The Wishmas Tree

The Wishmas Tree
Theatrical release poster
Directed byRicard Cussó
Written byRicard Cussó
Story byPeter Ivans
Produced byKristen Souvlis
Nadine Bates
Starring
Edited byAhmad Halimi
Music byAck Kinmonth
Production
company
Distributed byR & R Films (Australasia)
Release dates
Running time
90 minutes
CountryAustralia
LanguageEnglish
Box office$874,049[1]

The Wishmas Tree is a 2019 Australian animated adventure film written and directed by Ricard Cussó from a story by Peter Ivan. Financed by Screen Queensland and Screen Australia, it is the first film in Like a Photon Creative's The Tales from Sanctuary City franchise.[2] The film stars Miranda Tapsell and Ross Noble.[3] It had its world premiere at the Brisbane International Film Festival on 5 October 2019,[4] and was released in Australian cinemas on 27 February 2020.

Premise

A young possum's misguided wish for a white Wishmas freezes her entire hometown of Sanctuary City and threatens the lives of all who live there. Before the magical Wishmas Tree dies, she must undertake a journey into The Wild in order to reverse the damage she caused and save the city.[5]

Voice cast

  • Miranda Tapsell as Kerry
  • Ross Noble as Yarra
  • Kate Murphy as Petra and Bernard the Drop Bear
  • Ricard Cussó as Augustus
  • Ryan Renshaw as Kerry and Petra's father

Release and reception

The film had its world premiere at the Brisbane International Film Festival on 5 October 2019. It had a limited release, and grossed $874,049 worldwide.[1] It was distributed theatrically by R & R Films in Australia and New Zealand, and by various other companies internationally and on home media.[6]

The film received generally negative reviews from critics,[7][8] and on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes the film holds an approval rating of 50% based on six reviews.[9]

References

  1. ^ a b The Wishmas Tree Archived 2021-04-21 at the Wayback Machine at Box Office Mojo – an IMDb company. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
  2. ^ Ritman, Alex (2 November 2018) Odin's Eye to Build 'Sanctuary City' Animated Franchise Archived 2021-04-21 at the Wayback Machine. The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
  3. ^ Maclab, Geoffrey (17 May 2019) 'The Wishmas Tree' grows international roots for Odin's Eye (exclusive) Archived 2021-04-21 at the Wayback Machine. Screen International. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
  4. ^ The Wishmas Tree. Brisbane International Film Festival – biff.com.au. Retrieved 21 April 2021. Archived from the original 31 December 2019.
  5. ^ Staff (6 December 2019) Trailer arrives for new children's animated film The Wishmas Tree Archived 2021-04-21 at the Wayback Machine. Cinema Australia. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
  6. ^ "The Wishmas Tree (2019)". IMDb. Archived from the original on 25 April 2022. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  7. ^ Clarke, Cath (18 June 2020) The Wishmas Tree review – dull eco-adventure animation Archived 2021-04-21 at the Wayback Machine. The Guardian. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
  8. ^ Wilson, Jake (20 February 2020) Can Australian film The Wishmas Tree compete with Pixar? They wish Archived 2021-04-21 at the Wayback Machine. The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
  9. ^ "The Wishmas Tree". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Archived from the original on 2021-04-14. Retrieved October 30, 2021.