2 comments about First Easter Rabbit.

1. This half hour film released in 1976 is one of 3 Easter films produced by the Rankin and Bass Studio. The other 2 are
   "Here Comes Peter Cottontail", which is about all the Holidays as 2 rabbits compete to deliver the most eggs and become the new Easter Bunny, and "The Easter Bunny is Coming to Town", which concentrates on explaining traditions of Easter, very similar to "Santa Claus is Coming to Town."

   The main difference with this film is that it uses traditional animation, and the 2 above are Animagic, or stop-motion. Burl Ives narrates and sings again in this one, and is even drawn to be dressed like the character he played in Rudolph. There are at least 2 good songs in the film. The studio that made this film are perfectionists, and even their credits are imaginative and fun to watch. The story starts before there was ever an Easter Rabbit, and he was stuffed bunny owned by a girl. He is brought to life to serve as the symbol of Easter and moves to a magical place called Easter Valley. When Easter is threatened Santa joins the bunny in defending Easter Valley.

   
   You may remember Rankin and Bass as the folks that brought us such beautiful holiday classics such as Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer, Year without a Santa Claus, Nestor the Long Eared Donkey, Mad Monster Party, The Little Drummer Boy, Frosty the Snowman, Santa Claus is coming to Town, Mouse on the Mayflower, Here Comes Peter Cottontail, The Easter Bunny is Coming to Town, Cricket on the Hearth, the Stingiest Man in Town, Jack Frost, Pinnochio's Christmas, Rudolph's Shiny New Year, the First Easter Bunny. They also made non-holiday films such as the Hobbit, Flight of Dragons, the Last Unicorn. It is incredible that one company is responsible for all those TV specials, 95% of the ones we see every year. Their work includes standard animation, stop-motion animagic, and live action. There is a great book on the studio called "The Enchanted World of Rankin/Bass.

   I hope this comes out on a restored DVD soon, I have bought all the other Rankin/Bass that has been released on DVD.




2. The First Easter Rabbit is another story to add to your Rankin/Bass collection! This story is animated though,instead of stop-motion, which they are probably more known for. This does not make it any less charming though(Frosty the Snowman, one of my faves, is animated also) and as a Rankin/Bass fan you can really tell it is one of their animations.
   The First Easter Rabbit is about Stuffy, a lttle girls stuffed rabbit, and how he becomes the Easter Bunny. I first saw this when I was a little girl, I am now 25 and still love this and all other Rankin/Bass stories. My only reason for giving it 4 stars is because you can't get it on DVD yet, and it should be teamed up with the other 2 Easter stories "The Easter Bunny is Comin' to Town" and "Here comes Peter Cottontail".

5 comments about The Easter Bunny Is Coming to Town.

1. Another claymation classic! I remember very little of this as a child and as I rewatched it, it all came back to me. If you enjoy Santa Claus is Coming to Town, you'll enjoy this. It has many similarities with questions being answered about the main character, mountain villians who turn nice, somber towns, a cruel ruler, catchy songs, memorable, adorable characters, etc. Sunny the Bunny is adorable with his rosey cheeks and the chickens are so sassy. And bringing back Fred Astaire at the Narrator was a smart choice. I recommend this DVD or the one made a few years back. The nice one about this is the DVD has a paper cover over it and Sunny has fuzzy fur you can feel. It may be cheesey at times, but give in to your inner child and have fun!



2. Joseph Brando's review is spot-on; everything he wrote is accurate to-the-letter concerning yet another ridiculous and unnecessary Warner reissue of a Rankin-Bass animation classic. 'tis such a shame that R-B titles have been so badly botched in recent years. Remember the godawful Destiny's Child video slapped onto the "Original Television Christmas Classics" box set a few years ago???
   
   Now, let me address the previous revewier, "A. King". Umm... I hate to tell you this but you don't appear to know much about Rankin-Bass animation. The studio did not use Claymation in its animation but the tried-and-true wire armature process. Think the original King Kong... and a Happy 75th B-day to you, Kong!!! ;) 'Claymation' is a term trademarked exactly 30 years ago by it's creator, Will Vinton.
   
   With that said, buy the original release of The Easter Bunny Is Comin' to Town and have a blast with Sunny, Gadzooks and the Big Rock Candy Mountain!!!



