The Gift of Winter
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| The Gift of Winter | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Animated Christmas special |
| Written by | John Leach Isobel Jean Rankin |
| Directed by | John Leach Isobel Jean Rankin |
| Starring | Dan Aykroyd Valri Bromfield Gilda Radner Gerry Salsberg |
| Theme music composer | Peter Rochon |
| Country of origin | Canada |
| Original language(s) | English |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | John Leach Isobel Jean Rankin |
| Running time | 25 min. |
| Production company(s) | Leach/Rankin Productions |
| Release | |
| Original network | CBC Television |
| Original release | November 19, 1974 |
| Chronology | |
| Followed by | Witch's Night Out |
| External links | |
| [{{#property:P856}} Website] | |
Search The Gift of Winter on Amazon.
The Gift of Winter is a Canadian animated television Christmas special that premiered on CBC on November 19, 1974.[1]. Produced in Toronto, a number of young, as-yet-unknown actors largely associated with the Second City troop provided the characters’ voices. It received a number of plays on CBC in the 1970s and early 80s before it was finally released, slightly abridged, on VHS in 1987 by Family Home Entertainment. As well, a book of the same title based on the program was published by Prentice-Hall, Inc., in 1977[2]
Jonathan Rogers (previously known as John Leach) more recently formed a partnership with James Cross to form Cross/Rogers.[3], which gave The Gift of Winter a full release on DVD in November 9, 2014[4] in conjunction with Mill Creek Entertainment[5]. The show was released for screening by HULU on October 1, 2016[4] and Amazon Prime on October 30, 2016[4]
According to its creators[6], the film suffered from a low budget and limited resources which gave it a sketchy, avant-garde look that was not prized at the time. Its better-known sequel, Witch’s Night Out (a Halloween special released in 1978 by the same production company), had a higher budget and superior production values, and subsequently outperformed The Gift of Winter. Ironically, Rogers now wishes Witch's Night Out shared a look more similar to The Gift of Winter.
Plot[edit]
In an age before snow, the residents of Anytown publicly commiserate about how awful the season of winter is. One among them, a man named Goodly (Dan Aykroyd), suggests that complaining will do no good and that they ought to actually do something about it. The principal characters then introduce themselves to everyone: Goodly and Nicely (Gilda Radner), an avuncular, philanthropic pair; Rotten (Dan Aykroyd) and Malicious (Gilda Radner), a pair of unpleasant, slightly sinister misanthropes; Bazooey (Gerry Salsberg), a happy-go-lucky teenager; and Small and his older sister Tender (Valri Bromfield), a pair of spunky children.
The town decides to go on a protest march to the Ministry of Winter to lodge a formal complaint, a mission that Goodly promises to see them all home from before Christmas Eve. The enthusiastic townsfolk break up to begin to make preparations. Small and Tender express a desire to join in but are gently turned away by Goodly and Nicely, who advise them to remain at home with their parents. Meanwhile, Rotten and Malicious quietly plot to bring along dynamite to blow up the Ministry of Winter.
The protestors set out on the march across the bleak countryside. As they realize how long the march is, more and more of them begin to abandon the effort and turn back. In the meantime, Small and Tender have defiantly set out on their own to join the march, becoming lost along the way. They are aided by the trees of the forest, who cheer the idea of improving winter. After sheltering for the night under the branches of Maple (Dan Aykroyd) and Spruce (Gerry Salsberg), the children are guided by the trees to their friends, and quickly join them. They are allowed to join the five remaining marchers once Bazooey volunteers to look after them, and the seven of them set off to complete the mission.
