Christmas Specials Wiki
Register
Advertisement
Christmas Specials Wiki

AWishForWingsThatWork Book

The cover to the original storybook the special is based on.

Opus and Bill in A Wish for Wings That Work is an animated Christmas television special based on the book A Wish For Wings That Work: An Opus Christmas Story, which itself was based on the comic strips Bloom County and Outland by Berkeley Breathed. Though not clearly defined in dialogue, the story itself likely takes place in Outland as more characters from Outland are featured than from Bloom County. Additionally, the contemporary timeline (the early 90s) is more suited to Outland as the comic strip began just one month after Bloom County ended in August of 1989.

The special originally aired on CBS on December 13, 1991. It was directed by Skip Jones and was produced by Steven Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment and Universal Cartoon Studios.

Synopsis

Opus writing to Santa

Opus writing his letter to Santa.

The story begins on Christmas Eve with Opus the Penguin writing a letter to Santa Claus asking for a pair of wings that actually work. In his letter he recounts the events of that day: He spent the morning attempting to fly with the ducks, but being a penguin- a flightless bird, he fails miserably, and is consequently downhearted. He is followed by his friend Bill the Cat who gets a trash can stuck on his foot and promptly crashes into a group of carolers. Opus is later teased by a trio of ducks (who resemble the Three Stooges) about his inability to take flight.

Opus decides to attend a support group called "Earthbound Birds Anonymous" at Ronald-Ann's self-help clinic, but when the other two group members-- a kiwi named George whose wife Dolores left him for an albatross, and a hen who is convinced she is a Boeing 747, become too self-absorbed in their own respective dilemmas, Opus gives up on the group therapy and decides to strike out on his own; as he leaves the clinic he is accosted by a cross-dressing cockroach named Milquetoast looking for a crisis group.

Compelled to "take the laws of physics into my own hands", Opus buys a bag of giant balloons, a corset and a leather flight helmet, and begins his crusade to become an "aeronautic vigilante"; he puts on the corset and helmet while Bill inflates the balloons and attaches them to the corset, but as he attaches the last one his tongue gets stuck in the laces and he becomes an unwitting passenger causing Opus' flight to go spectacularly out of control crashing into a string of Christmas lights, a Santa display, Truffles the pig (pretending to be a rhinoceros), and finally into the same group of carolers Bill literally collided with earlier. Opus is so angered by the abject failure that he reads Bill the Riot Act hurting his feelings. But as Bill totters away, the Santa display still on his head, Opus gets the inspiration to write the letter asking for Santa to grant him his one wish for "some penguin wings... that work." He begins to stuff the letter into an envelope, but when he reminds himself that it is already Christmas Eve, Opus decides to expedite matters and faxes the letter to the North Pole instead; he then climbs into bed telling himself, "I'll be flying on Christmas morning".

That night, Christmas Eve, Santa and his reindeer are flying over Outland when clear air turbulence causes the hitch between his sleigh and the reindeer harnesses to dismantle, sending Santa and his sleigh plummeting toward the earth. Meanwhile, Opus wakes up with a start from a nightmare in which he unsuccessfully attempted to fly the plane in the 1937 film Lost Horizon and hears a frantic knocking at his door. He answers it to find the same ducks that were mocking him earlier are now pleading for his help, but Opus thinks they're pulling a prank on him until they reach the lake and Opus sees that Santa's sleigh has landed right in the middle of the water. The ducks admit that the water is too cold for them, which is why they came to get Opus as penguins can tolerate extreme cold temperatures. Opus manages to swim out and pull Santa's sleigh to shore, during which a frog leaps away wearing Opus' flight helmet. A grateful Santa, lauding Opus' courage, gives him his own hat to wear before going on his way. The ducks are amazed, and Bill cracks a small smile.

1194884842 3

Opus meets Santa.

At daybreak Christmas morning, Opus, still disappointed over his lack of flight, wakes up to a big surprise: all of the ducks in Outland (including the three who mocked him earlier) are waiting outside Opus' door wearing red bowties similar to his. To Opus' great euphoria, the ducks take him for a ride in the sky. An overjoyed Opus asks the ducks who suggested coming to him to rescue Santa, and one of them points to the earthbound Bill, and Opus in appreciation tosses Santa's hat to him and yells for him to catch up. The oversized cap lands on Bill's head covering his eyes and causing him to stumble. As he tries to keep up with Opus he gets trash cans stuck on both of his feet, which cause him to again nearly crash into the same group of carolers, but this time they all scatter when they see Bill lumbering toward them.

In a brief post-credits scene, Truffles yells "Don't get cocky!" up at Opus before his prosthetic buttocks fall nearby.

Reception

Lisa Horowitz of Variety gave the special a positive review, saying that it "crams a lot of action and intelligence into its half-hour". She also praised the animation and vocal performances.

Breathed, who was credited as the writer and executive producer of the special, was disappointed with the overall results. His displeasure with the special was shown in a 2003 Washington Post interview where someone asked where a copy of the special can be found on VHS or DVD; Breathed's response was, "Hopefully in the rubbish pail. We can do better than that and we will with an eventual Opus film." In a later 2007 interview, Breathed claims that the reason he dislikes the special was simply "unspectacular ratings" and that his humor "wasn't meant for television, even if it was done right." Another reason was his "lack of writing experience" and the director was way over his head. Breathed also stated that he wanted Sterling Holloway to provide the voice for Opus.