3. Between the train, Gadzooks the bear, and all the cute songs on this video, my 2 yr. old watched this dvd several times.
   
   My husband and I liked it because it "explains" all the rituals of Easter: why do we color/hide eggs, why do we get new clothes, Easter bonnets, chocolate bunnies/jellybeans, etc.
   
   The extras were, in my opinion, lousy, but that's not what I bought it for.
   
   If your child(ren) enjoyed this video, I'd also recommend getting "Peter Cottontail", another Rankin-Bass video my son loved.



4. I think this is a cute movie. My 3-year-old like it. It's like the old Santa clause is Coming to town movie and Frosty the Snowman. It's a classic. Glad I have it in my collection.



5. I have a copy of the 2006 release of "The Easter Bunny Is Comin' To Town" and this 2008 Deluxe Edition and have compared them. The deluxe edition has definitely improved the quality. I checked it on our tv and computer. It isn't noticeably clearer, mind you, but the motion is less choppy, more smoothed over, making it a better video to watch. I'm not sure why the 2006 version was like this. The old VHS tape we have of it was smoother than the 2006 dvd, too. All in all, it's a fun, good feelin', holiday classic that an avid Rankin Bass fan like me can't do without. People, if you get a copy, save your eyes and get this newer one.

1 comments about Hank and Mike.

1. This movie is amazing. I saw a screening of it and I have never laughed so hard. It gives a whole new meaning to Easter and bunnies around the world. The two main actors are brilliant and I give this movie 2 thumbs up. Go out and get it!!

5 comments about Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Turtles' Awesome Easter (Animated).

1. This video features 2 episodes from the 1991 season called "The Turtles and The Hare" and "Once Upon A Time Machine". I think this video is really good because it brings back memories of a great cartoon and lets me see episodes never shown in the UK before.

   In the first episode Shredder tries to make a ray that makes everyone really timid - as bunnies, in fact. Our heroes tavel to the Fairy Tale dimension and meet a rabbit called Hokum who helps them stop Shredder. In the next episode, Shredder has a scheme to change the future! He thinks he`ll be able to conquer the universe if the Turtles aren`t around. But, in true cartoon style, something goes wrong...

   I would reccomend this tape to anyone who is a fan of the cartoon show or just "TMNT" in general. This is a great cartoon.




2. This is one of the best TMNT movies ever! In the first episode Shredder starts to zap the city with a ray that makes everybody timid and scared,and the turtles need to stop him with their friend Hokom Hare. In the second episode Shredder travels to the future to destroy the turtles when they are old so the turtles go in the future to save themselves, the future, and learn a lesson.



3. There are two episodes on this video:

   "The Turtles and the Hare"
   "Once Upon a Time Machine"

   In the first episode, we learn that Shredder and Krang are up to their all too familiar shenanigans - this time, in the spirt of Easter, they dress up Bebop and Rocksteady in bunny suits and send them to earth with a ray to zap everyone into timid little creatures. Just like terrified rabbits!

   Meanwhile, Donatello is busy showing the Turtles his latest invention - an automatic Easter egg-making machine. Of course, anyone who has watched the Ninja Turtles for any amount of time knows what eventually happens - Donatello's invention eventually goes haywire, and his latest failure leaves egg on his face. Literally!

   When the Turtles learn of the nefarious scheme that Shredder and Krang have orchestrated, they quickly discover that the only way to reverse the effects of the ray is to travel to the Fairy Tale Dimension and nab some shiny red stone. Along the way, they meet the Three Little Pigs, the Big Bad Wolf, the characters from Jack and the Beanstalk . . . and also one other character named Hokum Hare.

   Together, Hokum and the Turtles set out to reverse what has happened on Earth. Do they succeed? Um, I can't remember - my memory seems to have eluded me. Guess you'll just have to buy the video to find out!

   The second episode is definitely one of the more funny episodes in the history of the series. This time Shredder and Krang have hatched a plot to rule the future! Hokum Hare returns in this episode, and eventually all characters (Shredder and his cronies; the Turtles and Hokum) end up in the future.

   What makes the episode a treat is watching the old Ninja Turtles. Michaelangelo and is fat and out of shape; Donatello is blind as a bat; Raphael's legs are shot; and Leonardo has memory problems. This makes for some hilarious scenes in the episode that have made this reviewer crack up every time.

