Prep and Landing
Encyclopedia
Disney Prep & Landing is a computer animated television special
, based on an idea by Chris Williams at Walt Disney Animation Studios and developed by Kevin Deters and Stevie Wermers-Skelton
into a half-hour Christmas special. It first aired December 8, 2009 on ABC
.
The special was released on-line the next day, along with an original one minute short film Tiny's BIG Adventure. A sequel, Operation: Secret Santa, aired on December 7, 2010, reprising the original cast with the addition of Betty White
as Mrs. Claus
. Another half-hour Christmas TV special, Prep & Landing: Naughty vs. Nice
will air on December 5, 2011, on ABC.
's visit. After working with "Prep & Landing" for 227 years, Wayne looks forward to getting promoted. Instead, his former partner gets the promotion, and Wayne is introduced to Lanny, a rookie whom Wayne has to train. Wayne is still bitter about the promotion, and decides to slack off during a mission. He permits Lanny to do all of the work, which is disastrous. Meanwhile, Santa is informed mid-flight of a massive snow storm and that Wayne and Lanny haven't fully prepared the house yet. He is told to cancel the landing, which has never happened before; they promise to make it up for Timmy, a boy living at the house. Wayne and Lanny discover that the re-routing was a final decision, but after hearing Timmy thank them in his sleep, Wayne decides to fix it. He calls up Santa, telling him that he must land at Timmy's house. Wayne and Lanny then work together to land Santa safely on Timmy's roof. On Christmas morning, Santa shows Wayne that Timmy had a merry Christmas. Santa offers a promotion to Wayne, but he turns it down so he can work with Lanny.
(Chief Creative Officer of Disney Animation) considered it to work best as a television special and with ABC executives were keen to repeat the success of the 2007 DreamWorks Animation
special Shrek the Halls
, approved the project.
Following Williams directorial debut on the short film Glago's Guest
, he was moved on to co-direct the feature film Bolt. The special continued production under directors Kevin Deters and Stevie Wermers-Skelton (Goofy's How to Hook Up Your Home Theater
) control.
in West Point, New York
on his Afghan war strategy by President
Barack Obama
delayed the special's debut one week to December 8, 2009.
The special will get its DVD release on November 22, 2011, along with the short films Tiny's BIG Adventure and Operation: Secret Santa.
s left by the animators. Many pay homage to other Christmas specials and traditions. For example, Magee's office has the Christmas tree from A Charlie Brown Christmas
. When Wayne prepares to enter Santa's office, Miss Holly is typing the lyrics to "Jingle Bells
". The launch code given by Magee is "dash away," from the poem A Visit from St. Nicholas
("Dash away, dash away, dash away all"). Timmy Terwelp himself is named in honor of Tiny Tim, a character from Charles Dickens
' classic A Christmas Carol
.
Others are related to Disney itself. Mickey's Christmas Carol
is shown on the television of Lanny and Wayne's assigned house. Although Timmy's residence appears to be in the Ohio Valley region of the United States, the latitude and longitude given for his house (N 34' 9' 20" / W 118' 19' 23") are of The Walt Disney Company
's world headquarters in Burbank, California
. A license plate with the characters "12501 WED" is a reference to the birth date of Walt Disney
. The German Shepherd shown in the prologue getting dusted to sleep was a recolored version of the titular character of the 2008 film Bolt, which was completing production as Prep & Landing was being made. Timmy's night-light features Goofy
in a pose from the poster for the theatrical short How to Hook Up Your Home Theater
.
Lastly, some of the references were inspired by the show's co-director, Kevin Deters. During a scene in which Wayne is "being naughty" and making himself a drink, the milk carton Wayne is using has the logo of Deter's Dairy, a real-life dairy located in Quincy, Illinois
, Kevin Deters' hometown. A toy giraffe in Timmy's bedroom is based on a similar toy belonging to one of Deters' children. When Santa shows Wayne what happened at Timmy's house Christmas morning, the home shown is based on Deters' boyhood home.
T - Tied for that slot in that week.
s in seven categories by the International Animated Film Association
, ASIFA-Hollywood
. It won three awards, including the award for Best Animated Television Production
.
On August 21, 2010, Prep & Landing was honored with four Emmy Award
s including the Outstanding Animated Program (for Programming Less Than One Hour)
category.
