''Yogi the Easter Bear'' is an American

animated Animation is a method by which still figures are manipulated to appear as moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Today, most ani ...

television special A television special (often TV special, or rarely television spectacular) is a standalone television show which may also temporarily interrupt episodic programming normally scheduled for a given time slot. Some specials provide a full range of ent ...

starring

Yogi Bear Yogi Bear is an anthropomorphic animal character who has appeared in numerous comic books, animated television shows and films. He made his debut in 1958 as a supporting character in '' The Huckleberry Hound Show''. Yogi Bear was the first ...

, produced by Hanna-Barbera and animated by Filipino animation studio Fil-Cartoons. It was broadcast in

syndication Syndication may refer to: * Broadcast syndication, where individual stations buy programs outside the network system * Print syndication, where individual newspapers or magazines license news articles, columns, or comic strips * Web 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 ''

'' film.

Plot

Ranger Smith John Francis Smith, more commonly referred to as Ranger Smith (and known as Mr. Ranger by Yogi and Boo-Boo), is a fictional park ranger first appearing in the 1958 ''Yogi Bear'' cartoon series. The character is Yogi's main antagonist, and appears ...

's boss, the Supreme Commissioner, is attending Jellystone Park's Easter Jamboree with his grandchildren. Concerned about making sure the event goes off perfectly, Smith picks out an

Easter Bunny The Easter Bunny (also called the Easter Rabbit or Easter Hare) is a folkloric figure and symbol of Easter, depicted as a rabbit—sometimes dressed with clothes—bringing Easter eggs. Originating among German Lutherans, the "Easter Hare" ori ...

suit and orders a truckload of candy for the celebration, ordering his nearsighted guard, Mortimer, to watch over the candy truck and keep

away from eating any of the candy. Yogi steals the Easter Bunny outfit, dupes Mortimer into thinking he is the real Easter Bunny, and eats all the candy in the truck. Smith is furious and threatens to deport Yogi to the Siberian Circus (just as he had threatened in the previous film), but Boo Boo offers to find the real Easter Bunny and bring him to the jamboree. Smith states that he stopped believing in the Easter Bunny after he didn't get a double-decker raspberry-filled dark chocolate egg from him, but happily appreciates Boo Boo's offer, but tells Yogi to pack his bags. Ranger Smith fears that he too will end up being transferred to Siberia by the commissioner if the jamboree fails. Yogi and Boo Boo seek out the Grand Grizzly in the mountains to see if he knows anything about the Easter Bunny's whereabouts. The cantankerous Grand Grizzly instructs Yogi and Boo Boo to seek the big ears in the sky (a hilltop resembling rabbit ears). They reach the mountain, using the park's hot air balloon, only to find that the Easter Bunny has been kidnapped. Behind the kidnapping is a short and deranged businessman named Paulie, whose goal is to replace all of the world's

Easter egg Easter eggs, also called Paschal eggs, are eggs that are decorated for the Christian feast of Easter, which celebrates the resurrection of Jesus. As such, Easter eggs are common during the season of Eastertide (Easter season). The oldest tr ...

s so people will have to buy these plastic ones, and his massive but dim-witted sidekick named Ernest. Yogi and Boo Boo follow a trail of jelly beans to the factory, where the Easter Bunny is being held captive above a vat of molten plastic. Posing as health inspectors, Yogi and Boo Boo successfully free the Easter Bunny, only to find that Mildred the Magical Easter Chicken is the one responsible for laying the Easter eggs. Yogi and Boo Boo go to the Easter Henhouse to meet her but are accosted by her guard dog, who refuses entry to anyone except Ernest, whom the dog mistakes for the real Easter Bunny. Yogi and Boo Boo, after using a giant

slingshot A slingshot is a small hand-powered projectile weapon. The classic form consists of a Y-shaped frame, with two natural rubber strips or tubes attached to the upper two ends. The other ends of the strips lead back to a pocket that holds the pro ...

