Annabelle's Wish

Annabelle's Wish is a 1997 American direct-to-video 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 American country singer Randy Travis and stars veteran voice actress Kath Soucie as the voice of Annabelle. Hallmark Home Entertainment released the film to video on October 21, 1997, followed by a television broadcast later that year on Fox. This movie was released on August 4, 1997.
== Plot ==
Annabelle, a calf, is born on Christmas Eve in the rural farming community of Twobridge, Tennessee. Upon meeting Santa Claus, she becomes fascinated with reindeer and their ability to fly, and wishes to fly herself.
Having been granted the temporary ability to speak, she befriends farmer Charles' grandson, Billy, who is mute from inhaling some smoke from the fire that killed his parents. They go sledding with Billy's friend Emily and accidentally crash into the fence of Gus Holder (Charles' former friend and the secondary antagonist of the film), whose sons Bucky and Buster pick on Billy over his muteness. Charles cannot pay for the damages to the fence so Gus takes Annabelle until Charles can raise the money, which he does by selling an old music box that belonged to his late daughter Sarah (Billy's mother). Annabelle enjoys spring, summer and fall with Billy and Emily.
Winter comes around and Bucky and Buster harass Emily and Billy. Annabelle knocks them down. The boys lie about the incident to their father who calls the sheriff, who already knows the truth from the bus driver. Gus sends his sons to their room and the sheriff talks to him about how his Ebenezer Scrooge-like behavior since his wife's passing has affected his sons and that Charles had to sell his daughter's music box to an antique dealer in town in order to pay for both the damages to his fence and to get Annabelle back to which Gus starts to feel disgraced about what he did to both Charles and Billy after the sheriff reminds him about what it's like to lose a loved one.
Billy's aunt Agnes (the sister of Billy's father and the main antagonist of the film) comes to claim Billy to complete her "perfect Christmas", despite not wanting to take him in when her brother and sister-in-law passed away. Her attorney found a loophole for her to take custody, but if Billy can overcome his muteness and start speaking again, he can stay with Charles. The animals push Agnes' car into a ditch so she has to spend the night with Charles and Billy. That night, Santa comes and Annabelle asks him to give her Christmas voice to Billy. Touched by her selflessness, he agrees.
The next morning, Billy finds a present and, opening it, he magically gets his voice back, allowing him to stay with Charles. Gus, Bucky, and Buster arrive and apologize for their behavior. Gus reveals that he bought the music box and gives it to Charles. Agnes falls in love with Gus, and Billy finds out that Annabelle has permanently given up her ability to speak so that he could have it.
Years later, Billy and Emily have grown up and got married and they now own the farm after Charles' retirement, Santa Claus fulfills Annabelle's dream to fly by making her one of his reindeer and returns her ability to speak again but not before she and Billy say their goodbyes.
== Cast ==
* Randy Travis as the narrator and adult Billy
* Kath Soucie as Annabelle (both young calf and adult reindeer)
* Hari Oziol as young Billy
* Jerry Van Dyke as Grandpa Charles Baker
* Cloris Leachman as Aunt Agnes
* Jim Varney as Gus Holder
* Charlie Cronin as Bucky Holder
* James Lafferty as Buster Holder
* Aria Curzon as young Emily
* Beth Nielsen Chapman as adult Emily
* Kay E. Kuter as Santa Claus
* Jennifer Darling as Star
* Rue McClanahan as Scarlett
* Jerry Houser as Slim
* Steve Mackall as Owliver
* Brian Cummings as Brewster
* Mary Kay Bergman and Tress MacNeille as the hens
* Jay Johnson as Ears
* Clancy Brown as the town sheriff and the lawyer
* Stu Rosen as Doc Taylor
* Tress MacNeille, Alison Krauss, and Frank Welker provided additional voices.
== Music ==
The film's score was by Steve Dorff, who also wrote the film's songs with John Bettis and Travis. The songs were performed by Travis, Alison Krauss, Beth Nielsen Chapman, Dolly Parton, Kevin Sharp, and Nanci Griffith.
Category:1997 films
Category:1997 animated films
Category:1997 Direct-to-video films
Category:Sonar Entertainment films