Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer (film) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer
DVD cover
Genre	Christmas special Fantasy Comedy-drama Mystery Musical
Written by	Jim Fisher Jim Staahl
Story by	Fred A. Rappoport Elmo Shropshire Jim Fisher Jim Staahl
Directed by	Phil Roman
Starring	Michele Lee
Voices of	Elmo Shropshire Michele Lee Alex Doduk Susan Blu Cam Clarke Christopher Gaze Phil Hayes Scott McNeil Pauline Newstone Maggie Blue O'Hara< Venus Terzo Jim Fisher Jim Staahl Kathleen Barr
Narrated by	Elmo Shropshire
Composer(s)	Nathan Wang Randy Brooks
Country of origin	United States Canada
Original language(s)	English
Production
Executive producer(s)	Phil Roman
Producer(s)	Jim Fisher Noel-Quinn Roman Jim Staahl
Running time	51 minutes
Production company(s)	The Fred Rappoport Company, Inc. Phil Roman Entertainment SFM Entertainment
Distributor	Warner Home Video
Release
Original network	The WB
Original release	October 31, 2000 (2000-10-31)

Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer is an animated Christmas TV special from 2000. It was made in both Canada and the United States. Phil Roman directed this fun holiday story.

The special first came out on video in October 2000. It then aired on The WB TV network on December 21, 2000. The whole idea for the show comes from a popular 1979 song with the same name.

You might still see this special on TV today. It airs on channels like The CW (which used to be The WB) and AMC. It has also been shown on Cartoon Network, Boomerang, and Freeform. Since Warner Home Video helped share this special, Warner Bros. owns the rights to it.

What Happens in the Story?

Grandma's Store and a Christmas Mystery

The story begins by showing us Jake Spankenheimer and his family. His grandma owns a small general store in a town called Cityville. This store is special because it's the only place not owned by Austin Bucks. He is the richest man in town. Austin's company tries to make Christmas easier for everyone.

Grandma tells Austin that his way of making Christmas easier isn't always the best. She refuses to sell her store to him. This makes Cousin Mel, who only cares about money, very upset. She secretly plans to sell the store anyway.

Christmas Eve and a Strange Accident

Jake and Grandma love the holiday season. But the rest of their family isn't as excited. Jake and his sister Daphne argue about whether Santa Claus is real. Their parents gently try to tell Jake that Santa isn't real.

Meanwhile, Cousin Mel tries to ruin Grandma's famous fruitcake recipe. She secretly adds a strange ingredient. She hopes the fruitcakes won't sell. This would force Grandma to sell her store to Austin.

On Christmas Eve night, Grandma leaves the house with her fruitcake. She hasn't taken her medicine. Suddenly, Santa's reindeer fly overhead. They go out of control and crash into her! Jake sees the accident. But his family doesn't believe him. Only his grandpa, who also saw it, believes him.

The next morning, Grandma is gone. The police find her outline in the snow. They also find her belongings. Cousin Mel finds a letter and quickly hides it from everyone.

Searching for Grandma

Nine months pass, and Grandma is still missing. The store's business gets worse. Cousin Mel comes up with a new plan to sell the store. She tricks Grandpa into giving her the power to make decisions for him.

When Jake finds out, he tries to stop it. Austin agrees to give Jake one more week to find Grandma. Jake is sure that Santa ran over her. He sends an email to Santa. Soon, Quincy, Santa's head elf, comes to take Jake to the North Pole.

It turns out Santa took Grandma to the North Pole for medical help. But she lost her memory from the accident. Santa didn't know who she was until Jake's email. Jake explains everything. Santa, Quincy, and Grandma agree to go back to Cityville to stop the store deal.

The Trial and the Truth

When they arrive in Cityville, Cousin Mel and her lawyer, I.M. Slime, trick Grandma into going with them. Santa explains what happened to Austin. Then, Jake and Quincy discover Grandma is missing again!

Cousin Mel uses this chance to blame Santa for Grandma's disappearance. Santa is arrested and put on trial. He is charged with kidnapping, leaving the scene of an accident, and "sleighicular negligence." Cousin Mel and I.M. Slime plan to sue Santa. They think someone who delivers billions of presents must be very rich.

