The Easter Bunny Is Comin' to Town

The Easter Bunny Is Comin' To Town

Cover of the DVD version
Written by Romeo Muller
Directed by Jules Bass
Arthur Rankin, Jr.
Narrated by Fred Astaire
as S. D. Kluger
Theme music composer Maury Laws
Country of origin United States
Original language(s) English
Production
Running time 50 minutes
Production company(s) Rankin/Bass
Distributor Warner Home Video (current rights holder)
Release
Original network ABC
Original release April 6, 1977
Chronology
Followed by Nestor the Long-Eared Christmas Donkey (1977)
External links
Website

The Easter Bunny is Comin' to Town is a 1977 Easter stop motion animated television special produced by Rankin/Bass Productions, and featuring the voice of Fred Astaire as the narrator. It originally premiered on ABC on April 6, 1977 at 8 p.m.

Plot

S.D. Kluger (from Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town and once again voiced by Fred Astaire) returns as a train engineer, but still delivering letters, to answer questions concerning the origins of the Easter Bunny while reading the children's letters.

The story begins in the small town of Kidville, run by all children located on the other side of Big Rock Mountain. The children enjoy the simple life, despite being bothered by Gadzooks the Bear who hates everything to do with the holidays. One Easter morning, they find an orphaned baby rabbit, raise him as their own, and name him Sunny when they notice how much he likes the warm sun. Sunny (voiced by Skip Hinnant), now one year old, makes plans with the children to get what they make to the outside world for what they need in exchange, including their eggs, with help from three chickens called the Hendrew Sisters. One year later, Sunny sets off to deliver his eggs. Along the way, he meets a friendly hobo named Hallelujah Jones, who suggests to him that he could sell his eggs in a town called Town. However, upon climbing Big Rock Mountain, Sunny runs into Gadzooks who steals his eggs. Sunny makes it to Town, which is a gloomy, dismal town where the citizens eat beans for every meal and children are forbidden, under the laws of seven-year-old King Bruce the Frail (Voiced by James Spies) and his aunt, the Dowager Duchess Lily Longtooth, who actually rules the whole town. Bruce complains about not wanting to be king and be a normal child, despite his aunt's objections.

Saddened by this, Sunny heads back to Kidville and explains the problem. Hallelujah dips the eggs in various bowls of paint as a way to trick Gadzooks. He lies to the bear, saying he is on his way to sell colored stones as paperweights. Gadzooks, befuddled by Sunny's lie, lets him go, demanding to bring him eggs. Sunny makes it into Town again, passing out his eggs to all the townspeople, including King Bruce, who crowns him the Easter Bunny, Royal Knight of the Rainbow Eggs and he and Sunny initiate a traditional ritual of eating the eggs. However, Lily, disappointed in her nephew, chases Sunny out, outlaws eggs, and sends him to bed without supper. Sunny apologizes for his problem, to which Bruce replies his supper would only be more beans anyway. Sunny, however, promises to bring him very special beans next Easter. The following year, Sunny and Hallelujah make the first Easter jelly beans. However, upon their way to Town to deliver them, Gadzooks, still angered by Sunny's lie, thinking his eggs are colored stones again, flings them far, far away. All hope seems lost until all the other children hunt the eggs up in bushes and trees, and Sunny decides that he'll always hide them. Next Easter, Sunny sets out, only to get caught by Gadzooks, who chases him to Kidville, where everybody has all pitched in to make him a brand new Easter outfit made by the Kidville tailors. This melts the bear's heart and he becomes friends with everyone after learning how to love himself before others can.

Meanwhile back in Town, the Town townspeople quickly grow interested in the Easter eggs Sunny hides, King Bruce and the other servants enjoy the jelly beans, and the children are loved by all the townspeople. But Lily, outraged, sends her guards out to arrest them, but Sunny and the children promise to return next year. Next Easter, Sunny has the candy maker concoct a secret weapon of his own for their next visit to Town. Hallelujah suggests Sunny should do something for King Bruce so that he is able to stand up to Lily. Sunny takes his idea to the Kidville seamstress and pillow makers. On their next visit to Town, after causing the guards to trip on the rolling Easter eggs, Sunny hops into a paper bag, where the guards discover that they captured a chocolate bunny, thus being let into Town where Sunny brings Bruce stuffed animals to give him courage every night when he is lonely. Bruce wishes Sunny could come to Town next Easter, but Sunny explains that he might have to sneak in and can't bring too much. Just as Bruce is about to give him permission to come to Town whenever he wants, Lily arrives to stop him. Bruce, about to take a stand, denies Sunny's words of wisdom.

The following year, Sunny and friends plan to have Gadzooks help them bring all the Easter treats to Town. However, Lily's guards cause the bear to trip and break his leg. Everyone is saddened that Gadzooks can't help, but Hallelujah suggests that they build a railroad from Kidville to Town which leads over Big Rock Mountain. After the railroad is built, Sunny and his friends go to the trainyard to hire a train to carry all the goods. However, since the big engines in the roundhouse are too important to help, they find a small switch engine named Chugs, all rusty after being disused for years, hire him, and give him a new paint job. Meanwhile, Lily orders her guards to do anything they can to stop the train from getting to Town. They spread melted butter on the rails, causing Chugs to slip, but Hallelujah pours jelly beans on the butter, providing extra traction and causing them to escape, thus causing Lily's plan to fail. Soon after, they all make it to Town, where everyone is happy to be celebrating. But Lily is upset, thinking Bruce will banish her forever. However, he and Sunny give her an Easter flower named after her, called a lily. Lily, overjoyed and proud of her nephew, decides to join the celebration with Sunny and all the residents of Kidville and Town, including S.D. Kluger who concludes the special, singing a shortened version of "The Easter Bunny is Comin' to Town Today."

Cast

Notes

See also

References

  1. ↑ "That Rabbit's on the Way." The Dispatch. March 17, 1978, p. 13.
  2. ↑ TV Listings. The Telegraph-Herald. April 13, 1979, p. 15.
  3. ↑ "Saturday's highlights." The Spokesman-Review. April 5, 1980, p. 16.
  4. ↑ Easter Bunny is Comin' to DVD Animation Magazine. Nov. 19, 2007. Accessed March 30, 2013.

External links

The Easter Bunny Is Comin' to Town at the Internet Movie Database

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