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

Animation Celebration Saturday - Frosty Returns

CBS, 1992

Voices of John Goodman, Jonathan Winters, Brian Doyle Murphy, and Elizabeth Moss

Directed by Evert Brown and Bill Melendez

Music and Lyrics by Mark Mothersbaugh and others

This one has some complicated origins. Frosty's Winter Wonderland was among the specials purchased by Warner Brothers when they picked up the rights to the post-1974 Rankin-Bass catalog, which meant that by the 1980's, CBS couldn't run it anymore. They commissioned the director of the Peanuts specials Melendez and Saturday Night Live producer Lorne Michaels to create their own follow-up to Frosty the Snowman in the early 90's. Is it as much fun as the Rankin-Bass productions, or should it be canned? Let's start as our tiny narrator (Jonathan Winters) floats into Beansborough on a snowflake for their annual Winter Carnival and find out...

The Story: The kids of Beansborough are excited about the huge snow storm that just fell in town. Their parents aren't nearly as amused by all the shoveling and defrosting they have to do. Holly DiCarlo (Moss) and her best friend Charles (Michael Patrick Carter) are more interested in working on Holly's magic act for the carnival. The storm's wind blows Holly's magic hat right onto a snowman, turning him into the wisecracking Frosty. 

The kids are delighted with their new frozen friend (when Holly can convince Charles that Frosty's really moving), but Frosty's nervous. Local businessman Mr. Twitchell (Murphy) is heavily pushing his new product Summer Wheeze in a bid to become king of the Winter Carnival. Summer Wheeze instantly removes snow from any surface, including snowmen. It's up to Frosty and the two kids to remind everyone in Beansborough about how fun winter - and snow friends - can truly be.

The Animation: This definitely screams "early 90's Peanuts special." The zig-zaggy thick lines, large head, and sketchy style all look like the work of Bill Melendez. It could fit right in with the later Peanuts specials if the adults sounded like trumpets. It's a lot more like a Peanuts special than a more playful and anime-esque Rankin-Bass special. 

The Song and Dance: The cast and the catchy songs stand out in this attempt at a more "modern" Frosty story. The two kids are hilarious and get some great lines, especially in the opening. Murphy and Andrea Martin also have a few good moments as the villainous executive determined to become carnival king at all costs (including environmental costs) and the kids' fussy teacher Miss Carbunkle. (Also, as with Frosty's Winter Wonderland, I appreciate that there's no reference to any holidays besides the Winter Carnival. This is another one that can be watched at any time during the colder months.) 

The Numbers: We open with an announcer declaring that there's over two feet of snow on the ground and the kids are out of school. "We Love the Snow," say the kids who are delighted to be out of school. Their parents are more frustrated about dealing with shoveling it and complain "We Can Live Without Snow." This becomes "Let There Be Snow" for Frosty and Holly as they sing about the delights of winter weather. The duo reprise it with the townspeople at the carnival. (They're joined here by Charles, who is such a bad singer, even the animated characters wince.) The cast sings the title song over the end credits.

Trivia: This turned up on CBS occasionally during the Christmas season from 1992 through 2023. 

What I Don't Like: What is this a sequel to again? Despite the title, this is really its own stand-alone story, with nothing whatsoever to do with the two Rankin-Bass Frosty specials. Honestly, it feels like Melendez was trying too hard to be early 90's cynical and "hip." Goodman does make a warm Frosty, but his dialogue is less witty and more annoying. The story is a cross between "Rankin-Bass obnoxious and silly villain does weird mean things to kids" and a typical Peanuts special, without the charming weirdness that made both franchises stand out. 

The Big Finale: The catchy music and nice cast makes this worth seeing at least once this winter with elementary school-age kids who will enjoy Holly and Frosty's antics and ignore the so-so animation and plot holes. 

Home Media: That long run on CBS means it's not currently on streaming, but it can be found paired with Frosty the Snowman on many DVDs and Blu-Rays. 

DVD

Blu-Ray

DVD - The Original Christmas Classics 

Valentine's Short Subject Special - The Valentine's Day That Almost Wasn't

Showtime, 1982

Voices of Lisa Buckley, Richard J. Schellbach, Paul Fusco, and Bob Fappiano

Directed by Paul Fusco

Music and Lyrics by Ed Bruder and Jeff Cannata

From 1981 through 1983 Paul Fusco, the creator of ALF, made a series of six holiday specials for cable featuring his unique comic puppets. We've already seen his Easter and Thanksgiving stories over the past year. For Valentine's Day, we get a mystery and action spoof that turns cupids into Bogart-style investigators and gives us a little more action than in the more character-based early specials. In fact, we begin with our first real villain from these specials, Rubella Slime (Buckley) and her brothers, as they create a brew to spread hate in the world and end Valentine's Day as we know it.

The Story: Rubella hates Valentine's Day so much, she and her brothers Bugsy (Fusco) and Weasel (Fappiano) create a hate potion to put into the Cupids' Pot of Love. They first spray it on innocent Cosmo Cupid (Schellbach) when he's giving away puppies at the pound to create a distraction. While Sam Cupid (Fusco) and his boys are dealing with Cosmo, Bugsy and Weasell are able to sneak in and put the potion in the pot. When the cupids shoot their arrows, they turn everyone mean instead of loving. Sam has to find the antidote and stops Rubella, before she and her brothers ruin Valentine's Day for everyone.

The Song and Dance: Well, you can't say this one isn't unique. You don't often see a holiday special, especially for Valentine's Day, framed as a film noir spoof. The city and above the clouds setting gives this one a different vibe from the other specials, and it's a bit more action-packed, as per the mystery thriller vibe. Buckley pretty much steals the show as the hilariously evil Rubella, who wants everyone to hate Valentine's Day because she's never gotten a real Valentine in her life.

The Numbers: "Poison Brew" is Rubella's big song and dance with her brothers early-on. We get their explanation as to why they're doing this, how they plan on doing it, and what it will do to the people on earth.

What I Don't Like: This might be the strangest thing Fusco ever did. Humphrey Bogart-imitating Cupids? Villains who act like a cross between Maleficent and Morticia Addams? A Valentine's Day story framed as a mystery? Yeah, this is pretty weird, and more action than musical. Like Fusco's other work for Showtime, it's also incredibly cheap. Some of the sets are a little bit more interesting than the ones for Easter and Thanksgiving, especially when Cosmo and Sam are in their hot air balloon, using a laser (that is obviously a spotlight) to spread love, but it still looks like something made for cable in the early 80's.

The Big Finale: If you're looking for something different (and maybe a little less romantic) this Valentine's Day, take a trip to the big city with Sam and help him stop Rubella from destroying the holiday forever.

Home Media: Easily found on DVD and streaming, including free on Tubi with commercials.

DVD

Amazon Prime

Tubi

Animation Celebration Saturday - Frosty's Winter Wonderland

Rankin-Bass/ABC, 1976

Voices of Jackie Vernon, Shelley Winters, Andy Griffith, and Dennis Day

Directed by Arthur Rankin Jr. and Jules Bass

Music and Lyrics by various

For the next three Saturdays, we'll be looking at vintage winter and Valentine's Day specials from the 70's, 80's, and 90's, starting with this lesser-known sequel from Rankin-Bass. The original Frosty the Snowman was one of their bigger hits in the late 60's, so it was likely inevitable that they would want to follow that up. They got the folksy Griffith to replace original narrator Jimmy Durante, who had a stroke a few years before and had retired, and concocted a story that gave Frosty a wife and a slightly more likely villain than an annoying and rather silly magician. How does all of this look today? Let's begin with Griffith and the kids as they try to build a snowman who'll come to life like Frosty and find out...

The Story: Frosty (Vernon) is glad to be back with the kids, but he's lonely when they're not playing with him. Since he can't go inside with them, they make him a wife to be his friend and partner. Trouble is, they can't figure out what will make her "all livin'" at first. Meanwhile, Jack Frost (Paul Frees) is jealous that the kids associate Frosty with winter more than they do him. He tries to blow Frosty's magic hat away, but gets a substitute. Frosty is the one who finally figures out what will bring Crystal (Winters) to life...and she saves him in turn after Frost returns and does get his hat. Frosty and Crystal want to be married, but they end up needing a snow priest (Day) to do the job. 

The Animation: As a later Rankin-Bass special, this absolutely shows the hand of Paul Coker Jr. It's much more rounded and anime-like than the original special (as per its Japanese origins), and definitely looks like it was designed by the man who would later do artwork for MAD Magazine. 

