Product Details

• Actors: Fred Astaire, Skip Hinnant, Bob McFadden, Allen Swift, Ron Marshall
• Directors: Arthur Rankin Jr., Jules Bass
• Writers: Romeo Muller
• Producers: Arthur Rankin Jr., Jules Bass, Masaki Îzuka
• Format: Animated, Color, Original recording reissued, NTSC
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Warner Home Video
• VHS Release Date: March 7, 2000
• Run Time: 50 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (40 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00003OSTY
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #224,999 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Brought to you by the same crew that wrote and directed the classic Santa Claus Is Coming to Town, this Easter staple will look and feel familiar to any eyes that watched the 1970s around holiday time. Writer Romeo Muller's done a wonderful job capturing simple lo-fi dialogue and action around the lovable early-spring bunny, weaving enough drama into the script to make the show comprehensible for kids and enjoyable for (most) adults. The production team makes their animation-verité visuals jerky enough that it feels still like their Santa juggernaut (created seven years earlier than this 1977 production). And narrator Fred Astaire returns to give the shell of the story its pleasant feel, not at all too threatening but neither too mushy or idiotic. Of course the production dynamics and sound are subpar in comparison with current techniques, but this isn't a film to watch with an eye for how with-the-times it could or should be. --Andrew Bartlett

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Animagic Holiday fun from Rankin/Bass, July 14, 2003

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Easter Bunny Is Comin to Town [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Microjoe review: Another stop-motion Animagic hit from the holiday entertainers, of Rankin/Bass Studios, the kings of holiday TV specials. This 1 hour show was released for the first time on April 6, 1977 on ABC television network. The storyline is very similar to "Santa Claus is Coming to Town", from the same studio - and by that I meant that part of the story explains all the traditions of Easter and how they began, such as why we eat chocolate bunnies, or why we color eggs. The show opens with a newsreel showing kids asking these questions. Fred Astaire reprises his role as the singing mailman S.D. Kluger and gives a great voice performance but he has a bigger role this time. He has traded in his snowmobile mail truck for "the little engine that could", voiced by Robert McFadden. In the story we go back in time to the beginning of the children's Easter traditions to answer these questions, to a hidden town called "Kidville". There is a scary bear named Gadzooks who hates holidays, and he is similar to the Winter Warlock character. A rabbit named "Sunny" grows up to be the Easter Bunny and bring joy to children, making great friends and allies along the way. He is voiced by Skip Hinnant, who voiced "Pogo" in a special from another studio. He befriends a lonely young King, named Bruce, who is being controlled and bullied by his tyrannical Aunt Longtooth.

We have come to expect good music in these holiday specials and they did not disappoint. There are 6 songs total with music by Maury Laws and lyrics by Jules Bass including the catchy, "Someone's Got to be First", along with "Big Rock Candy Mountain", the inspiring "Somebody Will Love You, If You Do", and "The Easter Bunny is Coming to Town Today". Fred Astaire sings "All You Have to Do is - Think Can Do". There is a hilarious song by the Hendrew Sisters, "What Came First, the Chicken or the Egg?". This very colorful special has terrific character designs by Paul Coker, who did the same for most of the studios products. The look of the film is, well, very Easter... They just did a great job capturing what the visuals should be for the kids.

This show is the 3rd and last of the Easter themed holiday shows made by the studio. In 1971 they made an hour long Animagic TV special for ABC, "Here Comes Peter Cottontail", about the selection contest for the Easter Bunny, and it actually travels through time to all the holidays. In 1976 they made a half hour traditional cel animation special "The First Easter Rabbit" for NBC. As you know, Rankin/Bass Studios brought us such beautiful holiday TV classics such as Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer, Year without a Santa Claus, `Twas the Night Before Christmas, Nestor the Long Eared Donkey, The Little Drummer Boy, Frosty the Snowman, Santa Claus is Comin' to Town, Mouse on the Mayflower, Cricket on the Hearth, the Stingiest Man in Town, Rudolph's Shiny New Year, and more. They also made non-holiday films such as the Hobbit, and Flight of Dragons. It is incredible that one company was responsible for all those TV specials, 95% of the ones we see every year. Their work includes traditional hand drawn cel animation, stop-motion Animagic, and live action. Little Golden Books Publishing owns the rights to almost every show the studio made, and have done a commendable job re-mastering them and releasing them on DVD. I hope this comes out on a restored DVD too; I have bought all the other Rankin/Bass that has been released on DVD. A Microjoe review.

24 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another RANKIN/BASS Classic!, March 20, 2003

By 

Richard J. Goldschmidt "Rick Goldschmidt" (Oak Lawn, IL USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Easter Bunny is Comin' to Town [VHS] (VHS Tape)

It's hard to believe that ARTHUR RANKIN and JULES BASS were able to Produce another GREAT 'ANIMAGIC' Easter Special after HERE COMES PETER COTTONTAIL....BUT they did! They were able to do it with the help of FRED ASTAIRE as the narrator and once again ROMEO MULLER as the writer. As far as the music goes, one reviewer is way off base here. One of the most memorable RANKIN/BASS Songs is the theme to this one "THE EASTER BUNNY IS COMIN' TO TOWN TODAY" sung by FRED ASTAIRE and of course "Someone's Gotta Be First." This has also become a family tradition at my home and it's hard to believe the Networks (ABC) stopped airing it. Who forget GADZOOKS the bear? WARNER BROTHERS is to be applauded for this GREAT clam shell cover featuring the ANIMAGIC characters.....now if it could just be released on DVD with THE FIRST EASTER RABBIT starring BURL IVES! Rick Goldschmidt RANKIN/BASS Biographer/Historian

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A childhood favorite!, February 11, 2006

By 

J. Bagwell (Irvine, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Easter Bunny Is Comin' to Town (DVD)

This is a Rankin/Bass classic and one of my favorite Easter specials. The use of the Mailman character from "Santa Claus is Comin' to Town" creates a wonderful link between the holidays. I easpecially love how all of the Easter traditions are explained in such a whimsical manner!