Moon (An Almost Christmas Story)

Moon is the main character in the 2024 Disney+ original Christmas short An Almost Christmas Story.
==Background==
===Physical appearance===
Moon is a diminutive-sized owlet with brown plumage all around his body resembling that of a saw-whet owl. He has a large round head with two large yellow eyes as well as three talons sticking out of his feet.
==Role in the short==
Moon is first seen flying across the forests of New York independently, just before he becomes distracted and sees a tin wrapper on the ground, which he picks it up and then flies to his family's nest. As Moon arrives home, Papa Owl scolds him for ruining a perfect nest. He then suggests his father that he can use the wrapper to build a silver nest, asking him of what is wrong with people looking at his family, which Papa Owl replies to him that as owls, they are not meant to be seen by predators such as humans or other animals. Moon's father warns his son that he has no idea the more he explores the world far from the forest, telling him to be a good brother and stay with his sibling Peaky while his father finds a new home for them. Moon then suggests his brother to fix the nest planning to rebuild the nest before his father returns finding sticks and twigs across the forest, much to Peaky's surprise.
As Moon is planning to get sticks to rebuild the nest, he becomes distracted seeing a city from a distance. While on his way to the city, a hawk flies and stalks him, only to be defended by his father. Throughout the chase, Moon receives a broken wing, unable to fly. Moon's father warns him to stay in the tree while he takes care of the hawk, but unfortunately disappears. The next day, the tree where Moon is resting becomes chopped down by a lumberjack using his chainsaw, just before moving his truck, still with Moon inside. Later, Moon finds himself inside New York City at Rockefeller Center on a Christmas tree and then mistakes the city for a forest. He then sees a reflection of himself on an ornament, just as he falls into the ice rink at Rockefeller Center where he is approached by an ice-skating girl named "Luna", only for two bystanders to help her while Moon becomes frightened by another one asks him to come with her, just as he wanders around the city passing by a folk singer playing his guitar.
As Moon is about to eat a piece of bagel at the streets, he becomes cornered by three pigeons - Pat, Pelly, and Punt, who harass him that the food they are eating is theirs, telling them to stay away from their food, while Pelly asks Luna of what happened to his wing. Luna claims that he broke his wing when he got into a fight with another bird, which the pigeons decide to take on him, even though Moon was not intentionally going to fight against them, just as they chase him across the streets and into a subway station. Moon escapes the pigeons and finds himself inside a less-crowded train where he finds Luna whom he met at the ice rink. Moon tries to back away from her, but tells her that she is kind to her, just as she introduces herself to the owl, which he also introduces himself to her. 
As Luna and Moon exit the train, they approach a map where the latter suggests to Luna about taking another train. However, a dog named "Dave" approaches Moon, revealing to him that he marked the place as his. After Dave leaves, Moon asks Luna if she saw a tree in the city, which she is unsure if she saw one. Exiting the station, Moon shares his story that every Christmas, he had humans visit the forest to see the owls, which his father did not want humans to come near his home. However, Moon becomes distracted upon seeing a cuckoo clock with an owl, reminding him of his father.
Later, Moon and Luna approach a bakery where they purchase a Christmas tree-shaped cookie, which Moon comments that the cookie she gave him was the worst food he ate, reminding Luna of her pet dog. Moon then bonds with his human friend, just as he shows her his unique ability what only owls can do (as in turning his head all the way around). However, when a bus advertising the Rockefeller Christmas tree passes by, Luna rushes to follow the spot where the tree would be, much to Luna's worry that she is not fast enough. Moon and Luna both feel worried that they both miss their home just before they stare at the folk singer.
As the singer performs a different song, the three pigeons Pat, Pelly, and Punt approach Moon, who is furious at them for bullying him about the food they refused to let him eat, explaining to the pigeons that he wants to go home just like Luna who also wants to go home, which the pigeons reveal that their home is in the city. Pat then reveals that she can help the heroes show the way back home. Moon reveals that he broke his wing and is unable to fly; as a result, Moon and his friend board a double decker bus in a plan for both of them to return to Rockefeller. Moon rushes towards the ice-skating rink while Luna grabs him and as the owlet attempts to fly, he falls down but is rescued by Pat, which Pelly, Punt, and Dave react to her heroic deed in helping Moon reach the star of the Christmas tree, giving him a good view of the city.
Later, Moon asks Pat if his father would find him, which she tells him to ask the people below him if they could find his father. Later, Luna asks a police officer that there is an owl on top of the Christmas tree to which a firefighter rescues him and brings him to Luna, who later brings him back to the forest the next day. As Luna brings Moon back to the forest, he ends up flying to find his father - his broken wing being fully healed. Moon's father is revealed to have been alive after his fight with the hawk at the sky, just as he happily reunites with him along with his sibling Peaky.
==Trivia==
*Moon was inspired by a real-life saw-whet owl named "Rocky" who was rescued from a Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center in 2020.
*According to Moon himself, he likes eating worms, insects, grubs, and small mice.
*The way Moon becomes distracted by shiny objects is similar to how birds like magpies are distracted when they see shiny objects along the way in real life.
==References==
Category:Owls
Category:Disney characters
Category:Animated characters
Category:Males
Category:Kids
Category:Characters who fly