
Synopsis/Details
ON a wintry night out window-shopping after a meager meal with his parents who are Yellowstone Park employees, little Donald Fraser comes across the ultimate Christmas Present - a USS Wyoming Battleship Erector Set! But Jay Fraser, Donald's dad, who is a park ranger, knows they could never afford it, so he makes up an excuse on the spot. He informs Donald that Santa can't come into the park that year - the gates of Yellowstone are locked every night, and he's the one who locks them.
NOW Jay Fraser has to get the buy-in from the other financially-strapped employees, and they all agree to forgo Christmas that year. No matter what the cost to his family and friends, Donald is determined to get Santa back into Yellowstone so he can get his beloved battleship. He conspires to come up with a plan with his two friends, Carrie and Melvin. But Donald's plans end up alienating his friends and threaten to take his dad's life after an avalanche. A remorseful Donald then mounts a campaign to bring Christmas and Santa back to the park - this time for all the right reasons. It's a campaign that goes all the way to the President.
INSPIRED by the real-life story (rights secured) of young Donald Fraser, A Yellowstone Christmas revives the true Spirit of Christmas in the lives of the struggling families of Yellowstone National Park during the Depression. Just like the hard economic times of today, A Yellowstone Christmas calls on the goodwill of all as it climaxes in a truly heart-warming, Capra-esque ending.
All Accolades & Coverage
Final Draft Big Break Screenplay Competition - Semi-Finalist
Story & Logistics
Story Type:
Pursuit
Story Situation:
Obtaining
Story Conclusion:
Happy
Linear Structure:
Linear
Moral Affections:
Virtue
Cast Size:
Many
Locations:
Few
Special Effects:
Weather Simulation
Characters
Lead Role Ages:
Female Middle Aged, Female under 13, Male Middle Aged, Male under 13
Hero Type:
Ordinary
Villian Type:
Authority Figure, Mother Nature
Advanced
Adaption:
Based on True Events
Subgenre:
Action/Adventure, Childhood, Christmas, Classic, Historical, In Peril, Mountain, Nostalgia, Parenthood, Pre-Teen, Small-town Life, Social-Class
Time Period:
Great Depression (1929 – World War II)
Country:
United States of America (USA)
Time of Year:
Christmas Day, Winter
Relationship Topics:
Family