Raggedy Ann & Andy: A Musical Adventure

Raggedy Ann & Andy: A Musical Adventure is a 1977 live-action musical fantasy animated film directed by Richard Williams, produced by the Bobbs-Merrill Company and released theatrically by 20th Century-Fox. A 1941 short film previously featured the characters Raggedy Ann and Andy by author Johnny Gruelle.

History

A little girl named Marcella comes home from school one day and immediately rushes upstairs to her kindergarten playroom to put away Raggedy Ann, her favorite doll. When Marcella leaves, the various toys in the playroom come to life and Ann tells them about the wonders of the outside world ("What do I see?"). So she shares the news that it's Marcella's seventh birthday and her toys notice a large package in her corner, presumably a gift for her. Ann's brother, Raggedy Andy, is trapped under the package and, after being released, complains about the feminine nature of kindergarten (“No Girl's Toy”). Marcella opens the present to reveal a beautiful bisque doll from France named Babette. Ann guides the toys in welcoming Babette into their bedroom ("Rag Dolly"), but she is too homesick for Paris to accept their greeting ("Poor Babette"). Meanwhile, Captain Contagious, a ceramic pirate living in a snow globe, notices Babette and is immediately impressed ("A Miracle"). After tricking Ann into freeing him, he kidnaps Babette and jumps out of the nursery window with his crew of hers ("The Abduction / Yo Ho!"). Ann decides to save Babette, with Andy volunteering to accompany her.

Ann and Andy leave the playroom and enter the woods, where they reaffirm their courage and love for each other as they explore. As the dolls travel, they come across the Wrinkled Knee Camel, a blue stuffed animal that has been abandoned by its previous owners (“Blue”) and regularly imagines a spooky camel caravan inviting him to an unfamiliar home. Ann promises that once she finds Babette, she could go back with them. With Ann and Andy in tow, the Camel chases the trailer and rushes blindly off a cliff. They find themselves in the Taffy Pit, where a huge sentient mass of candy known as Greedy lives. The Greedy explains that, although he endlessly eats the various delicacies that make up his body, he never feels satisfied, as he lacks a "girlfriend" ("I can't get enough"). He attempts to take the candy heart sewn inside Ann, but the toys successfully escape from his lair. During a moment of rest, the toys meet the hateful knight Sir Leonard Looney, who welcomes them to the realm of Looney Land, the source of the world's jokes (“I Love You”). Looney pursues toys through Looney Land and to the court of his tiny monarch, King Koo Koo. Koo Koo complains about his small stature (“It's not easy to be king”) and explains that the only way he can grow is to laugh at the expense of others. He therefore intends to keep his toys prisoners so that they can make him laugh; in the event that the toys lose their comic value, they face transformation into one of the many giggling robotic inhabitants that clutter his court. The dolls escape this fate by triggering a big fight with the cream pies, then slipping away and escaping Looney Land on a boat. The furious King Koo Koo follows them with the help of a huge sea monster called Gazooks.

While sailing, Ann, Andy and the Camel notice Contagious's pirate ship and enthusiastically embark, only to find that Babette has organized a mutiny and made herself the new captain to return to Paris ("Hurray for me!") While imprisoning Contagious in the galley with only his pet parrot Queasy for company (“You're My Friend”). When Ann tries to tell Babette that she has to go back to Marcella, the French doll gets mad and has the trio tied to the mainmast. Meanwhile, Queasy successfully unlocks Contagious's chains and returns to the bridge, freeing the other dolls and swearing his love for Babette. Before he can respond, King Koo Koo and Gazooks attack the ship and capture all but Ann, Babette and Queasy for tickling torture, causing the monarch to swell to gigantic proportions. Babette sees that her selfishness has put everyone in danger and asks for forgiveness, only that she and Ann are caught and tickled too. The dolls realize that King Koo Koo's literally inflated ego is "full of hot air" and Andy tells Queasy to blow it up, which creates a massive explosion that causes them to spiral into space. The next morning, Marcella discovers the dolls and toys lying among her leaves in her yard, allegedly carried there by the force of Koo Koo's death. She brings everything but the Camel back to daycare, where Babette apologizes for her actions and accepts both Ann's offer of friendship and Contagious's affection. The heroes are happy to be back in the playroom ("House") and Ann notices the Camel watching them through the window. The dolls enthusiastically welcome him into their family and express the joy of being together again ("Candy Hearts and Paper Flowers Reprise"). The next day, Marcella finds the Camel among the dolls and, after a moment of confusion, she hugs him tightly, accepting him as her new friend.

Characters

Raggedy Ann
Raggedy Andy
grandpa
Maxi-Fixit
Susie Pincushion
Barney Beanbag / Socko
Topsy
Twin Pennies
Babette
Captain Contagious (the Captain)
Queasy
the wrinkled-knee camel
Greedy
Sir Leonard Loony (the lone knight)
King Cuckoo
Gazooks

Technical data

Original language English
Country of Production United States of America
Year 1977
Duration 85 min
Relationship 2,35:1
Gender animation, adventure, fantastic
Regia Richard Williams
Subject Richard Williams, Johnny Gruelle
Film script Richard Williams
Producer Richard Horner, Stanley Sills
Production house The Bobbs-Merrill Company, Richard Williams Productions
Photography Dick Mingalone (live action scenes), Al Rezek (animated scenes)
Editor Harry Chang, Lee Kent, Ken McIlwaine, Maxwell Seligman
Music Joe Raposo
Storyboard Richard Williams
character design Johnny Gruelle
Entertainers Art Babbitt, Grim Natwick, Harry Chang, Lee Kent, Ken McIlwaine, Maxwell Seligman
Interpreters and characters
Claire Williams: Marcella
Joe Raposo: Driver (uncredited)

Original voice actors

Original version
Didi Conn: Raggedy Ann
Mark BakerRaggedy Andy
Mason Adams: grandfather
Allen Swift: Maxi-Fixit
Hetty Galen as Susie Pincushion
Sheldon Harnick as Barney Beanbag / Socko
Ardyth Kaiser: Topsy
Margery Gray and Lynne Stuart: Twin Pennies
Niki Flacks: Babette
George S. Irving: Captain Contagious (the Captain)
Arnold Stang: Queasy
Fred Stuthman: the camel with wrinkled knees
Joe SilverGreedy
Alan Sues: Sir Leonard Loony (the lone knight)
Marty Brill: King Cuckoo
Paul DooleyGazooks

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raggedy_Ann_%26_Andy:_A_Musical_Adventure