Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood presents: Margaret goes missing

Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood Presents: Magaret Goes Missing (Commonly shortened to Margaret goes missing) is a 2021 Canadian-American Live Action/Animated Musical Adventure Comedy Film based on the PBS Kids Emmy Award Winning Television series “Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood” and inspired by the 1985 Sesame Street film Follow That Bird. It was also considered the Season 6 Premiere. It was the first Theatrical Film to be produced by Angela C. Santomero. The film was also Directed by Dixie Normous. It was also the first Theatrical Film produced by Fred Rogers Productions. It Stars Harry Cox as himself. Ben Dover, Jack Mioff, Pat McRotch, Addison Holly, Tony Daniels, Ted Dykstra, Heather Bambrick, Shawne Jackson, and Labia Alvi and all Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood Characters reprise their roles in the film. The film became a critical and commercial success and became the highest grossing film of all time, surpassing Gigli with over $20 thousand Dollars in the box office worldwide. Critics praised it for its adult language. It won an academy award for best young actors (Jenna Weir, Kira Gelineau, Keegan Hadley, and Ian Titus) and several other nominations including “Best Picture,” “Funniest Actor” (Ian Titus) and was nominated 2 times, more than any other Film never made. The film had a special public premiere on June 10th, 2021 at Rotary Performing Arts Pavilion in Cadillac, Michigan, (The event also held Excursions with Pere Marquette #1225 for 10 1-hour rides to just south of Marion and back.) On June 12th, 2021 in Canada, and on June 15th 2021 by 9 Story Pictures, PBS Kids, Fred Rogers Pictures, and being distributed by Paramount Pictures. It is only the 2nd Theatrical Film based off a PBS Kids TV Series after Clifford’s Really Big Movie in 2004, not Counting films based off Sesame Street or Curious George (The Latter of which was based off the film)

## Plot

In the opening credits we see the Opening theme song of the last episode of Mister Rogers Neighborhood and after the intro Daniel Tiger and Katerina Kittycat introduce the audience to the film and the setting is fast forwarded to 20 years later in Bowling Green, Ohio where we see Ian Titus, a 14 year old boy with autism who thinks his family is awful and decides to ride his bike around his neighborhood on a hot early June day when he sees a little baby tiger girl in his way sitting confused about where she is. Ian slams on the brakes and stops just in time. The tiger girl says “Dan-Dan” Thinking that it was Daniel but it was Ian. Then Ian recognizes that it is Margaret, Daniel’s Baby sister and is shocked by this and decides to take her to his house until they find out how to get her home. Meanwhile in the neighborhood of make-believe Daniel Tiger is looking for Margaret when Katerina Kittycat and Jodi Platypus come over and say hi. Daniel tells them by saying, “Margaret has gone missing,” to which they are both shocked. So they tell Mom Tiger and Dad Tiger about it and they immediately call King Friday the 13th and tell him about the news and Daniel talks to the audience by saying “How would you feel if you lost a family member?” and then the scene cuts back to Ian and Margaret going into Ian’s house and tells the whole house by yelling, “I FOUND MARGARET TIGER FROM “DANIEL TIGER’S NEIGHBORHOOD!!” to which his parents do not believe him but she hugs Pandy saying, “Dee Dee,” and Ian quotes, “See?!? I Told you I’m not crazy!!!” to which they insist they take her home now but Ian tells them that they need to wait till they get more information. Ian takes her to his room and gets her ready for the night since she had no crib. That night he can hear baby Margaret Crying because she missed Daniel. Ian comforts her and quotes “Chin up Margaret, we’ll get you home soon.” and kisses her goodnight. The scene cuts to Daniel about ready to go to bed and he sings a song about finding his sister. The next day, King Friday tells everyone to start looking for Margaret and everyone sings a song about where Margaret is. The next scene cuts to Margaret on Ian’s shoulders on their way to a Lake Erie beach, near Cedar Point. She has a great day and Ian teaches her how to stand still and let fish nibble her toes. When they get home, Ian is freezing and covers himself up in covers and Margaret lays on top of him. Ian turns on the TV And sees that an episode of “Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood” is on. The episode was “Daniel’s blueberry paws” and Margaret gets more sad and says “Dan-Dan” several times and starts crying. Ian reminds her that he would bring her home. Meanwhile while on Jungle beach looking for Margaret, Daniel is sucked into a portal screaming. Just as Ian tells Margaret that she will be home soon, Daniel falls on top of him. Ian is shocked at how Daniel came and asked him. Daniel answers that he was sucked up by a portal. Ian then wonders if the others will go though. Just as a panicked Ian is freaking out, Katerina then falls on top of him, and Ian is even more Frightened. He is shocked by what was going on and he decides to go to his room and not talk to them till he calms down. Once he does calm down however to his surprise all the kids are there. He is amazed to see everyone here at once and is worried that he won’t get to chase and ride the Pere Marquette #1225. His Favorite Steam locomotive. But his friends tell him that friends help each other and sing the song. Ian thanks them and gets everyone ready for the train the next day. That night Ian is struggling to sleep and Daniel and his friends sing him a lullaby. The next day Ian struggles to wake up, his mouth was dry and it was nearly time to go. Ian is worried he won’t make it. But everyone sings “Friends Help Each other,” to remind him that he can make it. They soon sing “Friends help each other” the entire time while getting ready and Ian joins in too. Soon as they get to Cadillac, Michigan the train is about to leave so they go to a crossing several miles away in McBain and catch the train there. Just as Ian was about to put a GoPro on the tracks they sing “Stop and listen to stay safe” and Ian then decides to put his GoPro 15 feet from the tracks. Everyone sets up cameras and the train comes by, but not before the bells on the crossing starts ringing, reminding everyone (except ian) of trolley. Soon they were swimming at Lake Cadillac but Daniel and the others were not able to swim, so they used floaties instead. Ian stays close with them near the shore. A few mins before the 1225 came back, Ian shows the kids how fish can nibble their toes, (He had shown Margaret this too) and a lot of fish come by and nibble everyone’s toes. Just then after a few mins, the 1225 comes by Blasting on it’s whistle. Everyone gets on and to their shock there is a Pool car on the train. The kids get right into the shallow end and Margaret is in the baby end. Ian now knows he can trust a friend, even a little kid like Daniel. He now wishes that he could live with him and be on TV. Daniel then say to the audience if they wanted to make-believe that Ian lived in the neighborhood. The segment starts with Ian playing “Splat-ball” with Daniel. Trolley appears ringing his bell and they both get on. They pass by the treehouse where Katerina and O The Owl live and they wave to them. Ian and Daniel wave back. The next scene cuts to night where Ian and Daniel say goodnight to each other. Then the segment ends. They go into the pool once more and the song “Shining Time” from the 2000 film Thomas and the Magic Railroad plays. Soon they get to Alma, Michigan where the 1225 poses runbys for “Railfanners” who wanted a great shot of the train. Soon after that, everyone heads back to Cadillac where Daniel tells Ian they were going to give him a tour of the Neighborhood of Make-believe. Ian can hardly contain his excitement but is calm when the tunnel appears and startles Ian. then trolley appears and Ian is even more startled but calms down quickly. They drop off Miss Elaina at the museum-go-round family house first and Daniel tells Ian that Miss Elaina lived there. The tour continues until they reach Jungle Beach and Ian quotes “This is Jungle Beach, I Know that.” Daniel then quotes “And your new home.” Ian is shocked when the sign says “Welcome Home Ian” and is happy to be part of an Educational Children’s Television Series. Ian and Daniel had each always wanted a brother and now their wish came true. Daniel tells Ian that it gave everyone a great feeling and Ian says so too. He starts to sing “It’s such a good feeling” and everyone sings along until the last verse where Ian joins Daniel in the last one and then they quote “Because it’s you I Like.” The camera pans out to a wide shot of the neighborhood and fades to black.

