Overview
Annabelle's Wish is a 1997 American direct-to-video animated Christmas film that revolves around a young calf who aspires to learn to fly and become one of Santa Claus' reindeer. It is narrated by David Holt in the UK and American country singer Randy Travis in the US and stars voice actress Kath Soucie as the voice of Annabelle. Ralph Edwards Films released the film to video on October 21, 1997, followed by a television broadcast later that year on Fox.
Plot
Annabelle, a calf, is born on Christmas Eve in the rural farming community of Twobridge, Tennessee. Upon meeting Santa Claus, she becomes fascinated with reindeer and their ability to fly, and wishes to fly herself.
Having been granted the temporary ability to speak, she befriends farmer Charles Baker's grandson, Billy, who is mute from inhaling smoke from the barn fire that killed his parents. Billy's Aunt Agnes, the sister of Billy's late father, arrives from the city the next morning. Charles despises Agnes and the two get into an argument about Billy's well being, with Charles pointing out that Agnes didn't want custody of her nephew after his parents passed away, but she reconsidered, mostly in order to have a "perfect Christmas". Charles refuses to give up Billy, but Agnes threatens legal action against him. Meanwhile, Annabelle accidentally reveals her ability to speak, but her mother Star tells her that Billy cannot speak, therefore their secret is safe. They go sledding with Billy's friend Emily and accidentally crash into the fence of Gus Holder, the neighbor and former friend of Charles. Gus' sons Bucky and Buster, who commonly pick on Billy for his muteness, tell their father. Knowing that Charles cannot pay for the damages to the fence, Gus takes Annabelle until Charles can raise the money, which he does by selling an old music box that belonged to Billy's mother and his daughter, the late Sarah Baker. Annabelle enjoys the change of seasons with Billy and Emily.
Winter comes around and Bucky and Buster harass Emily and Billy one day after school. When the harassment becomes physical, Annabelle retaliates by knocking them down. The boys lie about the incident to their father who calls the sheriff, but he had received an eyewitness statement from the school bus driver. Gus sends his sons to their room and the sheriff talks to him about how his Ebenezer Scrooge-like behavior since his wife's passing has affected his sons.
From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).