   Can the old Turtles save the future? Can the young Turtles save the future? Once again, my memory escapes me - in other words, buy the video! You won't regret it!!




4. I do not own many TMNT episodes but of all of the ones I do own this one is the BEST! The only problem was that I do not care for Hokem Hare's voice, I find it irritating. The video has two diffrent episodes: The Turtles And The Hare and Once Upon A Time Machine. Both are WONDERFUL episodes! I would reccomend it to anyone who enjoys the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles!



5. For the Easter season, Krang has a new device invented, this one will turn however is hit by it into a timid coward. Bebop and Rocksteady begin blasting everyone in Channel 6 with it, and when the TMNT try to stop them, they get blasted too! Luckily, mutants aren't effected by the ray, so it's up to Leonardo and Raphael to try to find a cure, as they enter the world of fairy tales, and meet a new ally in Hokum Hare. Meanwhile, Shredder is planning to have the ray transmited via satellite to blast everyone in the city! That's bad! Another great Turtles tape. It also includes a second episode in which the Turtles meet their future selves. It also wraps up the Hokum Hare storyline from the first episode. Another great TMNT video! I hope this series will find its way to DVD one day!

No comments about Bananas In Pyjamas - Egg Collector.

3 comments about Family Circus Easter.

1. This is one of the greatest easter movies ever!!! Along with "The Easter Bunny is Comin' to Town"!!!!! It's cute and fun for the whole family. I've been watching it since i was an infant! You should definately see this cute movie with a bunch of songs!!!!

   -KC




2. To re-do the passion of Jesus Christ using the characters from the Family Circus was a bold and daring venture that only Bill Keane could pull off successfully.

   With PJ as Christ, and Billy as Judas, especially, we are shown an unexpectedly shocking and accurate crucifixion scene; Idaknow as Pilate especially shines through here.

   Kudos to Keane for keeping the TRUE meaning of Easter here!




3. I wonder what the person below me was thinking with his comments. Sometime's I wonder the state of the internet with people like that roaming around. Obviously this movie is not the way this person described it.
   
   Anyway this is a wonderful Easter movie that everyone should own! It was a family tradition in my family every year on Easter. Munching down on our chocolate, we would watch this and a bunch of other holiday classics. Pass this on to today's children.

5 comments about Angel of Death.

1. ANGEL OF DEATH would be a good movie for insomniacs. It's incredibly slow and the plot is so convoluted and confusing, it's hard to keep up with it, if you even stay with it to the end. Mira Sorvino and Olivier Martinez sleepwalk through their roles, and it is only the glorious presence of Italian screen legend Alida Valli that induces me to give it two stars. She is marvelous as the elderly lady whose story is at the heart of the picture. She commands the screen with gentle elegance and she deserved a better movie than this.



2. I'll put it simply: 'Angel Of Death' is a movie that should never have been made. Its embarassing.
   
   Watching this borefest you will find it extremely hard to believe that Mira Sorvino once won an Oscar. My how she has fallen. She preens around Spain talking in the worst Spanish accent ever. In fact, its probably the worst accent ever done in any movie ever made. She plays some super-agent on the trail of some killers, who happen to look like KKK members only wearing red with hoods literally standing five feet straight up in the air. They're completely retarded looking. Helping Sorvino out is some hunky Spaniard who can barely complete a sentence(I'm sure he needed help finding his way home each night after shooting). The entire cast is pathetic, the dialogue supremely clunky, and the script is convoluted, confusing, and filled with gaps in logic.
   
   The only decent thing in the film is the cinematography. The film is shot very well with a beautiful look. Too bad the rest of the movie sucks so much rectum. Obviously the cinematographer has some real talent but how he/she got roped into this bomb is beyond me.
   
   So if you're in the video store and see 'Angel Of Death' on the shelf, nonchalantly open the case and break the disc in half so no one else has to suffer through this piece of trash. Ugh.



3. Well, I have officially just wasted an hour and a 1/2 of my life on a movie that is quite possibly the worst I have ever seen. Do not waste your hard earned money on this sorry excuse for entertainment. It was horrible!!! Even with the hottie from Unfaithful, it wasn't worth it. Do yourself a favor, and pass this one up!