Realizing that Christmas Eve has arrived, Goodly despairs of their goal and his rash promise, and is on the verge of ending the mission when Bazooey spots the Ministry of Winter, a huge, Stalinesque edifice built into a mountainside. The friends enter the Ministry and find it populated by large, officious, ice-formed people. A guard (Valri Bromfield) stops them before eventually giving them directions to the Secretary of Cold, who can arrange an audience with Winter himself. The friends find the Secretary of Cold (Valri Bromfield), a busy, high-level bureaucrat merrily conducting miserable weather across the hemisphere. She initially insists that Winter is too busy to possibly see the petitioners, but they find the key to her bureaucratic heart by offering to fill out forms. When she leaves to have the forms processed, the friends take the opportunity to contact Winter directly. An outraged Winter (Gerry Salsberg) demands to meet with these people daring to bring him a complaint, and Goodly and Nicely enter the chambre for an audience with Winter, an ice giant sitting behind a huge, elevated desk in an empty hall.
Nicely and Goodly present Anytown’s complaints and a request for winter to be made more pleasant. Offended, Winter angrily informs them that he administers winter according to rules set out at the creation of the universe and that nothing can change that. Defeated for the moment, Goodly and Nicely withdraw to consider their options. Meanwhile, Rotten and Malicious sneak into the chambre, plant the dynamite behind Winter’s throne, light the fuse, and flee.
Small, Tender, and Bazooey wander into the chambre and, without realizing they are being overheard by Winter, begin to speculate as to why he’s so mean. Bazooey suggests that perhaps such an exalted figure as Winter is lonely, and behaves meanly as a result. Moved by their compassion, Winter begins to weep silently, and his falling tears burst into snowflakes, surprising and delighting the kids.
Rotten and Malicious meet up with Goodly and Nicely outside the Ministry. They realize the youngsters remain inside and will be blown up along with the building. Initially unable to re-enter and raise the warning, they finally manage to return to the chambre just in time for the thickly falling snow to extinguish the dynamite fuse. Tender hopes to bring the newly-created snow home as a present for Christmas, only to realize that it already is Christmas. Winter, having had a change of heart, promises to get them all home directly so that they will not miss the holiday. Exiting the Ministry, the seven friends find snow being introduced to the world, and with the help of Winter and Secretary of Cold, they are whisked home to Anytown, which they find joyfully in the midst of its first snowfall. The successful friends are welcomed home as Winter, from the heights above the town, wishes everyone a Merry Christmas before departing to return to the Ministry.
Cast[edit]
| Actor | Role(s) |
|---|---|
| Dan Aykroyd | Goodly, Rotten, Maple |
| Valri Bromfield | Tender, Guard, Secretary of Cold |
| Gilda Radner | Nicely, Malicious, Narrator |
| Gerry Salsberg | Small, Bazooey, Winter, Spruce |
Credits[edit]
Story, script, artwork, animation, and camera[edit]
John Leach, Isobel Jean Rankin
Directed[edit]
John Leach, Isobel Jean Rankin
Voices[edit]
Dan Aykroyd, Valri Bromfield, Gilda Radner, Gerry Salsberg
Music[edit]
Peter Rochon
Sound[edit]
Patrick Spence-Thomas
Post production[edit]
Bruce Sabsay, Eric Kirsh
Animation studio assistants[edit]
Bill Reed, Lynda Cook, David Altman, Wendy Perdue, Naomi Rankin Leach, Ben Rankin Leach
References[edit]
- ↑ The Gift of Winter (TV Movie 1974) - IMDb, retrieved 2022-08-26
- ↑ "ISBN 0133548864 - The Gift of Winter Direct Textbook". www.directtextbook.com. Retrieved 2022-08-25.
- ↑ "Cross/Rogers". anytown. Retrieved 2022-08-25.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 "HOME". anytown. Retrieved 2022-08-25.
- ↑ "The Gift of Winter by Mill Creek Entertainment - Shop Online for Movies, DVDs in Fiji". www.fishpond.com.fj. Retrieved 2022-08-25.
- ↑ Witch's Night Out & The Gift of Winter (Leach/Rankin A moment in time), retrieved 2022-08-25
External links[edit]
- The Gift of Winter at IMDB
- Anytown (creators)
- Gift of Winter (home site)
- The 1974 special in its entirety on YouTube
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