The Berenstain Bears' Easter Surprise
The Berenstain Bears' third NBC special, with a silent debut for Sister Bear.
Produced by Buzz Potamkin and Hal Hoffer, the Easter TV special The Berenstain Bears' Easter Surprise first aired on NBC on April 14, 1981. Mordicai Gerstein and Al Kouzel directed the program, which was based on Stan and Jan Berenstain's book series.
Quick Facts
- Creator
- Stan and Jan Berenstain
- Director
- Mordicai Gerstein; Al Kouzel
- Starring
- Ron McLarty
- Pat Lysinger
- Bob McFadden
- Knowl Johnson
- Zachary Danziger
- Theme music
- Elliot Lawrence
- Country
- United States
- Language
- English
- Producer
- Buzz Potamkin; Hal Hoffer
- Runtime
- 25 minutes
Facts from the source article.
Development
The Berenstains' first animated holiday special, The Berenstain Bears' Christmas Tree, aired on NBC in December 1979 and was produced by Joe Cates and the Joseph Cates Production Company. The Berenstain Bears Meet Bigpaw was the second in a series of five annual specials. The script used rhyming couplets for both narrator and character dialogue, a style familiar from the Berenstain Bears Beginner Books.
Plot
The story begins with the Bear family on a picnic before the clock rewinds to a time before Sister was born, when Brother was the only cub. During fall, Brother asks Papa many questions about life, and Papa plays along despite not knowing the answers. As winter arrives and lingers, Mama and Papa are anxious for spring because they have a special Easter surprise they will not disclose. Brother notices he cannot sit on Mama's lap anymore. Papa tells Brother about candy and the Easter Bunny, while Mama sings about new life and miracles. The family visits Boss Bunny, Bear Country's official Easter Bunny, only to find he has quit. Papa attempts to be the Easter Bunny by creating his own candy and egg factory, but it ends in disaster. Brother searches for Boss Bunny on his own and meets Bill Bunny, Boss Bunny's son, who leads him to the abandoned Easter Factory. There they find Boss Bunny asleep. Brother asks him to resume his duties, but Boss complains of burnout. The Great Spring Rainbow appears, relieving his ailments and reviving his energy, and the factory resumes operation. On Easter morning, Brother finds candy, and Mama reveals the surprise: Baby Sister Bear. When Brother asks where she came from, Papa is speechless, but Mama reminds him about the miracle of new life, and Brother notices he can sit on Mama's lap again.
Production and casting
The 25-minute special was created and written by Stan and Jan Berenstain, with original music composed and conducted by Emmy-winning musician Elliot Lawrence and lyrics by Stan Berenstain. The score included three original songs. This special is the only one of the five in which Gabriela Glatzer does not voice Sister Bear; Sister Bear instead made her debut in a silent cameo as a baby near the conclusion.
Home media releases
In 1984, Embassy Home Entertainment released the special on LaserDisc as a double-feature with The Berenstain Bears' Christmas Tree titled A Berenstain Bears Celebration. It was released on VHS in 1987 by Embassy Home Entertainment as part of their Children's Treasures series, and in 1989 by Kids Klassics. GoodTimes Home Video re-released it in 1992 on VHS and in 2002 on DVD, both as a double-feature with The Berenstain Bears' Christmas Tree. Sony Wonder released a DVD edition in 2008 bundled with bonus episodes from the 1980s cartoon series.
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