The Berenstain Bears' Easter Surprise

Last updated
The Berenstain Bears' Easter Surprise
Created by Stan and Jan Berenstain
Written by Stan and Jan Berenstain
Directed by Mordicai Gerstein
Al Kouzel
Starring Ron McLarty
Pat Lysinger
Bob McFadden
Knowl Johnson
Zachary Danziger
Theme music composer Elliot Lawrence
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Production
Producers Buzz Potamkin
Hal Hoffer
Running time25 minutes
Production companiesPerpetual Motion Pictures
The Joseph Cates Company
Original release
Network NBC
ReleaseApril 14, 1981 (1981-04-14)
Related

The Berenstain Bears' Easter Surprise is an Easter-themed animated television special based on the Berenstain Bears children's book series by Stan and Jan Berenstain. Produced by Buzz Potamkin and Hal Hoffer, and directed by Mordicai Gerstein and Al Kouzel, the program made its debut on NBC on April 14, 1981. [1] [2] [3]

Contents

Development

Stan and Jan Berenstain's first animated holiday special aired on NBC in December 1979. The Berenstain Bears' Christmas Tree was the first of five annual animated specials that would air on NBC, produced by Joe Cates and the Joseph Cates Production Company. The Berenstain Bears Meet Bigpaw was the second in this series. [4]

The Berenstains utilized rhyming couplets in the script - for both the narrator and the character dialogue. This element had also been used in the Christmas Tree special and was familiar to audiences since a similar type of writing was used in the Berenstain Bears Beginner Books series. [5]

Plot

The story starts with Papa, Mama, Brother, and Sister Bear going on a picnic before the clock rewinds itself to a time when Sister wasn't born yet and Brother was the only cub of the Bear Family and on the block (referring to The Berenstain Bears' New Baby). During fall, when he isn't playing with his friends down by the bog, he enjoys asking Papa different questions about life. Papa, although he has no idea how to answer most of his son's questions, plays along anyway. As fall transitions to winter, the cycle of questions continues.

During the long cold winter, no one has any explanation for why it doesn't seem (to want) to end. Both Mama and Papa are especially anxious for spring, as they had a special Easter surprise planned, which neither of them care to disclose (although Brother Bear does notice that he can't sit on Mama's lap anymore, and it's not simply because he's getting bigger or taller). When Brother asks about Easter, Papa tells him all about candy and the Easter Bunny, but Mama sings about new life and miracles.

The family decides to pay Boss Bunny, Bear Country's official Easter Bunny responsible for the beginning of spring, a visit. However, to their shock, they find out that he has quit. Papa, while initially just as depressed as Brother is about the loss of Easter, decides to be the Easter Bunny ("I'll Be the Easter Bunny/If You Want Something Done, Then Do it Yourself") and create his own candy and egg factory, but it ultimately ends in disaster.

Brother eventually decides to take matters into his own hands and begins a search to find Boss Bunny on his own. He encounters his friend Bill Bunny, who turns out to be Boss Bunny's son. Bill takes him to a hidden spot no bear has ever been before, and the two then enter the abandoned and dilapidated Easter Factory and find Boss Bunny who is asleep. They ask him to resume his duties of bringing spring and Easter back, but he complains that the workload and responsibility of transitioning the seasons has become too much for him to handle in his old age, and he is simply too burnt out to continue. Despite Brother's pleading, Boss refuses to reconsider until he sees the Great Spring Rainbow, which relieves his ailments, revives his energy, and immediately puts his factory back in business.

On Easter morning, Brother finds his Easter candy, but Mama has an additional Easter surprise for him: Baby Sister Bear. When Brother asks where she came from, Papa is left speechless, but Mama reminds Brother about the miracle of new life (and Brother quickly notices that he can sit on Mama's lap again).

Cast

Production and casting

The 25-minute special was created and written by Stan and Jan Berenstain and featured original music composed and conducted by Emmy-winning musician Elliot Lawrence, with lyrics provided by Stan Berenstain. The score included three original songs. [6] The Berenstain Bears' Easter Surprise is the only one of the five specials in which Sister Bear's voice actress Gabriela Glatzer does not voice Sister Bear. However, this special featured the debut of Sister Bear in a silent cameo as a baby towards the conclusion of the film.

