The First
Easter Rabbit
Told by
Burl Ives
Original
Airdate: April 9, 1976
Available
on DVD
The only traditionally-animated special out of the three
Easter-themed works, this one does feature some significant amiable qualities. Still, some areas don’t feel fleshed out enough to make it stand as great as it
could be. It’s charming enough and is even insightful on the existence of
holiday figures, but when it comes to story and characters, the special tends
to fall a little flat.
One thing is certain though, the overall story is told in a
nice wholesome manner thanks to the talents of Burl Ives. He narrates the story
as an elderly Easter Bunny as well as he did in the company’s most popular Christmas special. Speaking of
Christmas, it’s remarkable how much of that holiday we see in this Easter
special. It follows a stuffed rabbit toy
who’s given as a Christmas present to a little girl named Glinda who calls him
Stuffy. He's content enough
with being a favorite toy, mostly told through exposition. Nevertheless, he has a reasonable
desire to be a real rabbit, and it becomes more meaningful due to how loved he
is and he can’t really return it.
However, his true destiny is uncovered when Glinda coming down with
Scarlet Fever leads her mother to take out all her clothes, rugs, and stuffed
animals including Stuffy out for burning.
In spite of no foreshadowing that this is a possibility, at the right
moment, Stuffy’s sadness summons a fairy named Calliope. She brings him to life to fulfill a special
mission of becoming the first Easter Rabbit.
It’s in this scene where we get a reason for an Easter Rabbit to exist
that’s actually insightful and can tie nicely into real life holiday figures in general. Holidays are
certain times of the year to represent valuable aspects of life, so certain
elements are utilized to let the world know that they and the
seasons they occur in have come. This way the world can express the appropriate
attitude. It’s a believable explanation
for why you see symbols like the Easter Bunny everywhere at that special time of
the year and fitting for curious kids and adults bothered by
oversaturation. In the particular case
of the Easter Rabbit, he represents the coming of spring and Easter. The
things he does like delivering and coloring eggs and making chocolate bunnies
and chicks tie into their meaning of happiness and life renewal. It’s interesting respect for the holiday’s
meaning and an uplifting moment for Stuffy to find a purpose to live up to,
something we all look for. It also helps
that we get a great, lively song called “There’s That Rabbit” to illustrate the
point out of all this.
The
rest of the special is Stuffy owning up to the newly established role in an
area of the North Pole called Easter Valley where a magic lily provides eternal
spring. Joining him is a trio of hobo bunnies, Spats, Whiskers, and Flops. In fact, these rabbits going along with
helping Stuffy ties into a virtue of the importance of giving which moves them from conmen to gentlemen. It turns out to be a big reminder of the meaning
of holidays that seems to be forgotten in today’s commercial world. Adding to this special’s already apparent
ties to Christmas, Santa Claus even plays a role by visiting Easter Valley. He gives Stuffy good advice on starting with one town the first year before
delivering eggs and other amenities to the whole world in years to follow.
All the while, a snow wizard named Zero and
his snowball sidekick Bruce continuously thwart to steal the lily so Zero will
have more winter lands to rule over.
It’s an imaginative setup for sure which is always a plus for specials
from this company.
Now while this special has a good sense of imagination, and
even insightful background on the idea of holiday icons, it unfortunately
falters with sloppy storytelling and characterizations. For one thing, while Stuffy’s plight of
wanting to be real and loved has its sympathies, but it’s hard to
feel for him due to so little time spent with him as a stuffed toy. Maybe there could have been a collection of short scenes
of Glinda loving him as a toy between receiving him and getting sick, as well as those of Stuffy not being real like other rabbits. That way it would be easier to feel for him feeling different and
getting a chance at life as the first Easter Rabbit. Also, no disrespect towards her voice actress,
Dina Lynn, but Glinda’s lines of expressing love for Stuffy are really not convincing
and lack the proper emotion this bond needs .
Other characters are also somewhat weak and
underdeveloped, though not without merit.
Spats, Whiskers, and Flops are enjoyable enough as a comedic team. Aside
from Flops being the one of the three constantly roped into doing something
crazy though, the trio is interchangeable personality-wise. As for Zero, for the most part he works as a
threatening scheming villain with a comedic edge through overly dramatic line
deliveries. He’s conniving and sneaky
when uncovering the secret entrance into Easter Valley, and becomes seriously
villainous through declaring its end after Bruce discovers the entrance. Zero successfully steals the lily bringing on an unwelcome
winter storm just one day before Easter.
Speaking of Bruce, he’s one of the stronger characters in the special
for his apparent depth. He goes along
with Zero’s plans, but through moments of him quivering in fear when Zero gets
really villainous, it shows that Bruce does have some good inside him. It blossoms in the end when he tells Santa what his master did.
However, herein lies another problematic
portion of the special regarding the resolution to Zero’s conflict. It could’ve been avoided if Stuffy had
watched out for Zero and Bruce like he was supposed to. As a result, when he and his companions get
snowed in, it would be appropriate if they find a way out to deliver their
goods, and also uncover the lily to restore spring. Instead, Santa rescues them and retrieves the
lily, which makes Stuffy not feel very deserving of the title. He’s kind and responsible with his job, but
not careful or strong enough to fight through hardships without outside
sources. There really could be better
concluding points for his character just before grand finale. Also, when Zero is confronted by Santa for
his actions, he breaks down when Santa threatens to leave the North Pole. Zero breaking down makes sense given his
apparent comedic edge , but it also feels a little forced that the idea of Santa
leaving would get him to put the lily back.
Through his villainous actions, it was never implied that Zero had any
respect for Santa. At least out of all
this, we do get a well-crafted Easter Parade scene that brings many of the
special’s principal characters together. It's all set to a pleasing cover of the overlooked Irving
Berlin song, “Easter Parade.” The story is overall fine and the characters are
likable enough, but there are glaring issues that are hard to ignore which hold
it back from its potential greatness.
This may not be the best crafted Rankin/Bass special all things considered. It could’ve used more plot and character development, and the company
is starting to feel too attached to the holiday they represent the most to go all out with
different holidays. It’s not without strong positives to walk away
with though. The main character’s initial
conflict, while brief, is engaging and believable. the music is memorable. There’s are enjoyable character moments. Most of all it
offers relatable insight and merits to the idea of holiday symbols like the
Easter Bunny. It’s not a must-watch by
any means, but like most works from
this company, even if it’s not perfect, it stands out for little aspects that
go a long way in one’s life.
Recommended
The Rankin/Bass Easter Specials shorty concludes tomorrow with another origin special of the Easter Bunny which is cute and fun, but also very familiar to a similarly titled Rankin/Bass special. Get ready because The Easter Bunny is Comin' to Town.
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