But I could do better (with the review, at least), so I have (now watch this upload receive fewer upvotes than the above-linked! XD).
As for the art, perhaps crayon scribbles of Buttons and Rusty should become a Chippy tradition ...at least for another year (yeah, there's also a Chucklewood Christmas special I should look at for 2022)?
In truth, the reason for the crayon is I made a mistake on the original card, and out of spite I decided not to redraw it. Instead, I went over it with crayons (don't ask to see the original card; it's been destroyed). This clip of the original art is all that remains: https://sta.sh/018xim7sajn0
As for the featured pencil, it's a C&.& N.W. Transportation Co. pencil. This is an example of what's known in the hobby as a 'railroad pencil'. These pencils have a special niche within the pencil community, albeit, I'm not too into them (just seemed appropriate to feature here).
So what's my take on 'The Christmas tree Train' (TCTT)? ...I feel it's the weakest of the Buttons and Rusty holiday specials. TCTT offers little in the way of humor, plot or imagination.
What have others said about TCTT?
"I remember watching this in the 90's. Been trying to figure it out!"
"This must be the buttons and rusty pilot"
"This isn't the movie I was looking for"
Ok, ok, so I was being selective with the quotes from the YouTube comments. :p
Our story begins with Ranger Jones narrating to us about the purpose of the Christmas Tree Train: to pick up saplings from the forest to sell in the city as Christmas trees (exciting!). Jones goes on to say he's never rode on the train (I'm unsure why he would), but he knows a couple of someones who did, namely Buttons and Rusty,
RANGERJONES: "...and, well, that turned out to be some train ride, let me tell ya! Uh, on second thought, let them tell you; it's their story!"
So, the story is supposedly being told to us in past-tense, but Jones interjects himself often enough in the present-tense that it really doesn't make a difference.
Enter Buttons the Bear and Rusty the Fox.
Rusty knows of something going on at the ranger station, and wants Buttons to come with him there to see it.
Once at the ranger station, we see Ranger Jones putting up Christmas lights (this is what Rusty wanted Buttons to see). The cubs ask what the lights are about. Ranger Jones explains,
RANGERJONES: "Those are Christmas lights; I always put 'em up this time of year so Santa Claus can find me"
This leads to questions about Santa Claus and presents.
BUTTONS: "Presents? What are presents?"
This seems too simple of a question: I don't accept that Buttons doesn't know what a present or a gift is. A better question would be, 'Presents? How do I get one!?'
Anyway, Jones takes the cubs inside to show him some gifts he bought for his grandchildren.
Wait, doesn't Santa bring the presents?
Anyway, one of the presents is a jack-in-the-box. The jack pops out and frightens the cubs. The cubs run in terror from the ranger station ...just as the snow begins to fall (and it's a blizzard, because in a cartoon it has to be).
The cubs stop to hide behind a tree. No jack-in-the-box in sight! Going home seems like a good idea, save a new threat emerges: a mountain lion! D:
The cubs run away, but the lion doesn't follow ...because it's snowing, and most cats think snow is icky. :p But that's ok, there's still other things such as owls and chainsaws for the cubs to run from ...and they do: all the way to the Christmas Tree Train!
Hey, the plot had to get the cubs to the train somehow---it even pushes them into one of its boxcars and locks the door!
Meanwhile, the cubs have parents who're beginning to worry. The moms send their husbands out to find the cubs,
ABNER (Buttons's dad): "Don't worry, ladies---George and I will find 'em!"
ROSIE (Rusty's mom): "They were headed for the ranger's cabin"
BRIDGETTE (Buttons's mom): "I wonder if they ever got there"
Seems Bridgette has some very dark thoughts (I shouldn't be, but I'm curious)! ^^
It's also worth noting that the snow has ceased. It wasn't a serious storm, just drama snow.
Returning to the boxcar, we find the train is in motion, on its way to the city. Buttons and Rusty want to be brave, but it's not easy, esp. once they discover they're not alone in the boxcar,
RUSTY: "An owl? How did you get in here?"
OWL: "I thought I was flying into a barn, but it turned out to be a boxcar"
The owl proceeds to tell the cubs about the city, in part by describing it as a jungle ...which doesn't seem all that bad to Buttons and Rusty (albeit, they'd rather be home).
