I'm one of many people who loves Rankin-Bass's Christmas specials, but most of their non-Christmas works sadly seem to be lesser known, and The Easter Bunny Is Coming to Town is no exception. I've been a fan of it for all my life, but for the longest time, I didn't know Rankin-Bass made it. This isn't one of the best RB specials/movies, but not one of the worst ones either. I like Peter Cottontail better. The story is narrated by SD Kluger (voiced by Fred Astaire), the same mailman who narrates Santa Claus Is Coming to Town, and he has come back to tell the story of Sunny the Easter Bunny.
If you've seen this before, you know that this is the Easter Bunny's origin story. One of the best things about it is that it reveals a number of secrets about the Easter Bunny and Easter traditions that have been kept for God knows how long, like why we color Easter eggs, why the bunny hides them, how Easter toys came to be, how jellybeans and chocolate bunnies came along, why people sometimes wear Easter clothes (even though I hate wearing fancy/formal wear and never wear traditional Easter clothing), and more. Obviously, nearly any "burning" questions one may have about the bunny or Easter are answered here. It's not afraid to have some religious elements like Easter's bible story.
The premise is interesting, but not just because the origins of Easter traditions are revealed. Only kids live and work in Kidville, the main setting. A lot of kids in Kidville have jobs, like a firefighter, a police officer, a chef, a teacher, a mailman (young SD Kluger. That's how he knows the story), and many more, which makes the premise compelling and original. They run their own shops, make their own laws, and maybe even stay up as late as they want. That's every kid's dream, or is it?
The characters are highly likable and engaging! My favorite character is Chuggs the train. He is a funny character, especially when he repeats things in a similar fashion to when The Little Engine That Could says, "I think I can! I think I can! I think I can!" (e.g., "Easter's coming! Easter's coming! Easter's coming!" or "Lots of trouble! Lots of trouble! Lots of trouble!"). He also reminds me of Thomas the Tank Engine, and his train friends somewhat resemble Thomas's friends. Enough said.
The songs are good. The titular song, "The Easter Bunny Is Coming to Town," surprisingly isn't the same tune as Santa Claus Is Coming to Town, though it has a similar but slightly different beat. "You Think Nobody Loves You, But They Do" is my favorite. Why? It is a soft, sweet, and relaxing song, and it has a heartfelt message: love yourself, and it's not true that nobody loves you, hence the title.
Overall, this is a good special/TV movie! It's perfect for Easter, but it is not without its flaws. 1) This is somewhat of a rehash of Santa Claus Is Coming to Town. However, some changes to the plot have been made, which makes up for this problem. 2) The ending is rushed: the main villain, Queen Lily Longtooth, is angry about everyone in Town (yes, her land/town is just called Town) having kids and celebrating Easter for a minute, and then she redeems herself right away and magically starts to love Easter. 3) When the flashbacks fade away at the end, SD Kluger is shown as an adult again, and the rest of the characters are shown with him, but the other kids from Kidville are still kids for some reason. These items are why I give this an 8/10.
