For the past ten years, singer Martin Fontaine has been playing rock n’roll legend Elvis Presley in the stage show Elvis Story at the Capitole Theatre in Quebec City. Now he’s the voice behind the songs – in English and French – of a raccoon called Lotor in 10th Ave Productions‘ third animated film, Tradition of the Christmas log.

“When it was suggested to me that we should have a song which used the talents of a singer with star quality, the idea of getting Martin Fontaine involved struck me as perfect,” comments producer/director Nancy Savard. The recordings were done before Martin Fontaine left for China, where he’ll be touring his show for a month. 10th Ave Productions‘ new filmTradition of the Christmas log will have its first broadcast on the Tele-Quebec network this December. The film includes three songs evoking a distinct musical sound and bringing together an impressive array of talents.

The film’s theme song draws its lively musical hues from the vocal gifts of Katee Julien, who also lends her voice to the character of Tamia the chipmunk, singing The Friendship Song in a duet with Martin Fontaine. As for the colorful hotel chef Mister Bakewell, baritone Vincent Potel delivers a memorable rendition of the chef’s song.

“Music and sound design play an important role in our productions. As a matter of fact, composer Gilles Léveillé has received his first Gémeaux Award nomination in the musical theme category for our previous film The Christmas Stocking Tale,” adds the proud producer/director, who is pleased to be in the running for an award after only one production.

Animation on Tradition of the Christmas log, which was written by Roger Harvey and Louise Leblanc, should be completed in the next few weeks. “We’re all very eager,” concludes Nancy Savard, “and we can’t wait for the first snowfall, because that will mean: mission accomplished. We have Christmas on our minds all year long, but it’s even more exciting when there’s real snow on the ground!”