Fred the Ostrich in The Great Diamond Caper

Fred the Ostrich in The Great Diamond Caper is a 2011 direct-to-DVD mystery-musical comedy film directed by Russell Calabrese. It is the second of a series of animated musical films, starring Fred the Ostrich and the gang. This film was produced by Touchstone Pictures and released on October 18, 2011. It was released shortly after the last episode of The Fred the Ostrich Show to be filmed. "Total Drama" competitor Heather makes a cameo in this film. All the songs and lyrics were originally written for this movie by Joe Raposo. It was rated PG.

Plot
Fred the Ostrich, David the Duck, and Donald play newspaper reporters for the Daily Chronicle. David and Fred, specifically, are playing identical twin reporters, which becomes the source of a running gag - supposedly, nobody can tell they are twins. While Donald is too busy taking pictures of a peafowl, the biggest fashion designer of London named Lady Holiday gets robbed of her necklace. The trio are eventually assigned to investigate the theft of the valuable jewels from Lady Holiday, which they have to beg for after their boss Mike Tarkenian dismisses them following the Daily Chronicle's headline about the twins joining the staff (while the other papers report on the jewel heist).

They travel to London, England to interview her, but with only $12 for the trip, they are forced to fly in the airplane's baggage hold and are thrown out of the plane as they arrive over Britain while it continues on to Italy. They stay at the dilapidated (but free) Happiness Hotel, run and populated by various characters from The Fred the Ostrich Show, including Gramps, Peter Olsen, Ralph the bear, Dr. Tusks & the Generation Society, George the Rhino, the Italian Chef, D'Abruzzo the Squirrel, Peggy Sue, and Longmont Lew and the Jug Benders. When Fred seeks out Lady Holiday in her office however, he instead finds the alluring Julie Simpson, and mistakes her for the fashion designer. Julie (who was interviewing for a job) masquerades as Lady Holiday, even going so far as to sneak into a ritzy townhouse (located at 17 Highbrow Street) to impress Fred with her dwellings much to the surprise of the true British residents Neville and Dorcas.

At a night club restaurant, Lady Holiday's necklace is stolen by her jealous brother Nicky (voiced by Diedrich Bader) and his assistants Carla, Marla, and Darla, three of her put-upon fashion models; during the robbery, Julie's charade is revealed and she bolts, leaving Fred behind. Despite Nicky's instant attraction to Julie, they successfully frame her for the theft and plan to steal an even more valuable prize....the coveted Baseball Diamond which is on display at a local gallery, the Mallory Gallery. Unfortunately for them, Donald is under a nearby table and overhears them. Fred's crew, along with their friends from the Happiness Hotel, have no choice but to intercept and catch the thieves themselves in order to exonerate Julie.

They all get to the Mallory Gallery, and get to the Baseball Diamond at the same time as the thieves, use the Baseball Diamond in a game of keep away and later baseball, complete with Tommy Downhill commentating. Julie, meanwhile, has escaped from prison and, in a bout of serendipity, finds a motorcycle which she uses to crash into the Gallery's window, knocking Nicky, who is holding Fred hostage, out in the process. Carla, Marla and Darla confront Julie, only to be quickly dispatched by a flurry of furious karate chops. As the police arrive, Julie is cleared from all charges, Nicky and his fashion model-accomplices are arrested, and they get their deserved credit for foiling the heist. The gang then returns to America the same way they departed, being thrown out of the cargo hold and parachuting back to the U.S.A., over the end credits which concludes with Donald taking a photo of the audience with his overly powerful flashbulb causing the screen to go black as if he blinded his subjects again.

Voice Cast

 * Jim Ward as Fred the Ostrich
 * Tara Strong as Julie Simpson
 * Dee Bradley Baker as David the Duck, Anthropomorth, and Sneeker
 * Jeff Bennett as The Amazing Donald, The Italian Chef, and George the Rhino
 * Greg Cipes as Peter Olsen
 * Kevin Michael Richardson as Ralph the Bear and Dr. Tusks
 * Carlos Alazraqui as Lloyd
 * James Arnold Taylor as Janet
 * Phil LaMarr as Scoot
 * Tom Kenny as Gramps and Lou Hampshire
 * Drew Massey as Ramada
 * Victor Yerrid as Hilton
 * Daran Norris as Bozark
 * Keith Ferguson as Mips
 * Jess Harnell as Professor Bunscombe
 * Richard Horvitz as D'Abruzzo the Squirrel
 * Fred Tatasciore as Jumbo
 * Diedrich Bader as Nicky Holiday
 * Theresa Gallagher as Lady Holiday

with


 * Olivia D'Abo as Marla
 * Rachael MacFarlane as Carla
 * Kimberly Brooks as Darla
 * Maurice LaMarche as News Editor
 * Christopher Lee as the British Gentleman
 * Andre Stojka as Cement Truck Driver
 * John Cleese as Neville
 * Julie Andrews as Dorcas
 * Rachel Wilson as Heather
 * Kermit the Frog as himself
 * Miss Piggy as herself

Additional Voices


 * Jennifer Hale and Grey Delisle

with


 * Charlie Adler
 * Susanne Blakeslee
 * Steven Blum
 * John DiMaggio
 * Chris Edgerly
 * David Kaufman
 * Jason Marsden
 * Vanessa Marshall
 * Rob Paulsen
 * Kath Soucie
 * Lauren Tom
 * Patrick Warburton

