Raggedy Ann & Andy: A Musical Adventure

Raggedy Ann & Andy: A Musical Adventure
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Richard Williams
Produced by	Richard Horner Stanley Sills
Screenplay by	Patricia Thackray Max Wilk
Story by	Johnny Gruelle
Based on	Characters by Johnny Gruelle
Starring	Claire Williams Didi Conn Mark Baker
Music by	Joe Raposo
Cinematography	Dick Mingalone (Live-action) Al Rezek (Animation)
Edited by	Harry Chang Lee Kent Ken McIlwaine Maxwell Seligman
Production company	Bobbs-Merrill Richard Williams Productions
Distributed by	Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation
Release date	April 1, 1977 (1977-04-01)
Running time	85 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$4 million
Box office	$1,350,000 (Rentals)

Raggedy Ann & Andy: A Musical Adventure is a 1977 American live action/animated musical fantasy film directed by Richard Williams. It was produced by the Bobbs-Merrill Company, a publishing arm of ITT, and released by 20th Century Fox. A 1941 short film had previously featured the Raggedy Ann and Andy characters created by Johnny Gruelle.

Raggedy Ann is the beloved doll of Marcella, along with her brother Raggedy Andy and a whole nursery full of colorful toys. Whenever Marcella leaves the room, the dolls come to life. On Marcella's seventh birthday, a new doll named Babette, arrives from Paris, France to New Hampshire. Babette is a spoiled girl who is unaware she is a doll, but the friendly Raggedy Ann does everything she can to make Babette feel at home. Soon, however, the Captain Contagious, who lives in Marcella's snow globe, becomes smitten with Babette and kidnaps her. Raggedy Ann and Andy set off to try to rescue her before Marcella discovers Babette is gone. Out in the world outside the nursery, the two meet the Camel with the Wrinkled Knees, a blue toy camel who has been cast off by past owners and is now heartbroken and lonely. Raggedy Ann assures him a home with Marcella, and he joins their rescue party.

After Raggedy Ann and Andy hitch a ride on the Camel, he begins to follow hallucinations of a parade of camels ascending to heaven. While he's distracted, he runs over the edge of a cliff into a deep pit. In this pit they encounter the Greedy, a gluttonous, blob-like monster presumably made of taffy, who constantly gorges himself on all manner of confections yet is never full. While singing about the plight of never being happy despite his unending consumption, he reveals that the only thing that could satisfy him is a sweetheart, presumably a romantic partner, but he decides that the candy heart Raggedy Ann has sewn up inside her would do just as well. The Raggedys and the Camel narrowly escape being consumed by the Greedy and continue their journey to find Babette.

While travelling through the woods, they encounter Sir Leonard Looney, a purple knight with a penchant for humiliating gags. He kidnaps the trio to Looney Land, where all the practical gags are. They are then introduced to the court of King Koo Koo, a near microscopic king who has a part of him expand every time he laughs at someone else. He finds that the trio that has been brought to him do a good job of making him expand overall when they are subjected to Sir Looney's gags. Before the King can find a better use for them, the Raggedys and the Camel escape, leaving King Koo Koo to shrink back down to his regular size. King Koo Koo then decides that the Raggedys will be just what he needs to accomplish what he has been waiting for his entire life - his "Last Laugh." He calls up his cohort Gazooks, a giant, green, inner tube-like sea creature with a massive array of arms and discusses his plans.