How Murray Saved Christmas facts for kids
Quick facts for kids How Murray Saved Christmas |
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DVD cover
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| Written by | Mike Reiss |
| Directed by | Peter Avanzino |
| Starring | Jerry Stiller Sean Hayes Kevin Michael Richardson Jason Alexander John Ratzenberger |
| Narrated by | Dennis Haysbert |
| Music by | Walter Murphy |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | Claudia Katz Lee Supercinski |
| Editor(s) | Paul D. Calder |
| Running time | 42 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Rough Draft Studios Universal Animation Studios |
| Distributor | Universal Television |
| Release | |
| Original network | NBC |
| Original release | December 5, 2014 |
How Murray Saved Christmas is a 2014 animated musical television special, directed by Peter Avanzino and written by Mike Reiss. The voice actors include Jerry Stiller, Sean Hayes, Kevin Michael Richardson, Jason Alexander, John Ratzenberger and Dennis Haysbert.
The special premiered on December 5, 2014, on NBC. It was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics. The special was the first time Universal Animation Studios produced anything for NBC.
Contents
Plot
A quaint little town called Stinky Cigars, a secret location hidden only by a name that was chosen to repel tourists, is populated by iconic holiday characters from every culture around the world. It is home to Santa Claus and his workshop full of hard-working elves, and to other holiday figures from the best-known (Cupid, the Easter Bunny, George Washington and Abraham Lincoln) to the most minor and obscure (Arbor Day Aardvark, Labor Day Amos).
The story, which is narrated in verse and "cheekily punctuated" by original songs, centers on Edison Elf (Sean Hayes), an optimistic inventor with an unexpectedly hazardous new toy, and Murray Weiner (Jerry Stiller), the cranky owner of the town's diner. Murray's talent for delivering orders makes the unwilling curmudgeon the only person in town who can fill in for an injured Santa (Kevin Michael Richardson) on Christmas Eve.
Cast
- Jerry Stiller as Murray Weiner
- Sean Hayes as Edison Elf
- Kevin Michael Richardson as Santa Claus and Easter Bunny
- Jason Alexander as Doc Holiday
- John Ratzenberger as Officer Bender
- Dennis Haysbert as the Baby New Year and the Narrator
- Nick Jameson, Tom Kenny, Maurice LaMarche, Tress MacNeille and Billy West as various characters
Production
How Murray Saved Christmas was produced by Universal Animation Studios, with the animation being done by Rough Draft Studios, both of which are based in Glendale, California.
Mike Reiss, who sought to bring a "Simpsons sensibility to Christmas specials", given the fact that he was a writer and producer on The Simpsons, adapted the script from his 2000 children's book of the same name and its 2002 sequel Santa Claustrophobia, which were both illustrated by David Catrow.
Awards
Composer Walter Murphy and writer/lyricist Mike Reiss were nominated for a 2015 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics for How Murray Saved Christmas.
Release
How Murray Saved Christmas was released on DVD on December 16, 2014.
