Happy Easter! - The Tale of the Bunny Picnic

HBO, 1986

Voices of Steve Whitmire, Richard Hunt, Jim Henson, and Louise Gold

Directed by Jim Henson and David G Hiller

Music by Philip Balsam; Lyrics by Dennis Lee

This cable special is the closest Jim Henson got to doing something for Easter. He wanted to make another holiday program with realistic animals after the success of Emmett Otter's Jug Band Christmas on HBO in 1977. While that one was a bit gritty and bittersweet, he went with something a little more aimed at children here. This special also introduced Bean Bunny, who would later appear on the 80's version of Muppet Babies and still occasionally turns up in Muppet media to this day. How does this charming story of rabbits who learn compassion when they find out the dog who ruins their picnic isn't as bad as he seems look now? Let's begin with the bunnies singing about the beginning of spring and find out...

The Story: Bean Bunny (Whitmire) is known for his wild imagination and his goofy attempts to dream he's something else. He wants to help set up for the big spring Bunny Picnic, but his older brother Lugsy (Hunt) keeps telling him he's too little. He wanders off into the lettuce patch to daydream when he's chased out by the farmer's dog (Henson). Horrified, Bean tries to tell everyone what he saw, but they think it's just another imaginative story. 

It isn't until the dog attacks the Picnic that the bunnies finally admit Bean wasn't just imagining things. The rabbits try everything they can think of to shake him, until Bean comes up with an idea based on a puppet show put on by the Storyteller Bunny (Ron Mueck). That seems to do the trick, at least until the dog catches on. Bean escapes and saves his brother...but when they see the dog being abused by the mean farmer who owns him (Martin P. Robinson), they realize who the real villain is and decide to teach the bullying farmer a lesson.

The Song and Dance: Considering the sugary reputation this special in general and Bean Bunny in particular have, this was a lot better than I thought it would be. The songs are catchy, and Bean is a lot of fun, especially some of his wilder daydreams! I also like that the bad guy isn't who you think it's going to be. The dog is set up to be the villain until mid-way through, when you realize he's as scared as the rabbits and is just following orders. The ending with how they help him actually ends up being rather sweet. 

The Numbers: We open with the bunnies enthusiastically greeting the warmer weather in "Hello Sunshine." Poor Bean laments that no one will let people do anything special "When You're Little." The dog tells the bunnies "Run, Bunny, Run," because he's coming after them. The Storyteller encourages the bunnies to "Follow Me" as he sets up his puppet show. Bean's parents sing "The Bunny's Lullaby" to put their frightened children to sleep that night. The bunnies empower each other to help the dog and attack the farmer with "Drum of Time." "Hello Sunshine" reappears during the credits after we find out who the narrator was.

Trivia: The special originally opened with a live-action segment as Jim Henson explained what inspired the story. That has been cut from most current copies available, including the ones on video and YouTube. 

What I Don't Like: While it's not quite as cutesy as it's reputation would have it, it's still a lot more child-oriented and sweet than the gritty Emmett Otter or the slightly darker and wackier Muppet fairy tales. Those adorable bunnies may be just a little too precious, with their huge black button eyes, chubby cheeks, and breathless speeches. It's notable that, though this did well enough on cable and has turned up sporadically thereafter on HBO and video, it's not one of the better-known specials. Only Bean is even mildly remembered today.

The Big Finale: Charming and adorable springtime viewing for you and your younger children; older kids and teens may find it a tad too sugary. 

Home Media: As mentioned, the only place you can find this at press time is YouTube. 

YouTube

Easter Short Subject Special - An Easter Story

Showtime, 1983

Voices of Paul Fusco, Lisa Buckley, Rich Schellbach, and Robert Fappiano

Directed by Terry Kyne

Music and Lyrics by Ed Bruter, Michael Solden, and Jeff Cannata

Let's celebrate Easter with a unique blast from my childhood. Fusco is best-known today as the creator and long-time voice of the furry alien ALF. From 1981 to 1983, Fusco made a series of holiday specials for Showtime featuring cuter and more cartoon-like puppets. The Easter special debuted in 1983 as his second-to-last holiday show. It would turn up on Nickelodeon and elsewhere on cable for a few years before disappearing for three decades. Now that Fusco's early work has re-emerged online, how does this one stack up to that better-known visitor from Melmac? Let's begin with the Easter Bunnies at their factory in a cave as they prepare for Easter and find out...

The Story: O'Hare, the Easter Bunny's right-hand rabbit, recalls the year the factory almost had to stop production. The factory was running out of paint, and Miss Fifi and her chickens couldn't produce enough eggs, even when the head Easter Bunny gave them a color TV to watch soaps. His magic-obsessed son tries to help, but his spells keep producing jelly beans instead of eggs. E.B is worried he won't be able to live up to his father's legacy...but when all seems dark, he gets a spark of inspiration from two boys who waited to see the Easter Bunny and suggest that they might be able to color their own eggs to help out. 

The Song and Dance: Charmingly goofy story features some nifty puppet work from Fusco, especially down below with all of those rabbits working on the production line. The subplot with E.B's son and his constantly producing jelly beans is actually pretty funny and may be my favorite part of this. That opening and closing "Work, Work, Work" number is kind of catchy, too, despite the synthesizer arrangements. 

The Numbers: We open and close with "Work, Work, Work" as the bunnies explain what they do and how they're getting ready for Easter Day. E.B gets a number directly to the camera mid-way through, which is sort of a song/recitation on how E.B wishes he could live up to his father's legacy and what he'll do if the factory closes, "Pressures." 

