We Wish You a Merry Walrus
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| We Wish You a Merry Walrus | |
|---|---|
| File:We Wish You a Merry Walrus logo.png Promotional logo | |
| Genre | Stop motion animation |
| Written by | Martin Olson Christopher Painter |
| Directed by | Tobias Fouracre |
| Starring | Brian Cummings Dave B. Mitchell James Arnold Taylor Mikey Kelley Catherine Taber Jason Marsden Cristina Puccelli Fred Tatasciore Dee Bradley Baker Matt Danner |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom, United States, Canada |
| Original language | English |
| Production | |
| Producer | Matt Danner |
| Cinematography | Ben Jones |
| Running time | 22 minutes |
| Production company | Factory TM |
| Original release | |
| Network | Disney Channel |
| Release |
|
We Wish You a Merry Walrus is a Christmas-themed television special, based on the massively multiplayer online game Club Penguin. This was the game's first foray into television; however, there have been multiple animated shorts and commercials before.
Plot
Captain Rockhopper sails the seven seas on the Migrator with his pet puffle Yarr. He looks towards the camera, breaking the fourth wall, and acknowledges that the viewer has missed the events of what has occurred before. Rockhopper says that he has a copy from the Internet for the viewer to watch; and so, he takes out a mobile device. As the camera focuses in on its screen, the story begins.
The scene shifts to Club Penguin Island on Merry Walrus Eve, where penguins are seen preparing for the annual, beloved holiday known as Merry Walrus. In the middle of all of this, Herbert P. Bear, dressed in a sailor suit, witnesses the seasonal decorating from his submarine and tells his accomplice Klutzy that he plans to ruin the holiday for everyone. Later, Roofhowse, a new arrival to Club Penguin, has found his place on the island and poorly settles his igloo. Two penguins named Blizzard and Sydmull arrive and throw a football at Roofhowse, which he fails to catch. Due to this, they nickname him Fumbles. The two show Roofhowse their igloo, which has a tall beacon on top that requires sunglasses to look at. Impressed, Roofhowse shows them his igloo, which lights on fire and burns to the ground when he turns on the lights. Jangrah, president of the Igloo Owners Association, arrives to tell everyone about her upcoming Merry Walrus play. She has Blizzard sign to play the role of Merry Walrus with permission from Sydmull, who is revealed to be Blizzard's "lawyer". Jangrah then welcomes Roofhowse to Club Penguin Island, handing him a fruit basket. She explains that on Club Penguin, everybody is friends with each other. After everyone else has left, their friend Lorna appears in front of Roofhowse and tells him about a prophecy; that a stranger would save Merry Walrus from annihilation. She also tells him that she had a dream about waffles, then leaves. With that, Roofhowse's fruit basket catches on fire, and he frowns. Jangrah's play is about to begin. The show starts with Lorna narrating, but a few things go wrong; Blizzard forgets his lines, and Sydmull neglects to control the Blue Crystal Puffle puppets in order to build a model of the digestive tract. The group gets a lot of coins for their performance. Meanwhile, Roofhowse attempts to leave the island, believing that he does not belong with the "igloo life". A Blue Crystal Puffle comes out of nowhere and gets in his way. Roofhowse trips on his backpack, and both are caught in a giant snowball rolling down the hill, which crashes right into the site of the play. Roofhowse shows his new friends the mythical puffle, and Lorna translates its noises, stating that Merry Walrus needs their help. Everyone chases the puffle to the shoreline of the Beach, wondering how to follow it. Roofhowse sets sail on his boat, leaving the group behind. Rockhopper arrives on the Migrator, and lets the rest aboard. They pick up Roofhowse along the way. Rockhopper tells all five penguins that they need to go to Merry Walrus Island; the home of Merry Walrus. Following the Blue Crystal Puffle, they head there, eventually making it through the Crystal Curtain that blocks trespassers from entering the island.
After opening the door to Merry Walrus' large ice palace, they recognize a familiar shape: Herbert, disguised as Merry Walrus. Klutzy cuts a rope, which drops a large net on the group of penguins. The group, now tied up, stand before Herbert, who has now "a captive audience" to explain his evil plan to, as poor Klutzy has already heard it 20 times. As a screen drops in, the remote control seems to be stuck, so Sydmull helps Herbert by repairing the control. Herbert begins to explain his plan:
- Capture the Blue Crystal Puffles.
- Breach the Crystal Curtain using the puffles.
- Imprison Merry Walrus.
- Impersonating Merry Walrus, drop a series of "presents", which create a sound-proof ice dome (the Snow Globe of Silence) over the penguin crowd.
