Mr. Willowby's Christmas Tree
Encyclopedia
Mr. Willowby’s Christmas Tree is a television
Christmas special that first aired in 1995. The special stars Robert Downey, Jr., Leslie Nielsen
, and Stockard Channing
. It also features Kermit the Frog
as a narrator
and various other Muppets created exclusively for the special.
The special was based on a 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 & Children's Theatre
.
and, within Willowby’s house, a father mouse
singing that he will go out to get a tree for his family (his two children, a boy and a girl, decide to come with him). After the song is finished, Willowby asks his butler, Baxter (Nielsen) 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 lumberjacks 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 tenants, Miss Adelaide (Channing), whom Willowby describes as being a very lonely person who doesn’t even come down for Christmas.
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. 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
picks up the tree and brings it home to his den and family to use as his own Christmas tree.
The bears engage in their Christmas festivities, 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
.
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 home with the tree. At the same time, Willowby’s Christmas Ball is taking place. Adelaide comes down this time, and begins to dance with Baxter.
award for “Best Casting for TV Nighttime Special”
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
Christmas special that first aired in 1995. The special stars Robert Downey, Jr., Leslie Nielsen
Leslie Nielsen
Leslie William Nielsen, OC was a Canadian and naturalized American actor and comedian. Nielsen appeared in more than one hundred films and 1,500 television programs over the span of his career, portraying more than 220 characters...
, and Stockard Channing
Stockard Channing
Stockard Channing is an American stage, film and television actress. She is known for her portrayal of First Lady Abbey Bartlet in the NBC television series The West Wing; for playing Betty Rizzo in the film Grease; and for her role as Ouisa Kittredge in the play Six Degrees of Separation and its...
. It also features Kermit the Frog
Kermit the Frog
Kermit the Frog is puppeteer Jim Henson's most famous Muppet creation, first introduced in 1955. He is the protagonist of many Muppet projects, most notably as the host of The Muppet Show, and has appeared in various sketches on Sesame Street, in commercials and in public service announcements over...
as a narrator
Narrator
A narrator is, within any story , the fictional or non-fictional, personal or impersonal entity who tells the story to the audience. When the narrator is also a character within the story, he or she is sometimes known as the viewpoint character. The narrator is one of three entities responsible for...
and various other Muppets created exclusively for the special.
The special was based on a 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 & Children's Theatre
Way Off Broadway Dinner Theatre
The Way Off Broadway Dinner Theatre, also known as Way Off Broadway or WOB, is a regional dinner theater and children’s theater located in Frederick, Maryland.-History:...
.
Plot
The special begins with the song “The Perfect Tree,” which features both Mr. Willowby (Downey Jr.) singing about his desire to find the perfect Christmas treeChristmas tree
The Christmas tree is a decorated evergreen coniferous tree, real or artificial, and a tradition associated with the celebration of Christmas. The tradition of decorating an evergreen tree at Christmas started in Livonia and Germany in the 16th century...
and, within Willowby’s house, a father mouse
Mouse
A mouse is a small mammal belonging to the order of rodents. The best known mouse species is the common house mouse . It is also a popular pet. In some places, certain kinds of field mice are also common. This rodent is eaten by large birds such as hawks and eagles...
singing that he will go out to get a tree for his family (his two children, a boy and a girl, decide to come with him). After the song is finished, Willowby asks his butler, Baxter (Nielsen) 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 lumberjacks 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 tenants, Miss Adelaide (Channing), whom Willowby describes as being a very lonely person who doesn’t even come down for Christmas.
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. 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
Bear
Bears are mammals of the family Ursidae. Bears are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans, with the pinnipeds being their closest living relatives. Although there are only eight living species of bear, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats throughout the Northern...
picks up the tree and brings it home to his den and family to use as his own Christmas tree.
The bears engage in their Christmas festivities, 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
Owl
Owls are a group of birds that belong to the order Strigiformes, constituting 200 bird of prey species. Most are solitary and nocturnal, with some exceptions . Owls hunt mostly small mammals, insects, and other birds, although a few species specialize in hunting fish...
.
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 home with the tree. At the same time, Willowby’s Christmas Ball is taking place. Adelaide comes down this time, and begins to dance with Baxter.
Accolades
Score- and songwriters Patty and Michael Silversher were nominated for an Emmy for the song “The Perfect Tree.” The special also won a Casting Society of AmericaCasting Society of America
Founded in Los Angeles, California in 1982, the Casting Society of America is a professional society of about 350 casting directors for film, television, and theatre in Australia, Canada, Italy, the United Kingdom and the United States. The society is not to be confused with an industry union. The...
award for “Best Casting for TV Nighttime Special”