to crash through the henhouse's roof, escape with the chicken before Paulie and Ernest can get to her and head for Jellystone Park. A madcap chase after the chicken begins, with the Easter Bunny falling off a cliff and getting seriously injured three times. Meanwhile, back at Jellystone Park, Smith is trying in vain to impress the children and the Commissioner at the Easter Jamboree. The stunts he tries either are ridiculously lame or fail spectacularly, and the Commissioner's grandchildren show no response except a few sarcastic claps and a stern look. The boss is on the verge of firing Ranger Smith when the Easter Bunny, Mildred, Yogi, and Boo Boo crash-land on stage, saving the day. The Commissioner changes his mind and instead promotes Ranger Smith, who decides to let Yogi stay at Jellystone; to thank Ranger Smith for believing, the miraculously healed Easter Bunny gives him what he asked for all these years: a double-decker raspberry-filled dark chocolate egg.

Cast

Greg Burson Gregory Lewis Burson (June 29, 1949 – July 22, 2008) was an American voice actor. He was best known as a replacement for voice actors Daws Butler and Mel Blanc following their deaths in 1988 and 1989, respectively. Career Burson was trained ...

* Don Messick - Boo Boo Bear and

* Charlie Adler - Paulie *

Gregg Berger Gregory Alan Berger (born December 10, 1950) is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Jecht from ''Final Fantasy X'' and the ''Dissidia Final Fantasy'' games, Grimlock from '' The Transformers'', Mysterio and Kraven the Hunter from '' ...

- Guard Dog and the Narrator * Marsha Clark - Female Ranger *

Jeff Doucette Jeffrey Doucette (born November 25, 1947) is an American character actor. Growing up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, he was the second of eight children born to Elizabeth (Betty Andres) and William (Bill) Doucette. Jeffrey attended Marquette Universit ...

- Ernest *

Ed Gilbert Edmund Francis Gilbert (June 29, 1931 – May 8, 1999) was an American actor, with extensive credits in both live-action roles and voice work in animation, although he was better known for the latter. He is also credited, under his birth name (E ...

- Supreme Commissioner Clarence and Grand Grizzly * Rob Paulsen -

, Male Ranger *

Jonathan Winters Jonathan Harshman Winters III (November 11, 1925 – April 11, 2013) was an American comedian, actor, author, television host, and artist. Beginning in 1960, Winters recorded many classic comedy albums for the Verve Records label. He also h ...

- Ranger Mortimer

Credits

* Executive Producers: Bill Hanna and Joe Barbera * Music by: Steven Bramson * Story by:

Davis Doi Davis Doi (born 1957) is a animation director and producer known for numerous American animated series and television films, as well as various ''Scooby-Doo'' and ''Care Bears'' video productions. He has been a part of many Hanna-Barbera and Cart ...

, Jeff Holder, Scott Jeralds, Bob Onorato, Pat Ventura * Produced by:

* Directed by:

Robert Alvarez Robert James Alvarez (born January 22, 1948) is an American animator, storyboard artist, television director, and writer. Alvarez studied at the Chouinard Art Institute, which later became the California Institute of the Arts, graduating in 197 ...

* Story Editor: Joe Barbera * Production Design:

, Scott Jeralds * Teleplay by: Jeff Holder * Unit Production Supervisor: Victoria McCollum * Argentina · Storyboarding: Jaime Diaz Studios * Animation Directors: Joanna Romersa, Allen Wilzbach,

, Joan Drake, Frank Andrina, Rick Bowman * Casting and Recording Director:

Kris Zimmerman Kris Zimmerman Salter is an American voice and casting director in the animation and video game industry. Her major works include the ''Metal Gear Solid'' series. In the cartoons, she has directed episodes for ''Ben 10'', ''The Real Adventures o ...

* Supervising Recording Engineer: Edwin Collins * Recording Engineer: Alvy Dorman * Voices:

, Don Messick, Charlie Adler,

, Marsha Clark,

, Rob Paulsen,

* Design Supervisor: Bob Onorato * Designers: Mike Takamoto, Pete Alvarado, Eric Clark, Kirk Hanson,

Butch Hartman Elmer Earl "Butch" Hartman IV (born January 10, 1965) is an American animator, director, producer, writer, and voice actor. He is most known for creating the Nickelodeon series ''The Fairly OddParents'', ''Danny Phantom'', '' T.U.F.F. Puppy'', ...