Television special
A television special is a television program which interrupts or temporarily replaces programming normally scheduled for a given time slot. Sometimes, however, the term is given to a telecast of a theatrical film, such as The Wizard of Oz or The Ten Commandments, which is not part of a regular...
, based on an idea by Chris Williams at Walt Disney Animation Studios and developed by Kevin Deters and Stevie Wermers-Skelton
Stevie Wermers
Stevie Wermers-Skelton is a Disney story artist and director. She co-directed the 2D animated short How To Hook Up Your Home Theater and ABC Christmas Special Prep and Landing with Kevin Deters. It has been reported that she is historically Walt Disney Animation Studios first screen-credited...
into a half-hour Christmas special. It first aired December 8, 2009 on ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
.
The special was released on-line the next day, along with an original one minute short film Tiny's BIG Adventure. A sequel, Operation: Secret Santa, aired on December 7, 2010, reprising the original cast with the addition of Betty White
Betty White
Betty White Ludden , better known as Betty White, is an American actress, comedienne, singer, author, and former game show personality. With a career spanning seven decades since 1939, she is best known to modern audiences for her television roles as Sue Ann Nivens on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and...
as Mrs. Claus
Mrs. Claus
Mrs. Claus is the wife of Santa Claus, the Christmas gift-bringer in North American Christmas tradition.While Santa Claus himself emerged from the 1820s from a number of traditions of European folklore, Mrs...
. Another half-hour Christmas TV special, Prep & Landing: Naughty vs. Nice
Prep & Landing: Naughty vs. Nice
Prep & Landing: Naughty vs. Nice is an upcoming computer animated television special, produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios, and directed by Kevin Deters and Stevie Wermers-Skelton. It will air on December 5, 2011, on the ABC TV channel...
will air on December 5, 2011, on ABC.
Plot
Wayne, a Christmas elf, is part of an elite organization known as "Prep & Landing", whose job is to ready millions of homes around the world for Santa ClausSanta Claus
Santa Claus is a folklore figure in various cultures who distributes gifts to children, normally on Christmas Eve. Each name is a variation of Saint Nicholas, but refers to Santa Claus...
's visit. After working with "Prep & Landing" for 227 years, Wayne looks forward to getting promoted. Instead, his former partner gets the promotion, and Wayne is introduced to Lanny, a rookie whom Wayne has to train. Wayne is still bitter about the promotion, and decides to slack off during a mission. He permits Lanny to do all of the work, which is disastrous. Meanwhile, Santa is informed mid-flight of a massive snow storm and that Wayne and Lanny haven't fully prepared the house yet. He is told to cancel the landing, which has never happened before; they promise to make it up for Timmy, a boy living at the house. Wayne and Lanny discover that the re-routing was a final decision, but after hearing Timmy thank them in his sleep, Wayne decides to fix it. He calls up Santa, telling him that he must land at Timmy's house. Wayne and Lanny then work together to land Santa safely on Timmy's roof. On Christmas morning, Santa shows Wayne that Timmy had a merry Christmas. Santa offers a promotion to Wayne, but he turns it down so he can work with Lanny.
Cast
- Dave FoleyDave FoleyDavid Scott "Dave" Foley is a Canadian comedian, writer, director, and producer best known for his work in The Kids in the Hall, NewsRadio, A Bug's Life, and Celebrity Poker Showdown...
as Wayne, the main character. He worked in "Prep & Landing" for 227 years and looked forward to being promoted to Director of Naughty List Intelligence, but he was stuck with Lanny to train as his partner. His call sign is "Little Drummer Boy". - Derek Richardson as Lanny, an overly enthusiastic "Prep & Landing" rookie, whom was given by Magee to Wayne to train. He looks up to Wayne, being his biggest fan. His call sign is "Tree Skirt" and his catchphrase is "This is soo tinsel!".
