It is that time of year again and we have found another Easter special to cover here, which is good because these are far and few between. This is one is special it has everything it's also a sequel in away to a Christmas special, so that even gives us more a reason to cover this.
"The Easter Bunny is Coming' to Town" is a stop motion special from Rankin Bass , yes that Rankin Bass , that came out in 1977 on the ABC network. Now how is this special kind of a sequel? Well S.D Kluger voiced by Fred Astraire is back he was the mailman on "Santa Claus is Comin' to Town". This is the 3rd special for Easter by Rankin Bass as well. Now let's start.
So it starts like "Santa Claus' is Comin' to Town" with a news report and stock pictures leading to our stop motion world. (Darn it , there's a talking train, I quit) S.D Kluger talks to the kids there waiting at the train station he's moved up he now delivers mail by train. (I want the special where he travels by plane.) Apparently. the Easter Bunny gets mail, and some of the letters are questions about Easter Bunny and Easter questions because why not? S.D is going to tell us about the Easter Bunny. We also get a song! Finally, an Easter song.
He's the magic mail man/ Copyright Rankin Bass
This special has the Rankin Bass standbys with the music being done by Maury Laws ,while Bass provides the lyrics to the songs. Romeo Muller is the writer. There was a village called Kidville , because no one but children lived there. (I have like 9 questions) S.D also lived in Kidville the town mail carrier. (I have 11 questions) All the children are orphans who decided to just live there. (I have 12 questions) There was a giant bear named Gadzooks (That's how I am going to spell it) who was a jerk and steal toys on Christmas, Halloween pumpkins , and Birthday cakes.
On wedding days, he steals the brides! /Copyright Rankin-Bass
They find a baby bunny ( redundant?) and the kids give him the name Sunny because he apparently likes the sun. And this was Easter Morning. Sunny grew up in the town and it's a year later. He wants the town to expand and thinks they should distribute their wares around the world. (Darn Rabbits coming into villages and telling them to join the global economy... what?) One idea is to deliver eggs because they had the best eggs. What comes first the chicken or the egg? That requires a song. This special answers that question, the chicken came first and don't you defy the singing chickens! (We write odd sentences on this blog.)
Can't argue with them/ Copyright Rankin Bass
Sunny decides to boil their eggs to send the eggs so they don't break. So he sets out and runs into Hallelujah H. Jones, a man who tells him a place called Town. (That's his name? And Town called town) He runs into Gadzooks because of course. Sunny runs without the eggs to Town. Which is an awful place everyone wears the same clothes and pretty flowers are outlawed.
Prisoner 1: What are you in for?
Prisoner 2: I had some carnations.
Prisoner 1: Woah you're evil, stay away from me!
Also in Town , children are against the law. ( I have 15 questions) When a child is born there the whole family has to move away. (Glad they aren't taken out , umm then back to 12 questions) The king named Bruce the frail, is only 7 and his aunt , Lilly, is the real power. (Even her face is painted evil) Bruce doesn't want to be king and be a normal kid. (I have 15 questions again)
They also banned rabbits. so you better run/ copyright Rankin Bass
He's also un happy with how heavy this crown is/Copyright Rankin Bass
Hallelujah decides to tell the people in Kidville to dye the eggs so the bear wouldn't want them. Gadzooks grabs Sunny by the ears (which isn't very nice) and Sunny hopes that the bear is stupid not to know they are eggs. It works and he runs. Sunny gives the guards of Town an Easter Egg. Song time! This song is called Someone's Gotta be First. Sunny gives Town's townspeople (sigh) eggs. Even king Bruce got an egg. ( I have a 16th question) Bruce decides to call Sunny the Easter Bunny and what he says goes. (Well except the whole Aunt thing) Sunny teaches the king how to eat an Easter egg. (gotta keep that run time up) That song from before continues for a second. Aunt Lilly is mad that they aren't beans. (What she works for the Big Bean) She kicks out Sunny, and she forces Bruce to to ban Easter eggs. (Lady is no fun) Sunny decides that maybe he should bring an Easter bean. And thus Jelly Beans were created! (Sorry William Schrafft)
And thus the assembly line was created/ Rankin Bass
Gadzooks decides to throw the basket full of colored eggs because he still thinks they are rocks, but this did create a new tradition : hiding Easter Eggs. (Somehow they didn't crack) So the kids think of a plan, they made him a new suit. (He mean because he was naked?) That works! This is why you get Easter Outfits, because bears. (I have 17 questions) Song time! They also find him a lady bear ,during the song. (The first dating service)
Fashionable / Copyright Rankin Bass
The people of Town love the eggs and jelly beans. Aunt Lilly once again isn't happy because is she ever? ( I like the music as her background music in this scene though) This special progresses through a lot of Easters and nobody ages, woah. Since Lily sent her guards out to stop them from sending eggs and Easter cheer so Sunny's plan was to roll the eggs to trip them, thus creating Easter Egg rolling. (yay?) He also apparently created first chocolate Easter Bunny. People in Town got new Easter outfits and held yes, the first Easter parade. The Easter Bunny got Bruce some stuffed toys, and yes, the first Easter toys. He convinces Bruce to allow him to him and his friends pass through as much as possible. Bruce tries but couldn't must the power to stop Aunt Lily. She gives them the power do anything to stop Sunny.
