Toy Stuffy the Rabbit (nicely voiced by Robert Morse) magically comes to life and journeys to Easter Valley, an enchanted realm where it's always springtime. Stuffy hopes to bring the first-ever basket of Easter goodies to kids. However, evil ice creature Zero tries to stop Stuffy. This wonderfully warm and engaging program benefits greatly from likable characters, a pleasant and good-natured tone, a couple of infectiously catchy'n'merry songs ("There's That Rabbit" in particular is one extremely hummable little ditty),a trio of amusing comic relief bunny con artists, and a wealth of pure heart that's impossible to either resist or dislike (the relationship between Stuffy and his original little girl owner Glinda is genuinely sweet and touching). Burl Ives makes for a marvelously jolly and affable narrator. Moreover, a veteran cast of familiar voice artists tackle their parts with commendable aplomb, with the legendary Paul Frees doing double duty as a helpful Santa Claus and no-count meanie Zero. Kudos are also in order for Maury Laws' supremely bouncy and uplifting score. A total treat.

This must've been one of the lesser aired Easter specials, because I don't remember ever seeing this on t.v. when I was little/younger. So I'm not as familiar with it as I am with another Rankin-Bass Easter special, Here Comes Peter Cottontail. I don't even recall seeing any copy of the VHS cover of this and another reviewer on here mentioned this also aired on the Disney channel, about which I had no idea either. But catching it on Youtube earlier this month makes up for it. This is another well-done Rankin-Bass Easter special that's just as great as Peter Cottontail. I like how everything came together. Although the Easter bunny may not be what Easter truly is all about, this still makes for one of the nice ways of explaining another aspect of how this particular rabbit came to be. What make me love this the most are the moments that grab and keep me engaged, ranging from the tender (Glinda receiving Stuffy as a Christmas present) to the poignant (Glinda no longer being allowed to keep Stuffy, to whom she was attached, due to him being a health hazard) to the funny (the three rabbits Stuffy comes across after being brought to life, thanks to the sprite, Calliope),to the triumphant (Stuffy managing to retrieve the Golden Lilly, preventing the valley from being completely frozen by Zero, and reuniting with Glinda on Easter Day). I wonder how exactly (possibly magic again aside) the plush Stuffy was still able to talk before becoming a live rabbit, despite originally being a stuffed doll. Both the older Stuffy and Sam the Snowman from Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer are not only voiced by folk artist Burl Ives, but are also drawn in his likeness as a reference. There's a third Rankin-Bass Easter special I have yet to see, The Easter Bunny Is Comin' To Town, but I will see it soon too. I'm sure it ought to be just as great as the other two comprising the Rankin-Bass Easter special trilogy. I enjoyed it and anyone who hasn't seen this but still enjoys watching a great holiday special will and should too. It's another in a line of the best holiday specials of all time.

"The First Easter Rabbit" is a Rankin/Bass cartoon from 40 years ago and as they always do more or less, it runs for between 20 and 30 minutes. This is their duo on the Easter Holidays and they got a decent cast line up for this one: Oscar winner Burl Ives, legendary voice actor Stan Freberg and Robert Morse who you may know from "Mad Men". And the voice acting is also the biggest strength. Unfortunately, it cannot save the film as the story is really not too good. There is a reason why this one (unlike other Ranking/Bass) works was not nominated for an Emmy and is not really that known today anymore. Why did they include Santa and a main villain from Santa's past. This is about the Easter Bunny. Is the character not interesting enough to carry this film on his rabbit shoulders? I think he is. Anway, the animation here (especially the bunnies and humans, particularly the girl) is not to my liking either really, but that is just personal preference. I did not enjoy this one. Thumbs down.