What I Don't Like: First of all, nitpicking, but...Fusco is so recognizable as ALF by now, it's hard to hear him as an Easter Bunny who's concerned about his workers. You keep expecting him to try to eat a cat or something. O'Hare sounds kind of annoying, too. It's also obvious that there was only one female puppeteer, as the two female characters have the same breathy voice. Second, it's pretty obvious all of these specials were low-budget. The rabbits barely move, and until E.B goes above-ground and catches the kids waiting for him, we're mostly in the rather dull-looking factory.

The Big Finale: That said, this is still a fun watch before the Easter egg hunt, especially for fans of ALF, the Muppets, or other similar puppet shows. 

Home Media: Easily found on streaming for free, including on Amazon Prime and Tubi.

Tubi

Amazon Prime

Spring Short Subject Special - Peter and the Magic Egg & The Berenstain Bears Play Ball

Let's celebrate Easter and the start of baseball season with these two lesser-known specials from 1983. While there have been holiday programming made for Easter just as long as there have been for Christmas, most of them tend to get the short end of the stick compared to their cold-weather counterparts. Are these springtime shorts deserving of a place at your Easter weekend celebration, or should they be left off the team? Let's begin with a story told by an egg (Ray Bolger) and find out...

Peter and the Magic Egg

Murikami-Wolf-Swenson, 1983

Voices of Ray Bolger, Al Eisemann, Joan Gerber, and Robert Ridgely 

Directed by Fred Wolf

Music by Howard Kaylan and Mark Volan; Lyrics by Romeo Muller

The Story: Mother Nature (Gerber) gives the Dopplers, poor Pennsylvania Dutch farmers, a child they name Peter Paas (Eisemann). Peter grows far faster than ordinary children, and within a year, he's able to work on the farm. He arranges a contract with the Easter Bunny to provide eggs with the help of the farm animals he's taught to dress and speak like humans.

The farm is owned by Tobias Tinwhiskers (Ridgley), a wealthy farmer who is so obsessed with his machines, he had himself made over as one. He's furious when Peter brings him the money for the mortgage from that contract and challenges him to a ploughing contest. Turns out he's rigged it so Peter falls in a well. Peter's found in a deep sleep that leaves his parents and animal friends in a deep depression. Mother Nature gives the animals an egg that will supposedly awaken Peter, but Tinwhiskers isn't about to let them hatch it!

The Animation: This is the same sketchy style as their previous Thanksgiving In the Land of Oz special, with slightly brighter colors as per the Easter theme. The animals look cute enough and closely resemble the characters on the Paas boxes until recently, and they move pretty well. 

The Song and Dance: For something intended as a half-hour commercial for Paas Egg Dye, this is actually pretty interesting. It has the feel of a folk tale, with its quaint Pennsylvania Dutch setting and man vs. machine theme. The animals are fairly funny, especially when they're called on to hatch that egg, and Tobias Tinwhiskers is a nasty and even scary-looking villain. 

Favorite Number: The special opens and closes with narrator Uncle Amos Egg (Bolger) claiming the story is "A Wonderment." Peter and the animals sings "An Animal Can Be Folks" twice, first when he gives the animals their trademark clothes, then during the show they hold to raise money for the farm. He also sings to implore "Mother Nature" to give him answers. The animals all wonder what "Our Egg" will be like when it hatches. 

What I Don't Like: Peter himself is a bit of a nonentity. Other than his sudden growth spurt, there isn't much to him, and he's missing for most of the special's second half. Honestly, they build up the egg and what's in it so much, when it does hatch, it's a bit of an anti-climax. I see the point they were making, but it doesn't make it less weird.

The Big Finale: Charming spring-time fairy tale is worth checking out if you're looking for something different to watch while dying eggs or waiting for the Easter egg hunt with the kids.

Home Media: Currently out of print on DVD, both solo and packaged with Thanksgiving In the Land of Oz. Your best bet might be checking YouTube. 

DVD

DVD - Peter and the Magic Egg/Dorothy In the Land of Oz

YouTube

The Berenstain Bears Play Ball

NBC, 1983

Voices of Ron McLarty, Pat Lysinger, Knowl Johnson, and Gabriela Glatzer

Directed by Al Kouzel

Music by Elliot Lawrence; Lyrics by Stan Berenstain

The Story: Papa Bear (McLarty) is thrilled when he sees Brother Bear (Johnson) randomly hit a rock with a stick. He thinks he has a future big league star on his hands. He pushes Brother into the Bear Country Little League team, ignoring Sister (Glatzer), who is genuinely talented. It's Brother and his friends who finally show him the error of his ways when he follows them through the bog and is reminded that baseball is only a game, after all. It's not until he's coaching the team that he needs a second base-bear and finally starts seeing his daughter and her abilities in a new light.

The Animation: Once again, it's nothing flashy, but it gets the job done. It does look like the books of the time, which is likely all this special needs. It looks especially good during Brother's game with his buddies in the bog and Sister's "I Want It All" number.

The Song and Dance: This may be the most stripped-down of the five Berenstain Bears specials, and the only one to not revolve around a holiday. It's just the family here. In fact, it's mostly Papa and the cubs. Brother's bog buddies from Easter Surprise are seen, but have no lines. Papa does have some hilarious moments early on, when he sees Brother hit that rock and thinks he has a star on his hands, and mid-way through when he attempts to teach Brother a game he's well aware of how to play.