Kill them! Woah, I didn't sign up for this. /Copyright Rankin Bass
Hallelujah calls his Hobo-gang to build a rail-road. (What?) So Sunny and the chickens have to go find a train and trains are sentient in this world (because that' what I need) and they don't want to it because sentient trains are a bad idea people wake up! (cut after a break , he's sorry about that end) The train that you see at the beginning is now having his origin story explained. Chugs is lonely and rusted ,so he has the blues. This means a song. They give him a job and not rusted anymore.
He has the yellows, now/ Copyright Rankin Bass
Aunt Lilly wants them to stop the train at all costs. I think this special is also incorporating "The Little Engine that could" as well. ( Gotta keep that run time) Another song time but can't be mad at it, it's a Fred Astaire singing. Aunt Lily chases her guards because she has time for that. Our Heroes make it over the mountain to umm Town. (I have 18 questions) Lilly turns she can't stop Easter. Bruce decides not banish (or kill her) instead he gives her a flower (guess what kind?) and this makes her remember something and she cries. Yes ,it's an Easter Lily. (Best redemption story ever!) Ok Fred Astaire play us out!
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no comment, just sweet/ Copyright Rankin Bass
Thanks Fred ! /Copyright Rankin Bass
There is a lot of similarity in the story structure of this special and of "Santa Claus is Comin' to Town" (hope not the same Town as Town). That goes beyond the opening news thing. Our main character was left somehow in some random place. Both have a contrasting town in Santa there's Sombertown which was depicted as grey and well somber compared to Kris Kringle and Kringles part of the world and here we get a dour town. Both have a leader who wants to keep things gray and un happy. Both have a something to overcome in the middle either the Winter Warlock or Gadzooks. They serve as our secondary villains who later turn to our hero's sides after being shown some kindness they needed. We also get an ally in our towns either Jessica, the school teacher -turned Chris' wife, or King Bruce, the kid who just wants to be kid but his aunt uses him to pass her agenda. We also get their take on the traditions of Easter much like why Santa does what he does on Christmas. The one change from this and Santa is that Aunt Lilly, unlike Burger Meister Meisterburger, does get a redemption of her character mostly through that our main characters don't take malice on her and take pity and give her a gift out of love and caring no matter what she tried to do before.
On the music. I don't know if it's because I've watched "Santa Claus is Comin' to Town" so much that I know the songs so much to say if this special had heavily catchy songs or not. I do love that track they played in some of the Aunt Lilly scenes it was like evil disco somehow. Since there's no hook song like R and B did in the Christmas specials where they at least used one famous Christmas song in their specials, but still making original songs. Here they had to even create an Easter song ,which isn't bad.
The Dvd cut is very nice and crisp as it should be, but Rankin Bass over time did better better on stop motion animation and this has some very work. The colors are greatly balanced here as Easter is a colorful spring holiday it really felt like Easter.
I missed an opportunity last year, by not talking about this special in it's 40th anniversary year. (Shame on me) It's sadly not really re aired on TV anymore , though unless ABC surprises me this year, neither is It's the Easter Beagle , Charlie Brown. (And that's freakin' Charlie Brown) You can get it on DVD.
That's our lookback, Happy Easter! Tune in Next time when we wonder there's no Rankin Bass special for Valentine's Day . and we wonder this in April.
