Product Details

• Actors: Jackie Burroughs, Lally Cadeau, Mag Ruffman, Cedric Smith, Zachary Bennett
• Directors: Stefan Scaini
• Writers: Raymond Storey
• Producers: Kevin Sullivan, Ray Sager, Trudy Grant
• Format: Color, NTSC
• Rated: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Bridgestone
• VHS Release Date: October 23, 1999
• Run Time: 120 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00002CGGI
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #286,409 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not as good as the series, April 5, 2000

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Happy Christmas Miss King [VHS] (VHS Tape)

I got the video yesterday and watched it. I wasn't happy with it either. The sound was awful! It sounded like it had been copied from a copy.

They didn't even mention Sarah. Heck and family memeber goes missing and you don't even call Sarah?

I will stick to watching the reruns! I used to tape every episode (for my own use) I would watch them all the time. I found myself bored with the movie, something that never happened before.

24 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A rather disappointing reunion for the "Avonlea" cast, January 22, 2004

By 

Lawrance M. Bernabo (The Zenith City, Duluth, Minnesota) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Happy Christmas Miss King [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Think of having a "Friends" reunion with only four of the characters (your pick) and you get an idea of why fans of "Avonlea" (a.k.a. "Road to Avonlea") were less than thrilled with this 1998 television movie. The premise of "Happy Christmas, Miss King" is that the King family has gathered together during the First World War to celebrate Christmas, but word comes that Felix has been listed as missing in action in France. Other plot lines have Aunt Hetty (Jackie Burroughs) hurting her back, Aunt Olivia (Mag Ruffman) thinking of moving back to Avonlea, and Felicity (Gema Zamprogna) trying to find a new career. The problem is that which each of these last three plotlines each character is missing their key counterpart from the series: Sara Stanley, Jasper Dale, and Gus Pike respectively. The Story Girl and the two husbands appear in old footage, but that just emphasizes the fact that they should have been there.

The story is by Raymond Storey, although those who have read the entire Lucy Maud Montgomery canon will recognize the son missing in action bit from "Rilla of Ingleside," the last of the Anne of Green Gables books. In a sense, that novel becomes my basis for comparison as much as the original series, because that is the one book I have read that really gave me a sense for what the First World War was like for the people of Canada. The war went on for years before the United States entered and Montgomery really gave a sense of how long it was, whereas "Happy Christmas, Miss King" takes place during the holiday season. However, to be fair, this story is not as disappointing as the "Anne of Green Gables: The Continuing Story," which finds Anne Shirley and Gilbert Blythe still not married during the war years. Too bad, because "Rilla of Ingleside" was one of Montgomery's better novels because of its treatment of what happened during that time.

It was nice to see familiar faces, such as Cedric Smith as Alec King, and Patricia Hamilton as Mrs. Rachel Lynde, but if you are going to bring most of the cast back it should have been for something more special than this. Dealing with the war really should have been the dominant focus without the half-hearted efforts to get us up to date on some of the characters. Against the backdrop of a world war the petty marital squabbles of Olivia and Felicity seem rather childish. Besides, the television series ended with Felicity's marriage and it is just wrong to throw out that happy ending without serving some greater purpose than what we have here. "Happy Christmas, Miss King" will disappoint most viewers, simply because of the heightened expectations they will have based on their memories of the beloved series. Fans will want to see it, but they should do so with lowered expectations.

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The Return!, January 15, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Happy Christmas Miss King [VHS] (VHS Tape)

I was so excited to learn that Kevin Sullivan had decided to make a sequel to "Avonlea"! I just saw "Happy Christmas Miss King", and was a little disapointed. Sara Polley didn't appear, eventhough the show was originally centered around her character! Zach Bennett had very few lines, and "Gus Pike" didn't appear either. Although it was nice to see how some of the characters developed, you can't expect that same old feeling to come back when all the old cast isn't there. I hope in the future, Sullivan makes another movie, but this time with everyoe in it. The series always had a charm about it, and for that "may we be truly thankful!"