A Very Merry Cricket

A Very Merry Cricket
A Very Merry Cricket
Directed by	Chuck Jones
Written by	Chuck Jones; George Selden
Starring	Les Tremayne; Mel Blanc
Music by	Dean Elliott
Release date	December 14, 1973
Running time	24 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

A Very Merry Cricket is a 1973 Christmas animated television special. It was directed by Chuck Jones, who also wrote the teleplay with George Selden.^[1] It was a sequel to their acclaimed adaptation of The Cricket in Times Square and was followed by another sequel, Yankee Doodle Cricket.

The show included two original songs by Dean Elliott and Marian Dern (Jones' wife): "Christmas in New York" and "What If Humans Were More Like Mice?"^[2]

Plot

It's Christmastime in the New York city, but the loud mean-spiritedness of its human population is making it a misery for best friends, Harry the Cat and Tucker the Mouse. They resolve to try to bring back the holiday's warmth with the help of their friend, Chester C. Cricket, the musical insect. Chester agrees to this idea, but against this kind of noisy urban negativity, it will take a miracle for this trio to make a difference.

Availability

The special was released on VHS in the 1980s, in 1992 on a Double Feature VHS also containing another Christmas special Bluetoes the Christmas Elf, and in 1999 by Family Home Entertainment. It was released on DVD for the first time with another Chuck Jones special, Mowgli's Brothers in 2005, and later as part of the Chuck Jones Collection DVD in 2007, both released by Lionsgate Home Entertainment.

Cast

Voice Actor/Actress	Character(s)
Les Tremayne	Chester C. Cricket Harry the Cat
Mel Blanc	Tucker R. Mouse Alley Cat

References

^ Crump, William D. (2019). Happy Holidays—Animated! A Worldwide Encyclopedia of Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and New Year's Cartoons on Television and Film. McFarland & Co. p. 330. ISBN 9781476672939.
^ Woolery, George W. (1989). Animated TV Specials: The Complete Directory to the First Twenty-Five Years, 1962-1987. Scarecrow Press. pp. 439–440. ISBN 0-8108-2198-2. Retrieved 6 June 2020.

External links

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[1] Crump, William D. (2019). Happy Holidays—Animated! A Worldwide Encyclopedia of Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and New Year's Cartoons on Television and Film. McFarland & Co. p. 330. ISBN 9781476672939.

[2] Woolery, George W. (1989). Animated TV Specials: The Complete Directory to the First Twenty-Five Years, 1962-1987. Scarecrow Press. pp. 439–440. ISBN 0-8108-2198-2. Retrieved 6 June 2020.

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