Buster & Chauncey's Silent Night facts for kids

Buster & Chauncey's Silent Night
Film poster
Directed by	Buzz Potamkin
Produced by	Buzz Potamkin
Written by	George Taweel Rob Loos
Starring	Phil Hartman Jim Cummings Tom Arnold Marie Osmond Townsend Coleman
Music by	Score: John Van Eps Songs: Lynn Ahrens Stephen Flaherty
Editing by	Cecil Hooker
Studio	Columbia TriStar Home Video Project X Productions Tundra Productions
Distributed by	Columbia TriStar Home Video
Release date(s)	October 13, 1998 (1998-10-13)
Running time	49 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

Buster & Chauncey's Silent Night is a fun animated movie from 1998. It tells a story inspired by how the famous Christmas song "Silent Night" was created. The film features the voices of well-known actors like Phil Hartman, Jim Cummings, and Marie Osmond. It also includes songs written by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty. This movie was one of the last roles for the talented actor Phil Hartman.

What's the Story?

The movie takes place in 1818. Two mouse musicians, Buster and Chauncey, travel to Oberndorf, Austria. They want to perform for the Queen at the town's Christmas pageant. Mayor Huffenmeier is in charge of the pageant.

An orphan girl named Christina finds a safe place in the local church. She hopes to travel to Vienna to live with her aunt and uncle. But two sneaky thieves, who pretend to be a Duke and his niece, are watching the pageant preparations. They plan to steal the valuable items stored inside the church.

Buster and Chauncey also settle into the church. A cat chases them, causing a big mess! Mayor Huffenmeier blames Christina for it. But Father Joseph, the church priest, doesn't believe she did it.

The Duke and Lady Gretchen manage to steal the riches. They also kidnap Christina. They leave her necklace behind to make it look like she was the thief. Father Joseph and Mayor Huffenmeier then think Christina is guilty.

Later, Buster and Chauncey help Christina escape. The Duke and Lady Gretchen are caught, and the stolen riches are found. This proves Christina was innocent all along! However, the chase damaged the church's organ.

Chauncey has been playing a special tune on his violin. This melody inspires the organist. Father Joseph, who has written a poem, uses Chauncey's tune to create "Silent Night." They perform it for the very first time! The Queen then offers to take Christina to Vienna. Christina says goodbye to her new friends, Buster and Chauncey.

Who Are the Voices?

Name	Character
Jim Cummings	Buster
Phil Hartman	Chauncey
Tom Arnold	Fritz
Marie Osmond	Queen Therese IV
Townsend Coleman	Father Joseph (speaking)
Gregg Edelman	Father Joseph (singing)
Harry Goz	Mayor Huffenmeier
Lea Michele	Christina
Paul Kandel	Duke of Raoche
Judith Blazer	Lady Gretchen
Earl Hammond	Additional voices
Ellen Bernfeld	Additional voices
Peppy Castro	Additional voices
Madeline Doherty	Additional voices
Joy Hermalyn	Additional voices

How Was it Made?

Silent Night was the first animated movie made by Columbia TriStar Home Video. Buzz Potamkin produced it through his company, Project X Productions.

This film was the last movie role for the famous actor Phil Hartman. It was released a few months after he passed away. Marie Osmond, one of the stars, sang the main song. The movie also features Lea Michele, known from the TV show Glee, in one of her very first film roles.

Songs You'll Hear

All lyrics written by Lynn Ahrens, all music composed by Stephen Flaherty.

When Did it Come Out?

Buster & Chauncey's Silent Night was released on videocassette on October 13, 1998. Two months later, it aired on the Disney Channel.

The movie was also shown in other countries. In Canada, it aired on CTV and Teletoon. In Latin America, it has been shown on Cartoon Network and Disney Channel. It also aired in Great Britain on Five and on the Movie Channel in Israel.

The film was released again on DVD on September 19, 2000. By late 2002, over 800,000 copies had been sold in the U.S. There were talks about making a sequel, but it never happened.

See also

• List of American films of 1998
• List of animated feature films