Cricket on the Hearth

Well, its time to start our Christmas collection. We've got 14 movies to watch and only a few weeks to do it!!
To start us off in celebrating the holiday season, we have the Cricket on the Hearth. 2 years ago for my Christmas present, Andrew got me this Christmas collection of movies that has the good Rudolf and Santa Clause is Comin to Town, and Frosty movies. But unexpectedly came the not so loved movies like this one.

This was such a snoozefest. It's only an hour long but both Andrew and I were almost falling asleep during it.
Apparently it was a story written by Charles Dickens.

We meet a plucky, well dressed cricket named Crocket who sounds a lot like the Geico Gecko. All he wants is to find a nice family with a nice fireplace (a hearth). Andrew said he spent half the movie trying to figure out what a hearth was. Anyway, a toymaker invites Crocket to live with him and his daughter Bertha. Bertha is engaged to a member of the Royal Navy named Edward who is about to be shipped away for 2 years.

Not long after, the family gets word from a man that can only be described as a Green Severus Snape, that Edward's ship has sunk and he's dead. This news causes Bertha to go blind. They stop making toys, become sad and broke. Just when they are about to move to the Poor House, the dad finds a job at a toy factory. This factory is run by a really evil man with a crow named Uriah. This crow wants to eat Crocket!

Near Christmas, the toymaker runs into an old beggar who he shows kindness to and invites him to spend time with the family. Meanwhile, the evil factory owner wants to marry Bertha. Bertha has no idea what kind of man he really is, and is considering it. When she is going to accept the proposal, Crocket and some woodland animals poor pepper into the evil man's tea, embarrassing him and sends him running for now. He then wants vengeance on Crocket, and sends Uriah to go get some professional help to get the job done, since he failed before. So he goes to a seedy underground club for the animals of London where he meets with a gangster monkey and cat. They capture Crocket, tie him up and take him to a boat that is going to sail to China. The captain of the ship then proceeds to pull out a gun, and shoot the monkey, cat and crow. Ridiculous!

Crocket makes it back to shore with the help of friendly sea creatures. He makes it back just as the clock strikes midnight signaling the start of Christmas Day and the wedding. Apparently at this hour, all the toys come to life and so they agree to help Crocket out. The toys find the old beggar, and uncover some old hair and gross beard that reveals him to be Edward! He was shipwrecked but eventually made his way back to the city. Edward then tells Bertha the truth, and they are quickly married as soon as possible. At first when the evil factory owner finds out, he's pretty pissed, but then Bertha gives him a few compliments and he becomes happy.

Again, this movie was so ridiculous. There were lots of little songs that often accompany these types of holiday movies. They were kind of trippy. But each time a song would start, Andrew and I would sink farther into the couch and grow closer and closer to falling asleep. Unfortunately, the ending song (accompanied by sing along!) is now stuck in my head for the rest of the evening.

Andrew's Closing Thought: That movie made no sense, and the cricket was the worst good luck charm ever.

Up Next: Elf