmas film that revolves around a young calf who aspires to learn to fly and become one of Santa Claus' reindeer.[2] It is narrated by American country singer Randy Travis and stars voice actress Kath Soucie as the voice of Annabelle. Hallmark Home Entertainment released the film to video on October 21, 1997, followed by a television broadcast later that year on Fox.

Annabelle's Wish
DVD cover
Directed by	Roy Wilson
Written by	Dan Henderson (short story) Jane Baer John Bettis Ken Blackwell John Couch Gary Edwards Bruce Faulk Kathy Grover Riki Hobin Jay Johnson Jaime Barton Klein George Larrimore John Lewis Barbara Dunn-Leonard Sheryl Scarborough
Based on	"Clarabell the Christmas Cow" by Dan Henderson
Produced by	Barbara Dunn-Leonard
Starring	Kath Soucie Randy Travis Cloris Leachman Jerry Van Dyke Jim Varney Rue McClanahan
Narrated by	Randy Travis
Edited by	Tom Gleason Clay Iverson Terry Moore
Music by	Steve Dorff
Production company	Ralph Edwards Productions
Distributed by	Hallmark Home Entertainment
Release date	October 21, 1997
Running time	54 minutes[1]
Country	United States
Language	English

Plot

Annabelle, a calf, is born on Christmas Eve in the rural farming community of Twobridge, Tennessee. Upon meeting Santa Claus, she becomes fascinated with reindeer and their ability to fly, and wishes to fly herself.

Having been granted the temporary ability to speak, she befriends farmer Charles' grandson, Billy, who is mute from inhaling some smoke from the fire that killed his parents. Billy's Aunt Agnes, the sister of Billy's late father, arrives from the city the next morning. Charles despises Agnes and the two get into an argument about Billy's well being, with Charles pointing out that Agnes didn't want custody of her nephew, but she had changed her mind, mostly in order to have a "perfect Christmas". Charles refuses to give Billy up, but Agnes threatens legal action against him. Meanwhile, Annabelle accidentally reveals her ability to speak, but her mother Star tells her that Billy cannot speak, therefore their secret is safe. They go sledding with Billy's friend Emily and accidentally crash into the fence of Gus Holder, a former friend of Charles, whose sons Bucky and Buster pick on Billy over his muteness. Knowing that Charles cannot pay for the damages to the fence so Gus takes Annabelle until Charles can raise the money, which he does by selling an old music box that belonged to Billy's mother, the late Sarah Baker. Annabelle enjoys the change of seasons with Billy and Emily.

Winter comes around and Bucky and Buster harass Emily and Billy. When the harassment becomes physical, Annabelle retaliates by knocking them down. The boys lie about the incident to their father who calls the sheriff, but he had received an eyewitness statement from the school bus driver. Gus sends his sons to their room and the sheriff talks to him about how his Ebenezer Scrooge-like behavior since his wife's passing has affected his sons and that Charles had to sell his daughter's music box to an antique dealer in town in order to pay for both the damages to his fence and to get Annabelle back to which Gus starts to feel disgraced about what he did to both Charles and Billy after the sheriff reminds him about what it's like to lose a loved one.

Agnes' attorney has found a loophole that would grant her custody, but only if Billy can overcome his muteness and start speaking again, he can stay with Charles. The animals push Agnes' car into a ditch so she has to spend the night with Charles and Billy. That night, Santa comes and Annabelle asks him to give her Christmas voice to Billy. Touched by her selflessness, he agrees.

The next morning, Billy finds a present and, opening it, he magically gets his voice back, allowing him to stay with Charles, thus making the custody order invalid. Billy shows Annabelle his ability to speak, but is shocked to discover that she gave up her voice for him. Gus, Bucky, and Buster arrive and apologize for their behavior. Gus reveals that he bought the music box and gives it to Charles. Agnes and Gus become acquainted, and according to the narrator, they marry and Agnes becomes a step-mother to Gus's two sons.

Years later, Billy and Emily have grown up and got married and they now own the farm after Charles' retirement. Annabelle, having grown old and weary, gives up on her belief that she will ever fly. On Christmas Eve, Santa Claus arrives to fulfill her true wish and she becomes a young reindeer and is given back her voice. She flies away as Santa's lead and bids Billy a Merry Christmas.

Cast

• Randy Travis as the narrator and adult Billy
• Kath Soucie as Annabelle (both young calf and adult reindeer)
• Hari Oziol as young Billy
• Jerry Van Dyke as Grandpa Charles Baker
• Cloris Leachman as Aunt Agnes
• Jim Varney as Gus Holder
• Charlie Cronin as Bucky Holder
• James Lafferty as Buster Holder
• Aria Curzon as young Emily
• Beth Nielsen Chapman as adult Emily
• Kay E. Kuter as Santa Claus
• Jennifer Darling as Star
• Rue McClanahan as Scarlett
• Jerry Houser as Slim
• Steve Mackall as Owliver
• Brian Cummings as Brewster
• Mary Kay Bergman and Tress MacNeille as the hens
• Jay Johnson as Ears
• Clancy Brown as the town sheriff and the lawyer
• Stu Rosen as Doc Taylor
• Tress MacNeille, Alison Krauss, and Frank Welker provided additional voices.

Music

The film's score was by Steve Dorff, who also wrote the film's songs with John Bettis and Travis. The songs were performed by Travis, Alison Krauss, Beth Nielsen Chapman, Dolly Parton, Kevin Sharp, and Nanci Griffith.[3][4]

Release

Annabelle's Wish was released by Hallmark Home Entertainment on October 21, 1997,[5] and was the first film created by Ralph Edwards Films to be released.[5][6] The film later aired on Fox on November 30, 1997.[3][7][8]

Reception

The special received mixed reviews from critics. Lynne Heffley of the Los Angeles Times praised Travis' narration, the score and songs, and the film's "gentle message of selfless love".[3] Andrea Higbie of The New York Times referred to the character of Agnes as the film's version of Cruella de Vil, and wrote that the film would appeal to young viewers but that "its narcissistic dysfunction angle ("If Aunt Agnes doesn't love Billy, why does she want to take him away from Grandpa?") will leave them wishing for a villainess who simply has fur coats on her mind," in reference to de Vil.[9]

When the film premiered on Fox, it was the highest-rated television program among children between the ages of two and five.[8] Annabelle's Wish was also among the top-five best-selling videos during November and December 1997,[10][11][12][13][14] and was Hallmark Home Entertainment's best-selling video as of January 1998.[15] A portion of the video sale revenues were donated to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.[1]

See also

• List of Christmas films
• Santa Claus in film

References

External links

• Annabelle's Wish at IMDb

На других языках

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- [en] Annabelle's Wish

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[ru] Аннабелль

«Аннабе́лль» (англ. Annabelle's Wish, дословно переводится как «Желание Аннабелль») — американский мультипликационный фильм. Премьера в США — 21 октября 1997 года. Мультфильм был дважды выдвинут на награждение в 1998 году.[1]

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