Mr. Willowby's Christmas Tree
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''Mr. Willowby's Christmas Tree'' is a 1995
Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a Religion, religious and Culture, cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by coun ...
television special A television special (often TV special, or rarely television spectacular) is a standalone television show which may also temporarily interrupt episodic programming normally scheduled for a given time slot. Some specials provide a full range of en ...
starring
Robert Downey Jr. Robert John Downey Jr. (born April 4, 1965), also known as RDJ, is an American actor. One of the highest-grossing actors of all time, his films as a leading actor have grossed over $14 billion worldwide. In 2008, Downey was named by ''Time ...
,
Stockard Channing Stockard Channing (born Susan Antonia Williams Stockard; February 13, 1944) is an American actress. List of awards and nominations received by Stockard Channing, Her accolades include three Emmy Awards, a Tony Award, and a nomination for an Acade ...
and
Leslie Nielsen Leslie William Nielsen (February 11, 1926November 28, 2010) was a Canadian actor and comedian. With a career spanning 60 years, he appeared in more than 100 films and 150 television programs, portraying more than 220 characters. He made his a ...
, featuring
Kermit the Frog Kermit the Frog is a Muppet character created in 1955 and originally performed by Jim Henson. An anthropomorphic green frog, Kermit is the pragmatic everyman protagonist of numerous Muppet productions, most notably as the showrunner and host o ...
as a
narrator Narration is the use of a written or spoken commentary to convey a story to an audience. Narration is conveyed by a narrator: a specific person, or unspecified literary voice, developed by the creator of the story to deliver information to the ...
and various other Muppets created exclusively for the special. It was sponsored by
Nabisco Nabisco (, abbreviated from the earlier name National Biscuit Company) is an American manufacturer of cookies and snacks headquartered in East Hanover, New Jersey. The company is a subsidiary of Illinois-based Mondelēz International. Nabisco' ...
and originally aired December 6, 1995 on CBS. The special was based on a 1963 book of the same name, by Robert Barry. In 2005, ''Mr. Willowby's Christmas Tree'' was adapted into a children's theater stage production by the Way Off Broadway Dinner Theatre.


Plot

The special begins with the song "The Perfect Tree", which features both Mr. Willowby (
Robert Downey Jr. Robert John Downey Jr. (born April 4, 1965), also known as RDJ, is an American actor. One of the highest-grossing actors of all time, his films as a leading actor have grossed over $14 billion worldwide. In 2008, Downey was named by ''Time ...
) singing about his desire to find the perfect
Christmas tree A Christmas tree is a decorated tree, usually an evergreen pinophyta, conifer, such as a spruce, pine or fir, associated with the celebration of Christmas. It may also consist of an artificial tree of similar appearance. The custom was deve ...
and, within Willowby's house, a father
mouse A mouse (: mice) is a small rodent. Characteristically, mice are known to have a pointed snout, small rounded ears, a body-length scaly tail, and a high breeding rate. The best known mouse species is the common house mouse (''Mus musculus'' ...
singing that he will go out to get a tree for his family (his two children, Beverly and Ned, decide to come with him). After the song is finished, Willowby asks his
butler A butler is a person who works in a house serving and is a domestic worker in a large household. In great houses, the household is sometimes divided into departments, with the butler in charge of the dining room, wine cellar, and pantries, pantr ...
, Baxter (
Leslie Nielsen Leslie William Nielsen (February 11, 1926November 28, 2010) was a Canadian actor and comedian. With a career spanning 60 years, he appeared in more than 100 films and 150 television programs, portraying more than 220 characters. He made his a ...
) where his tree is. The special then follows the family of mice out in the woods looking for a tree. Eventually, the father mouse spots "the perfect tree", but it is far too large to fit into their tiny living quarters, so the family climbs the tree so that he can chop off the very top. Right when they reach the top, however, Willowby's
lumberjack Lumberjack is a mostly North American term for workers in the logging industry who perform the initial harvesting and transport of trees. The term usually refers to loggers in the era before 1945 in the United States, when trees were felled us ...
s arrive at the scene and cut the entire tree down (as they sing the song "We're Lumberjacks"). The family of mice hold on to the tree as it is brought to Willowby's house. The tree is set up in the house, and Willowby notices it is slightly too tall. He has Baxter cut off the very top, and then tells him to bring up the top part of the tree (which the mouse family is in) to one of his staff, Swedish maid Miss Adelaide (Channing), whom Willowby describes as being a very lonely person who doesn't even come down for Christmas. However, this is part of Mr. Willowby's hidden agenda of getting Baxter and Adelaide to admit their secret love for each other. Baxter does so, and while he is meeting with Adelaide, she describes her family's traditions at Christmas time. While they are talking, a romantic interest between the two of them is insinuated. At one point, Baxter notices the father mouse on the floor, but Adelaide says it is Christmastime and thus would be wrong to kill the mouse at this time. She places the mouse up on a banister, and he returns to the top of the tree with his children. After Baxter leaves, Adelaide notices that the tree in her room is slightly too tall, so she cuts off the top and throws it out the window (with the mouse family in it). Before the father mouse can cut off the top, a
bear Bears are carnivoran mammals of the family (biology), family Ursidae (). They are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans. Although only eight species of bears are extant, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats ...
picks up the tree and brings it home to her den and family to use as his own Christmas tree. The bears engage in their Christmas festivities (The Honeypot Waltz), and eventually notice that the tree is too tall. They cut off the top (which once again has the mice in it) and throw it outside. The family of mice laugh at all they've been through that evening, only to then be picked up (along with the remnants of the tree) by an
owl Owls are birds from the order Strigiformes (), which includes over 200 species of mostly solitary and nocturnal birds of prey typified by an upright stance, a large, broad head, binocular vision, binaural hearing, sharp talons, and feathers a ...
. Meanwhile, back at the manor, Mr. Willowby is piling gifts around the tree, but notices he doesn't hear Baxter anywhere. To his great satisfaction, he quickly finds the butler standing in the snow underneath Miss Adelaide's window, listening to her sing. The owls set up the tree in their own den, and then engage in an angelic chorus (the mouse family speculates that they never knew owls could be so musical). Eventually, they too notice that the tree they have is too tall, and so they cut off the top and throw it (along with the mice) outside. The father mouse then raises his axe to cut off a tree from the remnants that have been thrown outside, but then realizes that the tree as it is actually the perfect size for his own home. He and the other mice return to the manor. But Baxter catches Beverly by the tail, grousing over the possible mouse infestation. Fortunately at that moment, Willowby's Christmas Ball is about to begin, and as the guests arrive, he hears Miss Adelaide leaving her room. Knowing how she would feel, he releases Beverly and tells her to "Hurry home for Christmas." The mice race into their den with the tree, cheering that their Christmas can begin. Meanwhile, Mr. Willowby's Christmas party is in full swing. Adelaide comes down this time, and begins to dance with Baxter. With Mr. Willowby joining their dance for a moment, he turns to gaze upon the tree, and launches into a final rendition of "The Perfect Tree". The show ends with the narrarator Kermit The Frog leaving the darkened manor at party's end, wishing the audience Happy Holidays and good night. As the credits roll, Ned and Beverly begin relating their adventure to their mother while father dozes by the fireplace.