Favorite Number: We open and close with a chorus number describing why baseball is so popular with many people, "Baseball Is the National Pastime." "You're Safe, You're Out" is what Papa tries to teach Brother. Sister picks it up more readily than her older sibling. She admits that she wants a career and a family, teddy bears and baseball. "I Want It All," says Sister. Brother and his friends sing about how they don't care that their infield is a bumpy bog or their MVP is a many-limbed tree, they say "Come to Our Pick-Up Baseball Game" anyway. 

What I Don't Like: The side story with Sister not being able to play because of her gender hasn't dated well at all nowadays. Even Mama eventually calls Papa on it. It makes Papa look less well-meaning and even more like a jerk than his pressuring Brother does. 

The Big Finale: The last of the five Berenstain Bears specials isn't my favorite, but it's still worth seeing once if you have any Berenstain Bears fans or very young Little Leaguers or Little League hopefuls around. 

Home Media: Once again, the DVD is currently out of print, but it can be found on YouTube.

DVD - The Berenstain Bears: Springtime Surprises

YouTube

Easter Short Subject Special - The First Easter Rabbit & The Bernstain Bears' Easter Surprise

Happy Easter! We celebrate the secular side of the holiday with these two lesser-known holiday tales. Most Easter shows of the 70's and 80's aren't nearly as well-known or often seen as their cold-weather counterparts. Do these two deserve a second look, or should they be snowed under? We're going to start at Christmas, as a little girl receives a very important gift, and find out...

The First Easter Rabbit

Rankin-Bass/NBC, 1976

Voices of Burl Ives, Robert Morse, Dina Lyn, and Joan Gardner

Directed by Arthur Rankin Jr. and Jules Bass

Music and Lyrics by various

The Story: Veteran Easter bunny G.B (Ives) tells the story of Stuffy (Morse), the beloved Christmas present of little Glinda (Lyn). After Glinda comes down with scarlet fever, her mother (Gardner) burns most of her toys to eliminate the germs. Stuffy is spared by Calliope the Fairy (Gardner), who anoints the now-real rabbit the Easter Bunny, symbol of spring for all children. Three slick con-bunnies help him find April Valley, the magical land at the North Pole where it's spring all year-round. His neighbor Santa Claus (Paul Frees) suggests Stuffy bring Easter joy to one town as a "test" subject. Stuffy knows which town he wants to deliver Easter to. He misses Glinda. He may not get to spread it beyond the borders of the Valley if winter sorcerer Zero (Frees) finds the Golden Easter Lily, the flower that keeps the Valley warm!

The Animation: This is the only Rankin-Bass Easter special done in regular 2-D animation. The designs absolutely show Paul Coker Jr's hand. Most of the characters have large round heads with brilliant round scarlet cheeks, wide smiles, and big oval eyes. The backdrops are especially lush here. For the little time they spend in it, April Valley is gorgeous enough to make you understand why Zero wants it.

The Song and Dance: Not bad Easter retelling of The Velveteen Rabbit. I like why Stuffy is chosen to be the Easter Bunny. They boil it down to the essentials - he's a symbol of springtime, and nothing else. They don't get as complicated with his origin as some of Santa's origin stories tend to, and it's refreshing. Frees is a rather adorable Santa, and Gardner is a lovely, warm mother who genuinely seems to care for her ill child. 

Favorite Number: "There's That Rabbit" is heard three times, notably sung by Ives during a colorful montage depicting how Stuffy paints his eggs and links him and Easter to the children. Stuffy's delighted to meet a now-well Glinda at the "Easter Parade" in her town, joined by con-bunnies Flops (Stan Freberg), Spats (Frees), and Whiskers (Don Messick). They have a grand time doing everything depicted in the song, including ending up in the rotogravure. 

What I Don't Like: This should have been an hour, like the other two Rankin-Bass Easter shows. It feels really rushed. Santa and G.B are the only ones with much to do. Zero doesn't do anything but complain and demand until the second half, and even then, he sends his snowball Bruce (Messick) to find the Golden Lilly. We never see him actually take the Lilly, either. In fact, we don't learn much about the Valley or its residents, or why it's so important beyond it being warm all the time. Zero and Stuffy never even meet until the last five seconds. Stuffy's not the one who deals with Zero, either. Santa does that.

And speaking of, did we really need Santa? He seems to mainly be there so Rankin-Bass can shoehorn more holidays into their specials again. He does a lot of things Stuffy should have done, like deal with Zero and figure out about bringing Easter eggs to one town. There's a lot of plot lines that are set up but never explored, like the con-bunnies wanting to steal those carrots and how Zero managed to get the Golden Lilly from April Valley.

The Big Finale: Ironically, this was one of my family's favorite holiday specials during the 80's and early 90's. We had it on the end of a tape with kids' movies and cartoons and watched it even when it wasn't Easter. For all the problems, it's still decent Easter viewing for young kids who need something to do before the egg hunt begins. 

Home Media: Currently DVD only, and the DVD is out of print. You're better off looking for this used.

DVD

The Bernstain Bears' Easter Surprise

NBC, 1981

Voices of Ron McLarty, Pat Lysinger, Knowl Johnson, and Bob McFadden

Directed by Mordecai Gerstein and Al Kouzel

Music by Elliot Lawrence; Lyrics by Stan Bernstain 

The Story: We jump back to when Brother Bear (Johnson) was Mama and Papa's only cub. He's lonely and curious about the world around him, constantly asking his bumbling father questions he can't answer. His friends are all animals who live by the bog and hibernate during the winter, except ever-hopping Bill Bunny (Zachary Danzinger). Brother's eager for winter to be over, especially after Mama (Lysinger), whose lap seems to be growing rather large, tells him about his big Easter surprise. 

