Believe In the Bunny

Believe In the Bunny (1-22 in production order)

Written By: Valerie Aherm + Christain MacLaughlin

Storyboard by: Celia Keudrick

Directed by: Timothy Björklund (All credited on chalk crayons-type)

Original airing of date: March 27th 2005 (Though it has played elsewhere long before it premiered in North America. What they taking them so long to playing these?)

Synopsis: When Brandy have to explain to Mr. Whiskers that the Easter Bunny don't exists at all, it's up to her to restore the rabbit's depressing mood and drag herself as-is.

When Easter is coming up this weekend, let's review the only themed segment from the whole series. Ready? Set! Go!

And it's indeed there that the series start to grew better segment-by-segment, litteraly after some disappointing outings and one that is famously written by the late Earl Kress, One of a Kind, its follow-up is easily one of the most creative and outrageously timed of all the whole TV show, whether what your temper is for such characters could be.

A beginning with Whiskers dancing in the hills like a ballet dancer appear for such no reason, but suddenly, a storm start to came by even electrifying him to the ground. But it's just the beginning of this adventure!

After the storm came to him, the rabbit starting to get vibrations to his own feets (Never known why the show gotten some foot fetish, but it's much suitable than that irking fanfiction of them about "sucking feets" that I've had reading years ago) by made a very off-beat and funny dance, which Whiskers came in any position by also limbs leaps from his body until he realize that the Easter Bunny is coming, despite that all the Amazon Rainforest have known anything about the existence of such Holiday, or a certain Easter Bunny that seems to made up by Whiskers himself... or it is?

Back to the treehouse, Brandy chatted with the two Toucan sisters, Cheryl and Meryl when the louded rabbit announced the biggest new, all marvelled that it's close to be on. His facial expressions are priceless without it gets too distracting or worn its welcome. Brandy has none understandment of its existence, so Whiskers shot her a movie about the origin of the Easter Bunny that came from... Outer Space. As usual, the film start by a random black-and-white locomotive crashing another one, muchly refered to the fake movie reel from Clampett's experimental short to make a cartoon character to a live action setting, What's Cookin, Doc?, featuring... you know who.

In short, Whiskers explained by a old filmprint everything from the birth of a family of rabbits that goes from Outer Space until they give birth to a baby who is become by happenstance, the Easter Bunny. The Whiskers look-a-like of it clearly point that the people who working there have fun to be involving to this series by have fix the mistakes from previous failures. It's shaper, fast and eventually no tiring filler. And of course, Mr. Whiskers have wrote and directed it by seen the credits on-screen, but how such he could believe to this scam?

Aside of Easter Bunny, another plot in this episode is about Gaspard and his Texan cousin henchmen who desire to eat a rabbit for lunch. I love the fact that the Gaspard's cousin have a country music each time he appears in the background. Meanwhile, the exciting rabbit was crazy about the appearence of what would be otherwise from his own imagination. The absurdity of all this works without it comes like a bland social commentary or a boring lecture.

And like it's not enough, at night, Brandy tried to sleep but she gets anytime bothered by Whiskers' playing guitar, then violin and after it, an accordeon in where that annoy Brandy until they does once more in conflict each other. But this time, it's getting fast and without the awkward little-brother-vs.-big-sister feud that was commonly known in not only lots of Disney Channel kidcoms, but lots of cartoons that were done before. When Brandy loud her mouth by yell "WHISKERS!!",  the latter replied also loudly "OK!!!", which means Adler and Cuoko have lots of fun to voicing the leads without be overbearing with the formulaic writing.

A scene that become more famous than it ever deserve it! Kudos to anyone who having the inevitable task to animated their yellings.

Outraged by all HIS hysteria, the angry pooch claims to her frienemy "THAT'S IT, WHISKERS! I CAN'T SAVE IT! THERE IS NO EASTER BUNNY!" until the rabbit screams of this revelation.