- Sarah ChalkeSarah ChalkeSarah Chalke is a Canadian-American actress known for portraying Dr. Elliot Reid on the NBC/ABC comedy Scrubs, "Second Becky" Conner Healy on Roseanne, and Stella Zinman in the CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother...
as Magee, the North Pole Christmas Eve Command Center Coordinator (NPCECCC) for Santa's flight. She was promoted to her current position from Toy Design after not listening to her friend Jerry and taking the job (something she admittedly regrets). Her call sign is “Jingle Bell.” She is almost never seen without a mug of eggnog in her hand. She is seen to get very stressed under pressure. This is most evident when she faints after Santa's sleigh almost slides off a roof. - W. Morgan SheppardW. Morgan SheppardWilliam Morgan Sheppard , sometimes credited as Morgan Sheppard or W. Morgan Sheppard, is a British actor.Sheppard was born in London to an Anglo-Irish family but was educated in Ireland. He graduated from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art 1956-58 before spending 12 years as Associate Artist with...
as 'The Big Guy' Santa Claus. His call sign is “Partridge”. “Pear Tree” is his sleigh (in flight) (The coded message "The Patridge is in the Pear Tree" means Santa is in the sleigh) and “Big Red” (a tall, red, old-fashioned telephone) is the phone Magee uses to call him. - Mason Vale Cotton as Timmy Terwelp, an excited young boy who befriends Wayne before he is put back to bed only seconds later. He takes a picture of Wayne which is promptly deleted by Lanny.
- Nathan Greno and David DeLuiseDavid DeLuiseDavid Dominick DeLuise is an American actor and director.-Career:DeLuise was born in 1971 in Los Angeles, California. He is the youngest son of actor and comedian Dom DeLuise and actress Carol Arthur , and the brother of actor, writer, director Peter DeLuise and actor Michael DeLuise.His first...
as the Reindeer, Dasher and Dancer. Their call sign, along with the other six reindeer is "Eight Maids 'a Milking", something Dasher hates. - Hayes MacarthurHayes MacArthurHayes MacArthur is an American stand-up comedian, actor and writer.-Early life:MacArthur was born in Chicago, Illinois. He attended Deerfield Academy and received a B.A. in Government from Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine. He has studied at the Groundlings Theater Company and Atlantic Theater...
as Thrasher, Dasher's aggressive cousin and Reindeer for "Prep & Landing". Thrasher's P&L transport was the last one out before Santa's flight, making it imperative that Wayne and Lanny get onboard. - Tiny is Magee's assistant in the command center. He has his own short film on-line, "Tiny's Big Adventure," which takes place during the show. Tiny attempts to get Magee a new cup of coffee, but misses the last cup and has to make a new one, something quite difficult since he cannot reach the storage shelf. All that is shown of Tiny is the top of his hat, but, when Wayne threatens to expose Magee and Tiny's relationship, we see it point straight up with alarm.
Production
Prep and Landing was originally pitched by director Chris Williams as a short film for the newly re-opened shorts program at Walt Disney Animation Studios. Liking the idea, John LasseterJohn Lasseter
John Alan Lasseter is an American animator, director and the chief creative officer at Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios. He is also currently the Principal Creative Advisor for Walt Disney Imagineering....
(Chief Creative Officer of Disney Animation) considered it to work best as a television special and with ABC executives were keen to repeat the success of the 2007 DreamWorks Animation
DreamWorks Animation
DreamWorks Animation SKG, Inc. is an American animation studio based in Glendale, California that creates animated feature films, television program and online virtual worlds...
special Shrek the Halls
Shrek the Halls
Shrek the Halls is a television special that premiered on the American television network ABC on Wednesday, November 28, 2007. The thirty minute Christmas special included the following: Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz and Antonio Banderas reprising their roles from the feature films. The...
, approved the project.
Following Williams directorial debut on the short film Glago's Guest
Glago's Guest
Glago's Guest is a 2008 Walt Disney Animation Studios computer animated short film directed by Chris Williams. The film premiered at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival in June 2008.....
, he was moved on to co-direct the feature film Bolt. The special continued production under directors Kevin Deters and Stevie Wermers-Skelton (Goofy's How to Hook Up Your Home Theater
How to Hook Up Your Home Theater
How to Hook Up Your Home Theater is a 2007 theatrical cartoon from Walt Disney Animation Studios, directed by Kevin Deters and co-directed by Stevie Wermers-Skelton. This is the first theatrical Goofy solo cartoon short made in 46 years, since Aquamania...
) control.
Release
The original premiere date was scheduled for December 1; however, a speech at the United States Military AcademyUnited States Military Academy
The United States Military Academy at West Point is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located at West Point, New York. The academy sits on scenic high ground overlooking the Hudson River, north of New York City...
in West Point, New York
West Point, New York
West Point is a federal military reservation established by President of the United States Thomas Jefferson in 1802. It is a census-designated place located in Town of Highlands in Orange County, New York, United States. The population was 7,138 at the 2000 census...
on his Afghan war strategy by President
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
delayed the special's debut one week to December 8, 2009.
