Fuzzbucket

The world of FUZZBUCKET appears to be partly real and partly fantastic. The title character (Phil Fondacaro) is invisible, putting us smack into fantasy land. Plus, he talks, but can only be heard by 12-year-old Mike (Chris Hebert), a bundle of nerves the day before his first day of middle school. When Mike is heard chatting with Fuzzbucket, his big sister and parents tell him he's too old to have an imaginary friend. Then, halfway through the action, Mikey feeds his pal a concoction whipped up in the blender and Fuzzbucket materializes before us, looking disarmingly like a 70-pound rat, complete with a long, hairless, rubbery pink tail. His voice is audible to the audience now and he explains that he went invisible because he'd stayed up too late one night. Somehow the blender drink brought back his visibility. His sweet nature matches Mike's and the two bond. But when he suddenly announces that he has to "go home," to a place that isn't good for boys, and hits the ground running, Mike gives chase, leading him through the local town and into the woods, where he falls down a deep hole. There he finds Fuzzbucket and his fellow fur balls. In the meantime, Mike's panicked parents round up a search party with police, but they don't find the boy until he and Fuzzbucket agree that they love each other and that they'll always remember they were there for each other when both were in need.