Rabbit Ears Productions
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Rabbit Ears Productions is a production company best known for producing three television series that feature individual episodes adapting popular pieces of children's literature. Rabbit Ears episodes have been released on home video, broadcast on Showtime, and rerun on PBS. The series features actors, such as Robin Williams, Raul Julia, Laura Dern, Denzel Washington, Meryl Streep, John Hurt, Danny Glover and others narrating children's books that are either well known in the United States or around the world. The series made use of a limited animation technique whereby still images are moved throughout the scene, similar to modern motion comics. Rabbit Ears Productions has also won numerous awards, including Parents' Choice Awards and Grammy Awards.
| Rabbit Ears Productions | |
|---|---|
| Narrated by | Various |
| Composer | Various |
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of seasons | 4 |
| No. of episodes | 65 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | Mark Sottnick and Mike Pogue |
| Running time | 30 minutes per episode |
| Original release | |
| Network | Direct-to-video Showtime |
The stories were released on CDs, VHS, and DVD by several distributors, including Random House Home Video (1985 to 1986), Sony Video Software (1987 to 1990), and Uni Distribution Corp.
Rabbit Ears Productions was acquired by Vanguard Animation in early 2024; the studio then began uploading full episodes of its programs onto its official YouTube channel.
From 1984 to 1990, Rabbit Ears Productions created a set of storybook classics that were well known around the world. Probably the most popular storybook classic from Rabbit Ears Productions was The Velveteen Rabbit, the first story that Rabbit Ears Productions had created.[original research?] The Velveteen Rabbit also received many awards, such as a Parents' Choice Award and a nomination for a Grammy Award. Showtime acquired the broadcast rights to Storybook Classics in 1987.[citation needed]
From 1991 to 1995, Rabbit Ears Productions created the next set of stories that were collected from around the world,[1] including the countries of Russia, France, Jamaica, England, Germany, Colombia, Scandinavia, Japan and India.
American Heroes and Legends
From 1992 to 1993, Rabbit Ears Productions made another set of stories that originated in the U.S., about great American heroes, such as John Henry, Johnny Appleseed, and many other heroes and heroines who made a great impact on American society.[citation needed]
The Greatest Stories Ever Told
From 1991 to 1993, Rabbit Ears Productions created its final installments, relating to stories from the Bible.
The Bible stories are:
- The Creation
- Noah and the Ark
- Joseph and His Brothers
- Moses in Egypt
- Moses the Lawgiver
- Ruth in Cannaan
- David and Goliath
- The Story of Esther
- Daniel and the Lions' Den
- Jonah and the Whale
- The Savior is Born
- Parables That Jesus Told
Of the 13 Bible stories, the first 11 focus on stories from the Old Testament (Genesis, Exodus, Ruth, Samuel, Esther, Daniel and Jonah), and the final 2 focus on stories from the New Testament.[citation needed]
This series was not shown on television. Of the 13 Bible stories, 9 were released on VHS and DVD. None were in the order found in the Bible, except The Creation (which was first) and Parables That Jesus Told (which was last).[citation needed]
In The Creation video, the narrator concludes that Adam and Eve ventured into the world. They "went out into the world until they returned to the ground from which they were made".[citation needed]
Holiday Classics are stories that are found throughout all the Rabbit Ears Productions series, whether they are Christmas, Halloween or Easter-themed.[citation needed]
- Holly Hunter: told The Three Billy Goats Gruff / The Three Little Pigs
- Meg Ryan: told Red Riding Hood / Goldilocks
- Denzel Washington: told John Henry / Anansi
- Robin Williams: told The Fool and the Flying Ship / Pecos Bill
- Jonathan Winters: told Paul Bunyan
- Danny Glover: told Brer Rabbit and Boss Lion / Brer Rabbit and the Wonderful Tar Baby / How the Leopard Got His Spots / Moses in Egypt
- Meryl Streep: told The Tale of Mr. Jeremy Fisher / The Tale of Peter Rabbit / The Velveteen Rabbit / The Night Before Christmas / The Tailor of Gloucester
- Glenn Close: told The Emperor and the Nightingale / The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
- John Hurt: told Aladdin and the Magic Lamp
- Raul Julia: told The Monkey People
- Kelly McGillis: told Thumbelina / Noah and the Ark
- Laura Dern: told The Song of Sacajawea
- John Candy: told Stormalong
- Morgan Freeman: told Follow the Drinking Gourd / The Savior is Born
- Jack Nicholson: told The Elephant's Child / How the Rhinoceros got his Skin / How the Camel got his Hump
- Sigourney Weaver: told Peachboy
- Whoopi Goldberg: told Koi and the Kola Nuts
- John Lone: told The Five Chinese Brothers
- Anjelica Huston: told Rip Van Winkle
- Ben Kingsley: told The Tiger and the Brahmin / Moses the Law-giver
- Jason Robards: told Jonah and the Whale
