Annabelle's Wish

Annabelle's Wish
Directed by	Roy Wilson
Produced by	Barbara Dunn-Leonard
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
Narrated by	Randy Travis
Starring	Randy Travis Jay Johnson Jerry Van Dyke Jim Varney Rue McClanahan Cloris Leachman Aria Curzon James Lafferty Charlie Cronin Jennifer Darling Clancy Brown Stu Rosen Jerry Houser Brian Cummings Mary Kay Bergman Tress MacNeille Kay E. Kuter Kath Soucie Steve Mackall Hari Oziol Beth Nielsen Chapman Frank Welker Nanci Griffith Alison Krauss Kevin Sharp Robin Williams
Music by	Steve Dorff
Editing by	Tom Gleason Clay Iverson Terry Moore
Studio	Ralph Edwards Productions
Distributed by	Hallmark Entertainment
Release date(s)	21 October 1997
Running time	54 min.
Country	USA
Language	English

Annabelle's Wish is a 1997 animated Christmas film that revolves around a young calf who aspires to learn to fly and become one of Santa Claus' reindeer. It is narrated by Randy Travis and stars veteran voice actress Kath Soucie. It originally aired on FOX

Plot

The story of the film is based on an old legend, that Santa Claus (or God in the original legend) gives animals the ability to speak on Christmas.^{[citation needed]} The film takes place in a fictional rural farming community named Twobridge somewhere in Tennessee where a young calf named Annabelle is born on Christmas Eve. Upon meeting Santa Claus, she becomes fascinated with reindeer and their ability to fly, and wishes to fly herself. At the same time, having been gifted with the temporary ability to speak, she befriends her farmer's grandson Billy, who suffers from muteness due to smoke inhalation after a fire in the barn. Throughout the course of the year, they learn the true value of friendship and learn that with faith and a willingness to overcome great odds, anybody can achieve their dreams. Once Annabelle loses her ability to talk, the ability is permanently given to Billy, who later finds out. At the end of the movie, when Billy is a grown man married to his best friend Emily, Santa Claus grants Annabelle's wish of flying by turning her into one of his reindeer.

Cast

• Annabelle: A young calf who aspires to fly like Santa Claus' reindeer. She is very close to Billy. Young Annabelle and adult Annabelle are voiced by Kath Soucie.
• Billy Baker: Grandpa Baker's beloved grandson who suffers from muteness due to smoke inahlation caused by a furious barn fire in his childhood that took the lives of his parents. He now lives with his grandfather and is Annabelle's best friend. Young Billy is voiced by Hari Oziol and adult Billy is voiced by Randy Travis, who also narrates the story.
• Grandpa Baker: Billy's loving grandfather who dreams to help his grandson speak again. He firmly believes in Christmas as well as miracles. He is voiced by Jerry Van Dyke.
• Santa Claus: The kind-hearted gift-giver who grants the animals their ability to talk and ultimately, Annabelle's wish. He is voiced by Kay E. Kuter.
• Aunt Agnes: The movie's main antagonist, Agnes is Billy's wealthy and selfish aunt who seeks to gain custody over her nephew, despite the fact that she doesn't seem very interested in actually caring for him. She is voiced by Cloris Leachman.
• Star: Annabelle's mother who is named for the distinctive star-shaped mark on her forehead. She is a voice of wisdom for her young daughter. She is voiced by Jennifer Darling.
• Bucky and Buster Holder: Billy's two schoolmates who constantly make fun of his inability to speak. Bucky is the tall, thin one while Buster is short and pudgy.
• Gus Holder: Charles' grumpy neighbor who used to love Christmas just as much as everybody else until he grew up. He is voiced by Jim Varney.
• Emily: Billy's best friend. She is voiced by Aria Curzon as a child but by Beth Nielsen Chapman as an adult.
• Sheriff: The town sheriff. He is voiced by Clancy Brown.
• Scarlet: Charles' beautiful horse. She is voiced by Rue McClanahan.
• Slim: The pudgy pig of the flock. He is voiced by Jerry Houser.
• Owliver: The gang's flightless owl. He is voiced by Steve Mackall.
• Hens: They are the girlfriends of Brewster the Rooster. They are voiced by Mary Kay Bergman and Tress MacNeille respectively.
• Brewster the Rooster: The confident, loud-mouthed rooster of the group. He is voiced by Brian Cummings.
• Ears: Charles' dog who constantly trips over his floppy ears. He is voiced by Jay Johnson.
• Tress MacNeille, Alison Krauss, and Frank Welker provided additional voices.

External links

• Annabelle's Wish at the Internet Movie Database