## Cast:

Ian Titus as Himself, a 14 year old boy with autism who has some problems in his “Real” Family.

Keegan Hadley as Daniel Tiger, a 4-year-old tiger cub who lives in the neighborhood of make-believe

Kira Gelineau as Margaret, Daniel’s baby sister who also lives in the neighborhood of Make-believe

Jenna Weir as Katerina Kittycat, a 4-year-old kitten who is Daniel’s best friend.

Addison Holly as Miss Elaina, one of Daniel’s best friends

Tabatha Titus as herself, Ian’s mother

John Titus as himself, Ian’s father

Maggie Titus as herself, one of Ian’s older sisters

Emma Grisdale as herself, Ian’s oldest sister

Margaret Arton as herself, Ian’s grandmother

Heather Bambrick as Mom Tiger, Daniel’s mother

Ted Dykstra as Dad Tiger, Daniel’s Father.

Benjamin Hum as O The Owl, a Blue Owl who is Katerina’s next-door neighbor and lives with his uncle X (Who was one of the original characters in Mister Rogers Neighborhood)

Tony Daniels as X the Owl, O’s uncle and one of the original characters on Mister Rogers Neighborhood

Teresa Pavlinek as Henrietta Pussycat, Katerina’s Mother

Jaxon Mercey as Prince Wednesday, one of Daniel’s friends and the youngest son of the king and queen.

Tommy Lioutas as Prince Tuesday, Prince Wednesday’s brother

Catherine Disher as Queen Sara, the king’s wife

Shawne Jackson as Teacher Harriet, Daniel’s teacher

Laaibah Alvi as Jodi Platypus, Daniel’s new friend.

## Production:

The Film was announced in February 2020 by Fred Rogers Productions and Paramount Pictures and was also announced to take place between the 5th and 6th seasons of Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood. Filming began on June 1st, 2020 in Bowling Green, Ohio and ended on June 29th in Alma, Michigan. Animation filming and green screen filming ended July 10th The teaser trailer was released on December 21st, 2020 (In the TV Special Daniel Tiger and Charlie Brown) and the official trailer a week later.

