A Star in Janet March is a 2007 American animated satirical comedy-drama film based on the comics published by Dark Horse Comics (via Maverick) and also based on A Star is Born by William A. Wellman and Ronald Carson.
Plot[]
Canadian-American farm girl Janet Lyn March has always dreamed about becoming an actress but while her parents Bill and Zelda both discourage such thoughts, her grandmother Rebecca gave her money to follow her dreams. She goes to Hollywood and tries to land a job as an extra but so many people have had the same idea that the casting agency has stopped accepting applications.
Janet has been told by a fellow actress that her chances at being a star is 1 in 100.000. She befriends a new resident at her boarding house, assistant director, talent agent and Shih Tzu Lisa Lang, herself out of work. When they go to celebrate Michiko's employment, Janet has her first encounter with Kyle Corson, an actor she greatly admires and who is Lisa's client. Kyle has been a famous star for years but his alcoholism has sent his career in a downward spiral.
Lisa gives Janet a one-time waitressing job at a fancy Hollywood party. While serving some sushi and rice, she catches Kyle's eye. The next day, Lisa (under the request by Kyle) gets Kyle's longtime producer and good friend, Craig McFranken, to give Janet a screen test. Impressed, Craig gave her a contract and a new name "Bloomy Umonia". Janet practices her few lines for her first tiny role.
When McFC Films had trouble finding a female lead for Kyle's comedy film In the Foster's, Lisa (the director of the film in her solo directorial debut) chose Janet. The film made her an overnight success, just as cinemagoers and exhibitors start to lose interest in Kyle.
Kyle proposes to Janet, which she accepts when he promises to stop drinking. They elope without publicity, much to the press agent Bill Day's disgust, and enjoy a trailer-camping honeymoon in the mountains. When they return, Janet's popularity began to skyrocket and Kyle realize that his career is over despite Craig and Lisa's attempts to help him.
Kyle stays sober for a month but his frustration over his situation pushes him over the edge which causes him to drink again. When Janet wins the Acadamy Award for Best Actress, Kyle interrupts her acceptance speech by demanding three Rasberry Awards for Worst Acting and accidently slapping her when he dramatically swing his arms around.
A stay at the sanatorium seem to cure Kyle's increasingly disruptive alcoholism but a chance encounter with Bill allows the press agent to vent his long-consealed contempt. Norman goes on a 4-day drinking binge and got arrested for drunk driving. In court, Judge Judy Brown sentences him to 90 days of incarceration but Janet pleads to have Kyle put under her care. Judy, seeing as Janet really wants to help Kyle, suspends his sentence and puts his custody into Janet's hands. Janet decides to put her career on hold to help Kyle get better but when he overhears her discussion with Lisa, Kyle commited suicide by drowning himself at the Pacific Ocean.
Shattered, Janet decide to quit acting all together and go home while Lisa has to live with Janet after her basenji husband Mike Orsons divorced her due to "personal reasons". Showing up soon afterwards is Grandma Rebecca. Rebecca tells Janet and Lisa about the letter Kyle sent her when they got married, stating how much he loves Janet and he is proud of her.
Thanks to her grandmother's words and the reminder that Kyle loves her, Janet decide to go back into showbiz with Lisa becoming her talent agent. At the premire at her Broadway debut East Side Tales (produced and directed by Lisa), when Janet is asked to say a few words into the microphone to her many fans listening across the world, she announces "Hello everyone, this is Mrs. Janet March-Corson".