The Song and Dance: Vernon and Winters make an adorable couple in one of the better Rankin-Bass specials of the 70's. This is one of the few times the weirdness that marks their later efforts really works. Winters' crusty demeanor compliments Vernon's innocent cheerfulness well, and Frees makes a perfect impish Jack. I also like that this may be the only Rankin-Bass special that doesn't needlessly attempt to tie a holiday in. It doesn't mention Christmas, Valentine's Day, or even Groundhog's Day. It's just about the wonders of winter, making it perfect to watch during the colder months when other Rankin-Bass specials are sitting on the shelf. 

The Numbers: Griffith performs "Frosty the Snowman" in the opening as the kids build their new wintry friend and wish for Frosty's return. They sing it again when they're out skating and sledding with Frosty and realize that Frosty really isn't very good at counting. Day and Griffith share "Winter Wonderland" later on, during Frosty and Crystal's wedding. It really is very sweet, with the animals carrying Crystal's train and the snowman that no one has to pretend is Parson Brown.

What I Don't Like: Er, what is this a sequel to again? There's no mention of Karen, the little girl from the first special, though they do continue the running gag with the kid wrapped in that huge scarf and his weird snow people names and the cop who swallows his whistle at the sight of the snow people. While this does make more sense than such late 70's and 80's Rankin-Bass specials as The Leprechaun's Christmas Gold or Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas In July, it's still a little strange. The kids make Frosty a wife, and Jack Frost is jealous because they aren't paying attention? Sometimes I wonder what the writers at Rankin-Bass were on in the 70's and early 80's. 

The Big Finale: One of the better Rankin-Bass specials from the mid-late 70's deserves a look during the winter months for its unique story and charming performances.

Home Media: Easily found on DVD and streaming.

DVD

DVD - Frosty the Snowman/Frosty's Winter Wonderland

Amazon Prime

Family Fun Saturday - The Frog Prince (1971)

Robert Laurence Productions/The Jim Henson Company, 1971

Voices of Jim Henson, Jerry Nelson, Frank Oz, and Richard Hunt

Directed by Jim Henson

Music and Lyrics by Joe Raposo

We end the month as we began it, with the Muppets. This time, we jump way far back, to when Jim Henson was trying to prove that his felt characters could be more than commercial announcers or filler between variety show numbers. This is the second of three fairy tale-based specials Henson did featuring Kermit, and probably the best-received of the three. It was so popular, four of the Muppets used in this special would go on to appear on The Muppet Show three years later. Does it still cast a spell today? Let's begin with our narrator Kermit the Frog (Henson) by the well and find out...

The Story: Sir Robin the Brave (Gordon Thomson) is turned into a frog by the wicked witch Taminella (Jerry Juhl). Kermit and his friends by the well in the castle garden don't believe him, even when he tells them he can't swim. He has to befriend a princess and get her to kiss him, and the lovely Melora (Trudy Young) would seem to be the perfect candidate. Trouble is, she too is under a spell. Her words are twisted backwards by the evil woman who claims to be her father King Rupert (Henson)'s sister. Robin recognizes her as Taminella, who wants to take Melora's throne on her birthday and become queen. Robin and Kermit try to translate Melora's backwards warnings and dodge Taminella's big, dumb ogre Sweetums (Carl Banas).

The Song and Dance: This is by far my favorite, not only of the Muppet fairy tale specials, but of the specials Henson did before he developed The Muppet Show. Robin and Sweetums were so adorable and hilarious respectively, they've been used in Muppet shows and films ever since. Raposo's songs are a delight, too, especially Young singing with Robin the Frog (Nelson) and Sweetums' noisy number. Nice costumes too, on Muppet and human alike. I like that Kermit's a little more involved with this than he would be with The Muppet Musicians of Bremen and the later Christmas specials, too. 

The Numbers: We open with the "Frog Chant" from the frogs at the well and the chorus. Robin explains what happened to him to turn him from "Sir Robin the Brave" into a little frog. Kermit and his friends insist that it's great to be "Frogs." Robin interprets Melora's turned around "N'I'm Ineteen" ("I'm Nineteen") in a charming duet. After he gets into the castle, Robin is almost stomped on by Sweetums, until he manages to insist "Sleep, Sweetums." "Sweetums," for his part, isn't happy with having been manipulated and just wants his frog dinner. "Anthems of Joy" is the happy ending, as Melora and Robin embrace, the people of the country are glad to have the right queen, King Rupert is happy for his daughter, and Kermit misses his froggy friend.

Trivia: Robin and Sweetums aren't the only Muppets from this special who would turn up on The Muppet Show. Featherstone and King Rupert made occasional appearances in royalty-themed skits during the first season. 

What I Don't Like: While we do get Robin and Sweetums here along with Kermit, don't expect the rest of the Muppet gang like Piggy or Fozzie. This came out three years before that show debuted. Young's adorable as the Princess, but what little we see of Thomson is a bit stiff for a dashing prince. Frankly, Taminella is more annoying than she is threatening. How the king fell for her, I will never know. 

The Big Finale: If you're a fan of the Muppets or of fairy tales like me, this is worth swimming a well for if you can find it.

Home Media: Alas, at press time, it can only be found on out-of-print videos and a blurry copy on Dailymotion. 

Dailymotion

Animation Celebration Saturday - Dot and Keeto

Yoram Gross Films/Hoyts Distribution, 1985

Voices of Robyn Moore and Keith Scott

Directed by Yoram Gross

Music by Guy Gross, Bob Young, John Levine, and John Zulaikha; Lyrics by John Palmer

Let's return to the Australian outback this weekend for the next film in the long-running Dot series. After Dot and the Koala ended up being something of a cross between a typical Saturday morning cartoon of the 80's and Animal Farm, the next film returned to the original format of Dot encountering Aussie animals in the real outback. This time, the theme is the Australian insect world, including a few most people don't really think of as heroic or friendly. How well does Dot do in her time among the insects? Let's begin in the outback, as a live-action Dot (Ashley Ayre) tries to keep her brother Simon (Leaf Nowland) from harming ants and caterpillars and find out...

The Story: Dot (Moore) eats a magic root in order to explain to the insects that she tried to help them, but she eats the wrong root and shrinks to their size. She first befriends Keeto (Scott), a sweet male mosquito who agrees to help her find the root. Dot tries to go inside to find her mother, but she encounters cockroaches who don't take too kindly to her. Militaristic ants who think she's the one who destroyed their home like her even less. Their queen (Moore) looks down on her. She almost becomes food for a nasty wasp (Moore) and befriends a hungry caterpillar (Scott). Meanwhile, Dot's old friend the kangaroo shrinks down and goes looking for her.

The Animation: Same as most of the other movies in this series. After the weird and too-cartoonish Dot and the Koala, it's almost refreshing to see this one go back to drawing the animals more realistically. They're still not that well-integrated with the actual environments, but they look like the animals they're representing and they move well enough.

The Song and Dance: Like I said, after the preachy environmental message and odd Saturday morning vibe of the previous film, it's rather a relief to see this one return to formula. Good-natured Keeto is at least somewhat more tolerable than annoying Funny Bunny from Dot and the Bunny, and we get to see the mother kangaroo and a bit of her close relationship with Dot again this time, too. It's also fascinating to learn more about both insects that are native to Australia, and ones like mosquitoes and caterpillars that most of us have in our own backyards. 

The Numbers: Our first song goes to Dot as she explains why the "Little Things" of nature mean so much. "Cockroach" and his brethren sing to Dot about how they've managed to survive for so long, while the "Work Ant" marches its way to its home carrying a screaming, furious Dot. "Queen Ant" sings about how she's on top of the heap in her ant hill. Butterwalk the Caterpillar (Scott) tells Dot how he'll become a "Butterfly." There's also talk of the fearsome "Spider." We end with a reprise of "In the Kangaroo Pouch" from Dot and the Kangaroo as the Kangaroo takes Dot home.  

What I Don't Like: Honestly, this one shares most of the same problems as the rest of the series. The animation, though it's improved since the previous entries, still isn't great. The story meanders and wanders along with Dot. It's not for someone who is looking for a more straightforward plot. 

The Big Finale: Honestly, if you liked the other films in this series, you'll enjoy Dot's visit with the Australia's smallest residents just as much. 

Home Media: YouTube only at the moment. 

YouTube

Happy New Year! - Sesame Street Stays Up Late

PBS, 1993

Voices of Carol Spinney, Kevin Clash, Martin P. Robinson, and Fran Brill

Directed by Chuck Vinson

Music and Lyrics by various

Let's kick off 2026 with a look at one of Sesame Street's lesser-known specials. Though Big Bird was still the focus of most stories at this point, with the death of Jim Henson and the need to recast many of his characters (like Ernie), other Muppets and puppeteers stepped up to the spotlight. Elmo was just being built up as a major character when this special debuted. Sesame Street had been evolving at this point as well, with new adult human characters, a new set, and new Muppets like the just-debuted Rosita and Zoe. How is all this reflected in this look at how countries around the world celebrate the New Year? Let's get to Sesame Street, where Big Bird is announcing that it's time to party, and find out...

