''The First Snow of Winter'' is a British animated

television film A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...

produced by Hibbert Ralph Entertainment and Link Entertainment and first aired on the

BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...

on 25 December 1998. The film features the voices of

Miriam Margolyes Miriam ( he, מִרְיָם ''Mīryām'', lit. 'Rebellion') is described in the Hebrew Bible as the daughter of Amram and Jochebed, and the older sister of Moses and Aaron. She was a prophetess and first appears in the Book of Exodus. The Tora ...

Dermot Morgan Dermot John Morgan (31 March 1952 – 28 February 1998) was an Irish comedian and actor, best known for his role as Father Ted Crilly in the Channel 4 sitcom ''Father Ted''. Early life Morgan was born in Dublin, the son of Hilda "Holly" (née S ...

Sorcha Cusack Sorcha Cusack (; born 9 April 1949) is an Irish television and stage actress. Her numerous television credits include playing the title role in ''Jane Eyre'' (1973), ''Casualty'' (1994–1997), ''Coronation Street'' (2008) and ''Father Brown'' ...

, Kate Sachs and Neil McCaul. It was released on video in 1998 by

BBC Worldwide BBC Worldwide Ltd. was the wholly owned commercial subsidiary of the BBC, formed out of a restructuring of its predecessor BBC Enterprises in January 1995. The company monetises BBC brands, selling BBC and other British programming for broadcas ...

and 1999 by

Columbia TriStar Home Video Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (abbreviated as SPHE) is the home video distribution division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation. Background SPHE is responsible for the distribution of the Sony Pictures lib ...

in the United States. It was dedicated to Dermot Morgan, who died before the film was released.

Plot

The story takes place in

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

. Winter is approaching and

duck Duck is the common name for numerous species of waterfowl in the family Anatidae. Ducks are generally smaller and shorter-necked than swans and geese, which are members of the same family. Divided among several subfamilies, they are a form t ...

s are starting their

migration Migration, migratory, or migrate may refer to: Human migration * Human migration, physical movement by humans from one region to another ** International migration, when peoples cross state boundaries and stay in the host state for some minimum le ...

south. A young and daring white diapered duck named Sean McDuck decides to slide down a hill and cross over to the other side of a stream, despite warnings from his young

puffin Puffins are any of three species of small alcids (auks) in the bird genus ''Fratercula''. These are pelagic seabirds that feed primarily by diving in the water. They breed in large colonies on coastal cliffs or offshore islands, nesting in crev ...

friend, Puffy. When Sean reaches the other side, Puffy tells him about a

red fox The red fox (''Vulpes vulpes'') is the largest of the true foxes and one of the most widely distributed members of the Order (biology), order Carnivora, being present across the entire Northern Hemisphere including most of North America, Europe ...

, which Sean narrowly escapes. When Sean and his family migrate, he gets lost trying to chase some

seagull Gulls, or colloquially seagulls, are seabirds of the family Laridae in the suborder Lari. They are most closely related to the terns and skimmers and only distantly related to auks, and even more distantly to waders. Until the 21st century, m ...

s. Later, he is hit by a Boeing B-9

jet aircraft A jet aircraft (or simply jet) is an aircraft (nearly always a fixed-wing aircraft) propelled by jet engines. Whereas the engines in propeller-powered aircraft generally achieve their maximum efficiency at much lower speeds and altitudes, je ...

and becomes stranded with a broken wing. His family thinks he has been killed by the fox when Sean's mother sees her with her kits playing with white feathers. A kindly tympanic water vole named Voley is preparing for his winter

hibernation Hibernation is a state of minimal activity and metabolic depression undergone by some animal species. Hibernation is a seasonal heterothermy characterized by low body-temperature, slow breathing and heart-rate, and low metabolic rate. It most ...

but stops to help Sean get ready for the cold weather ahead. Voley also teaches Sean to play a blade of grass as a musical instrument and even does an

Irish stepdance Irish stepdance is a style of performance dance with its roots in traditional Irish dance. It is generally characterized by a stiff upper body and fast and precise movements of the feet. It can be performed solo or in groups. Aside from public ...

with Sean and a chorus line of

sheep Sheep or domestic sheep (''Ovis aries'') are domesticated, ruminant mammals typically kept as livestock. Although the term ''sheep'' can apply to other species in the genus ''Ovis'', in everyday usage it almost always refers to domesticated s ...

. Despite Sean's wishes for him to remain, Voley soon heads off to start his hibernation. After struggling through the first night of a snowy blizzard warning and having to take shelter in a wellington boot, Sean discovers that Puffy was also left behind. For the rest of the winter the two friends keep each other company. When spring comes, Sean and Puffy eagerly look for their families. The two friends are then cornered by the fox and eventually end up on a ship, but are rescued by Voley while Sean manages to drive away the fox, regaining his ability to fly in the process. Shortly afterward, Sean and Puffy are happily reunited with their families as Sean stepdances with Voley.

Voice cast

*Voley –

(UK Version) *Voley –

Tim Curry Timothy James Curry (born 19 April 1946) is an English actor and singer. He rose to prominence for his portrayal of Dr. Frank-N-Furter in the film ''The Rocky Horror Picture Show'' (1975), reprising the role he had originated in the 1973 London ...

(US Version) *Mother Duck –

(UK Version) *Mother Duck –

Carol Kane Carolyn Laurie Kane (born June 18, 1952) is an American actress. She became known in the 1970s and 1980s in films such as '' Hester Street'' (for which she received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress), ''Dog Day Afternoon'', ''Annie ...

(US Version) *Sean McDuck –

(UK Version) *Sean McDuck – Ashley Johnson (US Version) *Father Duck – Neil McCaul (UK and US Version) *Puffy – Kate Sachs (UK and US Version)

References

External links

* * 1998 television films 1998 television specials BBC children's television shows 1990s animated television specials 1990s animated short films British television specials British animated short films American children's films Films about ducks Christmas television specials Animated films about foxes Animated television films 1998 animated films 1998 films 1990s American animated films American animated featurettes American animated short films Films set in Ireland 1990s British films {{Christmas-tv-film-stub