- Nicolas Cage: told Davy Crockett
- Mel Gibson: told David and Goliath
- Garrison Keillor: told Johnny Appleseed / Parables that Jesus Told
- Bob Hoskins: told The Bremen Town Musicians
- Rubén Blades: told Joseph and his Brothers
- Amy Grant: told The Creation / The Gingham Dog and the Calico Cat / The Lion and the Lamb
- Christopher Reeve: told The Lion and The Lamb
- Keith Carradine: told Annie Oakley
- Michael Keaton: told Mose the Fireman
- Jodie Foster: told The Fisherman and His Wife
- Geena Davis: told Princess Scargo and the Birthday Pumpkin
- Graham Greene: told Squanto and the First Thanksgiving
- Susan Saint James: told A Gingerbread Christmas
- Max von Sydow: told East of the Sun, West of the Moon
- Susan Sarandon: told The Firebird
- John Gielgud: told The Emperor's New Clothes
- Jeremy Irons: told The Steadfast Tin Soldier
- Sissy Spacek: told The Talking Eggs
- Cher: told The Ugly Duckling
- Emma Thompson: told The White Cat
- John Cleese: told Tom Thumb
- Kathleen Turner: told Rumpelstiltskin
- Danny Aiello: told Pinocchio
- William Hurt: told The Boy Who Drew Cats
- Tracey Ullman: told Puss in Boots
- Michael Palin: told Jack and the Beanstalk
- Michael Caine: told King Midas and the Golden Touch
- Catherine O'Hara: told Finn McCoul
- Mark Sottnick: Executive Producer, Producer, Director
- Mike Pogue: Executive Producer
- Eric Metaxas: Writer
- Brian Gleeson: Writer
- C.W. Rogers: Animation Department, Film Editing, Production Design
- Tim Raglin: Illustrator, Art Direction, Director
- Paul Elliott: Art Director
- Ken Hoin: Producer
- Doris Wilhousky: Executive Producer
- Susan C. Anderson: Production Director
American Heroes and Legends
The Greatest Stories Ever Told: 1991–1994
| # | Title | Year released | Summary | Narrator | Illustrator | Music |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Creation | 1991 | Tells the story of how God created the world, while also telling the story of Adam and Eve. | Amy Grant | Stefano Vitale | Bela Fleck and the Flecktones |
| 2 | Joseph and his Brothers | 1991 | Tells the story of how Joseph was abused, but later became second in command of the Pharaoh of Egypt. | Rubén Blades | Garnet Henderson | Strunz and Farah |
| 3 | Jonah and the Whale | 1992 | Jonah, a prophet, must escape God after being tasked to go to the city of Nineveh. | Jason Robards | Jeffrey Smith | George Mgrdichian |
| 4 | David and Goliath | 1992 | David, a young shepherd boy must defeat a giant Philistine warrior named Goliath. | Mel Gibson | Douglas Fraser | Branford Marsalis |
| 5 | The Savior is Born | 1992 | Tells the Story of the Birth of Jesus | Morgan Freeman | Robert Van Nutt | The Christ Church Cathedral Choir |
| 6 | Noah and The Ark | 1992 | God tells a man named Noah that he will flood the world for 40 days and 40 nights, so Noah and his family must build a giant ark with two of every animal in it. | Kelly McGillis | Lori Lohstoeter | The Paul Winter Consort |
| 7 | Moses in Egypt | 1993 | Tells the story of Moses, and his journey to free his fellow Israelites from Slavery. | Danny Glover | Phil Huling | The Sounds of Blackness |
| 8 | Moses The Lawgiver | 1993 | Tells the story of how Moses created The Ten Commandments. | Ben Kingsley | John Collier | Lyle Mays |
| 9 | Parables That Jesus Told | 1994 | Jesus Tells the stories of The Sower, The Good Samaritan and The Prodigal Son. | Garrison Keillor | Stan Fellows | David Lindley |
Holiday Classics: 1986–1994
| # | Title | Year released | Summary | Narrator | Illustrator | Music | Holiday |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Santabear's First Christmas | November 22, 1986 (ABC) | A young bear cub is appointed by Santa Claus to deliver toys on Christmas. | Kelly McGillis | Buck Lewis | Michael Hedges | Christmas |
| 2 | The Gingham Dog and the Calico Cat | December 3, 1990 (Showtime) | A puppy and a kitten fall out of Santa's bag and now must journey to their new home. | Amy Grant | Laszlo Kubinyi | Chet Atkins | Christmas |
| 3 | A Gingerbread Christmas | 1991 | The Prince and Princess of Gingerbread must save Christmas from being cancelled. | Susan Saint James | John Spiers | Van Dyke Parks | Christmas |
| 4 | Squanto and The First Thanksgiving | 1991 | Tells the story of Squanto, and how he helped the Pilgrims. | Graham Greene | Michael A. Donato | Paul McCandless | Thanksgiving |
| 5 | The Night Before Christmas | December 20, 1992 (Showtime) | A retelling of the classic poem of the same name. | Meryl Streep | William Cone, Greg Couch, Vivienne Flesher, Robert Van Nutt, Bill James, and Tom Christopher | Mark O'Connor, The Edwin Hawkins Singers, The Christ Church Cathedral Choir, Van Dyke Parks, Sarah W. Neill and Meryl Streep | Christmas |
| 6 | The Lion and the Lamb | 1994 | A story based on European Legends. | Amy Grant and Christopher Reeve | Bill Kroyer | Lyle Mays | Christmas |
Many of the stories have been made available as audiobooks through Listening Library.
- ^ Erickson, Hal (2005). Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003 (2nd ed.). McFarland & Co. pp. 898–899. ISBN 978-1476665993.