Inspector Gadget Saves Christmas

Last updated
Inspector Gadget Saves Christmas
Based on Inspector Gadget
by Andy Heyward
Jean Chalopin
Bruno Bianchi
Written by Jack Hanrahan
Eleanor Burian-Mohr
Directed by Chuck Patton
Starring
Music byRandy Petersen
James McDonnell
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Production
Executive producer Andy Heyward
ProducersChuck Patton, Jean Chalopin (co-producer)
Running time22 minutes
Production company DIC Animation City
Original release
Network NBC
ReleaseDecember 4, 1992 (1992-12-04)

Inspector Gadget Saves Christmas is a Christmas television special, featuring characters from the animated series Inspector Gadget . The special was produced by DIC Animation City, and aired on NBC on December 4, 1992. [1] The special serves as a series finale for the original TV series.

Contents

Synopsis

The special opens up at the North Pole, where Santa Claus and his elves are working on all the toys that Santa will deliver at Christmas. Doctor Claw has managed to sneak into the factory and disguise himself as Santa. He has also managed to install mind-control devices on all the elves, which he then activates, and orders them to capture Santa. His plan is to use the mind-controlled elves to make defective toys, for which the world will blame Santa. Meanwhile, he orders his MAD agents to destroy Gadget. Several attempts are made in the opening credits, all of which fail.

Meanwhile, Gadget has been going around with his Christmas doings, completely oblivious to the MAD agents attempting to do him in. Later, he visits the local mall Santa, actually Chief Quimby in disguise. The Chief gives Gadget a self-destructing note containing his mission (and of course, Gadget leaves it to blow up in the Chief's face).

Gadget, along with Penny and Brain, heads off to the North Pole, taking with him the assumption that Doctor Claw has not made his move yet. Upon entering the factory, Gadget firmly believes there is nothing wrong. He does not even get suspicious when he is staring the Santa-disguised Doctor Claw right in the face. Penny and Brain, on the other hand, are not so easily fooled. But when they try to tell Gadget about it, he is sideswiped by a claw from the factory and thrown onto the conveyor belt with all the bad toys the elves are manufacturing where Gadget sings a parody of "The Twelve Days of Christmas" using the things he winds up crashing into. When this does not finish him off (thanks to Brain's meddling), Claw instead has Gadget dropped down the manhole he dropped Santa through at the beginning. There, Gadget comes upon the real Santa Claus, but arrests him, thinking this Santa is the fraud.

Meanwhile, Penny is snooping around the whole factory and hides in a giant jack-in-the-box. Penny sees the elves destroying the toys. Penny calls Brain to tell him that Doctor Claw plans to ruin Christmas. Brain then reports that the elves tried to eliminate Gadget, he found the real Santa and accused him of being Doctor Claw. However, the elves find Penny and trap her in the jack-in-the-box. Penny calls Brain to tell him that she will escape somehow and he has to save Gadget.

Brain manages to snatch the keys away from Doctor Claw and open the cell where Gadget has been interrogating "the fake Santa" using lines of The Night Before Christmas for reference. Gadget mistakes Brain for "the fake Santa's" accomplice, lassos the both of them and heads off to tell "the real Santa" he has caught the criminals. Meanwhile, Penny uses her computer book to find out how the elves are being mind controlled. Penny manages to escape and she finds herself in a place where Doctor Claw hidden Santa's real toys.

As Gadget helps "Santa" load the broken toys onto the sleigh, Brain springs himself and the real Santa loose, and then follows Penny to the control room that Doctor Claw has left vacant. Penny immediately deactivates the mind control on the elves, but Doctor Claw quickly gets into his jet and prepares to take off with the sleigh full of broken toys. But the real Santa shows up with his reindeer and foils him by unhooking the sleigh from the MAD Jet. Then for good measure, Gadget, still not realizing he has been helping his nemesis the whole time, ties the hook to a candy cane prop. Then the reindeer break up the ice behind the MAD Jet, sending him drifting into the distance. After the Chief makes his obligatory appearance to congratulate Gadget and company for saving Christmas, Santa gives them a ride in his sleigh.

Voice cast

Home Media Releases

The special was first released on VHS in 1993 by Buena Vista Home Video. The VHS was re-released on October 16, 2001 by Lions Gate Home Entertainment through the DIC Home Entertainment label.

