Summary
Overview
Paul, June, and Jason tackle the bizarre 1991 animated Christmas movie 'The Christmas Tree,' a 43-minute film that somehow feels eternal. They dissect the story of Mrs. Mavilda, a gambling-addicted orphanage director who steals donation money, the orphans who bond with a tree instead of each other, and a perplexing plot involving missing children, bears, and a deus ex machina Santa. The conversation veers into surprising revelations about Paul's childhood involving dog sleds, quail farming, and what he calls 'dry mushing.'
Introduction and Film Overview
The hosts introduce the 1991 animated feature 'The Christmas Tree,' emphasizing its surprisingly long 43-minute runtime that somehow feels like 90 minutes. They discuss the film's availability on YouTube and debate whether people should actually watch it, with Paul insisting 'your eyes need to see it and your ears need to hear it.' The team is baffled by how much happens yet how little makes sense in this interminably paced movie.
- The Christmas Tree is a 1991 animated feature running 43 minutes, not to be confused with Sally Field's 1996 TV movie of the same name
- The film is free on YouTube and the hosts debate whether it's worth watching despite its painful pacing
- Despite being only 43 minutes, the movie feels much longer with scenes dragging interminably
- About 15 minutes in, the narrator announces 'let's begin our story,' shocking the hosts with how much table-setting preceded the actual plot
" Your eyes need to see it, and your ears need to hear it. "
" The brutalist went by quicker. "
The Plot and Mrs. Mavilda's Gambling Addiction
The hosts break down the film's premise about Mrs. Mavilda, who runs an orphanage and embezzles donation money to fund her gambling habit. They discuss how the IMDb description buries the lead and explore the bizarre choice to make the villain a female gambler who seemingly enjoys losing money. The conversation touches on the oddity of her not using the stolen funds for personal luxury but instead for card games with degenerates.
- Mrs. Mavilda tricks the mayor by dressing orphans in nice clothes during visits, then immediately strips them and locks the clothes away
- She uses donation money primarily for gambling, not personal luxury, which is an unusual character choice
- The name 'Mavilda' is Portuguese for 'evil and wicked'
- Mrs. Mavilda is a bad gambler who loses money repeatedly but seems to enjoy the thrill
" She's not trying to buy her way into society or get her or buy her way out of the orphanage into a this or a that. Like, she just wants, I think, to party and gamble. "
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