The Little Troll Prince facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Little Troll Prince
Genre	Animation Adventure Drama
Written by	Clifford Campion Shirley Hartman
Directed by	Ray Patterson
Voices of	Danny Cooksey Vincent Price Jonathan Winters Cloris Leachman Don Knotts Michael Bell Laurie Faso William Christopher Ami Foster B.J. Ward Angella Kaye Neil Ross Christina Lange
Composer(s)	Al Allen
Country of origin	United States
Original language(s)	English
Production
Executive producer(s)	Ardon Albrecht
Producer(s)	Berny Wolf
Running time	46 minutes
Production company(s)	Hanna-Barbera Productions
Distributor	Worldvision Enterprises
Release
Original network	Syndication
Original release	November 27, 1987 (1987-11-27)

The Little Troll Prince (also known as The Little Troll Prince: A Christmas Parable) is an animated Christmas television special made by Hanna-Barbera in 1987. This special shares important Christian ideas like unconditional love, self-sacrifice, and redemption. It teaches a lesson about how joy and love can change a cruel world into a happy one. The show was first shown on TV in the United States.

The Story of Bu

In a Norwegian mountain village, children play near a scary mountain where trolls live. A friendly gnome named Bu (voiced by Danny Cooksey) is busy decorating his home for Christmas. He loves Christmas and explains that trolls do not. Trolls live high in the mountains because they are afraid of the human world. They think everything good is bad, and Christmas is scarier than Halloween. Trolls do not even have a word for "love."

Bu knows all this because he used to live among the trolls. He was even their crown prince! The story goes back to the previous December. Bu tells us that his father, King Ulvik (voiced by Vincent Price and Jonathan Winters), was a two-headed troll who got so angry that storms would sweep across Norway.

Bu's Troll Family

King Ulvik is upset with his wife, Queen Sirena (voiced by Cloris Leachman). She told him that Bu is not doing well in Sinister School. Queen Sirena clearly likes her younger, two-headed sons, Borch and Prag, more than Bu. Ulvik thinks Bu is not troll-like enough because he only has one head, like his mother.

Sirena says Bu's innocent look and kind personality will cause problems if he stays prince. Ulvik decides he must teach Bu to be mean. He blames the school for not making Bu bad enough.

Sinister School Lessons

At Sinister School, Professor Nidaros (voiced by Don Knotts) teaches the young trolls to cause trouble and hurt others. He teaches them the Troll Golden Rule: "Do unto others before they do unto you." King Ulvik visits the school to test his sons.

Prag shows he understands that humans kill trolls. Borch knows that trolls should avoid anyone different. But the king only cares about Bu's answers. Bu timidly answers the questions from the Troll Bible. He says he believes in being evil and selfish. But then, he politely says "thank you." This makes Ulvik furious! He shouts at Bu for being polite, and Bu starts to cry. Ulvik's rage scares all the students away.

A Dangerous Plan

Later, the young trolls play in the snow, ruining each other's fun. Bu sits alone, sad about his father's anger. A not-so-smart troll named Ribo suggests that Borch and Prag should eat Bu so Prag can become the new prince. A mean bull-headed troll named Stav thinks the princes are too scared to deal with Bu.

The trolls hear a rumor that humans are doing something strange, like hanging wreaths and lights. They come up with a plan to trick Bu into going to "People-land." They hope he will get killed by humans. They tell Bu that humans might be planning to attack the Troll Kingdom. They say it is his duty as prince to investigate. Bu is scared, but he thinks that finding out about the humans will make his father proud.

Journey to People-land

Bu bravely decides to lead the four trolls to People-land. Their first challenge is the Troll Bridge, made of old, rotting ropes. The other trolls hope Bu falls, but he crosses safely. The five trolls continue down the mountain. They see two rabbits and a squirrel, which look huge to them.

Finally, they reach a small Norwegian mountain village. Bu peeks into a cottage and sees a woman baking gingerbread men. He thinks they are flattened, cooked trolls! Horrified, Bu runs away, telling his friends to run for their lives.

Bu is Captured

Even though the other trolls believe Bu, they tie him to the top of a tree on their way back to the kingdom. Bu begs his brothers to save him, but they make fun of him for saying "please." They leave him for the humans.

Two young girls, Kristi (voiced by Ami Foster) and Sonja (voiced by Christina Lange), come with their father (voiced by Vincent Price) to find a Christmas tree. They choose the tree Bu is tied to. They chop it down and pull it home on their sleigh, singing a carol.