It was the third of five Berenstain Bears animated specials that aired on NBC from 1979 to 1983. [7]

Home media releases

In 1984, Embassy Home Entertainment released the special on LaserDisc as a double-feature with The Berenstain Bears' Christmas Tree , called "A Berenstain Bears Celebration". [8] In 1987, the special was made available on VHS by Embassy Home Entertainment as part of their "Children's Treasures" series. [9] In 1989, the special was distributed on VHS by Kids Klassics. [10] The special was re-released in 1992 by GoodTimes Home Video, in a double-feature with The Berenstain Bears' Christmas Tree. [11] In 2002, the special was released on DVD by GoodTimes, also in a double-feature with The Berenstain Bears' Christmas Tree. [6] In 2008, Sony Wonder also released the special on DVD. In this edition, it was bundled with a few bonus episodes from the 1980s cartoon series.[ citation needed ]

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Berenstain Bears</i> Childrens book series by Stan and Jan Berenstain

The Berenstain Bears is a children's literature franchise created by Stan and Jan Berenstain and continued by their son, Mike Berenstain. The books feature a family of anthropomorphic grizzly bears who generally learn a moral or safety-related lesson in the course of each story.

The Three Bears (<i>Looney Tunes</i>) Warner Bros. theatrical cartoon characters

The Three Bears are animated cartoon characters in the Warner Bros. Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons. The dysfunctional family consists of Henry "Papa" Bear, Mama Bear, and Junior Bear. The characters were featured in five theatrical cartoons released between 1944 and 1951, based on Goldilocks and the Three Bears.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rankin/Bass Animated Entertainment</span> American production company

Rankin/Bass Animated Entertainment was an American production company located in New York City. It was known for its seasonal television specials, usually done in stop motion animation. Rankin/Bass's stop-motion productions are recognizable by their visual style of doll-like characters with spheroid body parts and ubiquitous powdery snow using an animation technique called Animagic.

Stan and Jan Berenstain American author and illustrator duo

Stanley Melvin Berenstain and Janice Marian Berenstain were American writers and illustrators best known for creating the children's book series The Berenstain Bears.

<i>Bugs Bunny and the Three Bears</i> 1944 film by Chuck Jones

Bugs Bunny and the Three Bears is a 1944 Merrie Melodies cartoon short directed by Chuck Jones and written by Tedd Pierce. The short was released on February 26, 1944, and features Bugs Bunny. This short marks the first appearance of Jones' dysfunctional version of The Three Bears, and is a parody of the old fairy tale, Goldilocks and The Three Bears.

<i>The Year Without a Santa Claus</i> 1974 stop-motion television special

The Year Without a Santa Claus is a 1974 stop motion animated Christmas television special produced by Rankin/Bass Productions. The story is based on Phyllis McGinley's 1956 book of the same name. It is narrated by Shirley Booth and starring the voices of Mickey Rooney, Dick Shawn and George S. Irving. It was originally broadcast on December 10, 1974, on ABC.

<i>The Berenstain Bears</i> (1985 TV series) 1985 multi-national TV series or program

The Berenstain Bears Show is an animated children's television series based on the children's book series of the same name by Stan and Jan Berenstain, produced by Southern Star/Hanna-Barbera Australia. It aired in the United States from September 14, 1985, to December 6, 1986 on CBS with 26 half-hour episodes produced. Reruns of the show would continue to air on the network until September 5, 1987. Each show consisted of two episodes, the first being an adaptation of one of the books, the second being an original story.

<i>The Berenstain Bears</i> (2002 TV series) Canadian childrens television series

The Berenstain Bears is a preschool children's animated educational television series based on the children's book series of the same name by Stan and Jan Berenstain, which centers on the lives of a family of anthropomorphic bears who learn a moral or safety-related lesson during the course of each episode. The series functions as a revival of the 1985–1987 cartoon series of the same name, and is co-produced by Nelvana Limited and Agogo Entertainment, produced in association with Treehouse TV (Canada) and PBS.

<i>Frostys Winter Wonderland</i> 1976 Christmas TV special

Frosty's Winter Wonderland is a 1976 animated Christmas television special and a standalone sequel to the 1969 special Frosty the Snowman, produced by Rankin/Bass Productions and animated by Topcraft. It is the second television special featuring the character Frosty the Snowman. It returns writer Romeo Muller, character designer Paul Coker, Jr., music composer Maury Laws and actor Jackie Vernon as the voice of Frosty, while Andy Griffith stars as the narrator with the rest of the cast consisting of Shelley Winters, Dennis Day and Paul Frees. The special premiered on ABC on December 2, 1976.

<i>Jack Frost</i> (TV special) 1979 Christmas television special by Jules Bass

Jack Frost is a 1979 Christmas, Winter and Groundhog Day stop motion animated television special produced by Rankin/Bass Productions. It is directed by Jules Bass and Arthur Rankin Jr., written by Romeo Muller, narrated by Buddy Hackett, and starring the voices of Robert Morse, Debra Clinger and Paul Frees. The special premiered on NBC on December 13, 1979, and tells the tale of Jack Frost and his adventures as a human. It airs annually on AMC as part of its Best Christmas Ever programming block.