Winter, however, seems to be going on for longer than usual. Turns out Boss Bunny (McFadden), the head Easter Bunny, quit and won't come out of his hole or start production on Easter. Papa's (McLarty) is horrified, but his attempt at being the Easter Bunny don't go well. It's up to Brother and Bill to figure out why Boss Bunny quit, and remind him that Easter and spring are the seasons for miracles, including the miracle of birth.

The Animation: Same deal as the Valentine's special. This is nothing flashy, but the characters move well enough, the backgrounds are reasonably detailed, and the characters do resemble their book counterparts at the time. That's probably all this franchise really needs.

The Song and Dance: Adorable story manages to work in the themes of rebirth and miracles without getting too religious, and do it in a charming and sweet way. Papa's "Do It Yourself" song and his brief fling as the Easter Bunny may be his funniest moment from any of the specials. I love how he manages to rig up the conveyor belt in the chicken coop, and his and Brother's "hop hop hops." Check out Mama's hilarious expressions in the background during the number, too. Mama has a lovely moment too when she tells Brother about how spring is a time for miracles...including the arrival of new babies...

Favorite Number: Brother pesters Papa with "I Have Many Questions," as he asks his father about the world around them and how it works. Papa, of course, doesn't really have an answer for any of them. Mama reminds Brother to "Care About Spring," as she explains to him what Easter's really all about. Disappointed after Boss Bunny quits, Papa claims he'll just "Do It Himself" and rig up his own Easter factory. Brother's excited at first, but it ends in a messy disaster. Brother and Boss Bunny reprise "Care About Spring" as Boss relates just why he's given up on spring, and Brother tells him all the reasons he should let it go on. The chorus picks this up when Boss (literally) sees the light; their version turns up again over the end credits.

What I Don't Like: Boss Bunny...kind of has a point. From all his bellyaching, it sounds like he's old, tired, and has been running Spring and Easter on his own for many years without a break. Hopefully, he was able to hire more reliable help after he got the factory going again. 

The Big Finale: Other than it's missing Sister, this is by far my favorite Berenstain Bears holiday special. If you have children who are fans of the series, especially the older books sans Sister, or remember when this used to turn up on cable in the 80's, it's highly recommended Easter viewing.

Home Media: DVD only, along with spring-themed episodes of the original 1985 Berenstain Bears TV show. 

DVD - The Berenstain Bears: Springtime Surprises

Happy Easter! - Springtime for Roo

Disney, 2003

Voices of Ken Sansom, Jimmy Bennett, Jim Cummings, and David Ogden Stiers

Directed by Elliot M. Bour and Saul Blinkoff

Music and Lyrics by various

We celebrate Easter with the citizens of the Hundred Acres Woods in the only entirely original Pooh holiday movie. Roo gets top billing, but resident bunny Rabbit is really the one in the spotlight. He learns an important lesson about spring and Easter, via a much-loved story that's usually more associated with Christmas than springtime. Let's start with little Roo (Bennett) as he explains to the narrator (Stiers) why he loves Easter so much and find out why Rabbit's more than a little out of sorts about spring this year...

The Story: No one is more excited about Easter than little Roo...which is why he's disappointed when he and his friends arrive at Rabbit's to find no Easter decorations. Rabbit declares it Spring Cleaning Day instead and orders the others to help clean his house. The others try to spruce up his quarters with Easter decorations, but he ends up furious with them for not doing what he told them to and chases them out. 

Roo can't figure out why Rabbit's so upset. He used to love Easter. Tigger goes to talk to him, only for Rabbit to insist even harder that he won't allow anyone to celebrate Easter anymore. The narrator takes things into his own, well, hands when he shows what happened the year before when Rabbit tried too hard to make Roo's first Easter at the Hundred Acre Wood perfect. When even that doesn't make Rabbit relent, he finally reveals how his current behavior is upsetting Roo...and what will happen in the future if he continues trying to control his friends and how they celebrate the holidays.

The Animation: Mostly par for the course for the Winnie the Pooh franchise. It's nothing flashy, but all this franchise needs is for the characters to move well and at least somewhat resemble the ones in the books, which they do here. There are a few decent effects during the "future" segment as well. 

The Song and Dance: This one gets points for originality. As mentioned, first of all, it's the only Pooh direct-to-media holiday film with no added filler from TV specials or The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. Second, there's some surprisingly good performances here. This is Samson's best outing as fussy Rabbit outside of the Kessie shorts in New Adventures, Bennett's charming as Roo, and Stiers lends gravity and even a hint of menace as the narrator. 

This also makes better use of Pooh and his friends being in a book than any Pooh media outside of the 2011 Winnie the Pooh film. They flash forwards and backwards in time via turning the pages in the book. Rabbit even gets stuck in the pages at one point.

Favorite Number: Tigger and Roo sing about how "We're Hunting Eggs Today" as they head to Rabbit's, only to find Rabbit has no intention of doing anything like that. "Sniffity Sniff" is Pooh's comic number as he tries to keep from sneezing while sweeping Rabbit's home, only to make a worse mess when he does let it out. Roo and Tigger are glad to share "Easter Day With You" when they help the others put up decorations at Rabbit's house. We see why Rabbit got upset the Easter before when he tries to get the others to play by his rules, because that's "The Way It Must Be Done."