That would end the cartoon and it's doubtful anyone will blame it, but no. We have again five long, but decent minutes before the whole thing is done. Sadly, the rest of the cartoon is filled by Brandy feels again sorry to her fault, but one consideration is that even in the most dramatic moments (Whiskers sobbing for hours), the cartoon is funny and charming by this time of outraged panic and constant cynicism. Be remember that this cartoon didn't meant to be rude, but to carry dialogues and teaching youths about tolerance; a trait that is utterly wasted many times, like in the Disney's response to all the Furry community all around, Zootopia! (Why does it exists?)

For fix her mistake, Brandy plan to disguise herself on the Easter Bunny with accessories from her own. I love that she's have two keels on her mouth, proving that the show is a concept by itself. It's indeed a much better and acceptable bunny-drag than it ever was in the very lame and oft-putting Freaky Tuesday. I didn't reviwed it yet, but be sure that this is not getting great by a kind of plot that many times worked-well in other medias before, but in this series, it failed hard by even make their jungle friends much stupid and idiot than they ever are. (Can't they seen they switched both personalities first or are they just blind or utterly dumb?)

When Brandy hop and hop like a rabbit by delivering Easter eggs, she encounter Gaspard and her cousin henchmen in which they capture her by thinking she is the Easter Bunny, even in a disguise. Brandy's friends cheer Whiskers that Easter is all on the place in the jungle but clearly, they goes to search for Brandy. The rabbit grab all the Easter eggs he finding by his mouth, even under a frog Brandy had passed by sooner. The unnamed frog who tried to flirt another female frog been outraged that he realize all the Easter eggs were ate and gone.

The search ended to Gaspard's cave where the gang looked of Brandy be cooked and boiled even by repeated many times that she is not the Easter Bunny. The rabbit seems to realize what his friend says is right, that it's only something he made-up... or it is anyway. As usual, the gang using Whiskers like a weapon by shot tons of Easter eggs to the two counterfeit and saved the day and their friend.

On night, Brandy and Whiskers return to their home and started to realize the mistakes Brandy have made to him and Whiskers by hop and jump, does the same, until the twos go to home and seen a bunch of Easter chocolates and eggs, all well-decorated to the treehouse. The rabbit knows that the Easter Bunny is real when Brandy is not totally convinced, but then the rabbit goes to the window and see an impressive spaceship that delivering goodies to the leads. 

We finally got the perfect one-liner for ending this when Whiskers says "I KNOW IT! I KNOW IT! I know he was real!" Easily the most touching ending ever done for this show. No lame call-back to a prior erratic gag. This is what the show needed to save itself of this mess.

Critique:

A random ballet dancing from Mr. Whiskers in the hills started what will be otherwise the beginning of a series of segments that does much stronger episode-by-episode, and by after some unimpressive efforts like Dear Diary, A Bunny On My Back, Taking Paws or also, Skin of Eeeevillll!. Despite the absurdity of the conceit, it works in all volumes. Some gags were also improved to prior adventures like Whiskers showing to Brandy a filmprint about the Easter Bunny's origins is not without forget the latter showing him a chart of her birthday plan in Happy Birthdays. The presence of Gaspard and his Texan cousin henchmen is a pretty fun gimmick to make away for some non-Brandy-and-Mr.-Whiskers materials for a while. Even the feud between the twos works, by giving a rare sense of justice to the rabbit to be also annoyed by Brandy's ramblings and complainings on him. This is not meant to be rude, but to delivering dialogues and teaching them about tolerance and co-housing. Even the most dramatic moments made the biggest laughs: Whiskers sobbing for hours when he realizing that the Easter Bunny didn't exists after Brandy flaming him in rage is one example; and Brandy that drag herself as the Easter Bunny is a much better fit to her than be in Mr. Whiskers' jumpsuit in the very dreadful-looking Freaky Tuesday. It's hard to says something wrong with this episode, as it would be close to reach the most epic, perfect and memorable outing of all the series. For a Holiday-themed episode, Believe In the Bunny is ten times more effective and watchable than was the later-depressing Christmas long half-hour, On Whiskers, On Lola, On Chery and Meryl. It's on these little details (Like the funny Whiskers' dance after be hit by a thunderstorm, that it became a mini-movie of itself, so much that it would be repeated in the end credits of some Season 2's half-hours later) that most people remember of this series and with an ending that finally stand out logical for once. A classic episode that need much exposure than it ever owned it.