A New Understanding

While decorating the tree at home, the girls find Bu. They think he is a gnome because he looks friendly. Bu is confused by their kindness. He asks about Christmas and the word "Christ." Kristi mentions the Bible, and Bu is curious. Sonja reads from Luke 2:10–11. Bu asks what "savior" means.

He learns that Christ came to "love the whole world." Bu asks if "the whole world" includes him. Kristi and Sonja say yes. When he asks if God loves trolls, the girls say that God loves everyone, even evil trolls. As Bu listens, his heart starts to beat for the very first time! Sonja finds a tiny Bible and gives it to him.

Bu's Trial

As Bu reads the Bible, the house shakes, and winds howl outside. He sees the king's messenger, Malfred, sent to get him. Bu tries to help Kristi and Sonja escape, but they have nowhere to go. He leaves them to find Malfred before the messenger finds them. Running into the mountains, Bu finally understands love. Malfred, a fiery monster of wind, freezes Bu and takes him to a prison cell.

In his cell, Bu misses Kristi and Sonja. He remembers his Bible and starts to read. He discovers the true Golden Rule. He falls asleep reading Luke, but his heartbeat wakes him up. He knows Kristi and Sonja are right. Two giant troll guards take him to a public trial.

The crowd accuses Bu of being a traitor. King Ulvik explains that Bu is before the Council of Elders to see if he can still be prince. Borch and Prag lie, saying Bu tried to push them off the Troll Bridge. They also claim he tied them to trees and spied for humans. Queen Sirena accuses Bu of trying to kill her "babies."

Ulvik says there is no proof against Bu. But Krill, the lawyer, says Bu is guilty of not believing in troll ways. Stav says Bu is at least guilty of running away. The king asks Bu the same questions he asked in school. But Bu recites the biblical Golden Rule. He talks about Jesus and having a heart full of love. As he speaks, his nose shrinks, his tail disappears, and his ears lose their points. He is changing!

A New Home

The court does not understand Bu's words. They accuse him of disrespecting the Troll Bible. The king takes away Bu's title and disowns him. Bu escapes into a snowstorm. Queen Sirena fears he will lead humans to the Troll Kingdom. But Ulvik, sad about losing his son, says Bu is not a traitor. He tells Sirena to let him go.

Borch and Prag overhear this. They find Stav and Ribo and go out to kill Bu. Lost in the wilderness, Bu feels alone. He finds shelter by a tree and falls asleep. Meanwhile, the mean trolls are chased by a fox. The Troll Bridge crumbles behind them, trapping them in the Troll Kingdom forever.

A gnome named Bjørn (voiced by William Christopher) and his wife (voiced by B.J. Ward) watch the trolls flee. Bjørn finds Bu and thinks he is a traveling gnome. Bu sees his reflection in ice and realizes he no longer looks like a troll. Bjørn asks Bu to stay in the valley and help the gnomes. Bu learns he is in Kristi and Sonja's village. Bjørn takes him to their cottage.

Back in the present, Bu gets ready for bed. He explains that while his story might seem like a fairy tale, the story of Jesus is real. He falls asleep as the Star of Bethlehem shines outside.

Characters and Voices

• Danny Cooksey - Crown Prince Bu
• Vincent Price - King Ulvik (Right Head), Kristi and Sonja's Father
• Jonathan Winters - King Ulvik (Left Head)
• Cloris Leachman - Queen Sirena
• Don Knotts - Professor Nidaros
• Charlie Adler - Stav, Trolls
• Michael Bell - Ribo, Krill, Trolls
• William Christopher - Bjørn
• Laurie Faso - Prince Borch (Left Head)
• Ami Foster - Kristi
• Christina Lange - Sonja
• Rob Paulsen - Prince Borch (Right Head)
• Neil Ross - Prince Prag (Right Head)
• B.J. Ward - Bjørn's Wife, Trolls
• Frank Welker - Prince Prag (Left Head)
• Alvy Dorman - Malfred (uncredited)

Behind the Scenes

• Gordon Hunt - Recording Director
• Andrea Romano - Animation Casting Director
• Kris Zimmerman - Talent Coordinator

Songs from the Special

Home Video Release

The special was released on DVD on October 15, 2013. It was part of a double feature with The Cabbage Patch Kids' First Christmas.