What I Don't Like: Rabbit is such a jerk here, even by his standards, it gives this outing an unusually bitter tinge. The Christmas Carol theme in the second half, with the narrator playing ghost and showing Rabbit what will happen if he continues to alienate his friends, seems like an odd choice for this gentle series. Also, the focus is mainly on Rabbit and Roo, with Tigger bouncing in as well. We don't really get much of Pooh beyond his "Sniffity Sniff" number and complaining about Rabbit keeping his spring honey pot, and even less of Eeyore and Piglet. At least they're in the movie. Gopher, Owl, and Christopher Robin are missing, and aren't even mentioned. 

The Big Finale: The Christmas Carol second half is too weird to make this a favorite of mine, but it does have some things of merit if you love Roo, Rabbit, or the other Pooh holiday films. 

Home Media: Easy to find in all major formats. Disney Plus has it for streaming with a subscription.

DVD

Blu-Ray

Disney Plus

Happy Easter! - My Dream Is Yours

Warner Bros, 1949

Starring Doris Day, Jack Carson, Eve Arden and Lee Bowman

Directed by Michael Curtiz

Music by Harry Warren; Lyrics by Ralph Blaine

We celebrate Easter with Doris Day's third starring vehicle. Warners saw potential in her after her success in Romance on the High Seas the year before and wanted to build her into a major star. Day started out as a radio and big band singer; it made sense to star her in a film where she played a struggling radio singer, with Carson as her devoted manager. How does this on the air romantic comedy look now? Let's begin on the air, as the radio program The Hour of Enchantment reaches its conclusion, and find out...

The Story: Gary Mitchell (Bowman) is the star of Hour of Enchantment...and now that he's reached the top, he claims to no longer need the services of his fast-talking agent Doug Blake (Carson). Angry at being fired, he swears he'll find a singer that's even better. He finally discovers Martha Gibson (Day) singing while spinning records in a jukebox factory and convinces her, her son Freddy, and their scruffy dog to move west to California. Trouble is, sponsor Felix Hofer (S.Z Sakall) doesn't think she's a big enough name to star in the show. Doug won't give up on Martha and keeps trying and trying to get her through to him, or at least find her work. Meanwhile, Gary has his own interest in her...and is equally unwilling to take "no" for an answer...

The Animation: Mel Blanc voices Bugs and Tweety and joined Ralph Blaine to write spoof lyrics to Hungarian Rhapsody #2 for an Easter dream sequence. Bugs (and Tweety, who pops up later for a "puddy tat" joke) move pretty well, and there's birds in Easter bonnets who flutter over Freddy's head.

The Song and Dance: Charming look at how one became a star in radio, just as the industry was transitioning from audio to visual media. Though Day and Carson do well enough as the sassy widow who wants a better life for her son and the determined talent agent, Eve Arden walks away with the movie. The assistant to sponsor representative Thomas "Hutch" Hutchins (Adolph Menjou), she gets most of the best lines and ends up with a lot of the funniest scenes, including having to share her apartment with Martha and her family, wash her dog, and sell her car to get Martha on the air. This is also an early glimpse of Day before her later sunny screen persona really began to gel - indeed, she gets to play several dramatic scenes here, especially with her son. 

Favorite Number: The two big ballads "My Dream Is Yours" and "Someone Like You" are performed several times through the course of the film, by Day and by Hal Derwin (who dubbed Bowman). Day gets an especially nice run through of "Someone Like You" in the end, when she's realized which man she truly loves. "Tic, Tic, Tic" is the goofy upbeat number Martha sings when she initially auditions for producers, a very strange spoof comparing love to atomic bombs. 

"Freddy Gets Ready" is the dream sequence the night before Easter where Martha's young rabbit-obsessed son Freddy dreams Bugs Bunny comes and sings to him. The sequences with Bugs, Tweety, and the birds who twitter over Freddy are adorable, but it gets a little too strange when Day and Carson pop up, dressed as two of Freddy's stuffed bunnies in rather silly suits.

Trivia: Remake of the 1934 Warners musical Twenty Million Sweethearts.

What I Don't Like: Despite its unique radio setting, the plot is a mess of backstage and romantic comedy clichés we've seen many times before. Bowman is pretty obviously a heel from the moment we see him give Doug the brush-off after he's made the big time. It's a wonder Martha takes as long as she does to figure that out. 

The Big Finale: Cute enough way to pass the time on Easter Sunday if you're a fan of Day, Arden, Bugs Bunny, or 40's musicals.

Home Media: Easily found on disc and streaming, the former via the Warner Archives.

DVD

Blu-Ray

Amazon Prime

Happy Easter! - The Prince of Egypt

Dreamworks, 1998
Voices of Val Kilmer, Ralph Fiennes, Michelle Pfieffer, and Sandra Bullock
Music and Lyrics by Stephen Schwartz
Directed by Brenda Chapman, Steve Hickner, and Simon Welles

The Ten Commandments is probably the last movie most people would think of making into an animated musical, but that's exactly what studio executive Jeffery Katzenberg suggested for the Disney Studios' next big animated film in the early 90's. He finally put it into production when he started Dreamworks in 1994. Was his passion for this project worth it, or should it be dumped into the Red Sea? Let's head to Egypt, where the Pharaoh Seti (Patrick Stewart), is giving a fateful declaration, and find out...

