The Easter Bunny Is Comin' to Town (1977) (TV)

Directors:

Jules Bass
Arthur Rankin Jr.

Writer:

Romeo Muller

Release Date:

6 April 1977 (USA)

Genre:

Animation | Musical | Family

Plot:

The Mailman decides to stop another deluge of letters by answering questions about the Easter Bunny: Sunny...

Plot Keywords:

Easter Bunny | Stop Motion | Sequel | Character Name In Title

Cast

Fred Astaire	...	S.D. Kluger (narrator) (voice)
Skip Hinnant	...	Sunny the Easter Bunny (voice)
Bob McFadden	...	Chugs (voice)
Allen Swift	...	(voice)
Ron Marshall	...	Hallelujah Jones (voice)
Jill Choder	...	(voice)
Meg Sargent	...	Lilly Longtooth (voice)
James Spies	...	King Bruce (voice)
Karen Dahle	...	(voice)
Michael McGovern	...	Child (voice)
Laura Dean	...	Child (voice)
George Brennan	...	Child (voice)
Gia Andersen	...	Child (voice)
Stacey Carey	...	Child (voice)

Directed by
Jules Bass
Arthur Rankin Jr.

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Romeo Muller

Produced by
Jules Bass	....	producer
Arthur Rankin Jr.	....	producer
Masaki Îzuka	....	associate producer

Original Music by
Maury Laws

Production Design by
Paul Coker Jr.

Production Management
Akikazu Kono	....	production supervisor: Animagic

Sound Department
Tom Clark	....	sound effects
John Curcio	....	sound recordist
Dave Iveland	....	sound recordist

Music Department
Bernard Hoffer	....	music arranger

Production Companies

• Rankin/Bass Productions

Distributors

• American Broadcasting Company (ABC) (1977) (USA) (TV)
• Children's Video Library (1984) (USA) (video)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

50 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Canada:F (Ontario) | Canada:G (Manitoba/Quebec) | USA:TV-G

Company:

Rankin/Bass Productions

Trivia:

The three singing chickens are introduced as the "Hendrews Sisters". This is a takeoff on the famous Andrews Sisters, a trio who were recording stars through the 1940s and into the 1950s.

Quotes:

Child:What came first, Mr. Kluger: the chicken or the egg?
S.D. Kluger:Girls, if you please.
Chicken #1:Really? What a question to ask us!
Chicken #2:I mean, did you ever!
[chuckles]
Chicken #3:Let's tell it like it was, girls.
Chicken #1, Chicken #2, Chicken #3:[singing] What came first, / The chicken or the egg? / What a silly riddle! / Just like asking who came first: / The pussycat or the fiddle.
Chicken #2:The chicken was first, that we can prove / With a little Bible lesson: / When Noah took the animals on the ark, / That sure fixed the progression!
Chicken #1, Chicken #2, Chicken #3:How 'bout what came first, / The chicken or the egg? / What's there to agree on? / Just like asking who came first: / The fountain or Ponce de León.
Chicken #2:There was no egg aboard that ark, / Just a Mr. and Mrs. Chicken! / When the water dried out, they hatched an egg, / That should make the plot unthicken.
[...]

Movie Connections:

Follows Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town (1970) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Someone's Gotta Be First

Cute as a bunny.

As with Santa Clause is Coming to Town this is a cute follow up on how to tell origins of traditions in connection to a traditional holiday. It touched my heart ever since it came out as The First Easter Rabbit did when it came out one year prior to this one.The kids make a cute rendition in Kidville and Lily Supplies a good Villainess more or less equivalent to The Burger Meister,Meister Burger with her soldiers and all.I agree that this Easter special brings out the kid in all of us as do both "Here comes Peter Cottontail" and "The First Easter Rabbit" do. Sunny Bunny is very cute both as a baby bunny as well as a big bunny.Gad Zooks the bear is equivalent to both The Abominal Snowman in Rudolph the Rednosed Reindeer and the winter warlock in Santa Clause is Coming to town of which brings to mind in part how the late Fred Astaire did come back to narrate this special. Truthfully, Stephen "Steve" G. Baer a.k.a."Ste" of Framingham,Ma.USA.