April 4, 1971
Here Comes Peter Cottontail is a 1971 animated Easter television special produced by Rankin/Bass Productions, currently distributed by Universal Television and based on the 1957 novel, The Easter Bunny That Overslept, by Priscilla and Otto Friedrich. The special is narrated by Danny Kaye, and stars Casey Kasem, Vincent Price, Joan Gardner and Paul Frees. The special also features Steve Nelson and Jack Rollins's Easter song, "Here Comes Peter Cottontail".
It was originally broadcast in the United States on April 4, 1971, on the ABC television network. Subsequent airings have appeared on CBS, Fox Family, The CW and Cartoon Network. In 2005, it was followed by a computer-animated sequel Here Comes Peter Cottontail: The Movie.
Storyline
Peter Cottontail is a young Easter Bunny who lives in April Valley, where all Easter bunnies live and work, making Easter candy, sewing bonnets, and decorating and delivering Easter eggs.
Colonel Wellington B. Bunny, the retiring Chief Easter Bunny, names an aspiring rabbit named Peter as his successor. Peter excitedly claims he “never dreamed” of being the Chief Easter Bunny, but his modest fib (which instinctually lowers his left ear) prompts Colonel Bunny to insist that Peter become honest and responsible to serve as Chief Easter Bunny.
Meanwhile, a villainous rabbit named January Q. Irontail plots to become Chief Easter Bunny so that he can ruin Easter for children as revenge for a child who once accidentally roller-skated over his tail, forcing him to wear a prosthetic one made of iron. Irontail demands that Colonel Bunny hold a contest to see who delivers the most eggs, according to April Valley's Constitution. Peter accepts the challenge, but stays up late into the night, partying with friends. Although he tells his rooster to wake him up at 5:30 a.m., Irontail sneaks into his house and feeds the rooster magic bubblegum, sealing his beak. Peter sleeps all day, not hearing the crows from the popping bubbles.
Although Irontail tries all day to deliver his Easter eggs, he only manages to deliver just one. However, because Peter delivered none, Irontail becomes the new Chief Easter Bunny, passing laws to make Easter a disaster, such as painting eggs brown and gray, ordering the candy sculptors to make chocolate tarantulas and octopuses instead of bunnies and chicks, and having Easter galoshes instead of bonnets.
Peter, ashamed that his bragging and irresponsibility led to this tragedy, leaves April Valley in tears vowing to make things right. He eventually meets Seymour S. Sassafras, an eccentric peddler and inventor who supplies the colors for April Valley's egg painters from the colored vegetables from his Garden of Surprises. Sassafras lends Peter his Yestermorrowbile, a time machine piloted by a French caterpillar named Antoine, who will take Peter back to Easter to deliver his eggs, win the contest, and defeat Irontail. Irontail learns about Peter's plan, and continues his cheating by sending his spider to sabotage the Yestermorrowbile, allowing Peter and Antoine to go to any holiday but Easter.
Since the contest's rules do not specifically say the eggs must be delivered on Easter, Peter tries to give them away at other holidays, to no avail. On Mother’s Day, he’s turned down outright by a family who didn’t receive eggs earlier. On the 4th of July, Peter paints the eggs red, white and blue, and oversells them to two boys as “firecrackers”, which ultimately fails. On Halloween, Peter meets Madame Esmeralda, a witch, and gives her a Halloween egg as a gift, tying the score. When she calls the other Halloween inhabitants, Irontail sends Montresor, his bat, out to steal Peter's eggs. Peter gets the eggs back and wants to return to Halloween and deliver the eggs to Esmeralda's friends. But Antoine still cannot run the Yestermorrowbile backwards and has to land the craft to fix it.
After failing to give away any of his eggs on Thanksgiving, Peter and Antoine go to Christmas Eve, at which Peter, dressed as Santa Claus, tries to give eggs on the streets, which are deserted. Peter hears sobbing from a hat shop, and meets Bonnie, an Easter bonnet who left April Valley years ago. Bonnie is sad that nobody wants to buy her, so Peter tells the shopkeeper that he will trade his Christmas eggs for Bonnie. However, Irontail steals them again. Peter and Bonnie go after him, accidentally leaving Antoine behind.
During the chase, Irontail and Montresor crash into Santa's sleigh. Santa returns the eggs to Peter, who cannot stop the Yestermorrowbile and is too sad to thank him since leaving Antoine behind. After missing New Year's Day, Peter and Bonnie find the stop button and land on Valentine's Day. There, Peter meets a bunny named Donna, who saw a newspaper article mentioning his oversleeping, but shows compassion regardless. A touched Peter gives her a Valentine egg, which she leaves by Peter’s basket as they go ice skating. However, Irontail finds the eggs again and casts a spell on them, turning them all green, inside and out.
After failing to give away the green eggs on Presidents' Day, Peter laments his original mistakes, but is encouraged by a transmitted song from Sassafrass about finding hope. Peter finally vows to be more honest and responsible in hope of delivering his eggs. He and Bonnie land on St. Patrick's Day, which gives Peter another chance to give away his eggs with an Irish-styled pitch. In the end, Peter is successful and wins the contest, becoming the Chief Easter Bunny, Antoine returns as a butterfly, and Irontail works as the janitor of April Valley while Peter leads a parade.
Sound Effects Used
- ELECTRONIC, ACCENT - MONTAGE OF VARIOUS ELECTRONIC AND COMEDY EFFECTS
- H-B BOING, CARTOON - LITTLE BOING
- Phil Kaye Ricochet
- Robert Hall, Please Turn Off The Faucet
- Sound Ideas, COMEDY - MONTAGE OF VARIOUS COMEDY EFFECTS 01
- Sound Ideas, COMEDY - BOING 05
- Sound Ideas, THUNDER - SINGLE THUNDER ROLL, WEATHER 01/Valentino Continuous Thunder
- Valentino Chinese Bell Tree 01
- Valentino Wind Blowing
- Vincent Price Laugh
Image Gallery