The Story: Fearing a revolution by the enslaved Hebrews in Egypt, Seti declares that all newborn sons be put to death. Hebrew slave Yocheved (Ofra Haza) sets her little son in a basket and sends him down the Nile River. He's adopted by Queen Tuya (Helen Mirren), Seti's wife, who names his Moses. Moses grows up as a prince alongside elder son Ramses II (Fiennes), who only wants to prove to his father that he can be a good pharaoh and follow the ways of their people. His brother is more devil-may-care.

Moses is given a slave, Tzipporah (Pfieffer), who is offended by the idea. He catches her escaping that night, but lets her go after he meets two more slaves, Miriam (Bullock) and Aaron (Jeff Goldblum). They're Moses' real sister and brother, though he doesn't remember them. Miriam sings his mother's lullaby, which awakens his memories, but he runs back to the palace in confusion. After he has a nightmare, Seti confirms his adoption, though he disturbs him by calling the Hebrews slaves.

After he pushes one of the royal guards to their deaths for whipping a slave, Moses flees the palace. He crosses the desert, eventually rescuing three little girls from bandits. Turns out they were Tzipporah's younger sisters. He falls for her, marries her, and is accepted into her community by her father Jethro (Danny Glover). He's content...until he finds a burning bush and learns that God (Kilmer) has a special job for him. Only he can confront Ramses and create the miracles that will lead his people to freedom.

The Animation: Katzenburg brought over 350 animators from Disney to make this one, and it was worth every penny. This is a towering achievement, from the dusty, glowing desert to the vast vistas and massive pyramids of Egypt. The burning bush and parting of the Red Sea are just as stunning here as they were in De Mille's epics; the CGI on the backgrounds and the Red Sea look as majestic now as they did when they wowed audiences in 1998.

The Song and Dance: Dreamworks' only theatrical animated musical is a truly majestic achievement. I'm surprised they never tried anything like this again. The cast is a delight; who knew Kilmer would make such a wonderful, tender Moses, or that Pfieffer could be so tough as the young woman who is determined to not remain a slave for long. Hans Zimmer's background score is just glorious, especially in the quieter moments and during the Curses of Egypt in the end. Stephen Schwartz may have written his single greatest movie score for this one, too.

Favorite Number: "Deliver Us" starts things off in stirring fashion, as the Hebrews pray to be freed from Egyptian oppression and we see how badly they're treated. Moses explains his confusion after he learns his true ancestry in "All I Wanted"; the Queen gets an affecting reprise when she tries to explain that she loves him no matter what. Jethro tells Moses how to live the simple life and see things "Through Heaven's Eyes" in a montage at the desert town that ends with Moses accepted into the community and married to TZipporah.

The two big numbers here make up most of the last 20 minutes. Moses brings "The Plagues" to Egypt after Ramses digs his heels and refuses to release the Hebrew people, despite the fact that he still loves his brother. The Oscar-winning inspirational ballad "When You Believe" starts with Miriam and Tzipporah assuring Moses that they still believe in him and their cause...and ends with all Hebrews following Moses in a stirring procession as they sing of their hopes and dreams for a better life.

Trivia: A stage version of Prince of Egypt that debuted in 2017 and has mainly played European and regional theaters since then. It was running in a limited engagement in London, but that's on hold until May 31st due to the virus.

What I Don't Like: Where the movie falters is with the Egyptians. As much as I like the emphasis on Ramses and Moses' relationship as brothers and how it falls apart, Fiennes otherwise plays Ramses too much like a stock evil bad guy. Steve Martin and Martin Short are totally out of place as two very annoying high priests. Their song to Moses at the palace "Playing With the Big Boys" is too goofy for this very serious drama and stands out like a sore thumb among the more inspirational music. There's a reason the priests and their number were cut from the stage version.

The Big Finale: With wonderful songs, stirring music, and an incredible cast, this stirring musical makes me wish Dreamworks Animation would take more stabs at the genre. Highly recommended for families looking for religious Easter programming for older kids or anyone who appreciates a really good animated musical.

Home Media: As one of Dreamworks' most popular animated movies, it's easily found in all formats.

DVD
Blu-Ray
Amazon Prime

Happy Easter! - Easter Parade

MGM, 1948
Starring Fred Astaire, Judy Garland, Ann Miller, and Peter Lawford
Directed by Charles Walters
Music and Lyrics by Irving Berlin

This movie is a bit of an Easter tradition for me. I've watched it every year on Easter night or the night before Easter since I originally taped it off TCM in the late 90's. (I've since replaced that video with a DVD.) It took MGM long enough to get it off the ground in the 40's. Gene Kelly and Cyd Charisse were originally supposed to appear, but they got hurt and were replaced with Astaire and Miller, and there were Garland's ongoing problems as well. Plus, Astaire had originally gone into retirement and had to be coaxed back. Was all the trouble worth it? Let's head to New York's Fifth Avenue, the day before Easter 1912, and find out...

The Story: Vaudeville dancer Don Hewes (Astaire) is looking forward to spending Easter with his partner Nadine Hale (Miller), but she tells him that she just took a part in the Ziegfeld Frolic and wants to go solo. Don's crushed, and his best friend Johnny Harrow (Lawford) thinks she's being selfish. She's more interested in him, but he knows Don still loves her. Angry, Don plucks singer Hannah Brown (Garland) out of the chorus of a bar show and tells her he's going to make her his partner. He tries to recreate his vaudeville ballroom dancing act with her, but as a furious Nadine points out, she's ill-suited to it. Meanwhile, Johnny has become smitten with Hannah, and she has feelings for Don.