4. I really wanted to give this movie a chance, because I am a Olivier Martinez fan, and speaking of him specifically, and not really the movie, he didn't have his usual French accent. I guess that's a small thing to focus on, but I ended up yelling at my tv screen for Olivier to bring back the French accent. And if you like his accent, which I do, he sounds like a completely different person, and not in a good way, I hate to admit. It's an awful movie, I hate to say, there's no positive spin I can put on it. There is one cute line that Olivier says, and it's funny but, I can't remember what it is, I guess that should be an indication of how awful this movie is.



5. Fine mystery movie DVD from a VERY fine and speed seller who rates triple A+++.

5 comments about Precious Memories.

1. Precious Memories was the first casset tape I purchased of a Gaither homecoming event. I loved it. I have seen this video on TV but now that the DVD is available I will be buying. The Mystery of God's Will: Living the Christian Life as Seen in Ephesians



2. We have many Gaither dvds and love them all, except this one. The music is all the same mostly, the talking and laughing is so disturbing by the rude singers - the quality is just not there. The only good thing is Ray Boltz "Thank you for Giving to the Lord" - fantastic.



3. We have enjoyed listening to and seeing music and pictures of many favorite gospel singers.



4. Though this is an early Gaither video/dvd (1994) it has many precious moments and ones that cannot be repeated. I have every single Gaither dvd and video and cd ever produced. Also, I have Gaither records from the 70's so I think I have some credentials in this review.
   
   First of all, this dvd celebrates Glen Payne's 50 years in gospel music. There are pictures of the celebration and then Glen sings "Canaanland Is Just In Sight" with Ernie Haase and Brock Speer. Glen is so excited and joyful you just want to join in.
   
   Squire Parsons wrote the song Sweet Beulah Land. This is featured on many of the Gaither videos and is sung on the Ryman Gospel Reunion dvd with the Gatlin Brothers accompanied by Squire Parsons. Precious Memories features Squire Parsons singing "Is This Not the Land of Beulah" as well as Sweet Beulah Land.
   
   Songs are as follows:
   
   Precious Memories - Cynthia Clawson
   He is Mine and I am His - Homecoming Friends
   I'll Meet You in the Morning - Homecoming Friends
   I've Never Loved Him Better - Henry & Hazel Slaughter (written by Henry Slaughter)
   Amazing Grace
   One Day at a Time - Ben Speer & Joy Gardner
   Thinkin' About Home - the Talleys
   Going Home - George Younce
   Is Not This the Land of Beulah? - Squire Parsons, Gloria Gaither
   (Gloria Gaither gives a beautiful description of what Beulah means and how we can reach Beulah land here on earth)
   
   God Walks the Dark Hill - Vestal Goodman
   Canaanland is Just in Sight - Glen Payne
   He Leadeth Me - the Martins
   Highway to Heaven - Jessy Dixon
   Sanctuary - Jessy Dixon
   Had It Not Been - Michael English, Mark Lowry, Terry Franklin
   Thank You - Ray Boltz
   
   Many more



5. As a Southern Gospel fan of the older groups from the early 70's and before, I loved seeing the singers I grew up with, now in their senior years, many of them gone now. The singing of the old songs is heart-felt and bring back many memories of my youth when I was learning these songs. If you like the old Southern Gospel music, you will live this DVD.
   Some of the musicians are of the newer generation that sing a more contemporary style; they sound like they are more interested in being "in the groove" than ministering to the heart. But in general, this is a good video as are all the early Gaither Homecoming videos.

5 comments about Peter Cottontail - The Movie.

1. As a Rankin/Bass fan, I always go into these new remake/computer animated/sequel things expecting to hate them. But I loved this one! There are a lot of nice little touches that tie it into not only the original "Here Come Peter Cottontail", but also several other R/B classics. Many of the characters from the original return including Peter, Antoine, Irontail, Elroy and others. The scenery is stunning and the animation is top-notch, but the songs really steal the show. Everytime there is a song, they present in in a trippy music-video style which is just really fun. The whole thing is just very well done, especially for a direct-to-DVD movie - much better than most of the garbage that's shoveled onto us at the theaters. It's very rare that I add a new film into my roster of holiday specials but this one is definately here to stay! Oh yeah, did I mention that the kids liked it too?



