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Richie Rich's Christmas Wish facts for kids

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Richie Rich's Christmas Wish
RichieRichsChristmasWish.jpg
DVD cover
Directed by John Murlowski
Produced by Mike Elliott
Screenplay by Rob Kerchner
Jason Feffer
Story by Mark Furey
Starring David Gallagher
Martin Mull
Lesley Ann Warren
Eugene Levy
Keene Curtis
Music by Deddy Tzur
Cinematography Christian Sebaldt
Editing by John Gilbert
Studio Warner Bros. Family Entertainment
Saban Entertainment
The Harvey Entertainment Company
Distributed by Warner Home Video
Release date(s) November 3, 1998 (1998-11-03)
Running time 84 minutes
Country United States
Language English
Budget $8 million

Richie Rich's Christmas Wish is a fun Christmas comedy movie from 1998. It's also known as Richie Rich 2. The film is based on the famous Harvey Comics character, Richie Rich. This movie is a follow-up to the 1994 film "Richie Rich." In this movie, David Gallagher plays Richie Rich. He takes over the role from Macaulay Culkin. The story is a bit like the classic 1946 film "It's a Wonderful Life." Richie finds himself in a world where he was never born.

Richie's Christmas Adventure: The Movie Plot

A Special Christmas Eve Wish

On Christmas Eve, Richie Rich and his friends are having a car race. They use special remote controls for their cars. Herbert Cadbury, Richie's butler, guides them back to Richie's huge house. He tells Richie to get ready for tea. Before tea, Richie visits Professor Keanbean. The professor shows off his newest invention: a wishing machine. This machine only works on Christmas Eve.

A Sleigh Ride Goes Wrong

During tea, Richie meets his cousin, Reggie Van Dough. Reggie wishes he was as rich as Richie. Later, Richie dresses as an elf and Cadbury as Santa Claus. They plan to deliver Christmas presents to an orphanage. Cadbury shares a secret: he used to be a rock star in a band called Root Canal. They take off in a sleigh, with Richie driving. But Reggie takes control of the sleigh using a remote. He steers it wildly through streets, past shops and houses. The sleigh crashes and explodes, destroying the presents. Cadbury also hurts his ankle badly.

A World Without Richie

Richie runs to get help. But when he reaches the city, everything has changed. Reggie has spread rumors about Richie, and everyone is angry at him. Feeling terrible and thinking it's all his fault, Richie sits by the wishing machine. He accidentally wishes he was never born. The machine grants his wish! Richie is sent to another world where he never existed. No one recognizes him.

Reggie Rules the World

In this new world, Reggie has taken Richie's place as the son of Richard and Regina. He is now the richest kid in the world. Reggie bosses everyone around. Roads and buildings are named after him. He controls the whole town, even the police. This world is sad and full of hunger. Richie quickly realizes that things are much worse without him. He decides he must return to his own world.

Finding Help and a Magic Bone

Even though his parents don't know him, Richie's dog, Dollar, does! Richie takes Dollar, which makes Reggie, Dollar's current owner, furious. Reggie calls Richie a "dognapper" and offers a reward for his capture. Richie cleverly avoids the police. He finds Cadbury, who is still part of Root Canal. He also finds Professor Keanbean, who runs a lab called "Keanbean's World of Wonders." Richie asks Keanbean about the wishing machine. It needs a special Pegliasaurus wishing bone to work completely.

The Museum Heist

Richie and his friends go to the city museum. They need to get the wishing bone from a Pegliasaurus skeleton. They get past laser security systems using a fishing rod invented by Keanbean. Before leaving, Richie sees Reggie's parents. They are now working as night guards.

The Final Wish

Back at the lab, they get the machine ready. But Reggie arrives with the police before Richie can make his wish. Richie, Cadbury, Keanbean, and Richie's friends are all put in jail. Reggie takes the wishing machine home. At home, Reggie wishes he could fly. But before he can make another wish, Dollar runs off with the wishbone. When the machine doesn't work again, Reggie kicks it in anger and goes to bed.

In jail, Root Canal bails out Richie and his friends. They all rush to the manor. Richie tries to make his wish while Reggie is sleeping. But the machine is broken from Reggie's kick. While Keanbean fixes it, Reggie wakes up and flies in! Richie and his friends manage to stop him. After this, everyone quits working for Reggie. The machine starts working again, and Richie wishes he was born.

Richie then fixes everything that went wrong since he disappeared. Everyone is happy to have him back. They gather around a Christmas tree and sing together.

Extended TV Ending Details

In a longer TV version, Reggie's parents catch him. They make him apologize for all the trouble he caused Richie. Reggie admits he was the one who crashed the sleigh. Richie realizes it wasn't his fault and forgives Reggie.

Meet the Cast: Who Played Who?

Behind the Scenes: Making the Movie

From Comics to Video

After some agreements ended in April 1996, Harvey Entertainment got the rights to make movies about its characters. This included Richie Rich. They teamed up with Saban Entertainment to create movies that would go straight to video.

Filming Locations and Music

The outside of the huge Rich Family Mansion was filmed at The Langham Huntington Hotel and Spa in Pasadena, California. The inside lobby and a vault of an old bank building in downtown Los Angeles were used for a scene. This is where Richie traps the security guards chasing him. The background music in some parts of the movie was also used in other shows. These include Digimon, Casper: A Spirited Beginning, and Casper Meets Wendy. A famous street set called Colonial Street at Universal City was also used. This set had been seen in shows like The Munsters and Leave it to Beaver.

See also

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