Jeung Choi's Birthday Surprise

Jeung Choi's Birthday Surprise is a 1994 television movie based on the Happy Family series aired on syndication in 1994. It was adapted as a storybook in 2015 after its original airing

## Characters

* Jeung Choi
* Ms Choi (flashback)
* Mr Choi (flashback)
* Kim Choi
* Otto/Narrator
* Grandpa
* Birthday Bunny
* Citizens

## Plot

### Act I

Kim Choi's birthday is tomorrow, Kim Choi can't sleep because of their dog barking, Otto tells the story how Jeung Choi's birthday

The story takes place before Kim Choi was born and Jeung Choi was the only chilf on the block. During fall, when he isn't playing with his friends down by the bog, he enjoys asking Mr Choi different questions about life. Mr Choi, although he has no idea how to answer most of his son's questions, plays along anyway. As Fall transitions to Winter, the cycle of questions continues.

During the long cold winter, no one has any explanation for why it doesn't seem (to want) to end. Both Ms and Mr Choi are especially anxious for Spring, as they had a special birthday surprise planned, which neither of them care to disclose (although Jeung Choi does notice that he can't sit on Ms Choi's lap anymore, and it's not simply because he's getting bigger or taller). When Jeung Choi asks about Birthday, Papa tells him all about candy and the Birthday Bunny, but Ms Choi sings about new life and miracles.

### Act II

The family decides to visit the Birthday Bunny, The Town's official Birthday Bunny responsible for the beginning of spring, a visit. However, to their shock, they find out that he has quit. Mr Choi, while initially just as depressed as Jeung Choi is about the loss of spring, decides to be the Birthday Bunny ("I'll Be the Birthday Bunny/Jeung Choi's Birthday Fantasy") and create his own candy and cake factory, but it ultimately ends in disaster.

### Act III

Jeung Choi eventually decides to take matters into his own hands and begins a search to find the Birthday Bunny on his own. He encounters his friend Wickle Bunny, who turns out to be Birthday Bunny's son. Wickle takes him to a hidden spot no bear has ever been before, and the two then enter the (abandoned and in a dilapidated state) Birthday Factory and find Birthday Bunny who is asleep. They ask him to resume his duties of bringing spring and Jeung Choi's Birthday back, but he complains that the workload, responsibility of transitioning the seasons has become too much for him to handle in his old age, and he is simply too burnt out to continue. Despite Jeung's pleading, Birthday Bunny refuses to reconsider until he sees the Great Spring Rainbow, which relieves his ailments, revives his energy, and immediately puts his factory back in business.

### Act IV

On Jeung Choi's Birthday morning, Jeung Choi finds his Birthday cake, but Ms Choi has an additional Easter surprise for him. Baby Kim Choi. When Jeung Choi asks where she came from, Mr Choi is left speechless, but Ms Choi reminds Jeung Choi about the miracle of new life (and Ms Choi quickly notices that he can sit on his Mom's lap again).

## Background Information

* In France, TF1 in France aired the TV Movie as Cadeau d'anniversaire de Jeung Choi in 1995

## Credits

* Executive Producers: Phil Roman Bill Melendez and Greg Bailey
* Producers: Micheline Charest and Ronald A. Weinberg
* Storyboard Artists: Glen Kennedy, Sandy Fries, Lesley Taylor, Dainel DeBloies
* Based in the Books by Marc Brown
* Layouts at Wang Film Productions Inc.
* Animation Produced at Film Roman CiNAR Animation
* Production Services at Fil-Cartoons
* Additional Animation Produced at Neptuno Films, D'Ocon Films, A.Film, Big Star, The Baer Animation Company, Kroyer Films, Creative Caper Films
* Post Production at CiNAR Studios
* A Film Roman Production,
* In Association With CiNAR
* This Picture Made Under the Jurisdiction of I.A.T.S.E.-IA, Affiliated with A.F.L.-C.I.O
* ©1994 CiNAR/Film Roman/Marc Brown Studios
* In Memory of Dr Seuss, (1904-1991)