## Release:

The film premiered on June 10th, 2021 at Rotary Performing Arts Pavilion in Cadillac, Michigan and Received outstanding reviews Where critics called it “The most Educational film ever made” and was also deemed “The Most Outstanding Film of our times” and Ian Titus won several Academy Awards for “Best Young Actor,” and “Best Actor.” He was even deemed by critics as “The Funniest Person since John Ritter.” 5 new episodes were released shortly after the film to commemorate Ian’s Debut, to which he will appear in every single episode, More Than any other Character (Excluding Daniel Tiger and his Family)

## Box Office:

The film Grossed $4 Billion in the Box Office against a $65 million Dollar Budget Worldwide breaking the record set by Endgame in 2019.

## Critical Reception:

The film received critical aclaim from critics and audiences worldwide and was nominated for “Best Picture” (Being the first non Disney animated film to receive such a nomination) and “Best sound” and was nominated for academy awards for best original song “Won’t you be my neighbor?” and “It’s such a good feeling.” Many people praised the musical Score for its purpose on “Being kind,” “Helping Others” “Always being a good friend and Neighbor” “Never be Afraid to speak up” and “Never be afraid to do something new,” which was what the film focused on. The film also won Academy Awards for “best original song” “The Nibbling Fish,” “Where Is Margaret?” and “Daniel and Ian.” The film also has a 100% “Fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with an average rating of a rare 10.0 out of 10. On metacritic it has a 95 out of 100 based on 95 critics indicating "universal aclaim"

## Home Media:

The film was released on Blu-ray and digital on September 3rd, 2021 and DVD on September 4th, to commemorate the anniversary of the Show's Debut. It then started streaming on Amazon Prime Video, and Netflix on December 27th, 2021.

## Legacy:

*Main Articles: Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood Presents: Margaret Goes Missing (Stage Show), Miss Elaina’s Music*

The film soon became a Broadway Stage show of the same name. Ian Titus Reprised the Role as himself while costume characters from Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood (Idlewild Park for example) were used. The show debuted on December 11th, 2021 in New York, New York.

New designs were added. (For Example Katerina’s Tutu or Margaret Costume being added.) A spin-off Series to Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood called Miss Elaina’s music Premiered on PBS Kids on June 15th, 2022 (approximately a year after the film) and included Ian Titus as a supporting Character and Creating the show with the hosts being Miss Elaina and Ian himself. Ian quoted in an interview with PBS Newshour

“I have loved Music, particularly Children’s music since I was a baby, and I wanted to make this show to teach children how to sing.” In 2022 Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood Won 7 Daytime and Nighttime Emmy Awards for “Best Children’s Television Series” and “Funniest Voice Actor” Ian Titus.

## TV Broadcast:

The Television Broadcast of the film was first shown on PBS Kids Family Night on the evening of December 21st 2021 after a 12-hour marathon of Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood Episodes and right after the 2018 special The Daniel Tiger Movie: Won’t you be our neighbor? The Airing received 100 Million viewers. It was also hosted by Ian, Daniel and all the other neighbors. During each commercial break they would answer Trivia Questions or do jokes or talk about what it’s like in the neighborhood or being kind. The PBS Kids YouTube Channel Released Clips of the film shortly before its release in theaters.

## Soundtrack:

The soundtrack was made up of 5 songs from the TV Series and 3 new songs. Released 2 weeks before the theatrical release.

1. Baba O'riley                                                             The Who
2. It’s a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood                 Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood
3. Where Is Margaret? (New Song)                             Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood
4. That’s What I Like                                                    Flo Rida
5. Better When I’m Dancing                                         Meghan Trainor
6. Friends Help Each Other                                         Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood
7. Let’s Talk about what we’ll do                                  Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood
8. The Nibble Fish (New Song)                                    Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood
9. Daniel and Ian                                                          Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood
10. Shining Time                                                   Neil Donnel (Film) Maren Ord (End Credits)
11. Let’s talk about what we’ll do (Reprise)                    Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood
12. It’s Such a good feeling                                            Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood
13. Great Big World                                                       Shawn Colvin
14. Party in the U.S.A                                                     Miley Cyrus
15. It’s a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (Instrumental)         Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood

## Sequels:

The film was followed by 3 Theatrical Sequels titled Daniel Tiger 2: Daniel and The Nutcracker, Daniel Tiger 3: Daniel and The Polar Express, and Thomas and the Neighborhood of Make-Believe (The Latter of which was inspired by the 2000 film Thomas and The Magic Railroad) All of which were produced by Paramount Pictures, Fred Rogers Pictures, and 9 Story Pictures. There is also a crossover sequel from 2022 that will debut in September or October. It is a crossover called Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood and Striped Island Tiger Shimajiro present: Margaret and Hannah go missing that will last between 11, 15, or 20 minutes since this is just a special.