Our quest to find and write about Thanksgiving specials continues, with a Hanna-Barbera special from 1972. Not much about this special I could about, besides it was made for syndication and eventually fell out of that then ran on Cartoon Network and later Boomerang,but they gave up on that too.
The special starts in the present day with two adults adult sounding children playing on the swing and have to come inside because it's Thanksgiving. The special finds the prayer not that interesting and goes to talking squirrels whom are also celebrating Thanksgiving. Father Squirrel then mentions that his relative back in 1620, Jeremy Squirrel, actually is the reason for Thanksgiving. (Ah yes the true story, the history books are lying because they are propaganda afraid of the truth! Hanna and Barbera knew the truth and made this cartoon!)
Squirrels are the truth and answer/ Copyright H&B
The special takes us back to 1620 where the pilgrims made it to the new world. Being there in Massachusetts in winter was a bad time ot try and live and build a house. Eventually, it's spring 1621, and the natives have showed up, and this special zooms past all this time, like calm down. Jeremy is doing squirrel stuff. There's a pilgrim boy named Johnny Cook, he's part of this special too, that's why he has a name. (Don't we all)
Johnny Cook , that's me/Copyright H&B
There's a native boy who is also part of the plot, and they can understand the talking squirrel. (Oh great!) He tells Johnny and Little Bear (Hanna and Barbera didn't sue Nelvana) that they shouldn't be fighting each other but be friends, and there peace was done. (Jeremy later stopped every war that happened from ever happening, but they made up wars for history books) I'm surprised they didn't kill Jeremy for being a possessed witch.
So is he evil?/ Copyright H&B
There's a song about Thanksigiving, because finally, Thanksgiving music. It also allows H&B to reuse animation. The boys run off playing hunter again and chase some creatures as Jeremy tries to make they won't get lost. It has time for cartoon humor too. Everyone in the colony noticed the boys were missing and they are worried. (This is worrying, because these are the only kids there) Johnny and Little Bear are lost.
I think we are lost./Copyright H&B
I think some Scooby Doo music got lost and made it here too. Good thing Jeremy saves them from that waterfall. He helps them find the settlement, and there's a song with the two boys singing because sure. They walk some goofy ways to get home. (More reuse of animation too!) Jeremy gets some other animals to watch the boys while, he goes out to tell the others where they went. (Glad, everyone accepts talking animals) Then of course, there's a wolf , who doesn't speak the language so he just wants to eat them. Apparently, the squirrel can only be understood by the kids, the adults just listen to a squirrel make noises but take the time to listen to him anyway. Jeremy confuses the wolf and gets him off the boys track, and more Scooby Doo background music plays. Eventually, the boys and everyone else are reunited. Jeremy was invited as guest of honor, because alright.
So we aren't eating him?/ Copyright H&B
The special ends with the squirrels celebrating Thanksgiving in the present.
It's not the best special, not the worst, it's there. There's a lot of the reuse of animation, because H&B did that. If you want to complain about historical accuracy, then you are being mad at a special that says a talking squirrel saved Thanksgiving, so who looks silly? It might be fun to watch as a silly little Thanksgiving special from the 1970's and not really anything that's too high concept or trying to tell the story of the holiday or anything like that. The songs are there and alright as well.
That's our lookback, tune in next time when we tell you how a Weasel saved Thanksgiving of 1983.