As Herbert claims his plan will bring him his awaited peace and quiet, the group is more interested in Sydmull leveling up on a video game. Herbert then activates one of his machines, which takes Jangrah and wraps her up like a present. He then takes two icicles (to simulate a walrus' tusks) and parts with the sleigh, leaving the six penguins to be wrapped up. As Rockhopper and Roofhowse are about to be wrapped up, the Blue Crystal Puffle they met tries to help them escape, only to activate the machine's malfunctioning system. This causes the system to go completely crazy and puts both Roofhowse and Rockhopper in even bigger perils. Finally, the puffle manages to shut down the machine, just in time as one of the machine's scissors cut Rockhopper free.
As Rockhopper and Roofhowse set the other penguins free, the group discovers that one of the gifts is moving, and when they open it, they find none other than Merry Walrus. Merry Walrus is happy to see Enrique, the Blue Crystal Puffle who had helped the group all along; a member of his sleigh team. Lorna comments on how they still have to stop Herbert, and Jangrah says that they must board the Migrator. Unfortunately, the ship is far too slow, and the only way to catch Herbert in time would be using another sleigh. Fortunately, Merry Walrus has one, so Roofhowse and the gang board the sleigh and go to stop Herbert, as Rockhopper tails them from very behind. The scene cuts to Club Penguin Island, where Cadence is hosting the Merry Walrus Party. As the party begins, they notice the sleigh coming in, which is in fact the one with Herbert. As Klutzy takes control of the sleigh, Herbert starts dropping the "presents" to the island, one of them falling on top of a Merry Walrus cake (which took two weeks to prepare). As Herbert prepares to drop the last "present", the group shows up, only to realize the "present" is already falling. Roofhowse manages to catch the present, but he almost trips and drops it. The rest try to take Roofhowse back to safety, when Herbert drops in their sleigh. Assuming nobody will stop him, Merry Walrus gives him a present (and a slight push) and pushes him off the sleigh. Herbert crashes in the middle of the "presents" ring. Meanwhile, Roofhowse accidentally drops the final one, which causes the Snow Globe of Silence to activate, trapping Herbert inside.
As our team cheers for their success, they start delivering the presents all across the island. As Cadence plays a song, we see Herbert inside the ice dome, clamoring for peace and quiet; this does not last long. Herbert remembers his Merry Walrus present, and to his surprise, it's a pair of sound-cancelling earmuffs. We cut to Roofhowse, who thanks Enrique and gives him a pirate hat as a token of appreciation. Rockhopper pops in the scene, bringing the coin bucket as a donation for Coins for Change (as his accountant reminded him he had to pay taxes if he kept the money). He offers Roofhowse to join him as a pirate, but he refuses, as his new friends represent his next great adventure. This pleases Rockhopper, as he sold Roofhowse's boat for scrap. This does not bother the hero, as he joins his friends in the dance floor. Lorna reminds Roofhowse that the prophecy has been fulfilled.
Back in the present, Rockhopper, who has just finished telling the story, reminds the viewer that there is a lesson to be learned, but quickly explains that lessons are for "scurvy dogs". Merry Walrus is then seen atop the Crow's Nest, and the Migrator, being pulled by the Blue Crystal Puffles, hovers up and flies away towards the screen.
Cast
- Brian Cummings as Merry Walrus, the "spirit" and titular character of the Merry Walrus holiday. He rides a magical sleigh pulled by six Blue Crystal Puffles.
- Dave B. Mitchell as Herbert P. Bear, Club Penguin's number one villain who plans to wreck the festive season.
- Klutzy, Herbert's loyal crustacean sidekick.
- James Arnold Taylor as Roofhowse, a sailor.
- Mikey Kelley as Blizzard, one of Roofhowse's friends.
- Catherine Taber as
- Jangrah, one of Roofhowse's friends.
- Cadence, a famous DJ of Club Penguin Island and owner of the Dance Club.
- Jason Marsden as Sydmull, one of Roofhowse's friends.
- Cristina Puccelli as Lorna, one of Roofhowse's friends.
- Fred Tatasciore as Rockhopper, a famous pirate of Club Penguin Island and captain of the Migrator.
- Dee Bradley Baker as
- Enrique, a Blue Crystal Puffle.
- Yarr, Rockhopper's pet red puffle.
- Matt Danner as Cake Penguins.
- Sergei, an astronaut penguin.
Development
The program was directed by Tobias Fouracre, the creative producer is Matt Danner, and the writers were Martin Olson and Christopher Painter. According to a YouTube comment from a staff member, this special took nine months to make.