*sorry for the lack of a better title for this review*
It was December of 1984 when I first saw this cartoon. I think. Well, how the heck am I to remember?! I was only two years old then! But that's beside the point.
In the beginning . . . . well, in 1980, really . . . . Kevin Gillis created the Raccoons. It was a Canadian toon, that's about all I can tell you, and it also aired in the US (please note, I'm an American who first saw this one on Washington, DC's NBC affiliate). Featured performers were Rich Little who told the story, Rupert Holmes as the voice of Dan the Ranger (best known for his "Pina Colada" song), and Rita Coolidge as Melissa Raccoon. Rupert Holmes and Rita Coolidge also performed the songs in this special (and I must say, Rita Coolidge's speaking voice sure is different from her singing voice!)
As the story goes, Julie and Tommy, who are the children of the chief forest ranger, Dan, are having a pillow fight with each other, and their sheepdog, Schafer (who's about as big as these kids!) Their fun is disrupted when the phone rings, and the kids go out to their father to investigate. Apparently, the trees are being chopped down. So what's so alarming about that, you ask? Beats me. But it makes for an interesting plot when it appears that someone is hacking down the entire forest. Well, sorta . . . .
Later in the show, we meet the main characters, Ralph and Melissa Raccoon, who are a married couple (apparently), and their house guest, Bert Raccoon (no relation to either Ralph or Melissa). Ralph finds out about the forest being destroyed from the local newspaper (who knew Raccoons got a newspaper? But then again, this is a cartoon, so anything's possible). While this is happening, the show's villain appears. His name is Cyril Sneer, a chainsaw wielding, cigar smoking, aardvark (yes, he is an aardvark, NOT an anteater), bent on making millions. He's accompanied by his son, Cedric, a calculator toting, Coke bottle frame glasses wearing college graduate (what that has to do with the plot I'll never know, except maybe it gives us an idea of how old he's supposed to be or somethin', who knows?) with a whiny voice. Cedric is the Voice of Reason Nobody Listens to, and tries to talk Cyril (whom Cedric refers to as "Pop," for those keeping score) out of cutting down these trees, but Cyril doesn't listen, revs up his chainsaw, and takes down a line of trees, including Ralph, Melissa, and Bert's tree. The three raccoons are catapulted from the tree, and the tree rolls down a hill, where it is found and taken home by Julie, Tommy, and Schafer. The Raccoons then go to the kids' cabin to retrieve their Christmas stockings. While Melissa gets the stockings out of the tree, she inadvertently knocks an ornament off the tree, and it hits the floor, and smashes. That wakes up Schafer, and the chase is on. The chase ends when all four fall down a hill inside of a giant snowball, and crash into the side of a lumber mill, owned by Cyril Sneer, who is turning the trees into 2x4's, and working his aardvarks to the brink of exhaustion. Schafer and the Raccoons discover that Cyril's the one destroying the forest (when Julie, Tommy, and Schafer took the tree, the Raccoons assumed they were the forest destroyers), and they all become friends, working together to stop Cyril.
I'm gonna stop there, 'cause I don't want to give away the ending. Okay, now that we get the major gist of the special, on to your favorite and mine, the Pros and Cons.
PROS:
This is the show that launched the "careers" of Ralph Raccoon, Melissa Raccoon, Bert Raccoon, Schafer the dog, Cyril Sneer, and Cedric Sneer.
Bert is just plain funny. Bert Raccoon is ALWAYS funny! He is a laugh riot!
Rita Coolidge's songs were great in this.
CONS:
Not too many in my opinion. Though there were a couple. For one, Cedric's voice could get pretty darn annoying at times.
I didn't care much for Rupert Holmes' songs. I thought they were kind of corny, but that's just my opinion.
But all in all, it's really a cute little story.
It was December of 1984 when I first saw this cartoon. I think. Well, how the heck am I to remember?! I was only two years old then! But that's beside the point.
In the beginning . . . . well, in 1980, really . . . . Kevin Gillis created the Raccoons. It was a Canadian toon, that's about all I can tell you, and it also aired in the US (please note, I'm an American who first saw this one on Washington, DC's NBC affiliate). Featured performers were Rich Little who told the story, Rupert Holmes as the voice of Dan the Ranger (best known for his "Pina Colada" song), and Rita Coolidge as Melissa Raccoon. Rupert Holmes and Rita Coolidge also performed the songs in this special (and I must say, Rita Coolidge's speaking voice sure is different from her singing voice!)
As the story goes, Julie and Tommy, who are the children of the chief forest ranger, Dan, are having a pillow fight with each other, and their sheepdog, Schafer (who's about as big as these kids!) Their fun is disrupted when the phone rings, and the kids go out to their father to investigate. Apparently, the trees are being chopped down. So what's so alarming about that, you ask? Beats me. But it makes for an interesting plot when it appears that someone is hacking down the entire forest. Well, sorta . . . .
Later in the show, we meet the main characters, Ralph and Melissa Raccoon, who are a married couple (apparently), and their house guest, Bert Raccoon (no relation to either Ralph or Melissa). Ralph finds out about the forest being destroyed from the local newspaper (who knew Raccoons got a newspaper? But then again, this is a cartoon, so anything's possible). While this is happening, the show's villain appears. His name is Cyril Sneer, a chainsaw wielding, cigar smoking, aardvark (yes, he is an aardvark, NOT an anteater), bent on making millions. He's accompanied by his son, Cedric, a calculator toting, Coke bottle frame glasses wearing college graduate (what that has to do with the plot I'll never know, except maybe it gives us an idea of how old he's supposed to be or somethin', who knows?) with a whiny voice. Cedric is the Voice of Reason Nobody Listens to, and tries to talk Cyril (whom Cedric refers to as "Pop," for those keeping score) out of cutting down these trees, but Cyril doesn't listen, revs up his chainsaw, and takes down a line of trees, including Ralph, Melissa, and Bert's tree. The three raccoons are catapulted from the tree, and the tree rolls down a hill, where it is found and taken home by Julie, Tommy, and Schafer. The Raccoons then go to the kids' cabin to retrieve their Christmas stockings. While Melissa gets the stockings out of the tree, she inadvertently knocks an ornament off the tree, and it hits the floor, and smashes. That wakes up Schafer, and the chase is on. The chase ends when all four fall down a hill inside of a giant snowball, and crash into the side of a lumber mill, owned by Cyril Sneer, who is turning the trees into 2x4's, and working his aardvarks to the brink of exhaustion. Schafer and the Raccoons discover that Cyril's the one destroying the forest (when Julie, Tommy, and Schafer took the tree, the Raccoons assumed they were the forest destroyers), and they all become friends, working together to stop Cyril.
I'm gonna stop there, 'cause I don't want to give away the ending. Okay, now that we get the major gist of the special, on to your favorite and mine, the Pros and Cons.
PROS:
This is the show that launched the "careers" of Ralph Raccoon, Melissa Raccoon, Bert Raccoon, Schafer the dog, Cyril Sneer, and Cedric Sneer.
Bert is just plain funny. Bert Raccoon is ALWAYS funny! He is a laugh riot!
Rita Coolidge's songs were great in this.
CONS:
Not too many in my opinion. Though there were a couple. For one, Cedric's voice could get pretty darn annoying at times.
I didn't care much for Rupert Holmes' songs. I thought they were kind of corny, but that's just my opinion.
But all in all, it's really a cute little story.