The special was released on DVD for the first time by Sterling Entertainment in 2004. Three episodes of the original Inspector Gadget series, "The Weather in Tibet", "So It is Written" and "Birds of a Feather" were also included. The special was re-released on DVD again by New Video in 2013 without the bonus episodes.

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Inspector Gadget</i> (1983 TV series) 1983 animated television series

Inspector Gadget is an animated superhero science fiction comedy series co-created by Andy Heyward, Jean Chalopin and Bruno Bianchi, and was originally syndicated by DIC Audiovisuel and Lexington Broadcast Services Company. The show revolves around the adventures of a clumsy, dim-witted police officer from Metro City named Inspector Gadget—a cyborg human with various bionic gadgets built into his body—who is sent on missions to thwart plans by his nemesis Dr. Claw, the leader of an evil organization known as "M.A.D.", while unknowingly being assisted by his niece Penny and their dog, Brain.

<i>Ernest Saves Christmas</i> 1988 US Christmas comedy film by John Cherry

Ernest Saves Christmas is a 1988 American Christmas comedy film directed by John Cherry and starring Jim Varney. This is the third film to feature the character Ernest P. Worrell, the second film in the Ernest series, and the highest-grossing film in the Ernest series. The film chronicles Ernest's attempt to help find a replacement for an aging Santa Claus.

<i>Gadget & the Gadgetinis</i> 2002 animated television series

Gadget & the Gadgetinis is an animated television series and the sequel of the 1983 series Inspector Gadget. The series was a co-production between Fox Kids Europe, DIC Entertainment Corporation, French animation studio SIP Animation, French broadcaster M6 Métropole Télévision, the British Channel 5 and the Italian Mediatrade S.P.A. The show was first screened at MIPTV 2002.

<i>The Santa Clause 2</i> 2002 film directed by Michael Lembeck

The Santa Clause 2 is a 2002 American Christmas comedy film directed by Michael Lembeck in his directorial debut. It is a sequel to The Santa Clause (1994) and the second installment in The Santa Clause franchise. All of the principal actors from the first film, including Tim Allen, Eric Lloyd, Judge Reinhold, Wendy Crewson, and David Krumholtz, reprise their roles, and are joined by Elizabeth Mitchell, Spencer Breslin, and Liliana Mumy. Released on November 1, 2002, the film received mixed reviews from critics and grossed $172 million worldwide on a $65 million budget. It was followed by another sequel, The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause, released in 2006.

<i>Gadget Boy & Heather</i> Animated television show

Gadget Boy & Heather is an animated television series co-produced between DIC Productions, L.P., France Animation, and M6. The series originally debuted in September 1995 in first-run syndication in the United States on Bohbot Entertainment's Amazin' Adventures II block and in October 1995 on M6 in France on the channel's M6 Kid block.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mrs. Claus</span> Wife of Santa Claus

Mrs. Claus is the legendary wife of Santa Claus, the Christmas gift-bringer in Western Christmas tradition.

<i>Inspector Gadget</i> Media franchise

Inspector Gadget is a media franchise that began in 1983 with the DIC Entertainment animated television series Inspector Gadget. Since the original series, there have been many spin-offs based on the show, including additional animated series, video games, and films.

<i>Santa Claus: The Movie</i> 1985 film by Jeannot Szwarc

Santa Claus: The Movie is a 1985 British-American Christmas film starring Dudley Moore, John Lithgow, and David Huddleston. It depicts the origin of Santa Claus, and his modern-day adventure to save one of his elves (Moore) who has been manipulated by an unscrupulous toy company executive (Lithgow). It was directed by Jeannot Szwarc and was the last major fantasy film produced by the Paris-based father-and-son production team of Alexander and Ilya Salkind.

<i>Inspector Gadget</i> (film) 1999 superhero comedy film by David Kellogg

Inspector Gadget is a 1999 American superhero comedy film directed by David Kellogg and written by Kerry Ehrin and Zak Penn from a story by Ehrin and Dana Olsen. Loosely based on the 1980s animated television series of the same name, the film stars Matthew Broderick as the title character, Rupert Everett as Dr. Claw, Michelle Trachtenberg as Penny, and Dabney Coleman as Chief Quimby. Five new characters were introduced: Dr. Brenda Bradford, Sykes, Kramer, Mayor Wilson and the Gadgetmobile. The film tells the origin story of Inspector Gadget as he attempts to foil an evil plot concocted by the series villain, Dr. Claw. It was filmed in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Baton Rouge, Louisiana; and Los Angeles, California, with the castle-like main tower of Pittsburgh's PPG Place playing a central role.