Three months later, Daphne thinks Cousin Mel might be involved in Grandma's second disappearance. Jake and Quincy follow Cousin Mel to a cabin in the woods. There, she and I.M. Slime are hiding Grandma. They rescue Grandma. They also find Santa's letter that Cousin Mel hid. This letter explains what happened. They also find the small bottle of the ingredient Cousin Mel added to Grandma's fruitcake. It was "reindeer-nip," which reindeer can't resist!

They help Grandma get her memory back by feeding her some of her own fruitcake. Then, they rush to the courthouse to prove Santa is innocent.

Justice and a Happy Ending

When faced with the evidence, Cousin Mel has to admit everything she did. She even says she hates the true meaning of Christmas. She admits she is just a greedy person. She is then arrested for getting in the way of justice and "almost ruining Christmas." The judge lets Santa go free after hearing the truth.

Austin Bucks talks to Grandma again. This time, he offers to help her open her store in many places across the country. He saw how much she and Jake cared about their family and business. Grandma accepts his offer.

The show ends with Grandma accidentally picking up the special fruitcake again. Santa hits her again as he flies back to the North Pole! But this time, she doesn't lose her memory. Grandpa and Jake help her up. Santa's sleigh flies into the night. He says "Feliz Navidad," which means "Merry Christmas" in Spanish!

Who Are the Characters?

• Grandma Spankenheimer (voiced by Susan Blu) – She is the main character and loves Christmas. She owns a general store in Cityville. Her store sells ornaments, toys, and her famous "Killer Fruitcake."
• Jake Spankenheimer (voiced by Alex Doduk) – He is the main hero of the story. Jake leads the search for Grandma when she disappears. He firmly believes in Santa Claus and proves his family wrong when he finds the real Santa.
• Cousin Mel (voiced by Michele Lee) – She is the main bad guy in the story. Cousin Mel is a greedy woman who wears a lot of makeup and jewelry. She tries to sell Grandma's store to Austin Bucks. She also tries to blame Santa for Grandma's disappearance to get his money. Her partner was her lawyer, I.M. Slime. At the end, she is arrested and put on Santa's naughty list forever.
• Grandpa Spankenheimer & The Narrator (both voiced by Elmo Shropshire) – Grandpa is Jake's grandfather and Grandma's funny husband. He accidentally gives Cousin Mel the power to sell the store. The narrator is the adult Jake telling the story.
• Austin Bucks (voiced by Cam Clarke) – He is a rich businessman who wants to buy Grandma's store. But by the end of the special, he decides to help Grandma open her store in many places. He doesn't know about Cousin Mel's bad plans. He even gives Jake a chance to prove his story.
• Santa Claus (voiced by Jim Staahl) – He is the jolly old man who delivers gifts on Christmas Eve. Santa accidentally runs over Grandma with his sleigh. He takes her to his hospital at the North Pole.
• Mrs. Claus (voiced by Kathleen Barr) - She helps make cookies with the elves and cares for the reindeer. She also helps her husband prepare toys. She appears in the film reading about Santa's arrest.
• Daphne Spankenheimer (voiced by Maggie Blue O'Hara) – She is Jake's older sister. Daphne is more doubtful than Jake. But she still cares about her brother and her grandparents.
• Frank Spankenheimer (voiced by Scott McNeil) – He is Jake and Daphne's father.
• Rita Spankenheimer (voiced by Kathleen Barr) – She is Jake and Daphne's mother.
• I.M. Slime (voiced by Kathleen Barr) – He is Cousin Mel's lawyer who loves money. He is the second bad guy. He goes to prison with Cousin Mel.
• Officers - (voiced by Jim Fisher and Kathleen Barr) - These two police officers look into Grandma's disappearance. They later arrest Cousin Mel and I.M. Slime.
• Quincy - (voiced by Philip Maurice Hayes) - He is Santa's head elf. Quincy helps Jake rescue Grandma and clear Santa's name.

Songs from the Special

All songs written and composed by Nathan Wang, Elmo Shropshire and Rita Abrams.