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The First Easter Rabbit

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The First Easter Rabbit
Based onThe Velveteen Rabbit
by Margery Williams
Written byJulian P. Gardner
Directed byArthur Rankin, Jr.
Jules Bass
StarringRobert Morse
Stan Freberg
Paul Frees
Joan Gardner
Dina Lyn
Don Messick
Bob McFadden
Narrated byBurl Ives
Theme music composerMaury Laws
Country of originUnited States
Japan
Original languageEnglish
Production
ProducersArthur Rankin, Jr.
Jules Bass
CinematographyToru Hara
Tsuguyuki Kubo
EditorIrwin Goldress
Running time25 minutes
Production companiesRankin/Bass Productions
Topcraft
Original release
NetworkNBC
ReleaseApril 9, 1976 (1976-04-09)

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 the company's 1964 stop motion television special Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer twelve years prior.

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, Stuffy must become the Easter Bunny, retrieve the Golden Lily, and save Easter Valley.

Cast

Crew

  • Producers/Directors - Jules Bass, Arthur Rankin, Jr.
  • Writer - Julian P. Gardner
  • Songs - There's That Rabbit, Easter Parade
  • 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

  1. ^ 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.
  2. ^ Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. p. 259. ISBN 0-8160-3831-7. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
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