Under Wraps is a 1997 American Made-for-TV Movie directed by Greg Beeman. It is considered the first official Disney Channel Original Movie.
Around Halloween, three friends, Marshall (Mario Yedidia), Gilbert (Adam Wylie), and Amy (Clara Bryant), find a sarcophagus containing a mummy. As fate would have it, it comes alive because of a conjunction of the moonlight during the time of the month. They befriend and name the mummy Harold (Bill Fagerbakke). They then need to protect Harold from getting kidnapped and sold while also trying to reunite him with his old love.
A remake, also a Disney Channel original movie, premiered on October 1st, 2021.
Under Wraps (1997) contains examples of:
- Ambiguously Absent Parent: The children's fathers. Marshall's father is absent due to his and Marshall's mom's divorce long ago. Like his mom, Gilbert's dad never appears on-screen. But during the only time Gilbert mentions him, he snarks that his dad barely says so much as one word in a month. Amy's mother appears in one scene, but her father is neither seen nor mentioned.
- Batman in My Basement: The three friends hide a reanimated mummy in Marshall's bedroom. This is where his obsession with horror film memorabilia comes in handy.
- Beware the Nice Ones: Harold is a nice mummy, as nice as they come. But if you threaten his friends, you answer to him!
- Big Fun: Bruce the chubby local shop owner. He shows just as great of an affinity for monster movies as Marshall and, in general, is a very fun-loving fellow to the kids.
- Butt-Monkey: Harold is rather clumsy, so he keeps getting into accidents and having Amusing Injuries.
- Car Fu: Gilbert drives Bruce's car into the factory and is able to take out all of Mr. Kubot's henchmen.
- Celestial Deadline: Harold is only brought back to life for a week due to the moonlight shining on his amulet at the right time. He will cease to exist if he isn't returned to his coffin by midnight on Halloween.
- Character Development:
- Throughout the movie, Gilbert steadily learns to overcome his cowardly tendencies, slightly due to hanging out with Harold.
- Marshall also starts to regard Harold as more than a monster-novelty, but a person with a history and a life.
- Chummy Mummy: The mummy is friendly towards the kids who befriend him.
- Cloudcuckoolander: Gilbert's mom. She has taken her dolls to the movies on at least one account, gets so deep into roleplaying that she won't answer to her name, and (at least according to Gilbert) would buy that Harold is a foreign exchange student.
- Comically Missing the Point: When Amy tells Marshall and Gilbert how Mr. Kubot was found dead covered in pancake batter, Gilbert figures "Wow, what a way to go. Killed by pancake batter."
- Dark Is Not Evil: Despite being an undead mummy, Harold is decidedly not evil. He is rather clumsy.
- Disappeared Dad: Marshall's parents divorced years before the movie's start, so it's no surprise his dad doesn't appear on-screen.
- Distracted by the Sexy: Or at least, mention of something sexy. When Amy mocks Gilbert's pajamas, Gilbert gets defensive and insists that everybody has a pair of embarrassing pajamas, even her. Amy responds by snarking, "I don't wear pajamas, I sleep in the nude." and Gilbert just stares at her dazedly until he crashes his bike.
- Establishing Character Moment:
- Marshall and Gilbert get one in the same scene, acting as a foil for their personalities. While Marshall is fascinated with watching Warthead IV, Gilbert is too scared of it, so he runs out and remains outside the theater for the remainder of the picture show.
- Mr. Kubot is introduced in the flesh when Marshall has Gilbert try to confront him for money he owes the latter for being his paperboy. When Marshall so much as begins to ask for the money, Mr. Kubot steps aside to reveal an attack dog he keeps. And he sics his dog on the boys, who thankfully outrun it when it runs as far as its leash will go. If one has any ideas that Mr. Kubot is just a misunderstood old man, those ideas are long dead.
- Ted, in comparison, is shown to be a genuinely Nice Guy who tries to be supportive, offering Marshall the chance to talk about the movie he'd just seen while they have ice cream.