, Scott Hill, Scott Jeralds, Lew Ott, Steve Swaja * Design Assistants: Dana Jo Granger, Donna Zeller, Jesus Rodriguez * Layout Keys Supervisor: Drew Gentle * Layout: Bob Givens, Dick Ung, Drew Gentle, Martin Strudler, Lew Ott, Karenia Kaminski, Dean Thompson, John Perry, Hal Mason * Background Supervisor: Al Gmuer * Background Color Stylist: Ron Dias * Background Design: Gary Lund, Richard H. Thomas * Background: Ruben Chavez, Leonard Robledo, Patricia Palmer-Phillipson, Richard H. Thomas, Flamarion Ferreira, Mike Humphries, Alison Julian, F. Monte, Andy Phillipson, Phil Phillipson, Jeff Richards, Craig Robertson, Tom Woodington * Director of Music Production: Bodie Chandler * Ink & Paint Supervisor: Alison Leopold * Color Key: Suzette Darling * Xerography: Star Wirth * Post Production Supervisor: Tom Gleason * Camera: John Burton Jr., Larry Hogan, Ray Lee * Camera by: Ted Bemiller & Son's Camera, Morgan's Maxi-Cam * Supervising Editors: Tim Iverson,

Lee Gunther Lee Gunther (May 30, 1935 – August 25, 1998) was a co-founder of Marvel Productions and a film editor (which, in animation parlance, means sound effects editor) on more than 85 animated shorts in all. Career Starting at Warner Bros. in the 19 ...

* Editors: Gil Iverson * Post Production Coordinator: Jeannine Roussel * Track Readers: Jim Hearn, Kay Douglas, Carol Iverson, Kerry Iverson * Negative Consultant: William DeBoer, Jr. * Assistant to the Producer: Mary Roscoe * Animation Production Service by: Fil-Cartoons, Inc. * Overseas Production Manager: Jerry Smith * Overseas Layout Director: Margaret Parkes * Overseas Animation Directors: Chris Cuddington, Aichu So * Production Executive: Catherine Winder * Program Executive: Jeff Holder * This Picture Made Under the Jurisdiction of IATSE-IA Affiliated with A.F.L.-C.I.O. * © 1994 Hanna-Barbera Cartoons, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Home media

VHS release

On February 15, 1995, Turner Home Entertainment released ''Yogi the Easter Bear'' on VHS in Region 1 in the United States and Canada, and on VHS in Region 4 on December 22, 1995 by

Roadshow Entertainment Roadshow Entertainment (formerly known as Roadshow Home Video from 1982–1993) is an Australian home video, production and distribution company that is a division of Village Roadshow (formerly Roadshow Home Video and Roadshow Entertainment) t ...

in Australia. Two years later, on February 4, 1997, Turner re-released the special as part of their

Cartoon Network Video Cartoon Network (often abbreviated as CN) is an American cable television channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. It is a part of The Cartoon Network, Inc., a division that also has the broadcasting and production activities of Boomerang, Ca ...

line. On March 21, 2000, it was released on VHS for the last time, distributed by

Warner Home Video Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Inc. (formerly known as Warner Home Video and WCI Home Video and sometimes credited as Warner Home Entertainment) is the home video distribution division of Warner Bros. It was founded in 1978 as WCI Home Vide ...

and Warner Bros. Family Entertainment for their Century 2000 promotion.

DVD release

Warner Home Video released ''Yogi the Easter Bear'' on DVD in Region 1 on February 8, 2005

The special was re-released together with the 2010 film ''

'' in a limited DVD double pack on March 22, 2011.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Yogi The Easter Bear Yogi Bear films Yogi Bear television specials 1994 films 1994 animated films 1994 television specials Easter television specials Animated television specials Hanna-Barbera television specials Films scored by Steven Bramson Hanna-Barbera animated films Easter Bunny in television 1990s American films