2. My son received this last Easter from his grandmother. I watched it with him and honestly I wasn't that crazy about it. My son, however, really liked it and asked to watch it every day for the next week. This is the only holiday movie that he watches year round. One of his favorite parts of this movie is the music. He loves it and dances all around. Just as a side note, my son is very "boy". He loves trucks and sword fights and catching bad guys. This movie is fast paced enough and the music is catchy enough to capture his attention. Yet whenever little girls are around they love to watch this movie as well.



3. I have both editions of the famous Peter Cottontail---luv them both!!! This newer version seems to hold the attention of the children longer than the original, and the colors are great! Watch both movies every Easter for your own tradition!



4. I've only watched it once on Cartoon Network, but i love it! The best part is the music! I really like the ending credits' music! I also like the computer animation. The storyline was well thought out in my opinion, and I thought it was awsome and cute, too! I recommend this movie!



5. The graphics are amazing and the colors are gorgeous! The plot had some really good possibilities and most of the songs were great. Unfortunately, I did not like Peter Cottontail the Movie very much.
   
   It started out looking really wonderful. Then I saw how snotty Peter Junior was to his dad, Peter senior. I didn't end up liking any of the characters, except maybe for Seymour Sassafrass.
   
   Jackie Frost is really cruel to her little penguin slaves. She kicks one of them in the face and causes another one to fall off the bed backwards. Why put this in a children's movie? I also thought the movie was a bit heavy on Jackie's Frost's bumping and grinding. Bring back Jack Frost, please!
   
   Peter Cottontail obviously has the voice of Spongebob (Tom Kenny). While I love Spongebob, I am weary of hearing his voice on every animated TV show. I couldn't stop thinking about Spongebob every time Peter Cottontail Jr spoke. Also, I believe, Jackie Frost and Mrs Cottontail have the same voice which made Mrs Cottontail almost as annoying as Jackie.
   
   The plot here was very imaginative. I only wish they didn't settle for the "Hollywood cute" bratty kid characters and villains with no substance.
   
   I don't know, it's hard to believe Peter Senior from the 1971 Rankin Bass production turned into the dolt they make him out to be in this movie. Even his wife treats him like a kid. I had hoped for so much more.
   
   On the plus side, the Peter Cottontail song at the end of the movie is really cool and your kids will be singing it long after the movie is over. I really had wished I could have given a better review. I didn't feel this movie did the old Rankin Bass movie justice

5 comments about The Easter Story Keepers.

1. This is taken from the gospel of John which I grew up knowing. Most children's Easter videos I have seen have been from Luke. It is nice to see a different version of the story. The way they use the story keepers is great!! My six year old twins loved it!!



2. This is probably the best of all the Story Keepers videos. While there are many fine easter videos, few show the last days of Jesus as honestly and yet "child friendly". My five year old loves the video and watches it year 'round.



3. Bought this for my four year old, thought it'd be a mild introduction to the whole Easter concept. Well, it's been weeks and he still has nightmares about the bad people killing Jesus (and himself, of course) on the cross. They show way too much for the little ones.
   The whole idea behind this series is good, and this video would be fine for a much older child (they would probably follow the dual storylines much better anyway), but please don't subject your little ones to this one - unless you want to explain to the Sunday School teacher why he/she keeps crying and telling everyone that Jesus died. :(



4. My son is three years old and has been asking almost every day since Easter for "the Jesus on the cross" movie. He loves it. It has replaced Peter Pan (which he received for Christmas) as his favorite movie. My daughter who is 5 enjoys it as well.



5. I purchased the entire Story Keepers DVD collection when our son was born. I'd seen a preview of the collection on a TV infomercial and was impressed with the engaging cartoons. Our son is now four years old and he absolutely loves the stories and characters in these wonderful animated Christian DVDs.
   
   The adventures take place in Rome 64 AD. The main characters are a group of children left orphaned during Nero's cruel persecution of Jerusalem. The kids are taken in by the kind baker Ben and his loving wife, Helena. Meeting with other Christians in secret, they tell the stories of fellow believers. They strive to keep alive the stories of Jesus and they become known as The Story Keepers.
   
   These stories are fast paced, nicely narrated, and very engaging. The animation is adequately done, though not on a caliber with Disney or the large animation studios. The backgrounds are more elaborate and much better than the character illustration which is rather plain.
   
   However, the quality of the stories and the endearing characterizations more than make up for the average animation. As a Christian parent you'll feel confident in sharing these DVDs with your children.