- Fake-Out Opening: The movie opens with a man being attacked by a gross monster, then it's revealed the three friends are actually at the movie theatre watching a horror film.
- Foreshadowing: Mr. Kubot doesn't threaten Gilbert or Marshall with his attack dog until the latter mentions the money he owes the former for delivering his paper. This comes up later when it turns out Mr. Kubot faked his death to hide from the IRS for unpaid back taxes.
- Fish out of Temporal Water: Given Harold is from ancient Egypt, it's only natural that he's new to the modern era.
- Gentle Giant: Despite towering over pretty much everyone, the only destruction Harold causes is due to his clumsiness and Fish out of Temporal Water status, and only harms anyone because his new friends are threatened.
- Gory Discretion Shot: In-Universe. In Warthead IV, as the titular monster is about to gouge a father's face, we cut to the audience in the movie theater as they react to the spectacle.
- High Priest: Harold was one of these in life, and very much in love with his queen. But because of his position, he had to remain celibate his entire life and the two could never be together.
- Hilarity Ensues: Harold's shenanigans at the hospital, especially when the staff mistakenly believe he's a self-treated burn patient who's gone into cardiac arrest.
- Innocently Insensitive: A little boy comments that Harold's mummy face is pretty ugly-looking. The boy's mother (who hasn't even seen Harold) scolds him and reminds him that some people are "special." To this, the boy responds that Harold is "really special."
- Names to Run Away from Really Fast: In-Universe, Marshall has to spell it out to Gilbert that of course Warthead IV is going to be scary and gruesome because it's a horror movie, not a feel-good movie.Marshall: It's a horror movie. What do you think happens in horror movies? Horrible things!
- Non-Malicious Monster: Harold isn't evil or dangerous, at least on purpose due to his clumsy nature. He only wants to get reunited with his forbidden lost love and is genuinely confused and somewhat frightened of the modern world.
- Noodle Incident: According to the conversation between the gang, Gilbert's mom once took her doll collection to the movies and bought them popcorn.Gilbert: [defensively] Once! She only did it once!
- Parent with New Paramour: Marshall doesn't get along with his stepfather Ted, despite him being a Nice Guy, and is shown to resent him for replacing his father.
- Potty Emergency: Of sorts. Upon reawakening from the dead, Harold chases the gang around the house, before he sees a toilet and it dawns on him. He shuts the bathroom door behind him, and the next thing we hear is the mummy relieving himself.Gilbert: Man, that mummy had to go.
- Proscenium Reveal: The film opens with a scene where a man gets attacked by a creature, and just as he's about to be killed, the scene cuts back to reveal the main characters are actually at the movie theatre and are just watching a horror film.
- Restored My Faith in Humanity: Marshall starts pretty disillusioned with the concept of true love, given he (and his friends alike) have parents who are either divorced or hate each other. But after seeing that Harold and his queen's love has lasted thousands of years, even in death, he's willing to believe that his mother and Ted deserve to be together.
- Ridiculously Alive Undead: When Harold the mummy is awakened, he chases the gang until he finds a bathroom. He goes inside to use it and the others hear him peeing.
- Rip Van Tinkle: Upon reawakening from the dead, Harold chases the gang around the house, before he sees a toilet and it dawns on him. He shuts the bathroom door behind him, and the next thing we hear is the mummy relieving himself.
- Significant Double Casting: Bill Fagerbakke plays both Ted and Harold, giving some extra meaning to Harold's undying love for his queen being the catalyst for Marshall reconsidering his view on his mother's relationship with Ted.
- Star-Crossed Lovers: Harold was in love with his queen, who returned his affection. But the problem was Harold was a high priest, so he had to remain celibate. As much as they loved each other, they could never be together.
- Status Quo Is God: Although Marshall and Amy's relationship grows throughout the story (to the point that they look their best for an outing in the ending), they quickly return to their old snarky ways. Gilbert is relieved by this.