The Legend of The Toymaker

The Legend of The Toymaker is an epic Christmas tale adapted from The Adventures of Santa Claus, written by master story teller, L. Frank Baum in 1902. This legend has enthralled young and old for a century, but now we have finally arrived at a point in time when we can technologically handle the imagery on the big screen. It starts when the Earth is yet young. A wee babe is abandoned at the edge of the enchanted forest of Burzee. Little Claus is adopted and reared in the forest among the immortal Nymphs, Fairies, Ryls, and Knooks. Soon, he reaches manhood and is taken by one of the three rulers of the world to observe the human race. Claus is awestruck by the experience. His heart is broken for the sad children who, to this point, had never known a toy. Claus strikes out on his own… but not far. He builds his cabin at the edge of Burzee in the Laughing Valley where even the flowers, the brook, and the sunbeams sing for joy. Soon a path is worn by children’s feet to The Toymaker’s cabin. But trouble is brewing. The evil Awgwas, whose sole source of power comes from making children misbehave, are finding the happy children are now ignoring them. A series of skirmishes follow as the Awgwas try to stop Claus from giving his gifts in the nearby villages. The immortals come to Claus’ rescue. The Awgwas bide their time. Claus is a mortal and will die eventually. And indeed, Claus is getting old. His giant white beard and long white hair finally come to rest upon his bed. The inhabitants of Burzee and Laughing Valley are silent as they mourn the coming loss of their friend. The royalty of the immortals come together for a summit. They unanimously vote to lay the sacred Cloak of Immortality, the only one in existence, upon Claus. The next morning he bounds out of bed like a teenager. Immediately, he goes back to work making toys to be delivered by his trusty reindeer in his sled. The Awgwas are infuriated and declare war. The delicate immortals of Burzee prepare for the fray. The battle is waged in The Laughing Valley… of course the immortals are victorious. Claus is free to spend the rest of eternity bringing joy to the children of the world. The final dilemma is the rapidly growing human population. Claus is set back by a few modern inventions, like the stovepipe, but he perseveres. The final scenes are of Claus joyfully shouting from his sled, “In all this world there is nothing so beautiful as a happy child.”   In my opinion, this would be best rendered as a CGI film (or possibly animated). It will be in the midst of such great films as Narnia, Avatar, Beauty and the Beast (2017), and Maleficent. As a Christmas tale, it will be in the time honored category of movies like Miracle on 34th Street, A Christmas Carol, and The Santa Claus… though none of these films are epic in nature.