The Story: As most of the adults go out for the New Year, the kids and Muppets of Sesame Street remain behind for a party of their own. Gina (Alison Bartlett) and tap-dancing wunderkind Savion (Savion Glover) keep an eye on them and help them with preparations. Oscar the Grouch (Spinney) is trying to get through to his family long-distance and isn't too happy with Ernestine the Telephone Operator's (Lily Tomlin) constant chatter. He tells a nervous Telly the Monster (Robinson) that if the year ends, so will everything else. Telly does everything he can to keep the New Year party from happening. 

Meanwhile, Elmo (Clash), Prairie Dawn (Brill), and the Muppet News Network do reports on New Year's Eve celebrations around the world. The reports from Norway, Germany, Israel, and Portugal come direct from those countries' versions of Sesame Street and their own Muppet characters. Elmo's "cousin" Pepe (Clash) helps Rosita (Carmen Osbahr) with the reports on the New Year's fiesta in Mexico, while Elmo's cousin Elmo-noske (Clash) reports from Japan. 

The Song and Dance: This is so sweet. For one thing, the only countries whose New Year's customs I knew anything about before I saw this were Mexico and Israel. It really is fascinating to learn about New Year's celebrations in other parts of the world. I liked seeing the Muppets from other versions of Sesame Street, too. From the Oscar-like Moiske Oofnik and huge, sweet Kippi in Israel to pretty kitty Tita in Portugal, I love seeing how different cultures represent puppetry and kid-friendly characters. Elmo makes for an adorable and hilarious host (and generally doesn't hog the spotlight as much as he would later in the 90's and 2000's), and Prairie Dawn's on-the-spot reporting on Sesame Street is funny, too. Telly's story, on the other hand, is handled with marvelous sensitivity for younger kids who may not understand what New Year's is really about and might be nervous about the noise and the idea of the year ending. There's also the cute side plot with Big Bird spending the special trying to wake up Snuffy before midnight.

The Numbers: We open with Big Bird's announcement to the kids on the Street that "We're Going to Stay Up Late and Party." Rosita and Pepito join the children of Mexico to perform a "Mexican Folk Song" as they make their pinata. "Oshagatu" is the song for the children of Japan as they fly kites and enjoy their day of freedom. "Bashanah Habaah" is the joyous number celebrating the Jewish New Year and its unique customs. The children and Muppets of Germany go from house to house asking for treats in the "Rummel Pot Song." Max Mekker, Alfa, and Bjarne Betjent from the Norwegian Sesame Street join the children of Lillehammer, Norway in the kid amusement park Lilleputhammer for the lovely "It's New Year's Eve." Oscar finally connects with his family in a brief "New Year's Chorale for Six Grouches." Big Bird gently reminds everyone that it's the "Faces That I Love" that make New Year's special.

Trivia: Known on VHS and some older streaming copies as Sesame Street Celebrates Around the World. 

There's a couple of references to the Olympics in the Norway segment. Lillehammer, Norway would host the Winter Olympics in 1994.

This was one of the first appearances of Ernie since Jim Henson's death in 1989. He was voiced in his brief appearance here by Steve Whitmire. 

What I Don't Like: First of all, while Elmo doesn't take over this special to the degree that he would dominate the show later in the 90's, there's still a lot of him here. If you're not a fan of him, you may not be into this.  Second, this is an older Muppet special. Some younger kids may wonder where more recent characters like Julia or Abby Cadabba are. The "around the corner" set where most of this takes place was retired in 1998, along with the characters who inhabited it. Most kids watching Sesame Street nowadays may not even know they existed. 

The Big Finale: If your kids are fans of Elmo or Big Bird, or you remember this from when you were a kid, this remains a charming look at holiday customs in other parts of the world and here in the US.

Home Media: Streaming is your best bet for this one, usually under the "Celebrates Around the World" title. The DVD is currently hard to find and pricey.

DVD

Amazon Prime

Merry Christmas! - The Christmas Toy

ABC, 1986

Voices of Dave Golez, Steve Whitmire, Kathryn Mullen, and Brian Henson

Directed by Eric Till

Music and Lyrics by Jeff Moss

This year, we celebrate Christmas and New Year's with the Muppets in two very different lesser-known Muppet and Sesame Street specials. The Christmas Toy was Jim Henson's second shot at a holiday special after the more subdued Emmett Otter's Jug Band Christmas on cable. Christmas Toy goes in the opposite direction, with a more traditional holiday story in bright primaries revolving around toys and holiday friendship. How does this Muppet toy story look now, after other animated tales of playthings have come and gone? Let's begin with Kermit the Frog dressed as Santa goes down the chimney and introduces us to the Jones family and the residents of the playroom and find out...

The Story: Rugby Tiger (Golez) is little Jamie's (Marsha Moreau) favorite toy that she got for Christmas last year. When he hears it's Christmas Eve, he thinks he'll be opened and found by Jamie again. Trouble is, if toys are found out of place, they're frozen permanently. Rugby and Mew the Cat Toy (Whitmire) go downstairs to climb into a box so Jamie can open him, but it's not that easy. Jamie does have a new big toy this year, Meteora the Space Queen (Camille Bonora), who thinks they're aliens. Meanwhile, Apple the Rag Doll (Mullen) convinces Cruiser the Cab Driver (Henson), Belmont the nervous ride-on horse (Richard Hunt), and Bleep the Robot (Rob Mills) to help her rescue Rugby and keep him from getting them all frozen. Rugby ends up learning a lesson in real friendship when Mew not only helps him convince Meteora to get back in the box, but sacrifices himself to save the others, too.

The Song and Dance: This charming special is faster-paced and more high-energy than Emmett Otter, but just as much fun. Golez revels in playing the hilariously egotistical Rugby, who thinks that just because he's Jessie's favorite toy means he'll stay that way forever. Whitmire is adorable as Mew, who remains a loyal friend despite Rugby insulting him about being a cat toy. The songs are really catchy too, with "Try the Impossible" and the heartbreaking "Together at Christmas" the standouts. I love the bright color palate on the toys, the deep blacks and glittering silvers and golds of Meteora and the tree in the living room, and some of the gags, especially when they try to get Meteora back in the box!

The Numbers: We open with a big chorus routine for the toys, as we're introduced to their world in the play room and how "Toys Love to Play." "I Was the Greatest Christmas Toy" is Rugby's recollection of the year before and how it made him feel like a big star. Apple reprises it briefly in the living room when she remembers it, too...but she felt left out when Jamie said Rugby was now her favorite. Apple tells Belmont and the other toys to "Try the Impossible" as she rounds up a posse to rescue Rugby and Mew. Rugby coaxes Metora back into the box by singing "The Song of Meteora," telling her how much she'll be adored the next day. Mew already adores her and occasionally adds his besotted asides. "Together at Christmas" is Rugby's sad song to Mew downstairs after he's been frozen. Kermit the Frog joins the toys to reprise it for the finale in the play room.

Trivia: This would be spun off into a series in the 90's, The Secret Life of Toys. 

The copy currently on DVD deletes the opening and closing intros with Kermit the Frog. (Fortunately, most streaming copies are uncut and retain Kermit.) 

What I Don't Like: The story itself is nothing new, and is even less original after all of the Toy Story films have come and gone. In fact, this has a lot in common with the Toy Story movies, including a space-themed protagonist who doesn't believe they're a toy, a favorite toy who is jealous of the space toy, and the general idea of toys coming to life. The special mostly focuses on Rugby, Mew, and their relationship, with a little of Apple and Belmont in the rescue sequence. I'd love to learn more about the other toys, especially wise old teddy Balthazar (Jerry Nelson), super-cool Cruiser, and the fashion doll who, in a running gag, keeps missing all the action because she's constantly changing clothes to fit the mood. 

The Big Finale: A charming special with some great songs and delightful characters that's well worth checking out with your kids this holiday weekend, especially if any of them are big Toy Story or Muppet Show fans. 

Home Media: The DVD is currently expensive, and as mentioned, is missing the opening and closing segments with Kermit anyway. You're better off looking for this one on streaming. 

DVD

Amazon Prime

Animation Celebration Saturday - Santa and the Three Bears

Tony Benedict Productions, 1970

Voices of Hal Smith, Jean Vander Pyl, Christina Ferra-Gilmore, and Bobby Riha

Directed by Tony Benedict and Barry Mahon (live-action segments)

Music by Joyce Taylor; Lyrics by Doug Goodwin

This charming short film was originally pitched as an animated TV special. Apparently, networks at the time wouldn't buy a cartoon with no villains, so this ended up as a theatrical release instead. It later became a public domain staple, seen frequently during the holidays on independent stations throughout the US, and then on family cable networks. How does the charming tale of two bears who learn about Christmas from a well-meaning park ranger look today? Let's begin with two live-action children (Beth Goldfarb and Brian Hobbs) as their retired park ranger grandfather (Hal Smith) tells them the story of how three bears discovered Christmas and find out...