Yogi the Easter Bear is an American animated television special starring Yogi Bear, produced by Hanna-Barbera and animated by Filipino animation studio Fil-Cartoons. It was broadcast in syndication on April 3, 1994. This is one of Don Messick's last voice-over roles; he suffered a debilitating stroke in 1996 and died in 1997. It would also be the last official Yogi Bear media for 16 years until the release of the live-action Yogi Bear film.

<i>The First Easter Rabbit</i> 1976 Easter television special

The First Easter Rabbit is an animated Easter television special that premiered April 9, 1976, on NBC and later aired on CBS. Created by Rankin/Bass Productions, it tells the story of the Easter Bunny's origin. The special is loosely based on the 1922 children's book The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams. Burl Ives narrates the special, which also features the Irving Berlin song "Easter Parade". It marked Ives's return to a Rankin/Bass special for the first time since the company's 1964 stop motion television special Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer twelve years prior.

<i>The Easter Bunny Is Comin to Town</i> 1977 Easter TV special

The Easter Bunny Is Comin' to Town is a 1977 American-Japanese musical Easter television special produced by Rankin/Bass Productions, using their "Animagic" stop motion animation. The special reunites the writer Romeo Muller, designer Paul Coker Jr., and narrator Fred Astaire from Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town, and stars the voices of Skip Hinnant, Bob McFadden, Meg Sargent, James Spies and Allen Swift. It premiered on ABC in the United States on April 6, 1977.

<i>The Big Honey Hunt</i> 1962 childrens book by Stan and Jan Berenstain

The Big Honey Hunt is a children's book by Stan and Jan Berenstain, the first in the long running Berenstain Bears series. It was first published in 1962, by Beginner Books, an imprint of Random House, co-founded and managed by Dr. Seuss. The book introduces a family of anthropomorphic bears: Papa Bear, Mama Bear, and Small Bear.

<i>The Berenstain Bears Christmas Tree</i> 1979 TV special directed by Mordicai Gerstein

The Berenstain Bears' Christmas Tree is a Christmas-themed animated television special based on the Berenstain Bears children's book series by Stan and Jan Berenstain. Produced by Buzz Potamkin and directed by Mordicai Gerstein, the program made its debut on NBC on December 3, 1979. The television special inspired a book by the same name, published by Random House in 1980.

<i>The Berenstain Bears Meet Bigpaw</i> 1980 American TV series or program

The Berenstain Bears Meet Bigpaw is a Thanksgiving-themed animated television special based on the Berenstain Bears children's book series by Stan and Jan Berenstain. Produced by Buzz Potamkin and directed by Mordicai Gerstein and Al Kouzel, the program made its debut on NBC on November 20, 1980. The television special inspired a book, The Berenstain Bears' Thanksgiving, published by Scholastic in 1997.

The Berenstain Bears Comic Valentine is a Valentine-themed animated television special based on the Berenstain Bears children's book series by Stan and Jan Berenstain. Produced by Buzz Potamkin and directed by Mordicai Gerstein and Al Kouzel, the program made its debut on NBC on February 13, 1982.

The Berenstain Bears Play Ball, also known as The Berenstain Bears' Littlest Leaguer, is a baseball-themed animated television special based on the Berenstain Bears children's book series by Stan and Jan Berenstain. Produced by Buzz Potamkin and directed by Al Kouzel, the program made its debut on NBC on May 6, 1983.

References

  1. ↑ Shaw, Jane. "Christmas tree is focus of Berenstain Bears' newest adventure." Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 1980-12-02, p. 32.
  2. ↑ Mariska, Bradley (2015). "Berenstain Bears Bibliography". Berenstain Bears Complete Bibliography & Blog. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  3. ↑ Berenstain, Stan; Berenstain, Jan (1997). The Berenstain Bears' Thanksgiving. Scholastic. ISBN   0590947311.
  4. ↑ Woolery, George W. (1989). Animated TV Specials: The Complete Directory to the First Twenty-Five Years, 1962-1987. Scarecrow Press. pp. 29–34. ISBN   0-8108-2198-2 . Retrieved 27 March 2020.
  5. ↑ Berenstain, Stan and Jan (2002). Down a Sunny Dirt Road: An Autobiography . Random House. ISBN   978-0375814037.
  6. 1 2 The Berenstain Bears Double Feature (DVD). GoodTimes. 2002.
  7. ↑ Berenstain Bears History, The Berenstain Bears, Inc., 2015, retrieved 11 October 2015
  8. ↑ A Berenstain Bears Celebration (LaserDisc). Embassy Home Entertainment. 1984.
  9. ↑ The Berenstain Bears Meet Bigpaw (VHS). Embassy Home Entertainment. 1987.
  10. ↑ The Berenstain Bears Meet Bigpaw (VHS). Kids Klassics. 1989.
  11. ↑ The Berenstain Bears Double Feature (VHS). GoodTimes. 1992.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.