<i>Inspector Gadget 2</i> 2003 comedy film by Alex Zamm

Inspector Gadget 2 is a 2003 American superhero comedy film released direct-to-video on VHS and DVD on March 11, 2003 as a standalone sequel to the 1999 film Inspector Gadget. Based on the 1983 cartoon series created by DIC Entertainment, it was made three years after Disney lost the rights to DIC Entertainment, as Disney currently owns the live-action film rights to Inspector Gadget.

<i>Santa vs. the Snowman 3D</i> American TV special

Santa vs. the Snowman is a 1997 American animated Christmas comedy television special created by Steve Oedekerk and produced by O Entertainment. It originally aired on ABC on December 12, 1997, following The Online Adventures of Ozzie the Elf.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Santa Claus in film</span>

Motion pictures featuring Santa Claus constitute their own subgenre of the Christmas film genre. Early films of Santa revolve around similar simple plots of Santa's Christmas Eve visit to children. In 1897, in a short film called Santa Claus Filling Stockings, Santa Claus is simply filling stockings from his pack of toys. Another film called Santa Claus and the Children was made in 1898. A year later, a film directed by George Albert Smith titled Santa Claus was created. In this picture, Santa Claus enters the room from the fireplace and proceeds to trim the tree. He then fills the stockings that were previously hung on the mantle by the children. After walking backward and surveying his work, he suddenly darts at the fireplace and disappears up the chimney.

The Secret World of Santa Claus is a French and Canadian children's animated television show. It is syndicated to several countries worldwide, including Teletoon in Canada, and Super RTL in Germany, and is generally seen every December during the holiday season. On December 25, 1999, Christmas Day, The Secret World of Santa Claus marathon took place from 6:00am to 7:00pm. As of 2013, it has been released on 2 DVDs from Cinedigm in the US.

<i>Inspector Gadget</i> (video game) 1993 video game

Inspector Gadget is a 1993 side-scrolling action video game for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System based on the television show of the same title. The game was released by Hudson Soft, with developers who also worked on Hudson's video game adaptations SWAT Kats: The Radical Squadron and An American Tail: Fievel Goes West.

"Hooves of Fire" is one of three animated BBC Christmas comedy television specials, filmed using stop motion techniques, and presented in 1999 in aid of Comic Relief.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phineas and Ferb Christmas Vacation</span> 22nd episode of the 2nd season of Phineas and Ferb

"Phineas and Ferb Christmas Vacation" is a special Christmas-themed episode of the animated television series Phineas and Ferb. The episode was originally broadcast on Disney XD on December 6, 2009. The special's narrative, set prior to the events of the series, follows protagonists Phineas and Ferb decorating their city for the arrival of Santa Claus. But when the evil mad scientist Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz uses a machine to ruin the holiday, Phineas and Ferb must find a way to fix it and save Christmas. The episode serves as the 37th broadcast episode of the second season, as well as the 84th broadcast episode overall.

<i>The Story of Santa Claus</i> 1996 American TV series or program

The Story of Santa Claus is a 1996 CBS animated television special directed by Toby Bluth. It features the voices of Ed Asner, Betty White, and Tim Curry.

<i>Inspector Gadget</i> (2015 TV series) 2010s CGI-animated television series

Inspector Gadget is a Canadian CGI animated television series produced by DHX Media that serves as the second sequel to the original series of the same name, which aired from 1983 to 1985. The show was announced on June 11, 2013, with 26 episodes. The show debuted on January 3, 2015, on Boomerang in France and officially premiered on Teletoon in Canada on September 7, 2015. In the United States, it premiered as a streaming television series on Netflix on March 27, 2015.

<i>A Pinky and the Brain Christmas</i> 1995 animated television special

A Pinky and the Brain Christmas is a 1995 animated television special based on the Pinky and the Brain TV series. It is directed by Rusty Mills and features the voices of Rob Paulsen and Maurice LaMarche. It is about the eponymous genetically modified mice, who are bent on world domination, attempting to deceive Santa Claus into delivering hypnotic devices as presents during Christmas.

References

  1. Lenburg, Jeff (2009). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons (3rd ed.). New York: Checkmark Books. p. 323. ISBN   978-0-8160-6600-1.