VeggieTales- The Star of Christmas - Trailer
| “ | ” | |
— Cavis and Millward got the idea through the advert in the newspaper in the opening' | ||
The Star of Christmas is a Christmas special, based on the direct-to-video show VeggieTales, presented by Big Idea Productions, that premiered on October 26, 2002. The story is set in London in 1882, with a Dickens quality to it, and it centered on two would-be operatic composers. It was followed with a 2004 sequel called An Easter Carol (a direct Easter set parody of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol), which features the same characters and setting.
Synopsis[]
In 1882 London, Cavis Appythart and Millward Phelps—jingle writers who decide to make their big break into musical theatre. While Millward is content to see their work featured on billboards and in newspapers, Cavis believes they can make a difference in crime-ridden London by staging a grand musical that will move the citizens to greater expressions of love. Their opportunity arises when Millward's Uncle Nezzer grants them the use of his theater on Christmas Eve. They plan the huge production of a new musical called "The Princess and the Plumber". Unfortunately, the script is not yet complete, and the premiere is only 3 days away.
Seymour Schwenk (Sullivan's and Gilbert's middle names), their friend and an inventor, shows up in an experimental rocket car (a direct reference to Chitty Chitty Bang Bang) and delivers a box of light bulbs to them. Cavis maintains that if their production is glitzy and bright (electric lights are still a novelty at this time and were first introduced at the Savoy Theatre for Gilbert and Sullivan's Patience) then it will be a bigger hit and reach more people. He plans to integrate the lights directly into the scenery itself (and, soon, the costumes as well).
However, they still have much work to do. They need to convince the city's premiere talent, Constance Effie Pickering, to star in the lead role, and they need to get a commitment from Prince Calvin Fredrick to attend the premier. While Cavis and his assistant Bob Winston work on Pickering and the Prince, Millward struggles to complete the script. Everything comes together, and Cavis starts feeling confident that their production will be a huge success. The Prince tells Pickering that her pipes are corroded they water can't drain and her toilet exploded, she's flushing in vain.
After noticing a flyer for a Christmas pageant planned to debut on the same night at a local church, Cavis goes to investigate. He observes Edmund Gilbert preparing a low-budget children's play, and concludes that it poses no threat to their grand production. However, the pageant intends to feature an object called the "Star of Christmas". Wondering aloud about this as he leaves the church, Cavis is overheard by Arthur McHollingshead. Arthur, a historian, reveals that the Star of Christmas is an ancient relic that has not been seen by the public in 79 years. He rushes off with great excitement to report the news, which promptly makes the front page headline the following morning.
| “ | Cavis: Okay, we need the prince to see our show, but he's gonna go see the Christmas pageant. So what do we do? Seymour: Kidnap him! (to Millward) Is that legal? Millward: Um, no. |
” |
— Seymour’s suggesting an idea to make the Crown prince see their show. | ||
Faced with the prospect of losing their audience (and in particular the Prince) to the pageant, Cavis vows to make their own production greater and flashier than before. But they can't compete with the Star of Christmas, and in desperation Cavis and Millward go to the church to steal the Star. They are caught, however, and narrowly escape from the aged "Moyer the Destroyer" who was left to guard the relic. With the Star and the flashy lights, Cavis is certain that "The Princess and the Plumber" is now a guaranteed success. But during dress rehearsal, the excessive amount of lights (a suspected fire hazard all along) ignite the curtains. In minutes the theater goes up in flames and with it the Star of Christmas. As they stand and rue this terrible turn of events, an officer named Dwiglight Howarde arrives with Moyer LaGumtree, and Cavis and Millward are arrested.
In the jail, they meet a prisoner, Charles Pincher, who laughs at their efforts to spread love by means of an elaborate stage production. He claims that real love does not expect fame or wealth in return, that real love makes sacrifices to help others without expectation of personal gain. That kind of love, he says, is extremely rare.
Moyer Finds The Real Star Of Christmas - The Star of Christmas
As if on cue, Edmond and his father, Jesse, arrive at the jail to release Cavis and Millward. They have chosen not to press charges for the theft of the Star. Cavis is moved, and he expresses his desire to attend the pageant. But the pageant starts in ten minutes and there is not enough time to get there. Just then Seymour shows up in this rocket car. He entrusts Millward to drive the vehicle and try to get them all to the church on time. It's a harrowing ride fraught with collisions and near-misses, but they do arrive just as the pageant is about to start to crash through a bakery and a bank.
