9th July, 2008 Login • Register
Search This Site
The Easter Bunny Is Comin' To Town (1977) DVD Review
The Easter Bunny Is Comin' To Town (1977) DVD Credits:
The Easter Bunny Is Comin' To Town (1977) Directed by:
Jules Bass Arthur Rankin Jr.
The Easter Bunny Is Comin' To Town (1977) Written by:
Romeo Muller
The Easter Bunny Is Comin' To Town (1977) Cast:
Fred Astaire, Skip Hinnant, Bob McFadden, Allen Swift, Ron Marshall, Jill Choder, Meg Sargent, James Spies
The Easter Bunny Is Comin' To Town (1977) Released by:
Rankin/Bass Productions
Region:
1
The Easter Bunny Is Comin' To Town (1977) DVD Release Date:
19th February 2008
Our Rating: Extras Rating:

User Rating:  Log in to rate this DVD
The Easter Bunny Is Comin' To Town (1977) Synopsis:

The Mailman decides to stop another deluge of letters by answering questions about the Easter Bunny: Sunny, a baby rabbit found and adopted by Kidville (a town of only kids--even a kid mailman). And when Sunny goes delivering eggs to the nearby town (which he has to dye to fool Gadzooks, the mean bear on the mountain), he discovers that there are no kids in the town, and that the rightful (kid) ruler is being suppressed by his aunt. But the young king likes Sunny's dyed eggs and jelly beans. So Kidsville, with the help of an old train engine, makes a few plans (and a decoy chocolate rabbit) to distribute them.

The Easter Bunny Is Comin' To Town (1977) DVD Review:

In the vein of holiday classics, The Easter Bunny is Comin’ to Town (Deluxe Edition) is a stop motion animation tale that weaves the genesis of the Easter Bunny and certain Easter traditions, making this a fun adventure for children that adults can enjoy also.

Narrated by the talented Fred Astaire, The Easter Bunny is Comin’ to Town is digitally remastered and better looking than ever. The premise is simple and magical: in Kidsville, there are only children. They make the rules and run the town. Sunny the Bunny is a rabbit that inadvertently finds himself as a baby in this town. He grows to become one of the children while exercising his advanced intelligence and natural leadership. When Sunny decides to bring eggs to Town, the dreary village of only adults, he finds he must dye them in order to trick the angry bear Gazooks that lives on the mountain separating the two societies. Once Sunny arrives in Town, he finds that there are no children and that everyone is unhappy. Then he discovers that Town is ruled by a kid king who is being suppressed by his cold-hearted aunt. However, the king likes Sunny’s eggs but is unable to allow Town to enjoy the fun because of his aunt. So, Sunny and those of Kidsville bring their painted eggs and delicious jelly beans to the masses of Town via a well developed plan that properly addresses Gazooks and utilizes a special locomotive that “knows he can.”

The story is sweet and charming and the characters are cute. However, this 1977 production isn’t as classic as the infamous Santa Claus is Coming to Town. Still, this little piece of animated storytelling is clever and well done. It’s exactly what you would expect from something in this genre. At 50 minutes, it feels a shade too long but not overwhelmingly. It has its moments but definitely finds itself in the annals of mediocrity when in comparison to the other stop-motion classics such as The Year Without a Santa Claus and Rudolph’s Shiny New Year. With that said, this is still a well-rounded film for the whole family to watch around Easter. It’s also an easy way for parents to explain the origins of the Easter Bunny and other created Easter traditions.

On a side note, I found it a testament to the era that this movie is able to weave in a theological thread, showing that these kinds of movies can still tell stories while making references to Jesus, Noah, and other such Biblical information. I’m sure that if this were released 30 years later, it would be banned, burned, or simply laughed at.

The Special Features are fun, especially for those who are fans of stop-motion animation. “The Magic of Stop Motion – A Gallery of Shorts” is a great segment that helps inspire viewers to make their own animated films with the help of three family friendly shorts: Breakfast of Magicians, Floating Through Daydream Garden, and The Easter Express. They’re short, they’re sweet but they don’t make up for the fact that this is the only special feature offered.

For those who are fans of anything the Bass Rankin team has done, Fred Astaire, stop-motion animation, or Easter, this is a perfect selection with catchy music, interesting plotlines, and a happy ending. Luckily, this movie was resurrected and digitally enhanced so it’s better than when you watched it the first time.

Our Rating: Extras Rating: User Rating:  Log in to rate this DVD

The Easter Bunny Is Comin' To Town (1977) DVD review written by: Bryce Carlson

Content Management System provided by P J Thomson - Freelance Web Design - PHP/MySQL Development