Characters

 * Speaking Characters: Fred the Ostrich, Julie Simpson, David the Duck, Donald, Anthromorph, Dr. Tusks, Lloyd Zeppelin, Janet, Scoot, Ralph, Peter Olsen, D'Abruzzo the Squirrel, Jumbo, Gramps, Lou Hampshire, Mips, Italian Chef, George the Rhino, Bozark, News Anchorman, Professor Bunscombe, Sneeker, Hilton, Ramada, Tommy Downhill
 * Background Characters: Peggy Sue, Wacky Barry, Frieda, chickens, squirrel bellhops, cows, sheep, billy goat, Yancy the Yellow Dog, Penny the Pink Cat, Frank the Fox, Whatnots, a Reputation, Ernie Monster, Danny Monster, Undergrowth, Boogedy, Glare, Teal Green-Beaked Boogedy-Like Creep, Tan Anteater-Like Monster, Dark Blue-Gray Part Shark-Part Alligator Creep, Emerald Frog-Footed Lizard-Like Greep, Gold Aardvark-Like Greep, Royal Blue Boar-Like Creep, Periwinkle Part Zombie-Part Lizard Creep, Larry the Dairy Monster, Miss Clementine, Large Purple Bird, Tall Green Bird, Man-Sized Blue Bird, Medium-Sized White Bird, Short Yellow Bird, Small Red Bird, Gary the Green Elephant, Bob the Blue Giraffe, Reggie the Red Snake, Oliver the Orange Frog, Paul the Purple Rabbit, Blue-Gray Octopus, Longmont Lew, Bud, Gab, Delisle, Slim Jim, Jake, The Singing Food

Songs

 * "Hey, A Movie!" (sung by Fred, David, Donald, and others)
 * "Happiness Hotel" (sung by Gramps and others)
 * "Steppin' Out With A Star" (sung by Fred, David, and Donald)
 * "Night Life" (sung by Dr. Tusks and the Generation Society)
 * "The First Time That Happens" (sung by Fred, Julie, and others)
 * "Couldn't We Ride" (sung by Fred, Julie, and others)
 * "Julie's Fantasy" (sung by Fred, Nicky Holiday, and others)
 * "Hey, A Movie" (reprise) (sung by everyone)

Trivia

 * Donald's classification as a "whatchamacallit" is officially cemented in this film, as this is the label affixed to his shipping to his shipping crate en route to Great Britain.
 * The fourth wall is completely demolished by Fred the Ostrich and the gang during the course of the film. David comments on the opening credits as they appear on the screen; Fred talks directly to the audience about the roles that he and David and Donald will play; Fred later reminds one of the guest stars after a meandering monologue, that they need to get back to the story; later Fred and Julie break character and start arguing over her acting skills; and at one point a truck driver resembling the late Peter Ustinov questions the presence of Heather, to which she replies, "A very brief cameo appearance".
 * Animated cameos were made by Grey Delisle and David Kaufman (as club patrons), Dee Bradley Baker (working at the Daily Chronicle), Kath Soucie and her son (as mother and son in the park), and Greg Cipes and Jennifer Hale (in "Hey A Movie").
 * Jim Ward had various friends and relatives suggest titles for the movie. The winning title was suggested by Tara Strong.
 * In 1981's "An American Werewolf in London", during the third nightmare sequence, David's family is shown watching the UK Spot from The Muppet Show's Senor Wences episode in which Miss Piggy complains to Kermit that her act has been replaced by a puppet show, when their enjoyment is curtailed by a sudden, bloody slaughter at the hands of anthropomorphic Nazi zombies. In this film, at the Happiness Hotel, while Fred is getting ready for a date with Lady Holiday, Donald is shown watching the same scene on TV (since there is a TV in the Happiness Hotel, but no phone). Keep an eye out for Kermit and Miss Piggy being credited as themselves for their aforementioned appearance during the end credits!
 * Donald photographs David Kaufman and Grey Delisle and mentions that they had worked for Danny Phantom for only four years.
 * More likely that a scene featuring Heather was made after her cameo appearance on an episode of "Total Drama Revenge of the Island" was in production!
 * ERROR: In the Happiness Hotel, they keep saying that there's no kitchen and no food, however, when Bozark drives through the lobby, the Italian Chef comes out of the kitchen with food. It's possible that they could have reinstalled the kitchen in the hotel next morning.

Quotes

 * Fred: All we need to do is rescue Julie Simpson from prison as soon as we catch those thieves redhanded.
 * Bozark: (Raises his hand) Hey, Fred, I have a serious question.
 * Fred: Yes?
 * Bozark: What color are their hands now?


 * Julie: (To truck driver) Do you know where Lady Holiday's baseball diamond is being kept?
 * Truck Driver: (British accent) Smart enough I do. It's at the Mallory Gallery, a virtually impregnable fortress, many miles from here.
 * Julie: Oh, I only have a half-hour to make it there.
 * Truck Driver: On foot? You'll never make it.
 * Julie: I know. What about a ride?
 * Truck Driver: You should read, I presume... (Points to the "No Passengers" sign mounted to the left door) No passengers.
 * Julie: (Short pause) How about an exception for little old moi?
 * Truck Driver: Not even for little old vous. (Chuckles)
 * Julie: Please?
 * Truck Driver: No. (About to drive off)
 * Julie: (Becoming annoyed now) I've tried to be nice!
 * (Angrily, she swings the door open which shocks the driver, then yanks him from the truck, swings him around, and throws him down the alley, smashing down garbage cans and such. In a nearby hotel, Heather from the Total Drama series wakes up, removing her night mask, and comes out the balcony which the dejected truck driver is nearby. His cement truck is heard driven away by Julie.)
 * Heather: Excuse me, what has caused that racket?
 * Truck Driver: (Notices that Heather is there) Heather, what are you doing here?
 * Heather: A very brief cameo appearance.
 * Truck Driver: Me too. Tsk.