The First Easter Rabbit
- Studio
- Rankin-Bass Productions
Synopsis
Burl Ives narrates in a fanciful, tuneful and color-splashed tale of the first Easter rabbit, whose mission is to deliver specially painted eggs to good children. Glinda has scarlet fever, so her cuddly toy rabbit Stuffy and all her other possessions have to be destroyed. But a flower fairy magically brings Stuffy to life, and she tells him that he will be the first Easter rabbit. She sends him on a difficult journey to Easter Valley, an enchanted realm where it's always springtime, where the bunny hopes to bring the first-ever basket of Easter goodies to children. But a cold-hearted ice creature named Zero refuses to permit such happiness. If he has his way, he'll freeze out Easter celebrations forever!
Characters
The Great Easter Bunny, Stuffy, Flops, Zero, Spats, Whiskers, Glinda, Mother, Calliope, Bruce, Jonathan
Credits
Directing
- Director
- Arthur Rankin Jr, Jules Bass
Producing
- Producer
- Arthur Rankin Jr, Jules Bass
Writing
- Writer
- Julian P. Gardner
Animation
- Animator
- Toru Hara, Tsuguyaki Kubo
Voices
- Voice
- Burl Ives (The Great Easter Bunny (Narrator)), Robert Morse (Stuffy), Stan Freberg (Flops), Paul Frees (Zero, Spats), Don Messick (Whiskers, Jonathan), Dina Lynn (Glinda), Joan Gardner (Mother), Christine Winter (Vocalist)
Music
- Music
- Irving Berlin ("Easter Parade)
- Music Arranged and Conducted By
- Maury Laws
Crew
- Sound
- John Curcio, Don Halm, Dave Ireland, Tom Clack
- Post-Production Editing
- Irwin Goldress
- Design
- Paul Coker, Jr.
Production notes
A limited-edition (promotion only) Rankin/Bass soundtrack album appears to have Burl Ives' speaking voice slightly changed, particularly at the beginning. Ives' voice (as the Great Easter Bunny) may have been sped up during production of this cartoon for television.
Song "There's That Rabbit" (music by Maury Laws, lyrics by Jules Bass), sung by The Great Easter Bunny.
Song "There's That Rabbit" (music by Maury Laws, lyrics by Jules Bass), sung by The Great Easter Bunny.