The Story: Mr. Ranger (Smith) tells the story of Christmas and of Santa to baby bears Nikomi (Ferra-Gilmore) and Chinook (Riha). They're so excited about Christmas and everything they'll get from Santa, they even get a tree for their cave. Their mother Nana (Vander Pyl) wishes they'd just go to sleep for the winter. She's not happy when she confronts Mr. Ranger and discovers Santa isn't real. Mr. Ranger decides to dress as Santa to make Christmas happy for the cubs. He's waylaid by a violent snowstorm, but someone else still gets through...

The Animation: You can tell this wasn't originally made for the big screen. The animation is no different from your average Hanna-Barbara TV show from this time period. In fact, I thought it was Hanna-Barbara until I checked Wikipedia. Admittedly, the bears look fairly realistic for a kids' cartoon - no exaggerated Yogi and Boo-Boo here - and they move pretty well. There's some pretty colors, too, especially during the cubs' dream sequence.

The Song and Dance: This ended up being much better than I thought it would be for a low-budget cartoon from the early 70's. Like This Christmas, it's charmingly low-key for a holiday that doesn't usually do quiet and sweet. The cubs are adorable, Smith is lovely telling them the story of Christmas and Santa, and Vander Pyl makes a nice concerned bear mother. It has a cozy, gentle air to it that's quite lovely and very welcome. 

The Numbers: The animated segment opens with "When Winter Comes" as the animals around Mr. Ranger prepare for colder weather. "Wintertime" provides the backdrop for the cubs' antics as they play and slide in the snow. The cubs learn about "The World of Toy People" as Mr. Ranger tells them the story of Santa and his elves and reindeer. The chorus lulls the cubs to sleep next to Nana with the "Sleepytime Song," with their pastel dreamscapes and hopes to see Santa. The credits end with "The Wonder of Christmas Time" after the cubs get their gifts, but before we see the live-action children again.

Trivia: Most TV versions (and some older streaming copies) delete the opening and closing live-action sequences.

Movie parody group Rifftrax spoofed it in 2023.

What I Don't Like: This might be a little too quiet for people expecting a noisier, better-animated show. It's just two cubs and their mother learning about Christmas from an elderly ranger with a slightly sentimental twist in the end. To be honest, though the gentle ballads are pretty, they do seem a bit out of place in the calm, laid-back story. It moves a bit on the slow side for something that runs for 45 minutes, too. 

'

The Big Finale: Not the greatest thing ever, but it's worth your time this holiday season if you want to show your littlest ones something relatively calm and adorable. 

Home Media: In the public domain, so it's easily found anywhere.

DVD

Tubi

Thanksgiving Short Subject Special - A Thanksgiving Tale

Showtime, 1983

Directed by James Field

Voices of Paul Fusco, Lisa Buckley, Richard Schellbach, and Lisa Fusco

Music and Lyrics by Richard Schellbach

In 1982 and 1983, Paul Fusco made four holiday puppet-based holiday specials for Showtime that showed off his puppeteering abilities. I covered the Easter special back in April. The Thanksgiving special debuted later in 1983 and would also turn up on Nickelodeon and elsewhere throughout the 80's. Like the rest of Fusco's early work, it vanished in the early 90's, only to reappear in the 2010's as streaming made early holiday programming more widely available. Is it as enjoyable as the Easter special? Let's begin in an alley in Newark, New Jersey with a group of very hungry cats and find out...

The Story: The cats live in a tool shed in the alley. They have a home, but have run out of food. The dogs who guard the restaurant next-door have cleared out all of the mice. They have plenty of food, thanks to their jobs, but live outside in the freezing cold. The cats think they have their Thanksgiving dinner all sewn up when Tom, a turkey with Broadway ambitions (Fusco), turns up on their doorstep. The dogs try to rescue him, which eventually results in a literal cat and dog fight. It's Queenie the female cat (Buckley) and Tom who finally realize that each group has what the other needs. Tom puts on a play that finally teaches both groups the importance of sharing what they have and working together.

The Song and Dance: For 30 years, I had vague memories of a Thanksgiving puppet special involving a group of cats and dogs who end up helping each other. I couldn't remember the title or any other details, until the Fusco shows started turning up on YouTube. I definitely enjoy this one more than the Easter special. The story is charming and unique, Fusco's Tom Turkey and his theatrical aspirations are hilarious (and he doesn't sound too much like his later creation ALF this time), and the cats and dogs all have well-delineated and very funny personalities. The puppets are slightly more interesting, too, with Tom being by far the most expressive.

The Numbers: The dogs get our first song, as they lament shivering outside and being homeless in "They Say It's a Dog's Life." The cats give their side of the story and why they think they own their turf in "We are the Cats." We finish after their Thanksgiving pageant with Tom and both groups realizing how important friendship and cooperation is in "Thanksgiving Magic." 

What I Don't Like: Though the story and puppets are a bit more interesting than the ones made for the Easter show, this is still pretty obviously a low-budget special made for cable in the early 80's. The sets are minimal, the characters can occasionally be grating, the score mainly consists of synthesizer music, and there's some mild Mexican stereotypes with the displaced chihuahua. 

The Big Finale: I'm glad to see that this mostly holds up pretty well. It remains a fun watch before Thanksgiving dinner for families with young kids or fans of ALF, the Muppets, or other similar kids' puppet shows.

Home Media: Streaming only, but it can be found for free with commercials pretty much anywhere, including Tubi and Amazon Prime.

Tubi

Amazon Prime

Animation Celebration Saturday - The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996)

Golden Films, 1996

Voices of Susan Silo, Charles Martinent, Jeff Bennett, and Cam Clarke

Directed by Diane Paloma Eskanazi

Music and Lyrics by various

Though Golden Films did occasionally dip into original material, like every other direct-to-video animation studio in the 90's and early 2000's, they mostly put out imitations of whatever Disney movie was out at the time. This may have been one of the most unlikely. People at the time were shocked that Disney put out an animated version of this dark, religion-soaked story...and then every direct-to-video studio in existence started doing their versions. Given that the original novel is pretty heavy-going and doesn't even have a happy ending, how does Golden Films deal with those dark themes? Well...they pretty much ignore them. Let's see how different things are in this retelling, starting with a song about spring in Paris...in a story set in the early 1800's...

The Story: Melody (Silo), her mother, and their fellow gypsies are persecuted by the handsome but greedy Jean Claude (Martinent), who has eliminated all magic and music from Paris. Melody and her singing and dancing musical instruments are forced to flee for Notre Dame. There, she falls in love with shy Quasimodo (Bennett) the bell ringer. Melody and the instruments leave when Jean Claude takes Melody's mother hostage, but Melody ends up captured herself. The instruments are the ones who must warn Quasimodo and encourage him to put aside his shyness and rescue his beloved Romani girl.

The Animation: Same as all the other Golden Films productions. The colors are gorgeous, bright and saturated, but the characters all have the same pale blue eyes and no expressions whatsoever. They don't even have the lavish costumes worn by characters in some of the other Golden productions. Everyone wears the same clothes throughout the movie.

The Song and Dance: Well...as out of place as they are, some of the songs are mildly catchy. Bennett at least sounds appropriately gentle and kind as Quasimodo, and there's those bright colors. They help bring a lot more zip to this otherwise pedestrian retelling.

The Numbers: We open with "Dance to the Music of Paris," in which the gypsies celebrate every Parisian stereotype that likely didn't exist in Paris in the early 1800's, including cafes and can-can dancers. "When I'm Looking at You" is the jaunty love song Melody and Quasimodo perform with the bats and mice who live in Notre Dame as Quasimodo rings the bells. Melody turns her prison into a beautiful room in the upbeat and completely inappropriate "When the Magic Is In Your Heart." "It's Like We're Alive" sing the people of Paris after Quasimodo rescues Melody. The movie ends with a reprise of "When I'm Looking at You" over the end credits.

What I Don't Like: What in the heck is this? Disney's version has its fair share of problems and flaws, but at least they retained the book's somber tone and dark look at religious hypocrisy. "Upbeat Broadway musical" does not suit this story or these characters. This feels more like Beauty and the Beast with a hunchback beast, up to and including the Gaston-like Jean Claude. Did Jean Claude and Quasimodo need to be brothers? They did nothing with that after Jean Claude's info dump in the opening. 