Don finally comes to the conclusion that ballroom dancing doesn't work with vivacious Hannah. When he retools the act to emphasize comedy and her singing, it becomes a big success. Initially offered a role in the Ziegfeld Frolics, Don turns it down when he realizes that Hannah would be competing against Nadine, realizing that he's in love with her. Luck is with them - they're given an even bigger spot in a Dillingham show. Despite the show being a hit, Nadine decides she wants one dance with Don "for old time's sake," upsetting Hannah. It's Johnny who finally brings everyone together, just in time for New York's big Easter showcase on Fifth Avenue.

The Song and Dance: This charming confection wound up being the biggest hit musical of 1948, and the second-biggest movie at the box office that year. No wonder, with this cast. Astaire and Garland work beautifully together as the dancer who thinks he's trying to get his girl back and the girl he chooses to replace her. Miller, making her MGM debut after several years of doing B musicals at Columbia, is quite funny as Nadine, and Lawford's adorably dorky as Don's law-college buddy who is pursing Hannah while being pursued by Nadine. Jules Munshin has a running gag where everyone keeps walking out of the restaurant he works at, and another where he gets to describe his best salad to the diners.

Appropriately for a movie about Easter, there's some gorgeous period costumes here. Special kudos for the amazing hats, from the "Happy Easter" montage in the beginning with women showing off the latest haberdashery fashions for Astaire to Garland's lovely pink wide-brimmed number (and Astaire's top hat with the ribbons) in the finale.

Favorite Number: Of the songs written for the film, my favorite is Lawford and Garland's adorable duet in the rain, "A Fella With an Umbrella." Lawford may not be much of a singer, but he's so cute under that umbrella, you wonder how Garland can resist him. Astaire gets two of his best solos, "Drum Crazy" in the opening as he shows a little boy the delights of drums and "Steppin' Out With My Baby" with the chorus in the Dillingham show. The latter showcases some unusual special effects, including Astaire slowing down while the rest of the dancers continue at normal speed, that still look pretty good today. Miller has an incredible "Shakin' the Blues Away" solo in the Ziegfeld Frolic, and has a nice boys-and-canes routine at the end of the chorus number "The Girl On the Magazine Cover." (By the way, see how many magazine covers represented in that song you can find on newsstands or online today.)

Probably the most famous number from this one is "A Couple of Swells," with Garland and Astaire dressed as hobos pretending to be millionaires. Considering it apparently took Garland long enough to talk Astaire into the whole thing (he didn't like not being seen dressed up), it wound up being one of the funniest routines from any classic MGM musical.

Trivia: I give Miller a lot of credit for doing as well on "Shakin' the Blues Away" as she did. She wore a back brace during filming after being thrown downstairs by her abusive then-husband.

What I Don't Like: The plot is a mess of romantic comedy cliches and can be confusing about who's chasing whom at times, especially towards the end. Don and Johnny are right about Nadine being selfish. She should have at least told Don she wanted to leave well before she took that role, or given him some notice. As cute as "Drum Crazy" is, it's really extraneous, and was likely only there to give Astaire a solo without the chorus. And as much as I love the costumes, the movie doesn't really feel very historical, or Easter-ish, for that matter. It probably could have been set anytime in the early-mid 20th century and at any time of the year without missing a beat.

The Big Finale: Fluffy story aside, the delightful music and enjoyable performances are more than enough reason to make this one a part of your Easter traditions, too.

Home Media: Alas, my two-disc DVD set appears to be out of print, but the Blu-Ray is avalible, and it can be found on several streaming platforms.

Blu-Ray
Amazon Prime

Animation Celebration Double Feature - Here Comes Peter Cottontail & The Easter Bunny Is Comin' to Town

Having covered the Rankin-Bass holiday specials Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer and Santa Claus Is Coming to Town back in December, I thought it was only fair to do two of their Easter specials in April. Do these springtime tales measure up to their more famous Christmas counterparts? Let's head to April Valley, home of the Easter Bunny himself, and find out...

Here Comes Peter Cottontail

Rankin-Bass, 1971

Voices of Casey Kasem, Vincent Price, Danny Kaye, and Joan Gardner

Directed by Jules Bass and Arthur Rankin Jr.

Music by Maury Laws; Lyrics by Jules Bass

The Story: Magical peddler Seymour S. Sassafras (Kaye) narrates the story of Peter Cottontail. Peter (Kasem) is a bright young rabbit who is initially chosen to be the new Chief Easter Bunny by Colonel Wellington B. Bunny (Kaye), at least until angry old Irontail (Price) objects. He wants to take over April Valley and end all the Easter preparations, thanks to his dislike of children, and sets up a contest between himself and Peter. Whomever finds the most eggs will become the Easter Bunny. Peter agrees, but not only does he stay up late at a party, Irontail sabotages his alarm clock and lets him oversleep. When Irontail wins by default, Peter flees in disgrace. Sassafras gives him an unusual time machine driven by Antoine the caterpillar (Kaye). They're supposed to return to Easter, but thanks to Irontail's meddling, they keep ending up in every other holiday, trying to figure out how they can give away their eggs.

The Animation: Both of these are done in the "animagic" stop motion style that made Rankin-Bass famous, but it looks fairly different in the two productions. Here, the colors are darker and a bit more saturated, the eyes on the bunnies wider, the characters a bit rounder. It's not unattractive - a scene in the rain where Irontail is announcing his changes has some well-done effects, as do the sequences at Halloween and the 4th of July.