Cast

*
Robert Downey Jr. Robert John Downey Jr. (born April 4, 1965), also known as RDJ, is an American actor. One of the highest-grossing actors of all time, his films as a leading actor have grossed over $14 billion worldwide. In 2008, Downey was named by ''Time ...
as Mr. Willowby *
Stockard Channing Stockard Channing (born Susan Antonia Williams Stockard; February 13, 1944) is an American actress. List of awards and nominations received by Stockard Channing, Her accolades include three Emmy Awards, a Tony Award, and a nomination for an Acade ...
as Miss Adelaide *
Leslie Nielsen Leslie William Nielsen (February 11, 1926November 28, 2010) was a Canadian actor and comedian. With a career spanning 60 years, he appeared in more than 100 films and 150 television programs, portraying more than 220 characters. He made his a ...
as Baxter the Butler


Muppet performers

*
Bill Barretta William Barretta is an American puppeteer, producer, writer, director, and actor, best known for his involvement with the Muppets. Barretta performs the Muppet characters Pepe the King Prawn, Bobo the Bear and Johnny Fiama, he also inherited t ...
as Bear * Julianne Buescher as Beverly Mouse *
Steve Whitmire Steven Lawrence Whitmire (born September 24, 1959) is an American puppeteer, known primarily for his work on '' The Muppets'' and ''Sesame Street''. Beginning his involvement with the Muppets in 1978, Whitmire originated the roles of Rizzo the R ...
as Bear,
Kermit the Frog Kermit the Frog is a Muppet character created in 1955 and originally performed by Jim Henson. An anthropomorphic green frog, Kermit is the pragmatic everyman protagonist of numerous Muppet productions, most notably as the showrunner and host o ...
, Owl * Kevin Clash as Father Mouse, Owl * Bruce Lanoil as Owl, Bear *
David Rudman David Rudman (born June 1, 1963) is an American puppeteer, puppet builder, writer, director, and producer known for his involvement with the Muppets and ''Sesame Street''. Rudman currently performs the roles of Scooter, Janice, and Beaker for ...
as Ned Mouse


Accolades

Score- and songwriters Patty and Michael Silversher were nominated at the 48th Primetime Emmy Awards for the song "The Perfect Tree". The special also won a Casting Society of America award for "Best Casting for TV Nighttime Special".


References


External links

* {{The Muppets productions 1995 television specials 1990s American television specials Christmas television specials The Muppets television specials CBS television specials CBS original programming The Jim Henson Company Kermit the Frog American Christmas television specials