The bats, mice, and talking instruments are even more worthless as sidekicks than the annoying talking gargoyles in the Disney film. The instruments admittedly do help rescue Melody, but the bats and mice are useless beyond the "When I'm Looking at You" number. Every single song is an upbeat dance number, even ones like "When I'm Looking at You" and Melody's prison number that are performed during romantic or somber moments. In fact, they totally ruin the impact of those moments. 

How about all those anachronistic Paris stereotypes in the opening, or the dated depiction of the Romani, or the random scene where Melody's mother makes all the animals on the farm dance that's there for no reason, or Quasimodo is less frightening and more "shy, slightly hunched over good looking guy." And even Disney didn't marry him off to the Esmeralda character, something that definitely did not come from the book. 

The Big Finale: This is by far the worst and most ridiculous of the Disney imitations of the 90's and early millennium I've seen. Don't even bother with this one unless you have very, very bored younger children who want to watch something online and won't mind the lack of book-accuracy, dull characters, and out-of-place songs.

Home Media: If you absolutely must see this, it can be found on DVD paired with four other Golden Films titles and solo on streaming. 

DVD - Magical Tales

Tubi

Animation Celebration Saturday - The Sneeches (2025)

Netflix, 2025

Voices of Amari McCoy, Sophie Peterson, Christopher Fitzgerald, and Cristina Valenzuela

Directed by Bronah O'Hanlon

Music and Lyrics by Greg Nicolett

This isn't the first time we've met the Sneeches, the class-conscious yellow critters with stars on their bellies who live at the beaches, at this blog. I reviewed the half-hour anthology special they debuted in, Dr. Seuss on the Loose, last year. Netflix got the rights to make children's cartoons from beloved Seuss characters who hadn't turned up as often in animation. They already did One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish and Horton the Elephant as children's shows. This is their first special, and the first Seuss special since Daisy-Head Mayzie in 1995. How does this class-war parable look on streaming? Let's begin with the pelican Daniel (Fitzgerald) and the story of how the Sneeches fractured into two warring groups and find out...

The Story: The Sneeches make up two groups, the star-bellies and the moon-bellies, each of whom believe their tummy symbol to be the better one. The star-bellies live in trees, while the moon-bellies make their homes by the ocean. That's the way it's always been, until imaginative star-belly child Stella Sneedly (McCoy) takes her many creative ideas to the beaches. There, she meets moon-belly Pearl Puddlesnuff (Peterson), a shy young miss who can build everything Stella comes up with. They become instant best friends, sneaking away to see each other whenever they have the chance.

Stella insists on meeting Pearl's parents and seeing her world. Given the animosity between the star and moon-bellies, this is impossible, until Stella invents and Pearl builds a machine that can erase and change symbols. Now the girls can visit each other's worlds...but Stella has no idea about living on the seas, while Pearl is upset and offended by the star bellies' Star Festival with speeches that verbally attack the moon bellies. When a huge storm threatens both groups, it's up to Stella and Pearl to come up with a way of protecting everyone and proving that "no Sneech is the best on the beaches."

The Animation: Colorful, rounded, and utterly charming. Netflix really had fun with this. You can see every bit of fur on the girls and every line of those green symbols that cause so much trouble. There's so much detail the girls' worlds, especially by the ocean, that you wish you had more time to explore it all. Honestly, it seems a little bit too soft and round for the bright, sketchy world of Dr. Seuss...but it works fine for a young children's show.

The Song and Dance: Divorced from its source material, this is a charming and lively little parable about two very different kids who become friends and just want to see how the other lives. McCoy is a sweet ball of energy as Stella, while Peterson's more nervous energy is adorable. The colorful animation is another plus, with it's incredible attention to detail. 

The Numbers: We open with Stella's "Something Wonderful" as she dances among the star-belly Sneeches, creating new inventions and pointing out how much fun something different can be. She reprises this after arguing with her family over the Star Festival and her inventions. Pearl and Stella say "Me Too!" when they realize how much they have in common when they first meet. "Look at This!" says Stella as she and Pearl explore the moon-bellied Sneeches' ocean-going world. "Something Wonderful" is reprised in the finale when all of the Sneeches come together to admit that being different can be pretty cool.

What I Don't Like: Um...what does this have to do with The Sneeches? In the original story and the 1973 special, there were only star-bellied Sneeches and Sneeches with nothing on their bellies. The star-bellied Sneeches snubbed the ones with no stars. Sylvester McMonkey McBean was a con-man monkey, not a kid's pet, and the original inventor of the symbol-removing machines. In the book (and a subsequent Russian short based on it), the Sneeches never do learn their lesson. The 1973 version comes a little closer to this, with the Sneeches realizing that "no Sneech is the best on the beaches." All of this is cute, but it's not nearly as memorable as the rather cynical original story or the slightly-more-hopeful 1973 cartoon.

The Big Finale: Great for families with young kids who'll appreciate the story and the engaging central best-friend pair and won't care about the lack of book-accuracy. 

Home Media: This is currently a Netflix exclusive. 

Netflix

Animation Celebration Saturday - Willy McBean and His Magic Machine

Magna Pictures Distribution Corporation, 1965

Voices of Billie Mae Richards, Larry Mann, Alfie Scopp, and Paul Kligman

Directed by Arthur Rankin Jr. and Kizo Nagashima

Music and Lyrics by Edward Thomas, Gene Forrell, and James Polack

We kick off November with Rankin-Bass' first foray on the big screen. Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer had just been a sensation about six months before they released this. Unfortunately, Rankin-Bass doesn't seem to have ever had the same luck in the theaters that they did on TV. All of their theatrical films were eventually relegated to children's matinees and after-school showings on local stations, but does that mean they're without merit? To find out, we begin not with the title character, but with the evil Professor Von Rotten (Mann), who is gloating about his inventions to the talking monkey Pablo (Scopp).

The Story: Professor Von Rotten has invented a magic time machine that'll allow him to change history and become the first to do something great. Pablo breaks loose and runs off to find help. He ends up at the home of Willy McBean (Richards), a young boy who loves tinkering with his own inventions and finds studying history to be boring. He gets an eye-opener when Pablo tells him about the Professor's plan. Willy is able to create his own "magic machine," allowing him and Pablo to go back in time and stop the Professor and discover that history is a lot more exciting than it looks in school books.

The Animation: Actually a bit disappointing for Rankin-Bass. You can tell this one of their earlier efforts. The characters aren't as expressive as they are even in Rudolph. They move jerkily, and sometimes limbs or pieces will be missing or in the wrong place. That said, everything is fairly detailed, especially the backgrounds in the Wild West and Camelot.

The Song and Dance: Decent first movie effort from Rankin-Bass is anchored by some really fun performances. Mann in particular has a blast as the overly dramatic Professor, who is less evil than determined to be the first at something, anything, and leave a lasting legacy to history. Richards has some funny moments as skeptical Willie, while Kligman and Claude Rae throw themselves into their many characters with relish. And yes, that is a young James Doohan, just a year prior to Star Trek: The Original Series, as the voices of General Custer and Merlin. 

The Numbers: The chorus begins and ends the movie by describing "The Magic Machine" and what it can do. "Professor Rasputin Von Rotten" introduces himself and his desire to be remembered through history for something major shortly after the opening credits. Sitting Bull (Kligman) and Pablo admit "We Got Showbiz." Christopher Columbus (Kligman) and the sailors claim "Gotta Go West to Go East." The Professor tells Queen Isabella "I Am For Hire." Arthur (Claude Rae) and his men introduce themselves as "We're Knights of the Round Table (Not the Square)." The dragon (Scopp) they're supposed to fight claims "I'm the Most Exciting, Horrible Dragon In All of Camelot"...but he's really far from it. King Tut (Bunny Cowan) listens to his chorus girl queen (Corinne Conley) complain about being the "Poorest Queen" in all of Egypt. "A Caveman's Lot" is a difficult one for the neanderthals Willy and Pablo encounter.

What I Don't Like: First of all, this hasn't dated well at all, and not just the jerky animation. Name your stereotype, from Italian to Native American to Chinese, and it's probably here. Not to mention, I think this is intended to be a spoof of history. People knew the world was round years before Christopher Columbus, his men mutinied because he was a lousy sailor and a bad captain despite his ambitions, and though the Arthur legends may have their basis in fact, they're really more myths than history. 

Second, the whole idea is just too bizarre for words. Couldn't the Professor have found a far more evil reason for wanting to go back in time than just being first at something? Like most Rankin-Bass villains, he's rather easily reformed in the end, too. Pablo and his silly Mexican accent get really annoying really fast, too. 

The Big Finale: Bizarre bit of lunacy is mainly for Rankin-Bass completists and those trying to amuse their elementary-school age children for an hour and a half online.

Home Media: Which makes it just as well that, to my knowledge, this has never been released on disc in North America. The only way you can currently find it is on YouTube. 

