Cricket on the Hearth (1967)

"The songs are good, and Roddy Mcdowell is perfect as the cricket.  The 7th Level

Editor's Note Charles Dickens's novella from 1845, which follows the activities of the Peerybingle family and the cricket who assumes the role of guardian angel and watches over them, is brought to the screen in this animated tale.

	Aaron Spelling - Executive Producer
	Arthur Rankin, Jr. - Director
	Arthur Rankin, Jr. - Screenplay
	Charles Dickens - Based On Story By
	Danny Thomas - Voice Of
	Jules Bass - Director
	Jules Bass - Producer
	Marlo Thomas - Voice Of
	Maury Laws - Original Music By
	Paul Coker, Jr. - Production Designer
	Paul Frees - Voice Of
	Roddy McDowall - Voice Of
	Romeo Muller - Screenplay

The 7th Level 6 of 10
This Emmy Award winner (it didn't really win anything. I'm being sarcastic) is based on a story by Charles Dickens. It concerns a toy maker and his daughter (played by Danny Thomas and his daughter Marlo) who barely manage to make ends meet due to a cruel, evil toy factory owner who's running them out of business. The daughter's fiance is lost at sea one dark night, and at one point she agrees to marry this vile successful entrepreneur (I love how the guy who actually makes money is always the bad guy. I kept hoping for a real "You've Got Mail" romance to blossom here, but alas, it wasn't to be) when the Cricket On The Hearth, voiced by Roddy Mcdowell and also the toy maker's best friend and good luck charm, steps in to make things right...I can't say that I enjoyed this one. The songs are good, and Roddy Mcdowell is perfect as the cricket. It just doesn't have enough of a Christmasy feel for me. I just don't associate annoying insects with Christmas. After all, they're insects. They're annoying. It would be like Dreamworks making An Antz Christmas. Scratch that. It would be like Dreamworks making Antz.