The pageant goes on with the Prince and Miss Pickering and everyone else in attendance. Cavis finally learns that Christmas is not about glitz and grand productions; he understands that it is about a baby in a manger, Jesus, who is the real "Star of Christmas". After the play, Moyer shows up and says that the real Star of Christmas (the object) is actually safe, and that they actually took the Turtle of Damascus, which most people consider a hoax. The episode ends with Cavis and Millward performing a selfless act at last: they bring cookies and a gift to Charles Pincher in his jail cell, Cavis says, smiling warmly, "Merry Christmas Mr. Pincher."
Cast[]
| Voice actor/actress | Character(s) |
|---|---|
| Dan Anderson | Reverend Gillbert (Dad Asparagus) |
| Matthew Hodge | Wiseman Pea |
| Tim Hodge | Charlie Pincher Walla Group |
| Mike Nawrocki | Millward Phelps (Larry the Cucumber) Winston (Jean Claude Pea) Constable (Jerry Gourd) Faerie Peas Stranger Pea Cast Members |
| Jim Poole | Moyor (Scooter) |
| Jacquelyn Ritz | Miss Effie Pickering (Madame Blueberry) Laura Carrot |
| Mike Sage | Tradesman (Scallion #3) |
| Lisa Vischer | Edmind Gilbert (Junior Asparagus) |
| Phil Vischer | Seymour Schwenk (Pa Grape) Cavis Appythart (Bob the Tomato) Percy Pea Phillipe Pea Arthur Hollingstead (Archibald Asparagus) Plumber (Jimmy Gourd) Prince Frederick (Mr. Lunt) Uncle Ebenezer (Mr. Nezzer) Faerie Peas Stranger Pea Cast Members |
| Shelby Vischer | Abigail (Annie Onion) |
| Josh Vulcano | Angel Pea |
| Ian Anderson Aimee Dupriest Adam Frick Peggy Heinrichsen Julea Love |
Laura Richey Jesse Tewson |
Songs[]
- "First Big Break"
- "We Are the Faerie Peas"
- "Plumber, You Dropped Your Possum"
- Oh, Santa! (PBS Kids only)
- "Flushing in Vain"
- "Plugged Up Love"
- "O Come, O Come Emmanuel"
Trivia[]
- When the episode first aired, Oh, Santa! was added in the PBS Kids broadcast.
- The numbers on Cavis and Millward's plaques are the birth dates of both Phil Vischer and Mike Nawrocki, respectively.
Goofs[]
- In one shot where Cavis is standing while Seymour says "Now the Germans are working on an internal combustion engine", the texture on the walls of the theater flickers due to a rendering error.
- The rocket car's lights turn off and on between shots.
- As Miss Effie Pickering leaves, her hat clips into the door in one frame.
- The outline of the small books appear to flash when Cavis is thinking while he's holding the newspaper.
- When Cavis and Millward hit the locked doors, they clip through it.
- Millward's coat clips through the rocket car's chair.
- After the rocket car passes through the Tradesman's cart of hats, Cavis loses his top hat, but later regains it after the church pageant.
- Cavis's top hat is on his head as the rocket-car crashes through the bakery and the bank even though it flew off when they crashed into a wagon.
- When the rocket-car is going forward and propelling them up into the air as they fly over the entire city of London, an animation error featuring a small white part over Cavis's eyelids can be spotted for one frame before the camera shifts to the drawbridge.
- The church's doors change between open and closed between shots.
- There are some shots where the London building backdrops are shown at inconsistent angles. One shot shows them in a lower position, but the shots after that show the buildings back to their normal position.
- In the credits, Edmund's name was misspelled as Edmond.
Home video releases[]
US releases[]
2002
2002
2003
2004
2004
2013
2018
International releases[]
2003
2005
2005
2008
2009
2011
Gallery[]
See also[]
- The Toy that Saved Christmas
- VeggieTales Christmas Spectacular!
- Saint Nicholas: A Story of Joyful Giving
- It's a Meaningful Life
- Christmas Sing-Along Songs!
- The Little Drummer Boy
- Merry Larry and the True Light of Christmas
- Beauty and the Beet
- The Best Christmas Gift
- The Gift of Giving