Stars line up for new animated special

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LOS ANGELES, Nov. 5 (UPI) -- Neil Patrick Harris, Jennifer Love Hewitt and Alfred Molina have signed on to lend their voice talents to characters in a new U.S. Christmas special, CBS said.

The half-hour animated program "Yes,Virginia," presented by Macy's, is to premiere Dec. 11.

Beatrice Miller from "Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs" lends her voice to the lead character of 8-year-old Virginia O'Hanlon, a young girl growing up in late 1800s New York, who always loved Christmas, until the playground bully, Charlotte, voiced by Julian Franco, tells her and the other children that Santa Claus doesn't exist, CBS said in a release.

Virginia and her friend, Ollie, played by Kieran Patrick Campbell, then venture into the streets of New York to uncover the truth. Unable to find the answer, Virginia writes a letter to the New York Sun newspaper, knowing their reputation for reporting the facts is cemented by their motto, "If you see it in The Sun, it's so!" The letter receives a heartwarming reply in the form of a newspaper editorial that declares, "Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus!"

Harris and Hewitt play Virginia's parents, and Molina the editor of the Sun.