A PIXIE LITTLE CHRISTMAS (6-page short animation screenplay) by MATTHEW TAYLOR
When a Pixie’s home is stolen, his anger endangers a little girl’s Christmas.
In what could very well be a new, animated Christmas classic comes our December OWC Writers’ Choice: a magical, heartfelt, G-rated tale that truly exemplifies the spirit of the holidays. I was actually very surprised to learn that it was written by Matthew Taylor, who’s work tends to explore much darker territory – which only goes to show just how versatile he is as a writer.
We follow the journey of a tiny, tree-dwelling pixie named Caspian, who discovers that his pine-needled, evergreen conifer home has been chopped down and to be used as a Christmas tree.
A down-on-his-luck father, low on cash, surprises his adorable six-year-old daughter, Eva, when he arrives home with the tree. Filled with joy and delight, Eva reminds us of ourselves back when we were kids during the holidays.
However, his wife doesn’t seem so happy about it.
MOM
Where did it come from?
DAD
Does it matter? Look how happy she is.
MOM
Of course, it matters! I’d rather you paid
the water bill before buying a bloody tree!
Caspian, who continues to live in the tree, also seems pretty steamed by the situation. He’s especially annoyed by all the flashing lights and ornaments Eva worked so hard to decorate the tree with – that little girl vandalized his home!
Seeking retribution, Caspian destroys all the decorations while everyone’s asleep – proudly dusting off his hands afterwards, he seems very satisfied with his handy work.
But when Eva discovers the mess, it breaks her heart. It’s already been a rough year for her family and she knows that she won’t be receiving many gifts. This tree was pretty much the only thing keeping her spirits up. Her sadness and disappointment tugs at our heartstrings – including Caspian’s. Overcome with guilt, the once-angry pixie has a change of heart and becomes determined to make Christmas special again for Eva.
In the vein of other feel-good animated shorts such as “Feast” (a personal favorite of mine), this script really works on so many levels, especially on an emotional level. I read the script two days ago and I’m still smiling.
BUDGET: Depends on what type of animation is used. But I think this would work in a number of styles: traditional, classical style animation, stop-motion or more complex, Pixar-style animation.
ABOUT THE WRITER: Matthew Taylor is an accountant from Shakespeare’s county. Though fairly new to screenwriting, he is a naturally gifted storyteller hitting his stride as a writer, recently securing an option for one of his scripts. Though he’s always learning and looking to improve his craft, his skill level is far more advanced than most writers with similarly limited experience. Matthew spends his spare time reading scripts and books. His dream is to be able to make a living from screenwriting, specializing in the science fiction and fantasy genres. Matt can be reached at: scripts.by.mt (a) gmail.
Read: A PIXIE LITTLE CHRISTMAS (6-page short animation screenplay)
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*This screenplay may not be used or reproduced for any purpose including educational purposes without the expressed written permission of the author.
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About the Reviewer: Michael J. Kospiah is the award-winning screenwriter of critically acclaimed indie-thriller, The Suicide Theory (79% Rotten Tomatoes – available on Amazon Prime, Itunes, Google Play, etc) and 2020’s upcoming Aussie thriller, Rage. His horror feature, They Never Left is currently in development.