YouTube

Musicals On TV - Hansel and Gretel (1958)

NBC, 1958

Starring Barbara Cook, Red Buttons, Stubby Kaye, and Hans Conried

Directed by Paul Bogart

Music by Alec Wilder; Lyrics by William Engvik

Let's take in one more fantasy before moving on to our Halloween Horror-a-Thon next week. The success of Rogers and Hammerstein's Cinderella in 1957 prompted a series of fairy-take musicals on TV in the late 50's. NBC, who had originally commissioned Cinderella, gathered an impressive cast for this charming retelling of the famous Grimm's story about two children who end up in the clutches of a witch in a candy house. Does it reach the heights of Cinderella? Let's begin in the town square, as the Town Crier (Kaye) announces the beginning of Market Day, and find out...

The Story: A poor woodcarver (Rudy Vallee) and his wife (Rise Stevens) are having trouble selling their wares at the market. The witch (Conried) and her helpers Eenie (Will B. Able), Meenie (Paula Laurence), Miney (Shaike Ophr) and Moe (Sondra Lee) buys all of their wares after she discovers they have two children, Hansel (Buttons) and Gretel (Cook). The children, horrified when they drink all the milk and don't leave any for their parents, follow the witch into the woods. The town crier and their parents realize that the witch turns any children she gets her hands on into gingerbread and follows them.

The Song and Dance: Buttons and Cook may seem like an odd choice to play the young brother-sister duo, but they're both hilarious and adorable. Conried is a riot as the witch who eats greedy little children. What I can see in the terrible copy currently on YouTube indicates a charming fairy-tale production, with lavish peasant dresses for the ladies and lederhosen for the men. Some of the songs aren't bad, either, especially the siblings' song "Much Too Happy Dancing." 

The Numbers: We open with the Town Crier announcing "Market Today" and the town showing off its wares. Father, the Town Crier, and the shopkeepers in town insist there's a reason that "Men Run the World." "Morning Song" and "Evening Song" are Gretel's introductory numbers. She insists to Hansel that they're "Much Too Happy Dancing" to mind their empty stomachs. "Ernie, Meenie, Miney, and Moe" sing about what they do in the woods, and they wonder "What Little Girls are Made Of?" with Gretel.

What I Don't Like: First of all, I wish someone would take a crack at restoring this! The copy currently on YouTube is dreadful, barely viewable. More importantly, this is kind of strange for a TV musical production. Though some of the songs aren't bad, they really don't seem to relate to the story. They spend so much time with the Town Crier and the parents, we honestly don't see as much of Hansel and Gretel as you might think. 

The Big Finale: Between the bad copy on YouTube and this being just ok despite the great cast, you're better off looking for the soundtrack CD and letting this one be consumed by the witch.

Home Media: As mentioned, this can only be found in a blurry, faded black and white copy on YouTube. At the least, the copy does include the original commercials for Rexall Drug Stores. 

YouTube

Animation Celebration Saturday - Plankton: The Movie

Netflix/Nickelodeon, 2025

Voices of Mr. Lawrence, Jill Talley, Tom Kenney, and Bill Fagerbakke

Directed by David Needham

Music and Lyrics by various

We're remaining at Netflix, but going to a whole different franchise. SpongeBob SquarePants is the story of a very enthusiastic sponge who lives in under the sea and has some of the most peculiar friends in all of animation. Plankton is technically one of the show's villains, a tiny one-eyed creature with an ego three times the size of his body who is married to a computer and thinks stealing the formula for Krabby Patties will help him take over the world. Although the film revolving around SpongeBob's squirrel friend Sandy Cheeks wasn't well-received critically, it was popular enough on Netflix for them to go ahead with this one. How well does music fit with SpongeBob's oddly sunny world? Let's begin with SpongeBob as he introduces us to the world of his home Bikini Bottom and find out...

The Story: Plankton (Mr. Lawrence) is furious when his computer wife Karen (Talley) tries to make over his dreary restaurant, the Chum Bucket, to be more cheerful and "contemporary" and actually get customers. Him destroying the restaurant is the last straw. She turns into a larger robotic form with three heads and claims she'll take over the world without him. Her new fortress magnetizes the Chum Bucket, stealing it and other buildings in Bikini Bottom.

Plankton wants to get to the bottom of why Karen's behaving badly, so he lets SpongeBob (Kenny) hypnotize him to recall his past. This leads him to remember Karen's previous form as a calculator attached to a potato, which he upgraded at Bikini State University. They built their first machine to take over the world there. That didn't work, but it led Plankton to the Chum Bucket and to overhearing Mr. Krabs (Clancy Brown) jokingly say that the Krabby Paddy formula will help him take over the world is what made Plankton want it for his own. It's not until he encounters Karen's "Gal Pals" Sandy Cheeks (Carolyn Lawrence), Mrs. Puff (Mary Jo Catlett), and Pearl Krabs (Lori Alan) that Plankton realizes what he'd been missing...and downloads her empathy chip into his own brain to see that what she really wanted all along was to be acknowledged as his favorite partner in crime.

The Animation: The SpongeBob movies have been done in 3D for several years now. This is...just ok. Everything looks the way it should, including Plankton and Karen's many forms, but it doesn't always move as smoothly as it could. Some of the 2D and 3D isn't very well-combined, either. It looks more-or-less like the TV show, which is really all this franchise needs in the end. In fact, the film looks better when it gets away from computer animation, including the psychedelic sequence where Plankton experiences empathy for the first time. 

The Song and Dance: SpongeBob was always a bit...strange...and this movie is no exception. Kudos to them for doing something a bit different with this material. To my knowledge, the other SpongeBob films are all straight action comedies. This is the first time they've done a film musical...and it's not bad. Mr. Lawrence and especially Talley have a lot of fun with the spoofs of 80's movie musical tropes, and Kenny's attempt to hypnotize and understand Plankton's overwhelming ego is hilarious. This goes slightly darker than usual for SpongeBob, which doesn't often go into complicated marital relationships or why empathy is so important for humans and AI alike, and it's rather refreshing for the show. 

The Numbers: We open with SpongeBob cheerfully introducing us to life in the colorful undersea world of "Bikini Bottom." "I'm Plankton" introduces Plankton, Karen, and Plankton's usual desire to take over the world. Karen insists that her husband "Say My Name, Karen" when she suddenly turns into a monstrous version of herself. "I Made a New Friend" says Plankton when he creates Karen as a child. He finally admits "I'm a Jerky-Jerk" to Karen by way of an apology. "Taking Over" brings everyone together to fight Karen's new forms. "Welcome Back to Bikini Bottom" is SpongeBob's big chorus finale as the underwater world is restored. We end over the credits with "You and Me."

What I Don't Like: Start with the so-so animation mentioned above. There's also the cliched plot points...and the fact that, if you don't know the show all that well, especially in its later seasons, you might be slightly confused. There are times when, despite being the title character, you wish they actually focused more on Plankton and a bit less on SpongeBob. 

The Big Finale: Highly recommended if you're a fan of SpongeBob or Plankton, or just want a unique animated musical to watch with your older elementary school-age kids. 

Home Media: This is a Netflix exclusive at the moment. 

Netflix

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

Family Fun Saturday - Snow Day (2022)

Nickelodeon, 2022

Starring Micheala Russell, Ky Baldwin, Fabi Aguirre, and Shelby Simmons

Directed by Michael Lembeck

Music and Lyrics by various

Nickelodeon began making original films in 2006, nearly a decade after their rival Disney Channel put out their first films. It was 2009 before they started making musicals, and even then, most of those were based on familiar characters or extension of their shows. This one is a remake, but not of a Nick show. Nickelodeon began a unit for theatrical films in 1996. Snow Day was their third live-action film, and their first not based after one of their properties. It was a surprise hit in 2000 despite bad reviews, but how does the story of a pair of siblings who experience one life-changing winter's afternoon look with music added? Let's begin as Natalie Brandston (Russell) explains why it's so important that snow cancels school and find out...

The Story: Natalie is frustrated because there's been no snow this year, and she wants to get out of a major test. Her brother Hal (Baldwin) wants to impress Claire (Simmons), the girl he's had a crush on for years. They both get their wishes when a freak snowstorm blasts through, closing school and everything else. Natalie spends her snow day trying to keep the kid-hating guy running the snow plow (Jerry Trainor) from getting through. Hal pursues Claire with the help of his best friend Lane (Aguirre), who has her own crush on him. Claire's boyfriend Chuck (Myles Erlick) barely knows her, but she's crazy about him. Natalie and Hal's parents Tom (Rob Huebel) and Linda (Laura Bell Bundy) attempt to make the perfect pancake for their youngest son Randy (Viggo Hanvelt).

