The Once Upon a Forest Page

Abigail

Ellen Blain

A mouse, and the self-appointed "leader" of the expedition. She and Russell are at odds with each other early in the story but learn to respect each other by the end. She's someone who likes to get a task done; even before thinking it through. This is both her strength and weakness.

Edgar

Ben Gregory

A mole, and the smartest of the group. He's shy, but he's not afraid to stand up for his friends when they are slighted. He happy to let the others lead, but lets them know when they are making mistakes. Perhaps the most thoughtful of the characters.

Russell

Paige Gosney

A hedgehog, and quite an eater! He and Abigail and argue over who should lead the group early on; however they soon realize they must work together if they are to succeed. Although it is suggested the others don't think he is very bright, it is he who realizes they can build Cornelius's flying device and goes on to supervises the work.

Cornelius

Michael Crawford

A badger, inventor, alchemist, and the group's teacher. (And not a bad singer, either.) The community greatly respects him, though most of his pupils haven't learned to do the same at the beginning of the story. The only thing he stresses more than learning is his fear of humans. When he was young, his parents were killed by humans; he and his sister escaped to these woods. In the end, he learns that not all humans are evil when a crew comes to clean up the meadow.

Michelle

Elizabeth Moss

A badger, and Cornelius' niece. It is she who is made sick by the poison gas, and she who must be cured with the help of the other furlings. She is an inquisitive tag-along; not yet old enough to be a pupil like the others, but spirited enough to cause trouble. Despite this, she is so darn cute I can't help but like her.

Phineas

Ben Vereen

A wren, and a minister. He presides over the "funeral" for Bosworth (a little bird who is trapped in the mud). He only has a brief appearance in the film, but from this appearance we see he is a kind soul who helps the furlings find the meadow they seek. He also warns them about the "yellow dragons" - construction machines, in actuality - that threaten the birds' habitat.

Willy

Will Nipper

A mouse, and possible love interest for Abigail, but the furlings leave before any real relationship develops. He appears to be the only animal in the newly-discovered meadow that is nice to them. (Though he was probably only doing so because of Abigail.) It's still not clear to me whether Abigail was really interested in him or not; as I find it hard to believe Abigail would fall (literally ) for someone so quickly. Maybe Abigail's father doesn't let her see other male mice?

Waggs

Charlie Adler

A squirrel, and a species-ist one at that. He lives in the meadow the furlings discover, and he doesn't like any of the other animals other that squirrels. He is the antithesis of what the furlings have become on their journey towards learning to cooperate.

Abigail's Father

Paul Eiding

A mouse, and one that doesn't seem to be aware of his daughter's rambunctious lifestyle. In fact, my friend described him as a bit of a "dim bulb", which I thought was a hilarious way to describe him! It is unclear as to whether he has a wife or not.

Russell's Mom

Susan Silo

A hedgedog. She tells Russell he's late for Cornelius' class at the start of the film.

Edgar's Mom

Janet Waldo

A mole. Edgar rushes off to Cornelius' class without saying goodbye to her the day of the accident, and this bothers Edgar throughout the film.

Bosworth

Richey Collins

I'm not sure what kind of bird he is (maybe another wren?), though I find it strange he has webbed feet and his mother doesn't! He's the one all the birds are holding a wake for, even though he's not dead yet - only stuck in some mud. (I presume some predator would have come along and eaten him if the furlings hadn't of helped him out.)

Bosworth's Mom

Angel Harper

Her character title describes it all! Not much else to say, except she has a few brief lines of grieving before her son is rescued.

Russell's Brother

Benjamin Smith

One of Russell's many siblings, he gets one line at the end of the film.

Russell's Sister

Haven Hartman

Same as above, also gets one line at the end of the film.

Cornelius' parents

They appear in a brief flashback where we learn why Cornelius hates humans. They were killed when men came in with poison to exterminate the animal population in Willow Brook, where Cornelius was born. (Presumably in preparation for construction of a new housing division.)

Young Cornelius and his sister Robin (Michelle's mom)

He and his sister appear as kids in the same brief flashback. It still surprises (and shocks) me that this same little girl was seen dead only a few scenes earlier when she and her husband succombed to the poison gas from the overturned truck. Very poignant.