The Magic Christmas Tree
Encyclopedia
The Magic Christmas Tree is a Christmas
-themed fantasy
-adventure film
about a boy who uses a magic ring to bring a Christmas tree
to life. The tree then grants the boy three wishes.
. On the way home, one boy, Mark, visits a creepy old woman. The old woman asks Mark to help her get her cat, Lucifer, out of a tree. Mark climbs the tree, but falls and is knocked unconscious. When Mark wakes up, he discovers that the old woman is really a witch. The witch gives Mark a magic ring, and tells him to plant the seeds inside and a magic tree will grow. Back at home, Mark performs the magic spell the witch taught him, and a magic evergreen tree grows overnight in the back yard. Mark's dad tries to cut down the tree, but to no avail. Later, on Thanksgiving
, the Magic Tree comes to life, and grants Mark three wishes. The greedy boy first wishes for one hour of absolute power, which he promptly abuses. Mark's second wish is to have Santa Claus
all to himself. When Mark sees the unhappiness his selfishness causes, however, he uses his third wish to return Santa Claus to the children of the world. On Christmas Day, Mark wakes up, and realizes that the entire adventure he just had was all a dream.
, The Magic Christmas Tree presents a full-color dream sequence
bracketed by black-and-white 'reality' sequences. It was filmed in La Verne, California
on an extremely low budget.
film Santa Claus
.
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
-themed fantasy
Fantasy film
Fantasy films are films with fantastic themes, usually involving magic, supernatural events, make-believe creatures, or exotic fantasy worlds. The genre is considered to be distinct from science fiction film and horror film, although the genres do overlap...
-adventure film
Adventure film
Adventure films are a genre of film.Unlike pure, low-budget action films they often use their action scenes preferably to display and explore exotic locations in an energetic way....
about a boy who uses a magic ring to bring a Christmas tree
Christmas tree
The Christmas tree is a decorated evergreen coniferous tree, real or artificial, and a tradition associated with the celebration of Christmas. The tradition of decorating an evergreen tree at Christmas started in Livonia and Germany in the 16th century...
to life. The tree then grants the boy three wishes.
Plot
Three boys are walking home after school on HalloweenHalloween
Hallowe'en , also known as Halloween or All Hallows' Eve, is a yearly holiday observed around the world on October 31, the night before All Saints' Day...
. On the way home, one boy, Mark, visits a creepy old woman. The old woman asks Mark to help her get her cat, Lucifer, out of a tree. Mark climbs the tree, but falls and is knocked unconscious. When Mark wakes up, he discovers that the old woman is really a witch. The witch gives Mark a magic ring, and tells him to plant the seeds inside and a magic tree will grow. Back at home, Mark performs the magic spell the witch taught him, and a magic evergreen tree grows overnight in the back yard. Mark's dad tries to cut down the tree, but to no avail. Later, on Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving Day is a holiday celebrated primarily in the United States and Canada. Thanksgiving is celebrated each year on the second Monday of October in Canada and on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States. In Canada, Thanksgiving falls on the same day as Columbus Day in the...
, the Magic Tree comes to life, and grants Mark three wishes. The greedy boy first wishes for one hour of absolute power, which he promptly abuses. Mark's second wish is to have Santa Claus
Santa 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...
all to himself. When Mark sees the unhappiness his selfishness causes, however, he uses his third wish to return Santa Claus to the children of the world. On Christmas Day, Mark wakes up, and realizes that the entire adventure he just had was all a dream.
Production
In the style of The Wizard of OzThe Wizard of Oz (1939 film)
The Wizard of Oz is a 1939 American musical fantasy film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It was directed primarily by Victor Fleming. Noel Langley, Florence Ryerson and Edgar Allan Woolf received credit for the screenplay, but there were uncredited contributions by others. The lyrics for the songs...
, The Magic Christmas Tree presents a full-color dream sequence
Dream sequence
A dream sequence is a technique used in storytelling, particularly in television and film, to set apart a brief interlude from the main story. The interlude may consist of a flashback, a flashforward, a fantasy, a vision, a dream, or some other element. Commonly, dream sequences appear in many...
bracketed by black-and-white 'reality' sequences. It was filmed in La Verne, California
La Verne, California
La Verne is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 31,063 at the 2010 census, down from 31,638 at the 2000 census.-History:...
on an extremely low budget.
Home video
The Magic Christmas Tree was released on VHS by Goodtimes in 1992. It has been marketed in a two-pack with the MexicanMexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
film Santa Claus
Santa Claus (film)
Santa Claus is a 1959 live action Mexican motion picture featuring Santa Claus. In the film, Santa works in outer space and does battle with a demon sent to Earth by Lucifer to ruin Christmas by killing Santa and "making all the children of the Earth do evil." Santa Claus was directed by René...
.