Once Upon A Forest (1993)

A young mouse, mole and hedgehog risk their lives to find a cure for their badger friend, who's been poisoned by men.

Director:

Charles Grosvenor

Writers:

Rae Lambert (story), Mark Young

Stars:

Michael Crawford, Ben Vereen, Ellen Blain

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Michael Crawford	...	Cornelius (voice)
Ben Vereen	...	Phineas (voice)
Ellen Blain	...	Abigail (voice)
Benji Gregory	...	Edgar (voice) (as Ben Gregory)
Paige Gosney	...	Russell (voice)
Elisabeth Moss	...	Michelle (voice) (as Elizabeth Moss)
Paul Eiding	...	Abigail's Father (voice)
Janet Waldo	...	Edgar's Mom (voice)
Susan Silo	...	Russell's Mom (voice)
Will Estes	...	Willy (voice) (as Will Nipper)
Charlie Adler	...	Waggs (voice)
Rickey D'Shon Collins	...	Bosworth (voice) (as Rickey Collins)
Angel Harper	...	Bosworth's Mom (voice)
Don Reed	...	Marshbird (voice)
Robert David Hall	...	Truck Driver (voice)

Storyline

This animated wildlife film provides an environmental friendly message that humans are a malicious, careless breed. Three cherubic little animals have to rescue their friend who has been overcome by poisonous gas.

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Plot Keywords:

animal protagonist | anthropomorphic animal as protagonist | orphan | teacher | poison gas | 

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Taglines:

An Adventurous Race Against Time!

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Genres:

Animation | Adventure | Drama | Family

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Certificate:

G

Did You Know?

Trivia

Charles Grosvenor's directorial debut.

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Goofs

When Michelle is receiving the herbs, the blanket that she wrapped up in goes from folded to unfolded and on top of her and back to being folded again.

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Quotes

Abigail: My friends & I are lost, and...
Phineas: Say no more, child! We, too, are lost! Lost in our grief!

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Crazy Credits

In the first half of the end credits, painted illustrations of the Furlings and Cornelius doing things after the events of the film are shown.

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Connections

Referenced in Nostalgia Critic: Duck Tales (2011)

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Soundtracks

Once Upon A Time With Me
Music by James Horner
Lyrics by Will Jennings
Performed by Florence Warner (as Florence Warner Jones)
Vocal Backgrounds by The New London Children's Choir

User Reviews

I LOVE this movie, though if anything I wish it was 5 minutes longer...

I personally think that Once Upon a Forest is an underrated gem. I mean this is one of the few animations that had me weeping buckets at the end, and I am a 17 year old schoolgirl. My only complaint is that at 68 minutes long, it is a little too short, but putting that discrepancy aside what you have is a beautiful, poignant film. The animation is stunning with beautiful backgrounds and excellent character animation, and I absolutely loved the songs by James Horner. Please Wake up, had me in tears,(the only other song in an animation that did that to me was Somewhere Out There from American Tail) and I know the vocals were a bit shaky but that can be forgiven as that is such an emotional song to sing, and it did say in the trivia that Michael Crawford found it very difficult not to be moved by the song. He's Gone/He's Back is an upbeat gospel song that provides the funniest moments in the film, and Once Upon a Time is so lovely with sublime vocals by Florence Warner Jones. The characters are a delight, particularly the wise Cornelius, and the three furling friends are very well done, with enthusiastic voice work from all involved. Both Ferngully and this were heavily criticised on release for being too preachy, but to me, both are wonderful overlooked films. Whereas Once Upon a Forest has slightly better songs(as I really liked the ones in FernGully) and better character development, one of FernGully's main merits is the villain Hexxus who terrified me when I was 9, and Tim Curry is one of the gods of voice acing and made Hexxus as chilling as people remember him. Once Upon a Forest has a number of enemies portrayed, like the yellow dragons, the owl and the gas, and I must say they were very well done. In conclusion, a beautiful underrated movie, and my main advice to those who haven't seen it, have a box of tissues beside you as this is bound to bing you tears. 9/10 Bethany Cox.

Details

Country:

UK USA Taiwan Spain Canada Denmark Argentina China

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 June 1993 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Endangered

Box Office

Budget:

$13,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$2,206,251, 20 June 1993

Gross USA:

$6,582,052

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$6,582,052

Company Credits

Production Co:

Hanna-Barbera Productions, Harlech Television (HTV)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

71 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1