Availability

MCA Universal Home Video made the special available on VHS and Laserdisc in Holiday 1993. It was later released on DVD by Universal Studios Home Entertainment on November 6, 2007. The DVD was reissued on October 10, 2010, this time packaged with a bonus holiday-themed music CD. It was later featured in a Double Feature DVD with The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus in 2013.

Cast

Voice actor/actress Character(s)
Michael Bell Opus
Joe Alaskey Truffles
The Ducks
John Byner Bill the Cat
Tress MacNeille The Chicken
Andrew Hill Newman Milquetoast
Sudy Nim George the Kiwi
Alexaundria Simmons Ronald-Ann
Frank Welker Santa Claus

Gallery

External links

Universal Studios
Movies Silent Night, Lonely Night1941Merry Christmas, Mr. LawrenceThe Munsters' Scary Little ChristmasHow the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)Love ActuallyThe HolidayThe Best Man HolidayKrampusAlmost ChristmasThe Grinch (2018)Last ChristmasBlack Christmas (2019)
Direct-to-video films The Life and Adventures of Santa ClausBarbie in a Christmas CarolCurious George: A Very Monkey ChristmasBarbie: A Perfect ChristmasBeethoven's Christmas AdventureAll I Want for Christmas is YouMy Adventures with Santa
Live-action television episodes "The Day They Captured Santa Claus" • "'Twas the Fight Before Christmas…" • "Christmas Presence" • "Home for the Holidays" • "Yule Laff" • "Christmas Brains" • "Seoul Mates" • "A Christmas Secret" • "Christmas Party" • "Mr. Monk and the Secret Santa" • "A Benihana Christmas" • "Mr. Monk Meets His Dad" • "Moroccan Christmas" • "Mr. Monk and the Man Who Shot Santa Claus" • "Ludachristmas" • "Christmas Special" • "Secret Santa (30 Rock) • "Christmas Attack Zone" • "Secret Santa" (The Office) • "Classy Christmas" • "Christmas Wishes" • "Josh and Mindy's Christmas Party" • "Mr. Monk and the Miracle"
Animated specials and episodes "Dickens of a Christmas" • A Wish For Wings That Work • "For Whom the Jingle Bell Tolls" • "A Christmas Peril" • "Ms. Banshee's Holiday Hits" • "Fright Before Christmas" • "A Very Woody Christmas" • "It's a Chilly Christmas After All" • "Yule Get Yours" • "The Twelve Lies of Christmas" • How Murray Saved Christmas • "ChristMess Eve" • 5 More Sleeps ‘til Christmas
Christmas Specials Based on Comic Strips
Peanuts A Charlie Brown Christmas • "The Play" • It's Christmastime Again, Charlie BrownCharlie Brown's Christmas TalesI Want a Dog for Christmas, Charlie Brown • "Dear Santa Claus" • "Christmas is on Its Way" • "Christmas is Coming" • It's Your 50th Christmas, Charlie Brown • "Happiness is the Gift of Giving" • "Happiness Is Holiday Traditions"
Garfield A Garfield Christmas Special • "Heatwave Holiday" • "Caroling Capers" • "Home for the Holidays"
Popeye Seasin's Greetinks!Mister and Mistletoe • "Spinach Greetings"
Dennis the Menace "The Christmas Story" • "The Christmas Horse" • "The Fifteen-Foot Christmas Tree" • A Dennis the Menace Christmas
Other comic strips PalsThe Captain's Christmas • "Hazel's Christmas Shopping" • "A Christmas Tale" • "Krazy's Krismas" • "It's Better To Give" • "Just 86 Shopping Minutes Till Christmas" • "Christmas with the Addams Family" (1965) • Rupert and the Christmas ToffeeThe Monica's Gang's ChristmasA Family Circus ChristmasB.C.: A Special ChristmasZiggy's GiftThe Bestest Present • "North Pole Cat" • A Wish For Wings That WorkRupert and Billy Blizzard • "Peace on Earth" • A Christmas Angel • "Christmas for All of Us" • Rupert and the Missing SnowLittle Orphan Annie's A Very Animated Christmas • "Rupert's Christmas Adventure" • "The Night Before Christmas" • "Oh Christmas Tree" (Little Lulu) • "Santa's Snowman" • "Christmas with the Addams Family" (1998) • "Oh Christmas Tree" (Fly Tales) • "A Baby Blues Christmas Special" • "A Glacial Christmas" • "Eternal Christmas" • "The Strange Christmas of Mr. Paddle" • "A Huey Freeman Christmas" • "All I Want for X-Mas" • "Rupert Saves Christmas" • "The Christmas Tree" • "Pretty Christmas Night" • "The Twelve Rings of Christmas Bells" • "Christmas Eve" • "Bug-A-Booo in: A Different Christmas" • The Big Bad Fox and Other Tales...
Advertisement