The special will get its DVD release on November 22, 2011, along with the short films Tiny's BIG Adventure and Operation: Secret Santa.
Hidden gags
Prep & Landing includes a number of references and in-jokeIn-joke
An in-joke, also known as an inside joke or in joke, is a joke whose humour is clear only to people who are in a particular social group, occupation, or other community of common understanding...
s left by the animators. Many pay homage to other Christmas specials and traditions. For example, Magee's office has the Christmas tree from A Charlie Brown Christmas
A Charlie Brown Christmas
A Charlie Brown Christmas is the first prime-time animated TV special based upon the comic strip Peanuts, by Charles M. Schulz. It was produced and directed by former Warner Bros. and UPA animator Bill Melendez, who also supplied the voice for the character of Snoopy...
. When Wayne prepares to enter Santa's office, Miss Holly is typing the lyrics to "Jingle Bells
Jingle Bells
"Jingle Bells" is one of the best-known and commonly sung winter songs in the world. It was written by James Lord Pierpont and published under the title "One Horse Open Sleigh" in the autumn of 1857...
". The launch code given by Magee is "dash away," from the poem A Visit from St. Nicholas
A Visit from St. Nicholas
"A Visit from St. Nicholas", also known as "The Night Before Christmas" and "'Twas the Night Before Christmas" from its first line, is a poem first published anonymously in 1823 and generally attributed to Clement Clarke Moore, although the claim has also been made that it was written by Henry...
("Dash away, dash away, dash away all"). Timmy Terwelp himself is named in honor of Tiny Tim, a character from Charles Dickens
Charles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens was an English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian period. Dickens enjoyed a wider popularity and fame than had any previous author during his lifetime, and he remains popular, having been responsible for some of English literature's most iconic...
' classic A Christmas Carol
A Christmas Carol
A Christmas Carol is a novella by English author Charles Dickens first published by Chapman & Hall on 17 December 1843. The story tells of sour and stingy Ebenezer Scrooge's ideological, ethical, and emotional transformation after the supernatural visits of Jacob Marley and the Ghosts of...
.
Others are related to Disney itself. Mickey's Christmas Carol
Mickey's Christmas Carol
Mickey's Christmas Carol is a 1983 American animated short film produced by Walt Disney Productions and distributed by Buena Vista Distribution Company. It was directed and produced by Burny Mattinson...
is shown on the television of Lanny and Wayne's assigned house. Although Timmy's residence appears to be in the Ohio Valley region of the United States, the latitude and longitude given for his house (N 34' 9' 20" / W 118' 19' 23") are of The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company is the largest media conglomerate in the world in terms of revenue. Founded on October 16, 1923, by Walt and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, Walt Disney Productions established itself as a leader in the American animation industry before diversifying into...
's world headquarters in Burbank, California
Burbank, California
Burbank is a city in Los Angeles County in Southern California, United States, north of downtown Los Angeles. The estimated population in 2010 was 103,340....
. A license plate with the characters "12501 WED" is a reference to the birth date of Walt Disney
Walt Disney
Walter Elias "Walt" Disney was an American film producer, director, screenwriter, voice actor, animator, entrepreneur, entertainer, international icon, and philanthropist, well-known for his influence in the field of entertainment during the 20th century. Along with his brother Roy O...
. The German Shepherd shown in the prologue getting dusted to sleep was a recolored version of the titular character of the 2008 film Bolt, which was completing production as Prep & Landing was being made. Timmy's night-light features Goofy
Goofy
Goofy is a cartoon character created in 1932 at Walt Disney Productions. Goofy is a tall, anthropomorphic dog, and typically wears a turtle neck and vest, with pants, shoes, white gloves, and a tall hat originally designed as a rumpled fedora. Goofy is a close friend of Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck...
in a pose from the poster for the theatrical short How to Hook Up Your Home Theater
How to Hook Up Your Home Theater
How to Hook Up Your Home Theater is a 2007 theatrical cartoon from Walt Disney Animation Studios, directed by Kevin Deters and co-directed by Stevie Wermers-Skelton. This is the first theatrical Goofy solo cartoon short made in 46 years, since Aquamania...
