Opus and Bill in A Wish for Wings That Work (1991)
Directed by Skip Jones
Starring Joe Alaskey, Michael Patrick Bell
Universal Studios Home Entertainment
Available now

Originally released in as a TV special in 1991 and based on the acclaimed 30-page children’s book about characters created by Pulitzer Prize-winning Berkeley Breathed released the same year, A Wish For Wings That Work — directed by Skip Jones (The Oblongs) — should be among the animated holiday canon, along with typical Christmas fare such as Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and Frosty the Snowman. Despite Breathed’s own distaste for the holiday feature, A Wish For Wings That Work accomplishes the dreams of many a Bloom County and Outland fans to see the artist’s work in full-motion. (Only one other Breathed title, which also was based on a children’s book, has been made into an animated feature — Edwurd Fudwupper Fibbed Big).

This heartwarming family classic animates Opus the Penguin, a Breathed staple since the early 1980s, in his flightless plight and desire to be airborne (the obvious flaw in this fantasy is the fact that Opus was born a earth-bound penguin). In A Wish For Wings That Work, poor Opus is constantly reminded of his problems by a trio of Stooges-eque (of the Larry, Moe and Curly variety, not the Iggy Pop crew) birds relentlessly ribbing the penguin about his inability to fly.

From the rolling painted landscapes down to the intricacies of each character’s personality, the decision to process the film in cell animation helps distance the cartoon from the stop-motion animation of the Rankin-Bass holiday specials of the late 1960s and early 1970s. But more importantly the stylizations render the beautiful backgrounds notable in Breathed’s more artistic books, no doubt with the help of the creator working as executive producer on A Wish For Wings That Work. Each character is fused with his or her own brand of quirky curiosity, even Bill the Cat in his ceremonious entrance lumbering across a snow bank, lugging his litter box in the cold before settling down for a short sit, walks and breathes as one would imagine if one-time animal test subject.

The animated special is replete with standard Breathed slams on Congress, network executives and science labs specializing in animal testing, and also vintage humor from the author’s Bloom County and Outland strips. Favorite secondary character’s also pop up in the television cheer: Truffles, Milquetoast the Cockroach (an uncredited voice cameo by Dustin Hoffman, and Ronald-Anne all make it into A Wish For Wings That Work.The other bit parts are equally an integral part of the show, but unfortunately in the feature’s less-than-30 minute runtime, it’s difficult to give such great characters anymore screen than the Breathed’s bread and butter of Opus and Bill.

It’s these two characters that really drive A Wish For Wings That Work and Breathed’s comic strips up to and including his Sunday-only Opus. The penguin and his best buddy have the best sight gags and dialogue in the animation, but they’re not out done by the rest of the characters. Even the loosely tied-in side scenes help build Opus and Bill as not only individuals but also as a tandem, as their oddball relationship is strained and brought whole again. The recurring bits, such as incorporating footoge of Lost Horizon (1937) and Opus’ falling buttocks, are a blessing for most Breathed fans, and may even introduce new fans to the offbeat humor entailed in much of the creator’s work.

After a failed attempt at launching into the air (with a little help of some balloons), Opus resorts to writing a letter to Father Christmas hoping for some help in his aeronautical fancies. The show actually begins in media res as Opus writes the letter to Santa a few days before Christmas, and then spans back allowing us a peek into the penguin’s exploits into attempted flight.

Opus finally realizes his dream when upon saving Santa and his sleigh from icy waters the aforementioned birds that once mocked Opus’ inability to escape gravity give him a Christmas present he won’t forget. It’s an ending that’ll warm the iciest of hearts.