The Song and Dance: One of the best voice casts of any Rankin-Bass special really brings character to this unique story. As well as he does as Sassafras and Colonel Bunny, I especially like Kaye as the hilarious and occasionally snarky Antoine. Price is having a blast as the vengeful metal-tailed critter, one of the few villains in any Rankin-Bass special to not be redeemed, and Kasem makes for a funny and sweet Peter. 

Favorite Number: Kaye gets two touching ballads encouraging Peter to not give up on his quest, "If I Could Only Get Back to Yesterday" when they're starting out in the Yester-morrow Vehicle and "In the Puzzle of Life" after Peter can't figure out how to give away his last eggs in the end. "Be Mine Today" is the cute Valentine's Day skating duet for Kasem and Iris Rainer as the girl bunny Donna. Antoine has a really fun number explaining to Peter why he should give out eggs on the 4th of July, "If You Can't Get It All Together, Improvise."

Trivia: This is based on the book The Easter Bunny Who Overslept, by Priscilla and Otto Friedrich. The song "Here Comes Peter Cottontail" was written by Steve Nelson and Jack Rollins.

What I Don't Like: First of all, it would have been nice if Rankin-Bass' first Easter special actually focused on Easter, rather than the rest of the holidays of the year. Very little of the story is actually set at Easter. Antoine vanishes after the Christmas segment and doesn't reappear until the last few minutes of the show. This does set up for a nice gag in the finale, but his replacement Bonnie Bonnet (Gardner) isn't nearly as much fun. And the plot really doesn't make much sense. I have no idea how anyone would know he gave away the eggs on another holiday, or how this would count towards him becoming the Easter Bunny.

The Big Finale: Not as memorable as the Christmas specials, but far from terrible. Worth checking out for fans of the cast or those looking for non-religious Easter programming for kids.

Home Media: Can be found pretty easily on DVD, often for under five dollars. The just-released Blu-Ray is currently exclusive to Wal Mart.

DVD

The Easter Bunny Is Comin' to Town

Rankin-Bass, 1977

Voices of Fred Astaire, Skip Hinnant, Bob McFadden, and Meg Sargent

Directed by Jules Bass and Arthur Rankin Jr.

Music by Maury Laws; Lyrics by Jules Bass

The Story: S.D Kluger (Astaire) of Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town is back as narrator. This time, he's delivering mail by train, and all the letters are asking about the Easter Bunny. Seems the Easter Bunny was once simply known as Sunny (Hinnant), an abandoned baby rabbit discovered by the orphaned children of Kidsville. Sunny grows up to be a leader in the town, enough to encourage the kids to sell the eggs from the jazzy Hendrews Sisters (Jill Choder and Karen Dahle) over Big Rock Mountain in gloomy town. 

There's only two problems. First, Gadzooks the grouchy bear (Allan Swift) wants their eggs and won't let them pass. Even when they do manage to get around him, stiff Lady Lily Longtooth (Sargent) runs Town as the regent of her young nephew King Bruce (James Spies). Lily hates anything colorful and fun, including rabbits, children, and eggs, and keeps passing more and more laws forbidding them. Sunny has to find a ways to deal with both, and to prove to Lady Longtooth that his Easter traditions - and the fun of the spring holidays - will survive her strict ways.

The Animation: I don't know if it's the print on my DVD or how they were originally, but the colors here are a bit brighter and more pastel than on Peter Cottontail, almost on a par with Rudolph. The characters seem a bit rounder, and everything is softer and more delicate.

The Song and Dance: I'm going to admit, I kind of prefer this one over Peter Cottontail. While the cast isn't as good, the story is just as interesting and is a lot more relevant to Easter. In fact, it's the only Rankin-Bass Easter special to be fully set in the spring, with no mention of any other holidays. I believe Lady Longtooth is also their only female villain, and Sargent is quite effective as the rigid ruler who sees her hold on Town slipping away as Sunny becomes more beloved. My other favorite characters are the Hendrews Sisters, the chickens who make the special eggs. Their numbers may not have anything to do with the story, but they're still pretty funny, especially if you know anything about the real-life Andrews Sisters. 

My favorite part is the sequence where Sunny and King Bruce invent the "traditional" method of eating an Easter egg. Yeah, that's how we always did it in my family, too. (And I admire Bruce for being able to peel the shell off like that. I'm afraid I'm not an expert.)

Favorite Number: The Hendrews Sisters are introduced by "The Chicken or the Egg?," a perky query spoofing one of the eternal questions. They also get "Trainyard Blues" with Chugs, the train who ends up carrying Sunny and the others to Town. Astaire's best number is in the finale, where he, Sunny, and the kids encourage Chugs to "Think 'Can Do.'"

What I Don't Like: For all the talking up of how good of a leader he is and how much he's loved, Sunny just isn't that memorable of a character. He lacks Peter's laid-back cheekiness or Kris Kringle's warm good nature. Gadzooks is too cuddly to be much of a threat, even before he's reformed. As much as I love the Hendrews Sisters, neither they nor their "Chicken or the Egg" number really have much of an impact in the plot. 

And...yes, it's pretty obvious that this is an Easter-themed rehash of Santa Claus Is Coming to Town, right down to Fred Astaire narrating as the same character and the same opening spiel with the newsreel footage. 

The Big Finale: This used to show up on cable, especially The Disney Channel, a lot when I was a kid. I suspect that may be why I like it so much now. If you're looking for a fun Easter special for kids or something for them to pass the time while waiting for people to hide the eggs, you can do a lot worse than these.

Home Media: Unlike Peter Cottontail, it can be found on a few streaming platforms as well as DVD. 

DVD

Amazon Prime