Plot Summary
Currently streaming on Apple TV+ is The Velveteen Rabbit, an adaptation of the children’s novel written by Margery Williams.
The story is centred around a boy named William who receives a stuffed Velveteen rabbit on Christmas Day. The rabbit does much to cheer up William, who previously was rather sad and lonely.
Miraculously, his toy bunny comes to life. Or at least that’s what seems to happen as the story plays out.
At the end of the film, the lives of both William and the toy rabbit are transformed. What messages can we take from this? Let’s take a closer look at this enchanting movie.
Why is William sad?
The film begins with William travelling to his new home with his parents. He feels sad because he had to say goodbye to his teacher and friends at his old school. The memory of what he has lost makes him sad, even though happy things could be waiting for him in this next chapter of his life.
Does William cheer up?
William explores his new home but still isn’t very happy. His unhappiness increases when he goes outside to play in the snow and hears other children playing. His lack of courage to approach them adds to his sadness and sense of loneliness.
With no one to play with, he invents an imaginary friend while building a snowman. We don’t see this ‘friend’ but we do get to meet another friend of his that may or may not be real. This new friend makes William happy and helps him to feel less lonely.
Who is William’s new friend?
On Christmas Day, William receives a toy rabbit. He instantly takes a liking to the stuffed toy and spends the day excitedly playing with it. Later, when William has gone to bed, the toy rabbit comes to life in the playroom. He isn’t the only one to spring to life as the playroom consists of other toys, including a wheeled horse, metal car, wooden lion, and a wooden king, who are also alive.
The metal car doesn’t like the toy rabbit. She tells him he isn’t real because he has no moving parts and insists that he go to the far corner of the room where he can’t be seen.
The rabbit is sad that it isn’t as ‘real’ as the other toys but the horse tells him he will become real when somebody starts to love him.
Does William love his rabbit?
William and the rabbit have a lot of fun together, from crawling through tunnels (William’s bedsheets) to swinging over streams while being chased by an imaginary wolf.
The boy regards the rabbit as ‘real’ and effectively loves him, but the other toys still debate whether this is true or not.
During one of their playtimes, the Velveteen rabbit tells William how rabbits communicate. He tells him they stamp their feet when they sense danger and rub their nose when they want to say hello or goodbye. William is confused by this last communication but the rabbit tells him that when somebody says goodbye to one thing, they say hello to another. He goes on to say that every ending is the start of something new.
It’s cold outside and William starts to become ill. Moments later, he is ushered inside and taken to bed by his father. The toy is left outside where he meets actual rabbits who tell him he isn’t real.
In the morning, the gardener finds the toy rabbit and takes him to the playroom. The other toys cause him to think he isn’t loved because the boy left him outside. This is why he can’t can’t be considered ‘real’ according to the other playthings.
The horse tells the rabbit that the boy is very sick and that he “might not make it.” The boy has the same illness as his uncle who died after getting a fever. The horse tells the rabbit that the man’s belongings had to be burned to protect others from catching the illness. He warns the rabbit that the same could happen to him.
What happens to William?
William has scarlet fever, much to the worry of his parents who stand at his bedside.
The nanny goes to the playroom to get William a toy. Before she arrives in the room, the toys tell the rabbit to hide, due to the threat of getting burned if he spends time with the boy. But the rabbit tells the toys that even if William doesn’t love him, he still loves William. As such, he chooses not to hide and becomes the toy of choice when the nanny enters the room.
Does William recover? What happens to the rabbit?
William and the rabbit share a conversation, in which the toy tells William, who is sorry for not being brave, that he is perfect just the way he is.
Later, William recovers but the doctor orders the nanny to burn his bedsheets and the toy rabbit.
William is upset that his toy has gone missing and his mom tells him it had to be thrown out because it was old and worn. In truth, the toy has been put outside on the wood that is intended for a bonfire.
Outside, the rabbit sheds a tear which causes a flower to grow. The flower comes to life and becomes the fairy that is in charge of make-believe magic. The fairy tells the rabbit that its her job to take care of the toys that are no longer needed.
Rabbit is sad because he will miss William and won’t be able to play with him again. He is also sad because he didn’t become real because William didn’t really love him.
The fairy tells the rabbit that William did love him and that his unconditional love for William made him real. She then tells the rabbit she has a reward for him for being such a good toy. We then see her blow magic dust into his face.
How does the film end?
We cut to the next Christmas Day where William is given a toy plane. He’s not that happy with it but takes it outside to play with anyway.
The plane is as much fun to play with as a sack full of potatoes but William starts to feel happier when he sees a real rabbit (who we can presume to be the toy rabbit that has been brought to life by the fairy). After the two seemingly recognize each other, the rabbit beckons to William and leads him to the children who are playing nearby.
The rabbit then rubs its nose as a way of saying goodbye. The moment could be a sad one but it’s a reminder of what the rabbit told William earlier – that every ending is the start of something new. As the film draws to a close, William says farewell to the rabbit and then says hello to the children who are playing. He has lost one friend but now has others to play with, so he no longer has a reason to feel sad.
What is the film’s message?
There are a couple of messages to be taken from the film.
Firstly, even though change can be sad and hard to comprehend, it doesn’t mean our lives will be ruined. As William discovered, happiness can be achieved, even when we go through a loss.
The film is also about finding self-worth and acceptance through love. The rabbit discovered this after struggling with inferiority brought about by the jealous toys. William also discovered this when playing with his rabbit. While the toy probably didn’t come to life (sorry to break the illusion), William still regained his confidence through the imagined love of his toy. This confidence helped him to be brave at the end of the film when he plucked up the courage to speak to the other children.
These are our takeaways from the film but what about you? What messages do you think the story of The Velveteen Rabbit teaches? Let us know in the comments below.
Read More: The Velveteen Rabbit Movie Review
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