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*The Christmas Raccoons*
The Christmas Raccoons
	Title card
Written by	Kevin Gillis; Juliet Law Packer
Directed by	Kevin Gillis; Paul Schibli
Starring	Len Carlson; Michael Magee; Carl Banas; Rita Coolidge; Bob Dermer; Fred Little; Rupert Holmes; Tammy Bourne; Hadley Kay
Narrated by	Rich Little
Theme music composer	Kevin Gillis; Jon Stroll
Country of origin	Canada; United States; United Kingdom
Original language	English
Production
Producer	Kevin Gillis
Editor	Gerald Tripp
Running time	25 min.
Production companies	Gillis-Wiseman Productions; Atkinson Film-Arts
Original release
Network	CBC
Release	December 17, 1980
Related
	The Raccoons on Ice (1981)

The Christmas Raccoons is the first of four Canadian animated television specials, before the main animated television series succeeding it, The Raccoons, took place.^[1] It was first broadcast on CBC in Canada on December 17, 1980 and three days later in first-run syndication in the United States on December 20.^[2] The story takes place in the Evergreen Forest, home of the forest ranger Dan, his children Tommy and Julie, and their pet sheepdog, Schaeffer.^[3]

The special was followed by The Raccoons on Ice (1981) and The Raccoons and the Lost Star (1983), the direct-to-video special The Raccoons: Let's Dance! (1984) and finally the television series beginning in 1985.

Plot

On December 23, Ranger Dan receives a call that all the trees in the forest are disappearing. Tommy and Julie are concerned, but Dan is doing the investigating. Meanwhile, in another part of the forest, a trio of raccoons (married couple Ralph and Melissa and their friend Bert) prepare their home, The Raccoondominium, for Christmas. Their joy is cut short when they see in the news that all the trees in the forest are disappearing. Nearby, local aardvark millionaire Cyril Sneer is revealed to be the tree thief hoping to make a profit out of the lumber. His college-educated son Cedric tries to talk him out of his crazed plans to destroy the whole forest. Cyril ignores Cedric and chops down a whole line of trees, including the Raccoondominium. However, Cyril loses the Raccoons' tree and Tommy, Julie, and Schaeffer find it and take it home.

Left without a home, the Raccoons try to find who's behind the destruction of the forest. Ralph sees Tommy, Julie and Schaeffer dragging it to the cabin and deduces they are the forest destroyers and follows them. While Tommy and Julie go out, leaving Schaeffer alone in the cabin, the Raccoons sneak inside and find the Raccoondominium decorated with ornaments, tinsel, and lights. As Melissa tries to get their Christmas stockings back, Schaeffer wakes up from his nap and chases the Raccoons through the forest. The chase leads the four animals to Cyril's sawmill, where they find the source of the forest destruction. As Cyril and Cedric head out to cut down the rest of the trees in the forest, the Raccoons and Schaeffer catch the two Sneers. After some convincing that there's a profit in planting trees, Cyril reluctantly agrees to replant all of the trees.

The animals are pleased they have saved the forest, but the Raccoons are still homeless. Schaeffer returns to the cabin, where Julie and Tommy wait for him. Just then, Julie and Tommy see the homeless Raccoons in the cold and realise that their Christmas tree must be the Raccoons' home. Julie phones their father to ask him to find a new home for them. Dan agrees and the group celebrate. The next day Julie and Tommy wake up only to find it is Christmas Eve and they must have dreamed the events of the previous 'day'. However, Dan tells them that the trees have miraculously stopped being cut down. He reads a newspaper article to them which says that thousands of seedlings were planted overnight, but the tree planter is anonymous. Suddenly, Schaeffer, Julie and Tommy see outside the window the Raccoons settling in a newly re-planted tree nearby.

Cast

Len Carlson – Bert Raccoon
Michael Magee – Cyril Sneer
Carl Banas – Schaeffer
Rita Coolidge – Melissa Raccoon
Bob Dermer – Ralph Raccoon
Fred Little – Cedric Sneer
Rupert Holmes – Dan the Forest Ranger
Tammy Bourne – Julie
Hadley Kay – Tommy
Rich Little – Narrator

Songs and performers

Rita Coolidge - "Lost Angels", "Lake Freeze"
Rupert Holmes - "Shake The Sun", "Perfect Tree"

Production

Production of the special began in 1979 and completed in 1980.

References

^ Crump, William D. (2019). Happy Holidays--Animated! A Worldwide Encyclopedia of Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and New Year's Cartoons on Television and Film. McFarland & Co. p. 64. ISBN 9781476672939.
^ "Christmas cartoon latest success for TV performer". Ottawa Citizen. Retrieved 30 October 2010.
^ Woolery, George W. (1989). Animated TV Specials: The Complete Directory to the First Twenty-Five Years, 1962-1987. Scarecrow Press. pp. 83–84. ISBN 0-8108-2198-2. Retrieved 27 March 2020.