The Song and Dance: I haven't seen the original movie, but this one does have some good points. There's a few decent numbers, including the opening with the kids in the snow and the ensemble number with the cool kids "Cake." Aguirre and Simmons come off by far the best as girl who really is interested in Hal for what he is, and the sweet ballerina he wants to change for. Some of the filming isn't bad for TV, either, especially when the kids are pursuing the man with the snow plow.

The Numbers: We open with the title song as Natale and all the local kids celebrate their first snow day on her front lawn. Claire, Chuck, and their friends sing about "Cake" at the local hang-out with the waitresses joining in. Hal insists "I Need a Sign" as he laments having accidentally dumped a milkshake on Claire and wanting her to love him. The snow plow driver grumps about "These Kids" who block him from doing his job after the snow starts. Lane wonders "What If?" Hal would see her as more than a friend. The kids all skate together in the finale as they celebrate another snow day, declaring that "The Best Is Yet To Come." We get the vigorous "Everyone Celebrate" over the credits. 

What I Don't Like: Honestly, I'm not sure I'd want to spend a real-life snow day with either Natalie or Hal. Hal awkwardly chasing Claire comes off uncomfortably close to stalking at some points, especially given he knows everything about her. Natalie is a snide little brat who blackmails her teachers because she can't be bothered to study and harasses a snow plow driver who is just doing his job. She's lucky she and her two guy friends didn't get hurt or into worse trouble for their antics. 

Their parents apparently had a lot more to do in the original film, including a whole subplot with their father and a rival weatherman that wasn't carried over here. (That may have had something to do with Chevy Chase playing the father in the first movie.)  The songs are cute enough but not terribly memorable or enjoyable and are just kind of there. They probably could have remade this as a straight comedy without music. 

The Big Finale: Fine for 8 to 12 year olds who are stuck at home on a real-life snow day, but most adults will probably be annoyed or bored. 

Home Media: Seems to be streaming only at the moment. It's not currently on Paramount Plus, but can be found elsewhere.

Amazon Prime (Buy Only) 

YouTube

Animation Celebration Saturday - Wish

Disney, 2023

Voices of Ariana DeBose, Chris Pine, Angelique Cabral, and Alan Tudyk

Directed by Chris Buck and Fawn Veeraunthorn

Music by Julia Michaels, Benjamin Rice, and JP Saxe; Lyrics by Julia Michaels

This was one of the most anticipated movies of 2023. Disney announced it in 2022, intending it to be a celebration of their 100th anniversary. It debuted in November and became one of Disney's biggest flops in a year riddled with them. Critics complained that the story had too much homage and not enough magic. Were they right, or is there more to this unique fantasy? To find out, we begin, as so many classic Disney fairy tales do, with a narrator telling us the story of how Magnifico (Pine) became king of the island of Rosas and protector of their wishes...

The Story: Asha (DeBose) is hoping to become Magnifico's assistant, so he'll grant her grandfather's (Victor Garber) wish on his 100th birthday. To her horror, she learns his real interest is in only granting the wishes he deems "worthy"...or not likely to challenge his rule of Rosas. He never intends to release anyone else's wishes, being too happy with his people worshipping him. 

Frustrated when her family won't listen to her about Magnifico, she makes a wish on a shooting star. That star promptly comes to Earth in the form of a cute little star sprite, whose glittering magic makes everything in the woods and her pet goat Valentino (Tudyk) able to talk. She gets the little creature to help her retrieve her grandfather's wish. When Magnifico arrests her family for stealing, she sends her mother and grandfather away, then enlists her friends at the castle and Magnifico's wife Queen Amaya (Angelique Cabral) to rescue the wishes and return them to the people.

The Animation: Though computer animated, Disney gives this a flat and almost sketchy look, rather like if their movies of the 60's and 70's had been made with a computer. It works with the throwback story, with its dark colors and adorable characters, especially the animals. The characters flow very well; some of the backdrops, in the woods and the castle, are especially well-done and detailed.

The Song and Dance: DeBose and Pine dominate this story of a girl who wants everyone to be able to have their dreams, and the ruler who worries that everyone having their dreams will mean he'll lose their love. I also liked Jennifer Kumiyama as Asha's best friend, a smart baker with a crush on Magnifico whose ability to plan proves useful later. In fact, I love how diverse both Asha's friends and Rosas in general are, with people of all kinds coming there to have their wishes granted.

If nothing else, I give Disney credit for going with an original story, for not shoehorning an unnecessary romance in, and for having a straightforward villain this time. Magnifico is probably their best bad guy since Ms. Bellwether in Zootopia. Pine has a blast playing him as he unravels from a sane, if slightly narcissistic, ruler to a magic-obsessed lunatic who wants total control over everything and everyone, wishes included.

Favorite Number: Our first song after the storybook opening is "Welcome to Rosas," as Asha introduces her seemingly perfect island home. "At All Costs" is her big duet with Magnifico. He insists that he's keeping everyone's wishes for their own good, but Asha thinks people should be able to live their own wishes. "This Wish" is Asha's hoping for help from that wishing star. Everyone in the forest, including Valentino, claim "I'm a Star" after the star comes to Earth and gives them the power of speech. 

Magnifico whines about how ungrateful his people are for wanting to make their wishes come true without his concent. "This Is the Thanks I Get?" he complains. Asha, Amaya, and Asha's friends are ready to do battle "Knowing What I Know Now" about Magnifico and his true intentions. Lyricist Julia Michaels performs the lovely ballad "A Dream Worth Making" over the credits. 

What I Don't Like: I can kind of see where the critics' carping came from. Disney focused so much on making a movie that would respect its history, they forgot to focus on things like character development. Neither Asha nor her friends really have all that much personality, besides being cute teenagers. Apparently, early concept art had the Star come to Rosas in the form of a human and Queen Amaya being evil like her husband. Both ideas would have enhanced the story and made things a lot more interesting. Amaya barely has anything to do besides change sides for barely-discussed reasons. The Star is darling, but not much more than that, and Valentino's ability to speak gets annoying fast.

The Big Finale: This isn't nearly as horrible as people claimed when it came out in November, but it isn't great, either...and for the movie capping Disney's 100th anniversary, I suspect what people wanted was to be blown away, not something that played it safe. It's still worth seeing for some decent performances and lovely music, especially if you're already a fan of Disney's animated films. 

Home Media: As one of the newest movies I've reviewed, this is easily found in all formats. It finally debuted on Disney Plus earlier this month. 

DVD

Blu-Ray

Disney Plus

Family Fun Saturday - Alice In Wonderland (1985)

CBS, 1985

Starring Natalie Gregory, Red Buttons, Jayne Meadows, and Ann Jillian

Directed by Harry Harris

Music and Lyrics by Steve Allen

I'm celebrating my birthday tomorrow with an old favorite of mine. This two-part miniseries used to show up a lot on cable in the 80's and 90's when I was little, and I always enjoyed seeing all of the familiar faces dressed as characters from one of my favorite stories. This would seem to be a bit of an oddity for producer Irwin Allen, who usually specialized in campy disaster dramas and science fiction. All-star programming, however, was up his alley. How does this star-studded version of the beloved children's fantasy novel look today? Let's begin with Alice (Natalie Gregory) and her mother (Sheila Allen) at home as Alice begs to be able to join her parents for tea and find out...

The Story: Alice wishes she were grown-up enough to sit at the tea table with her parents, but they insist she join her older sister (Sharee Gregory) outside instead. While talking to her sister, Alice sees a human-sized White Rabbit (Buttons) hurrying off into the woods. Alice follows him, only to fall down a rabbit hole and into Wonderland, a surreal world where the usual human logic and sense don't usually apply. Among the odd characters she meets are the mouthy Duchess (Martha Raye), the tea party-loving Mad Hatter (Anthony Newley) and March Hare (Roddy McDowell), the grinning Cheshire Cat (Telly Savalas), and the Queen of Hearts (Jayne Meadows), who loves nothing more than to order everyone's heads taken off.

Even after Alice escapes the Queen of Hearts' unfair trial for the Knave (James Joseph Galante), she ends up behind the mirror in Looking Glass Land. Here, everyone's minds work backwards, and things are the opposite of normal. The Red Queen (Ann Jillian) and White Queen (Carol Channing) give unwanted advice, but she has more fun with Tweedledee (Eydie Gorme) and Tweedledum (Steve Lawrence) and the kindly White Knight (Lloyd Bridges). The White Knight is ready to defend her when the Jabberwocky attacks, but thanks to the Owl (Jack Warden) reminding her to face her fears, Alice realizes that growing up means doing things we're afraid to do...like confronting monsters, or our own parents. 

