Richie Rich's Christmas Wish facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Richie Rich's Christmas Wish |
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DVD cover
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| Directed by | John Murlowski |
| Produced by | Mike Elliott |
| Screenplay by | Rob Kerchner Jason Feffer |
| Story by | Mark Furey |
| Starring | David Gallagher Martin Mull Michelle Trachtenberg 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 |
| Running time | 84 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Richie Rich's Christmas Wish (also known as Richie Rich 2) is a fun American movie from 1998. It was released straight to video, meaning it didn't play in movie theaters. The film is based on the famous Harvey Comics character, Richie Rich, who is known as the world's richest kid! This movie is a stand-alone sequel to the 1994 film Richie Rich. It stars David Gallagher as Richie. The story is a bit like the classic movie It's a Wonderful Life, but with a holiday twist for Richie.
Contents
What Happens in the Movie
It's Christmas Eve, and Richie Rich is super excited to celebrate with his friends. While they are racing in the snow, Richie's butler, Herbert Cadbury, uses a remote to guide their cars. He reminds Richie about his Christmas Eve duties and tells him to get ready for tea.
Before changing, Richie visits Professor Keanbean, his home scientist. The professor shows him a new invention: a wishing machine that only works on Christmas Eve. Richie tries it out, wishing for a "big pie." Instead, he gets a "pig sty"! Cadbury is not happy and sends Richie to get dressed. Richie then asks his parents, Richard and Regina Rich, what they want for Christmas. He even tries out his dad's new fishing rod, which catches a tuna sandwich!
The Sleigh Accident
During tea, Richie meets his spoiled cousin, Reggie Van Dough. Reggie wishes he was as rich as Richie. Later, Richie dresses as an elf and Cadbury as Santa Claus to deliver presents to an orphanage. Cadbury tells Richie he used to be a rock star in a band called Root Canal.
As they take off in the sleigh, Richie is driving. But Reggie secretly takes control using the remote Cadbury used earlier. Reggie guides the sleigh wildly through the streets, nearly crashing into everything. The sleigh crashes and explodes with all the presents. Cadbury hurts his ankle badly.
Richie runs for help. But when he gets to the city, everything has changed. Reggie is spreading rumors about Richie, and everyone is angry at him.
A World Without Richie
Richie feels terrible and thinks the accident was all his fault. He goes to Keanbean's lab and sits by the wishing machine. Feeling unlucky, he accidentally wishes he was never born.
The machine grants his wish! Richie is sent to another world where he never existed. Nobody recognizes him. In this world, Reggie has taken over as Richard and Regina's son. He is now the richest kid and bosses everyone around. Roads and buildings are named after him. Reggie controls the whole town, even the police. This world is very sad, with lots of hunger and misery. Richie realizes that things are much worse without him. He decides he must go back to his own world.
Getting Back Home
Even though his parents don't know him, Richie is happy that his dog, Dollar, still does. He takes Dollar with him, which makes Reggie furious since Dollar is now his dog. Reggie orders the police to find Richie, calling him a "dognapper," and offers a reward.
Richie cleverly avoids the police. He finds Cadbury, who is still in Root Canal, and Keanbean, who runs "Keanbean's World of Wonders." Richie asks Keanbean about the wishing machine. Keanbean says it needs a Pegliasaurus wishing bone to work properly.
Richie's friends decide to help him. They go to the city museum to get the bone from a dinosaur skeleton. They get past laser alarms using the fishing rod Keanbean invented. Before leaving, Richie and his friends see Reggie's parents, who are now working as night guards at the museum.
The Final Wish
Back at the lab, they get the machine ready. But before Richie can wish himself back, Reggie arrives with the police. 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! The machine stops working. Reggie gets angry and kicks the machine, then goes to bed.
In jail, Root Canal bails out Richie and his friends. They all rush to Reggie's house. While Reggie is sleeping, Richie tries to wish himself back. But the machine isn't working because Reggie kicked it. As Keanbean fixes it, Reggie wakes up and flies in! Richie and his friends fight him and win. Everyone who worked for Reggie quits, including Sgt. Mooney, who refuses to work for someone who would cancel Christmas.
Finally, the machine starts working again. Richie wishes himself back to his own world as Richie Rich!
Richie fixes everything that went wrong since he disappeared. He is much more thankful for his life. Everyone is happy to have him back. They all gather around the Christmas tree and sing.
Extended TV Ending
In a special TV ending, Reggie's parents catch him and make him apologize to Richie. Reggie admits he was the one who controlled the sleigh and caused the accident. Richie realizes it wasn't his fault after all. They forgive each other.
Cast
- David Gallagher – Richie Rich
- Martin Mull – Richard Rich
- Lesley Ann Warren – Regina Rich
- Jake Richardson – Reggie Van Dough
- Eugene Levy – Professor Keanbean
- Keene Curtis – Herbert Cadbury
- Richard Riehle – Sgt. Mooney
- Don McLeod – Irona
- Michelle Trachtenberg – Gloria
- Richard Fancy – Mr. Van Dough
- Marla Maples – Mrs. Van Dough
- Blake Jeremy Collins – Freckles
- Austin Stout – Pee Wee
- Kathleen Freeman - Mrs. Peabody
- Don McLeod - Irona/Evil Irona
Production Details
The Langham Huntington Hotel and Spa in Pasadena, California, was used for the outside shots of the huge Rich Family Mansion. The inside of a disused bank building in downtown Los Angeles was used for the scene where Richie traps the security guards.
The background music in some parts of the movie was also used in other shows like Digimon, Casper: A Spirited Beginning, and Casper Meets Wendy. Colonial Street at Universal City, a famous set used in shows like The Munsters, Leave it to Beaver, and The 'Burbs, also appears in the film.