Meanwhile, George and Abner arrive at the ranger station. After explaining the situation to Ranger Jones, Jones and George begin searching for the cubs. Abner remains at the station, to save on animation costs (well, that's the real-world answer: in the story, it's because he fell into hibernation on Ranger Jones's couch). :p
After following some clues, Jones and George conclude the cubs may've somehow ended up on the train. The two return to the ranger station so Jones can make a phone call to the freight station (those dreadful days before cell phones!) D: Ranger Jones alerts the station that there may be a bear and a fox cub on the train. The freight manager is dubious, but will have someone check it out once the train arrives.
Back on the train, Buttons and Rusty continue to jump at shadows,
OWL: "You know, for two wild animals, you two sure scare easy!"
You think? The skittish cubs are also fairly dumb in this special---more so than in others. I attribute this to the fact TCTT was the first Buttons and Rusty special, so it follows the cubs wouldn't be at their best here. I can pardon it, but I honestly don't enjoy it---it's neither cute nor funny to see them jump and run from everything. Realistic? Sure! But not entertaining.
The owl continues to tell the cubs about the horrors of the city---seems humans and cars are the greatest threat (I'm inclined to agree with this). The owl says once the train arrives at the yard, the plan would be to stow away aboard another train going in the direction of 'home'. The cubs concur.
The train finally stops, and a man on bear-and-fox detail opens the door. The cubs run out and avoid capture, but miss the homebound train in the process in the process (only the owl makes it aboard). The cubs find themselves in the middle of a (seemingly) abandoned city. Of course, it's not truly abandoned, the studio was merely saving on animation costs.
Even so, If I were to write a spoof of this scene, it would include The Proper People,
TPP1: "Shh! I hear someone" TPP2: "Me, too; sounds like a fox and a bear" TPP1: "Outside?" TPP2: "Should we leave?" TPP1: "No. We can avoid them by going this way"
Anyway, a run-in with a snowplow sees the cubs tumble into a sewer, which the cubs assume is some kind of underground river being hidden away and suppressed by man. Nothing happens in the sewer, so the cubs return to the surface and run---run, run, run into an alley ...where they are chased away by delinquent cats! D: The cubs escape into a subway tunnel,
RUSTY (on a subway train that passed by): "That was a train, I think!"
BUTTONS: "How come city people hide everything underground?"
RUSTY: "I guess they don't like trains, either"
There are a number of cynical and cutting remarks about the world of men, and man's general disrespect for wildlife and the environment, as was typical for cartoons of this sort. Granted, TCTT was a little ahead of its time there---TCTT was released a good seven years before the tree-hugging 1990s would guilt anyone who used a net to fish and/or who didn't recycle their cans. :p
The cubs eventually run their way into the receiving basement of a department store. By exceptional coincidence, the cubs discover a palette of stuffed teddy bears that look exactly like Buttons. My! Bill Hutten and Tony Love were licensing and offering 'Buttons and Rusty' merch before the first production was finished! :p
The cubs decide to hide among the toys, but it goes about as well as one would expect.
Upon being discovered, the cubs run through the store until they find themselves in a large, toy-display diorama (don't worry: their human pursuers lost interest).
Returning to the ranger station, we see Rosie and Bridgette have met with George and Abner. Ranger Jones informs the parents that Buttons and Rusty were found at the train yard, but they evaded capture.
RANGERJONES: "If I wasn't on duty, I'd go down there and look for them"
A bit of a head-scratcher this. While the city is outside Jone's jurisdiction, the cubs are yet his responsibility (they're park property). I suppose Jones knows best. *shrugs*
Returning to the store diorama, the display is activated for the delight of the many window shoppers gathered outside. This doesn't bother the cubs at all! In fact, they resume their toy routine---dancing and playing amongst the display items. The window shoppers accept the cubs are mechanical, despite many things that wouldn't fool any thinking person. Despite this, I count this as the best scene of the special (I like the song, too). :3
To further destroy any reasonable suspension of disbelief, the cubs' performance insired a TV news crew to record their antics live for television ...on the channel that happened to be on at the ranger's station. ^^
Ranger Jones recognizes the store and believes he knows someone who works there. He phones the store ...someone who happens to be dressed as Santa Claus. Well, more than that: the man really IS Santa Claus. ^^
And so Santa delivers the cubs to their parents at the ranger station, via his reindeer-driven open sleigh.
