As with the Christmas holidays, television programming during the festivities of Easter, can become somewhat tiresome and repetitive; amongst the expected kid-friendly television shows, there are the re-runs of masterpieces such as The Ten Commandments (1956), Ben-Hur (1959), Spartacus (1960), Life of Brian (1979) and The Passion of the Christ (2004). So if you are looking for alternative viewings this Easter, here are some suggestions!
If you are heading to the cinema, you might want to check out Hop (2011), a live-action/animated comedy starring James Marsden and Kaley Cuoco, with Russell Brand providing the voice of E.B. - otherwise known as the 'Easter Bunny.' This feature film will be released in Australian cinemas on April 7, 2011.
Speaking of rabbits, there are a couple of older releases which 'star' rabbits, but are not Easter themed, however they do make for great viewing during the Easter festivities;
Revisit the classic Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988), directed by Robert Zemeckis and starring Bob Hoskins, Christopher Lloyd and Joanna Cassidy.
Or perhaps Harvey (1950) a classic film starring James Stewart, Josephine Hull and Peggy Dow. The comedy/drama is the tale of a mild-mannered middle-aged man, whose best friend is an invisible 6 foot tall rabbit named Harvey.
Speaking of 6 foot tall rabbits with first names, Harvey may have inspired the character of 'Frank' in Richard Kelly's Donnie Darko (2001). Starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Jena Malone and Mary McDonnell, this cult-classic was eventually released as a 'Director's Cut' in 2004 and spawned a sequel in 2009, titled S.Darko.
Who can forget the 'White Rabbit' of Disney's Alice in Wonderland (1951) - this too is perfect Easter viewing! Also, I personally like the 'March Hare,' voiced by Paul Whitehouse and the 'White Rabbit,' voiced by Michael Sheen, in Tim Burton's recent Alice in Wonderland (2010) as well.
Another rabbit, not so cute and cuddly, appeared in Roman Polanski's Repulsion (1965), but I don't think Repulsion will be a popular choice this Easter, nor would Fatal Attraction (1987).
Going back to family movies, there is the classic character of 'Rabbit' in Winnie the Pooh. While the new animated feature film, will not be released in cinemas until July 14, 2011, there are many animated adventures starring the classic A.A. Milne characters, the most recent adaptations include Piglet's Big Movie (2003) and Pooh's Heffalump Movie (2005). An Easter themed feature is the 2004 adventure entitled Winnie the Pooh: Springtime with Roo.
I think everyone adores 'Thumper' from Bambi (1942), how could you not! Apparently he is Roger Rabbit's uncle!
Watership Down (1978) is another animated classic and while it's characters may not be cute and cuddly, they are certainly memorable and affecting.
