The First Easter Rabbit
The First Easter Rabbit is an animated Easter television special that premiered April 9, 1976 on NBC and later aired on CBS.[1] Created by Rankin/Bass Productions, it tells the story of the Easter Bunny's origin.[2] The special is loosely based on the 1922 children's book The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams. Burl Ives narrated the special which also featured the Irving Berlin song "Easter Parade;" it marked Ives's return to a Rankin/Bass special for the first time since Rudolph twelve years prior.
| The First Easter Rabbit | |
|---|---|
| Based on | The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams |
| Written by | Julian P. Gardner |
| Directed by | Arthur Rankin, Jr. Jules Bass |
| Starring | Robert Morse Stan Freberg Paul Frees Joan Gardner Dina Lyn Don Messick Bob McFadden |
| Narrated by | Burl Ives |
| Theme music composer | Maury Laws |
| Country of origin | United States Japan |
| Original language(s) | English |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | Arthur Rankin, Jr. Jules Bass |
| Cinematography | Toru Hara Tsuguyuki Kubo |
| Editor(s) | Irwin Goldress |
| Running time | 25 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Rankin/Bass Productions Topcraft |
| Release | |
| Original network | NBC |
| Original release | April 9, 1976 |
| Chronology | |
| Preceded by | Here Comes Peter Cottontail |
| Followed by | The Easter Bunny is Comin' to Town |
Plot
Stuffy is a stuffed rabbit, given to a little girl named Glinda as a Christmas present. But when she comes down sick with scarlet fever, her old toys are thrown away to be burned in order to disinfect the playroom. Stuffy is rescued by a sprite named Calliope, who brings him to life and sends him to Easter Valley at the North Pole where he befriends Santa Claus and three other rabbits named Spats, Flops, and Whiskers to help him with the Easter traditions. However, an ice wizard named Zero wants to freeze the valley by stealing the Golden Easter Lily with the help of his reluctant partner, a living snowball named Bruce. In order to stop Zero and save Easter, Stuffy must become the Easter Bunny, while Santa (having been warned of the incident by Bruce, who temporarily betrays his partner) talks Zero into returning the Golden Lily by threatening to move away from the North Pole to the South Pole.
Cast
- Burl Ives as Narrator, Old Stuffy (G.B.)
- Robert Morse as Young Stuffy
- Stan Freberg as Flops
- Paul Frees as Santa Claus, Zero, Spats
- Joan Gardner as Elizabeth, Calliope
- Dina Lynn as Glinda
- Don Messick as Jonathan, Whiskers, Bruce the Snowball
- Christine Winter as Vocalist
Crew
- Producers/Directors - Jules Bass, Arthur Rankin, Jr.
- Writer - Julian P. Gardner
- Songs - There's That Rabbit, Easter Parade
- Music and Lyrics - Jules Bass, Irving Berlin, Maury Laws
- Sound - John Curcio, Thomas Clack, Don Hahn, Dave Iveland
- Post Production Editing - Irwin Goldress
- Overseas Animation Production - Topcraft (uncredited)
- Animation - Toru Hara, Tsuguyuki Kubo
- Animation Directors - Kazuyuki Kobayashi, Hidemi Kubo (uncredited)
- Backgrounds - Minoru Nishida (uncredited)
- Key Animation - Yoshiko Sasaki, Tadakatsu Yoshida (uncredited)
- Design - Paul Coker, Jr.
- Music Arranger and Conductor - Maury Laws
Home media releases
The First Easter Rabbit was first released on VHS by ABC Video Enterprises and Golden Book Video in 1986. The second release, by Warner Home Video, to VHS occurred in 1993, and a remastered "Deluxe Edition" was issued on DVD in 2010.
References
- Woolery, George W. (1989). Animated TV Specials: The Complete Directory to the First Twenty-Five Years, 1962-1987. Scarecrow Press. pp. 146–147. ISBN 0-8108-2198-2. Retrieved 27 March 2020.
- Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. p. 259. ISBN 0-8160-3831-7. Retrieved 6 June 2020.