Froggy Little Christmas

"Froggy Little Christmas" is the forty-ninth episode of Amphibia, and the ninth episode in the third season, serving as the mid-season three finale. It premiered on November 27, 2021.
==Synopsis==
Anne attempts to surprise her mom with a Thai Go float for the city Christmas parade while the Plantars struggle to understand the holiday. Meanwhile, King Andrias prepares a deadly surprise.
==Plot==
The Boonchuys are excitedly getting ready for the Christmas season, but the Plantars are confused by all the decorations. Anne tries to explain the holiday, but keeps getting distracted; forcing the Plantars to figure it out themselves. It turns out that every season, the Boonchuys try out to join the Christmas Parade to promote Thai Go. This year, they finally get an entry, but Mrs. Boonchuy turns it down to keep the Plantars safe. However, Anne decides to secretly build a float as a surprise as a way to pay her parents back. Meanwhile, King Andrias is given a remote control moth-like drone made by the Triple B to send to Earth so that he can find and destroy Anne once and for all.
Anne and the Plantars go to Jess and Ally, the IT Gals to get some robotic equipment from them. The Plantars ask them what Christmas is about and when Ally mentions that they need to get a gift for someone they care about, Sprig decides to make a gift for Anne. Later, they go to the museum to speak with Dr. Jan. While Anne collects numerous props, the Plantars listen to Dr. Jan drone about the history of Christmas, much to their displeasure, though they have a slightly better understanding of it. ("It sounds like swamp hallow's eve, but without the ritual sacrifices.") After successfully putting together the float, Anne reveals it to her parents who accept it and decide to join the parade.
The Boonchuys, the Plantars and the IT Gals drive the new and elaborate float through the parade to the delight of everyone. Andrias, who had been trying and failing to find Anne, finally finds her and uses his drone to inject nanites into a giant Santa float. The heroes are scared of the newly turned evil robot Santa and a chase ensues through the streets of Los Angeles. They throw everything they have off the float, but nothing seems to make any effect, except for the milk and cookie prop. Finally, Anne attaches the Christmas tree to a firecracker and they blast it at the Santa, impaling and shutting down both it and the drone. His plan ruined, Andrias blames the controller and lasers swords it repeatedly, while Darcy, Marcy's possessed form, mocks Andrias for his failure. He nevertheless is confident in his new army, vowing absolutely no one will stand in his way as the dimensional invasion approaches, not even Anne or Earth.
The Boonchuys and the Plantars return home and laugh off the events. Anne apologizes for how crazy things got, but Mrs. Boonchuy says that she was just happy that she could spend time with her. The Plantars finally realize that Christmas is about spending time with those you love and Anne finally gets a gift from a very reluctant Sprig; a small homemade figure of her because she is his hero. She thanks him and they share a hug before everyone heads inside to eat Christmas cookies.
In the final scene, Anne sits at the kitchen table and proceeds to write a letter; saying to the recipient that their daughter is alive and that she will get her back home. It is revealed that she is writing these letters to the Wus and Waybrights.
==Cast==
*Brenda Song as Anne Boonchuy
*Justin Felbinger as Sprig Plantar
*Bill Farmer as Hop Pop Plantar
*Amanda Leighton as Polly Plantar
*Dana Davis as Jess
*Melissa Villaseñor as Ally
*Brian Sounalath as Mr. Boonchuy
*On Braly as Mrs. Boonchuy
*Keith David as King Andrias
*Anika Noni Rose as Dr. Jan
*Haley Tju as Darcy
*Troy Baker as Barley, Blair
*Sam Riegel as Branson
*Rebecca Sugar as Becka Salt (uncredited)
=== Additional Voices ===
* Feodor Chin
* Cathy Cavadini
* Billy West
* Mary Elizabeth McGlynn
* Jason Marsden
* Kath Soucie
==Song==
*"Our Special Time of Year"
===Continuity===
*Hop Pop's gift about how to direct is what Hop Pop stated he would do after giving up acting at the end of "Hollywood Hop Pop".
*King Andrias mentions the Cloak-Bot's failure to assassinate Anne which was destroyed in "Anne-sterminator".
===Production Notes===
*This marks the mid-season finale of Season 3. Matt Braly admitted that the next episode: "Escape to Amphibia" was supposed to be the mid-season finale, but that he was okay with the change as he felt that the timing and release was more appropriate.
==Errors==
*Rebecca Sugar is not credited for this episode, despite voicing herself.
==Gallery==
==Trivia==
===General===
*This episode features a Christmas variant of the intro.
*This episode features an original song by Rebecca Sugar of Steven Universe fame. A character resembling her appears, but goes unnamed within the episode. In the book Marcy's Journal: A Guide to Amphibia, it is revealed that the woman's name is Becka Salt, a play on the actress' real name.
*This episode ends the running gag of Anne celebrating holidays in Amphibia that are simply the frog versions of holidays on Earth. These included "Grubhog Day" (Groundhog Day), "Harvest Day" (Thanksgiving), "Blue Moon Shut-In" (Halloween) and "Firefly Formal" (possibly Valentine's Day).
*While Dr. Jan mentions the yule log and the winter solstice as the basis of Christmas, she accurately adds that much of the cultural significance comes from Roman traditions as opposed to Pagan ones as many people erroneously believe.
*There is a fake TV movie poster for I Want a Hunky Lumberjack for Christmas on the Wallmark Channel, a parody of the Hallmark Channel.
*During the Christmas parade, a festive version of the ending credits theme plays.
*Ally and Jess are revealed to attend Community College, specifically Palm Tree Community College.
*The ending seems to imply that Sasha's parents are divorced or separated as Anne is sending two separate letters to her mother and father.
*Mr and Mrs. Boonchuy are from Thailand's capital city, Bangkok, before they immigrated to Los Angeles, California, United States.
*The credits feature an instrumental version of "Our Special Time of Year" combined with scroll images of Anne giving the butterfly to her mother, the same one she got in "Hopping Mall", Mr. Boonchuy sitting with the Plantars who have all recieved gifts, and Domino sleeping on Frobo's head.
*Anika Noni Rose and Keith David previously worked on The Princess and the Frog.
*King Andrias is vaguely aware of the Christmas Holiday, meaning that he most likely visited Earth at least once before in the past. Based on the fact that Barley, Blair, and Branson (or possibly even Marcy) are way more informed about it, it is possible that any or all of them simply taught him.
*Back in "The New Normal", Andrias tasked Cloak-Bot into destroying Anne and the Plantars without being seen by other people as he can't let the other world know about his invasion. Yet here, he has no problem attacking Anne, her Parents, and the Plantars in front of a large crowd.
*The credits also show what Sprig, Polly, and Hop Pop got for Christmas: Sprig got a Tarantulad action figure, Polly got a Narf Gun, and Hop Pop got a book on how to be a director.
*This is the last episode to air in 2021.
*Bratley, Branson, and Blair have joined King Andrias' invasion force in this episode.
== International Premieres ==
* November 28, 2021 (Canada)
* December 22, 2021 (Singapore)
* January 5, 2022 (Australia & New Zealand)
* February 4, 2022 (Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand)
* March 23, 2022 (United Kingdom & Ireland)
* April 7, 2022 (Poland)
*December 16, 2022 (Portugal)
*December 23, 2022 (Spain)
==References==
==External links==
*Froggy Little Christmas at the Amphibia Wiki
*Froggy Little Christmas at the Christmas Specials Wiki
Category:Amphibia episodes
Category:Holiday productions
Category:Christmas episodes