The Song and Dance: The sprawling Alice lends itself well to the all-star treatment. I very much appreciate how close these get to the actual books, especially the first half in Wonderland. This is one of the more accurate TV adaptions of this story I've seen. In fact, maybe Alice should get the miniseries treatment more often. It gives more room for everyone to do their schtick, and for us to get to know Alice and why she's making her journey. Speaking of Alice, Natalie Gregory may be one of my favorite Alices on-screen. She nails the role, from her realistic reactions to all the goofballs around her to her genuine fear when she faces the Jabberwocky later. 

There's also Allen's lovely music. I forgot how good the music is in this. It really carries the story along, even when the series is at its most strange. Channing's "Jam Today" is a showstopper, and Jillian gets two gorgeous lullabies late in the second half.

Favorite Number: Sherman Hemsley makes the most of his short role as the Mouse revealing why "I Hate Dogs and Cats" after Alice climbs out of the Pool of Tears. The Caterpillar (Sammy Davis Jr.) and Alice sing "You are Old Father William" dressed as the characters. "There's Something to Be Said for Hatred" claims the Duchess and her cook (Imogene Coca). The Cheshire Cat agrees, and depresses Alice (and the audience) by telling her "There's No Way Home."  

The Mad Hatter perks things up considerably by reminding Alice to "Laugh" about her fears. Alice (dubbed by Lana Beeson) wonders "Why Do People?" behave the way they do after the disastrous tea party. The Queen of Hearts insists "Off With Their Heads!" while the Mock Turtle (Ringo Starr) reminds Alice about the importance of "Nonsense." Their Royal Highnesses are more annoyed than anything when the Hatter and Hare argue "I Didn't, You Did!" when they're called on at the trial.

Our first numbers in Looking Glass Land aren't until nearly 20 minutes in, but it's two from Gorme and Lawrence. They remind Alice to say "How Do You Do and Shake Hands" and tell her the story of "The Walrus and the Carpenter." The White Queen insists that it can only be "Jam Tomorrow," never today. The White King (Harvey Korman), his messenger (John Stamos), and Alice learn why "The Lion and the Unicorn" are fighting for the crown. "We are Dancing," the White Knight sings as he and Alice waltz sweetly together. 

The Red Queen and White Queen get a very funny patter number after Alice becomes queen, asking her "Can You Do Addition?" Jillian is absolutely gorgeous in two lovely lullabies, "Emotions" as she explains to Alice why she feels the way she does, and "Hush-a-Bye Lady" as she puts the White Queen - and herself - to sleep. The White Rabbit welcomes all of Alice's Wonderland friends "To the Looking Glass World" after she becomes queen. In the end, before Alice goes off to tea, her friends from both worlds sing about how they hope "Alice" won't forget them.

What I Don't Like: The music is still lovely, but the costumes and sets haven't dated well at all. They look like cheap rejects from one of Irwin's fantasy movies. Gregory's blonde wig is almost too big for her head. When the Jabberwock shows up, he looks more like the Godzilla-like puppet he is than anything scary, undercutting the second half. 

The attempt at the "face your fears" morals and the finale that replaces Alice finally getting tired of all the nonsense and throwing the table on everyone comes off as too dark for a light-hearted children's fantasy. Davis' "You are Old Father William" number is totally random - even for Wonderland - and seems shoehorned in to give him something to do other than sit there. And honestly, most of these people are unrecognizable in the costumes and many of them, especially those who don't sing, have even less to do than Davis. 

The Big Finale: Maybe it's because I grew up watching this, but for all the TV budget and obvious camp, this is still one of my favorite versions of this story. Attractive songs and Gregory's strong performance help overcome the budget limitations and odd costumes. Highly recommended for families with a spare three hours on hand, or who are able to split the episodes into several days' viewing.

Home Media: The DVD is pretty easily found anywhere, often for under $10. 

DVD

Family Fun Saturday - Matilda the Musical

Netflix/Sony-Tristar, 2022

Starring Alisha Weir, Emma Thompson, Lashana Lynch, and Stephen Graham

Directed by Matthew Warchus

Music and Lyrics by Tim Minchin

Roald Dahl's Matilda debuted in 1988 as one of his last books released during his lifetime. The tale of an abused girl who finds the way to get back at her neglectful parents and bullying head schoolmistress became one of the most successful children's books of the late 80's and is still regarded as one of the greatest of all time. The first stage musical version of Matilda debuted outside of London in 1990. It toured England, but wasn't well-received and never made the West End. 

An unrelated adaptation was such a huge hit in London, it's still running there at press time; a Broadway company proved almost as popular in 2015. Development for the movie began in 2013, but it didn't make it out until 2022. It was a hit in England and went over well on Netflix elsewhere, but how well does it do with its precocious "revolting children?" Let's begin in a hospital, where parents are eagerly awaiting the birth of their bundles of joy...all except one couple, the Wormwoods, who would rather have anything else...

The Story: Despite her parents' negligence, Matilda (Weir) grows up into a sweet and highly intelligent girl. She loves nothing more than to read books for hours and hours in her tiny attic room. Her favorite place is the mobile library, where she tells the librarian Mrs. Phelps (Sindu Vee) stories she's created. 

Local teacher Miss Honey (Lynch) and a local inspector insists Matilda attend school. She ends up attending Crutchem Hall, where Miss Honey works. Unfortunately, it's run by Miss Agatha Trunchbull (Thompson), a hulking brute of a woman who lords over the school with an iron fist. Matilda isn't going to be cowed by the likes of her, no matter what. Trunchbull can abuse every other child in the school and push Miss Honey out of her true inheritance, but Matilda has power of her own. She's show her parents and this petty tyrant that being "revolting children" doesn't mean you don't have lives and feelings of your own.

The Song and Dance: Of the adults, Thompson is far and away the most interesting. Her Trumbull is a barking tyrant, madly whirling around any charge who might step even the slightest bit out of line and relishing her over-the-top villainy. Weir more than matches her as the title character, who is only "naughty" to get back at her parents for treating her badly. Graham and Andrea Risenborough also rise to the occasion as the self-centered and obnoxious Wormwoods, who care only for themselves and what they can get. They're backed by a delightfully colorful production with location shooting at and around a real English manor to pass for Crutchem Hall.

Favorite Number: We open at a candy-colored hospital as doctors declare the newborn children to be a "Miracle." Every couple coos over their new child...every couple but the Wormwoods, who weren't prepared and don't want their miracle. Matilda says she's only "Naughty" so she can re-write her story and take back some of the power her parents insist on having over her. Oldest student Hortensia (Meesha Garbitt) sings the "School Song" to tell her how life at Crutchem Hall works. Miss Trunchbull claims she is "The Hammer" when she throws a child by the pigtails out the window, and she will not be disobeyed. The brief "Chokey Chant" by the children explains about the Iron Maiden-like device where Trunchbull locks children who misbehave.

"Bruce" is the boy who is forced to eat an entire cake after he steals a slice from Miss Trunchbull. To her annoyance, everyone in the school, including Miss Honey, cheer him on. The children imagine what they'll be "When I Grow Up" when they go home from school, while Miss Honey remembers what she wanted to be as a child. As Matilda tells the story of the Escapologist and his wife, they both declare that "I'm Here," and they have feelings and a life, too. Miss Trunchbull forces the children to run in the rain to take "The Smell of Rebellion" out of them. All Matilda wants is "Quiet" as she imagines herself to be living on a hot air balloon somewhere high above Crutchem Hall.

Miss Honey recalls "My House" as she reveals just where the story of the Escapologist and his lost wife Matilda's told throughout the film came from. The kids finally get their rebellion after Matilda scares off Trumbull and they revel in being "Revolting Children," dancing around the school and pulling down her statue. It ends with Miss Honey and Matilda happily "Still Holding My Hand" as they turn the school into a happy place where children and adults can learn and grow together.

Trivia: Matilda: The Musical debuted on the West End stages in 2011. It was an instant sensation and continues to run there at press time. The Broadway show debuted in 2013 and would run until 2017. A film version directed by Danny DiVito wasn't a huge hit in 1996, but is now generally well-regarded as a family favorite from that era. 

What I Don't Like: There's been a few changes from the book and earlier adaptations. The end of the book and the show were originally a little darker. The Russian mob actually caught up with the Wormwoods, though they were ultimately impressed enough with Matilda's intelligence to let her go and encourage her staying with Miss Honey. Several characters from the book and previous versions were dropped, including Matilda's older brother Michael and the male deputy headmaster. 

Apparently, Matilda's story about the Escapologist and his wife was mostly sung in the stage show; here, it's mostly spoken except for "I'm Here." Other dropped numbers include two solos for Mr. Wormwood, "Telly" and "I'm So Clever," a number for Mrs. Wormwood, "Loud," and Miss Honey judging her life as "Pathetic." 

The Big Finale: An absolute delight, especially if you have little girls in your house who have read the book or are voracious readers themselves. Highly recommended.

Home Media: This is currently a Netflix exclusive in the US. 

Netflix