Weihnachten mit Willy Wuff - Eine Mama für Lieschen (1995)

The little orphan girl Lieschen desperately longs to spend Christmas with a family for once. She secretly leaves the orphanage with a suitcase and meets Willy Wuff, a talking dog, on a commuter train, though she is the only one who can understand him. Together they go into town, where Willy Wuff snatches several sausages from the hand of Dorle Bims, the wealthy daughter of a businessman, at an inn. She had just ordered them for her large dog, Doggy Dog. When Doggy Dog chases Willy Wuff and a great commotion breaks out, Lieschen and Willy Wuff hurry away. By the light of the full moon, Lieschen and her four-legged companion wander through a forest and come upon a stately castle. They slip inside unnoticed and marvel at its splendid furnishings. The Countess and her son Robert, who own the castle, do not have enough money to keep the estate in good repair. The income from the castle’s own museum is not enough to replace the roof, either. Count Robert therefore plans to marry Dorle Bims, whose wealthy father is ready to renovate the castle from top to bottom as soon as he arrives. But Robert is actually in love with Babette, the maid. Upset that Robert is engaged to someone else, Babette finds it hard to wait on Dorle and tries to avoid her rival. The next morning, while Doggy Dog chases Willy Wuff through the castle, Dorle comes across Lieschen and assumes the girl has got lost. Dorle takes Lieschen to the castle’s visitors and asks her to point out her mother. Lieschen points at random into the crowd, so Dorle assumes that Babette is the mother. As everyone toasts Robert and Dorle’s engagement, Dorle makes an ambiguous remark to Babette about her supposed daughter. Babette, however, thinks Dorle is referring to her relationship with Robert. Furious, Babette smashes several plates and puts a salad bowl over Dorle’s head. Meanwhile, Lieschen and Willy Wuff are given something to eat in the kitchen by the kind servant Johanna. Afterwards, they introduce themselves to the Countess and Mr. Bims, who are only too happy to accept Lieschen’s suggestion that they spend Christmas together. While Robert and Dorle argue in their room because Dorle suspects Robert is Lieschen’s father, Babette writes an apology for her behavior. Sadly, she packs her bags and prepares to leave the castle forever. After calling the orphanage and telling the sister on duty, Mechthild, that she is all right and is staying in a castle, Lieschen finds Babette and tries to comfort her. Willy Wuff leads Robert to them, and Robert and Babette make up. Robert has now realized that Babette means more to him than the castle. Meanwhile, Dorle is enjoying herself with a southern-looking tourist named Miguel, whom she has encountered repeatedly before. In the meantime, Doggy Dog and Willy Wuff knock over the enormous Christmas tree in the living room. Sister Mechthild eventually arrives at the castle while searching for Lieschen. On Christmas Eve, the Countess and Mr. Bims, Robert and Babette, and Dorle and Miguel sing with Lieschen and Sister Mechthild in front of the toppled Christmas tree. Mr. Bims proposes to the Countess, and the two decide to adopt Lieschen.