.
Lastly, some of the references were inspired by the show's co-director, Kevin Deters. During a scene in which Wayne is "being naughty" and making himself a drink, the milk carton Wayne is using has the logo of Deter's Dairy, a real-life dairy located in Quincy, Illinois
Quincy, Illinois
Quincy, known as Illinois' "Gem City," is a river city along the Mississippi River and the county seat of Adams County. As of the 2010 census the city held a population of 40,633. The city anchors its own micropolitan area and is the economic and regional hub of West-central Illinois, catering a...
, Kevin Deters' hometown. A toy giraffe in Timmy's bedroom is based on a similar toy belonging to one of Deters' children. When Santa shows Wayne what happened at Timmy's house Christmas morning, the home shown is based on Deters' boyhood home.
Ratings
| Airing # | Air Date | Rating | Share | Rating/Share (18-49) |
Viewers (millions) |
Rank (timeslot) |
Rank (night) |
Rank (week) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | December 8, 2009 | 5.8 | 9 | 4.1 | 12.042 | 1 | 1 | 13T |
| 2 | December 16, 2009 | 6.8 | 33T | |||||
| 3 | December 24, 2009 | 3.3 | 68T |
T - Tied for that slot in that week.
Awards
On December 1, 2009, prior to its first broadcast, Prep & Landing was nominated for nine Annie AwardAnnie Award
The Annie Awards have been presented by the Los Angeles, California branch of the International Animated Film Association, ASIFA-Hollywood since 1972...
s in seven categories by the International Animated Film Association
International Animated Film Association
The International Animated Film Association or ASIFA is an international non-profit organization founded in 1960 in Annecy, France by the best known animation artists of the time such as the Canadian animator, Norman McLaren...
, ASIFA-Hollywood
ASIFA-Hollywood
ASIFA-Hollywood, a non-profit organization in Los Angeles, California, USA, which is a branch member of the "Association Internationale du Film d'Animation" or "ASIFA"...
. It won three awards, including the award for Best Animated Television Production
Annie Award for Best Animated Television Production
The Annie Award for Best Animated Television Production is an Annie Award, awarded annually to the best animated television show. In 1998 the award was split into two categories, Outstanding Achievement in an Animated Daytime Television Program and Outstanding Achievement in an Animated Primetime...
.
On August 21, 2010, Prep & Landing was honored with four Emmy Award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
s including the Outstanding Animated Program (for Programming Less Than One Hour)
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program (For Programming less than One Hour)
The Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program is a Creative Arts Emmy Award which is given annually to an animated series which is judged to have been the best...
category.
| Result | Award | Winner/Nominee Recipient(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Best Animated Television Production Annie Award for Best Animated Television Production The Annie Award for Best Animated Television Production is an Annie Award, awarded annually to the best animated television show. In 1998 the award was split into two categories, Outstanding Achievement in an Animated Daytime Television Program and Outstanding Achievement in an Animated Primetime... |
ABC American Broadcasting Company The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948... and Walt Disney Animation Studios |
|
| Character Animation in a Television Production | Mark Mitchell Mark Mitchell Mark Mitchell is an Australian actor and comedian.-Early life:Mark studied English and education at State College of Victoria Rusden Campus and taught secondary school English for 5 years before becoming a professional actor.-Career:Mark starred in the pioneering sketch comedy show The Eleventh... |
|
| Character Animation in a Television Production | Tony Smeed | |
| Character Design in a Television Production | Bill Schwab Bill Schwab Bill Schwab is an American photographer known for his emotionally charged yet peaceful urban and natural landscapes.Born in Detroit, Michigan he received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Central Michigan University in 1983.... |
|
| Music in a Television Production | Michael Giacchino Michael Giacchino Michael Giacchino is an American composer who has composed scores for movies, television series and video games. Some of his most notable works include the scores to television series such as Lost, Alias and Fringe, games such as the Medal of Honor and Call of Duty series, and films such as... |
|
| Production Design in a Television Production | Mac George | |
| Production Design in a Television Production | Andy Harkness | |
| Storyboarding in a Television Production | Joe Mateo | |
| Writing in a Television Production | Kevin Deters, Stevie Wermers-Skelton |
See also
- List of Disney Animated Shorts and Featurettes
- Walt Disney Animation Studios