By Bettyanne Bruin

A child's drawing on a restaurant napkin first became a children's book, and then was produced as a song. Today, The Twelve Dogs of Christmas has made DVD history, when sales topped 500,000 — unheard of for a movie that was made without studio backing.

The story began because an imaginative little girl, Emma Kragen, just happened to have parents who could recognize creativity when they saw it, and a father who had the experience and connections in Hollywood to make an idea come to life.

Well known for his worldwide phenomenon, We Are the World ( a cause that generated 63 million dollars in famine relief aid for Ethiopia), Ken Kragen is familiar with generating heartfelt causes that result in a better life for others. This is why he stared in amazement when he caught sight of his nine-year-old daughter, Emma, sketching a set of pictures on her restaurant napkin.

“She started drawing dogs on the napkin first,” Kragen recalls, in reference to his daughter. “And what we saw made us have to stay twenty minutes longer, so she could finish.”

What Emma finished was a story about twelve dogs at Christmas that included an original twist ending so fabulous it immediately caught the attention of Thomas Nelson Publishing. The result was the book, The Twelve Dogs of Christmas.

Ken Kragen and his daughter Emma, whose napkin
drawing inspired The 12 Dogs of Christmas.

When her book publisher came back and requested a few changes, including exchanging some of the dog breeds for ones that were more popular, Emma was more than willing to oblige, except for one breed. “Not the boxers,” Kragen recalls, because the Kragen family actually owned two boxers. Kragen smiles with fondness. “She stood her ground, even then.”

With the book based on the popular song, The Twelve Days of Christmas , the recommendation was made to have a CD accompany the book with a karaoke version that allowed children to sing Emma's lyrics along with the traditional tune.

Because of his longtime and successful career as a Hollywood entertainment lawyer, activist and manager — having managed the careers of such Hollywood stars as Lionel Richie, Kenny Rogers, Olivia Newton-John, and the Smothers Brothers — Kragen knew exactly who to pool together for the CD. Enlisting the talent of many popular Hollywood stars' children, Kragen created another hit, with The Twelve Dogs of Christmas CD now having sold more than half a million copies.

Explaining how Kragen went from television entertainment to an interest in producing the film version of the Twelve Days book, he said the entertainment industry led him to television, where he produced The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour . This led him to television movies, where he produced the Kenny Rogers Gambler series, which was the highest rated film series of all time for that time period.

Kragen was then led to the film industry. During this time, he attended a party along with a Sony executive who saw Emma's book. The executive immediately made a request for Kragen to produce a movie treatment based on the book for film consideration.

Emma Kragen, then 14, filmed the documentary that was produced about the making of her story into a movie. With her are Jordan-Claire Green, Alisha Mullally and Adam Hicks, who star in the film Jordan-Claire plays a character named Emma in the film.

Kragen's administrative assistant's husband, Steven Leiva — who was the animation producer for Space Jam — was also a well known writer who was familiar with film. Writing the treatment, Leiva decided to base the story during the time of the Great Depression, with some heartwarming qualities similar to It's a Wonderful Life. As a result, he came up with the story of a feisty twelve-year-old girl, Emma O'Conner, who suddenly finds herself in the “dogfight” of her life against a small town mayor and his determined dogcatcher.

Seeking to strike down the town's “no-dogs” law, Emma draws together a group of schoolmates, grown-ups and dogs alike in one of the most incredible holiday pageants ever staged, creating an unforgettable ending that features more than 101 pooches of all shapes and sizes.

After completing the treatment and needing a screenplay, Kragen found himself caught in the dogfight of his own — this one in the form of a looming writer's strike. Deciding to shelve the project, he eventually received an inspiring email from longtime friend, Kieth Merrill, along with a photo showing all of Merrill's twenty-four grandchildren reading The Twelve Dogs of Christmas .

Merrill, agreeing this story should be made into a film, emerged with the script within two weeks.

The Twelve Dogs of Christmas was among only three films showcased at the Heartland Film Festival.

Founder of the Dove Foundation, Dick Rolfe has said of this film that it is, “a family classic; sure to be around for a long time.”

Featured in the film's cast are John Billingsley (ABC's The Nine, played Dr. Flox in Star Trek: Enterprise), Bonita Friedericy (The Nine and Christmas with the Kranks), Adam Hicks (How to Eat Fried Worms), Eric Lutes (Caroline In The City), Richard Riehle (Beethoven's 5th), and Susan Wood (The Jamie Foxx Show , Excessive Force). In addition, the film introduces Jordan-Claire Green (who later went on to appear in School of Rock).

Academy Award-winner Kieth Merrill, who directed the movie as well as wrote the script, often refers to Kragen with three simple yet profound words, “a Hollywood legend.” And likewise, Kragen says of Kieth, “he is a wonderful man.” Producers of the film are Ken Kragen, Daenen Merrill, and Napoleon Dynamite producer Sean Covel.

With a cast that also included more than 100 dogs and 75 kids, Kragen and Merrill had quite a task on their hands.

“Making this film was one of the hardest things I've ever done,” says Kragen. “But like I always say, when a beautiful baby is born, one forgets about the labor. That's the great thing about producing a movie, as well.”