Release Date: February 19th, 2008
Running Time: 50 minutes

The Show

Arthur Rankin, Jr. and Jules Bass have created come of the best stop-motion films I can think of, including Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and Frosty the Snowman. Their unique visual style can instantly transport you back to your childhood. The Easter Bunny Is Coming To Town is one of Rankin and Bass’ lesser known films but is still a worthwhile piece of entertainment for the Easter holiday.

Unlike the other subjects of the Rankin and Bass films, the Easter Bunny has very little mythology behind it and as such the film stretches a bit to create 50-minutes of story. Fred Astaire reprises his role as mailman S.D. Kluger and serves as the storyteller/singer for the tale. After a train named Chugs delivers a load of mail with children’s questions about the Easter Bunny, Kluger proceeds to tell the tale.

The story focuses on two different communities separated by Big Rock Mountain. The first is Kidville, a village occupied by orphans where every Easter they work together to make a hoarde of Easter goodies. One Easter morning a rabbit shows up that they promptly name Sunny due to his love of the sun. On his birthday Sunny decides to travel to the outside world to exchange eggs for amenities needed in the village. He crosses Big Rock Mountain to a much more dismal place known simply as Town where children and flowers are outlawed. The king is a young boy known as Bruce the Frail, but all the power is held by his Aunt, the Dowager Duchess Lilly Long Tooth.

The film is divided between happenings in the two towns and proceeds to give the origins of Easter staples such as jelly beans, Easter eggs, and various other activities associated with the holiday. Song numbers and a quirky supporting cast liven things up, but with the lack of a solid, well-known mythology behind the holiday, it lacks the punch and lasting impression made by the other Rankin and Bass films.

The DVD

The video is presented in 1.33:1 Full Frame. The restoration is fantastic, featuring beautiful colors and a clean print.

The audio is offered in English Dolby Digital Mono with English subtitles. Despite being a flat mono track, the audio is clean and sounds far better than the muffled, boring mono experiences I am used to.

The Extras

“The Magic of Stop-Motion” includes three bonus shorts: “The Easter Express,” “Breakfast of Magicians,” and “Floating Through Daydream Garden.”

Previews are offered as well.

Final Thoughts

While The Easter Bunny Is Coming To Town isn’t one of my favorite stop-motion films, it is still leagues ahead of most stuff put out today. If you’re looking for a solid Easter tale for your kids, then this is a sure bet.