A Dog Named Christmas (TV 2009)

A developmentally challenged young man with a penchant for caring for animals in need sets out to convince his family - and their whole rural community - to participate in a local shelter's... See full summary »

Director:

Peter Werner

Writers:

Jenny Wingfield (teleplay), Greg Kincaid (novel)

Stars:

Bruce Greenwood, Linda Emond, Noel Fisher

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Bruce Greenwood	...	George McCray
Linda Emond	...	Mary Ann McCray
Noel Fisher	...	Todd McCray
Ken Pogue	...	Hank Fisher
Carrie Ruscheinsky	...	Hailey
Sonja Bennett	...	Hannah McCray
Carrie Genzel	...	Brianna Lewis
Christopher DeLisle	...	Jonathan McCray
Trenna Keating	...	Faye McCray
Josh A. Young	...	Thomas McCray
Anna Mae Wills	...	Lucille McCray (as Anna Mae Routledge)
Mary Black	...	Jean Fisher
Vivian Ng	...	Jennifer
Kent Nolan	...	Medic (as Ken Wolkowski)
P.J. Prinsloo	...	Pendleton (as Peter John Prinsloo)

Storyline

A developmentally challenged young man with a penchant for caring for animals in need sets out to convince his family - and their whole rural community - to participate in a local shelter's inaugural "Adopt a Dog for Christmas Program."

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Plot Keywords:

dog | animal | christmas | wounded in action | puppy | 

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Genres:

Drama | Family

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

29 November 2009 (USA)

Also Known As:

Hallmark Hall of Fame: A Dog Named Christmas (#59.1)

Filming Locations:

Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada

Company Credits

Production Co:

Hallmark Hall of Fame Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This teleplay was based on a novel of the same name by author Greg Kincaid, who himself appeared at the end of the telecast on its original air date, along with his adopted dog, Rudy, to make a personal appeal for dog adoption.

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Connections

Edited into Hallmark Hall of Fame (1951)

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Soundtracks

"My Best Friend"
Music and Lyrics by Bruce Greenwood
Sung by Bruce Greenwood

User Reviews

great movie in every aspect

I agree completely with Kjirstin-1. I'm glad she pointed out the "errors" (for want of a better word) in sdquinn2-1's post about Bruce Greenwood's age and the Viet Nam postage issue. I thought bringing that into the film was perfect; it was a great way to explain why George didn't want to bond with another dog.

And for those of us who are around the same age as Bruce Greenwood, it was even more powerful to see how his character looked during the war and how he looks now. Something we can 'relate' to, which made the movie that much more powerful and moving. On another note, I adore Bruce Greenwood, and again, in agreement with Kjirstin-1, he could play pretty much any character. He is an incredible actor, and he was perfect for that role. Noah Fisher was also incredible. I've seen him in a few TV shows (Law & Order SVU) where he was good; but he was so believable as the 'challenged' Todd. Not just any actor could perform that well in such a role.

To say that the actor dog who played Christmas was phenomenal is an understatement. This was another aspect of the film which made it so great.

So to sum up, this was just a wonderful film in every sense of the word. And last but not least, the gentleman who wrote the book upon which the movie was based expressing the need for people to adopt homeless dogs for Christmas not only added to the poignancy of the movie, but hopefully, planted a seed in the viewers' minds about adopting a pet.