
Billy Bunny's Animal Songs was released direct-to-video on May 21, 1993. It was the first of the titles in the Muppet Sing-Alongs series.
Contents
Kermit the Frog tells the story of Billy Bunny (performed by Kevin Clash), who sings his way through the forest as he runs across a swamp full of frogs, a cave full of rapping bears and a singing porcupine (and even an appearance by one of the ever-present Muppet penguins). Jerry Nelson, Richard Hunt, and Fran Brill performed various animals of the forest, and Carmen Osbahr is credited in one of her first productions with the Muppets.
Production on the video commenced shortly after Jim Henson's death in 1990 and was immediately followed by The Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson.[1] The framing scenes with Kermit, however, were filmed following production of The Muppet Christmas Carol.[note 1] The special was notably the first video release featuring Steve Whitmire performing Kermit (with The Muppet Christmas Carol being released on video later in the year), and one of the last projects Richard Hunt was involved in. The video was released over a year after Hunt's passing.
Song List
- "Hoppity-Boppity"
- "We Are Different"
- "Bear Rap"
- "The Termite Chew"
- "I Have a Secret"
- "Please Don't Bump Into Me"
- "Frog Talk"
- "Swim Away, Hooray!"
- "Hoppity-Boppity" (reprise)
Characters
Billy Bunny
Performer: Kevin Clash
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Gophers
Performers: Jim Martin, David Rudman, Carmen Osbahr, Kathryn Mullen When Billy begins his trip through the forest, he first stops at Gopher Ville, where he meets several gophers who sing about how different they are, despite that they all look the same. | |
Cecil, Percival, and Edgar Bear
Performers: Jerry Nelson, David Rudman, Richard Hunt
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The Termite Performer: David Rudman
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The Porcupine
Performer: Fran Brill
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Raccoons
Performers: Richard Hunt, Jerry Nelson In a darker part of the forest, Billy encounters a pair of raccoons who are so secretive, they conceal what they're doing and even the fact that they're animals. They elaborate on their secret ways in the song, "I Have A Secret". | |
Frogs
Performers: Jim Martin, Joey Mazzarino, Fran Brill, Jerry Nelson, David Rudman, Kathryn Mullen, Carmen Osbahr A family of amphibians sing a song about talking in frog. | |
The Turtle
Performer: Jerry Nelson
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Notes
- The "Muppet Sing Along" theme shows scenes involving Kermit, Billy Bunny, and some live children, which are not present in the video itself.
Credits
- Muppet Performers: Kevin Clash, Fran Brill, Richard Hunt, Rick Lyon, Jim Martin, Joe Mazzarino, Kathryn Mullen, Jerry Nelson, Carmen Osbahr, David Rudman, Steve Whitmire
- Director: David Gumpel
- Writers: Bill Prady, Jim Lewis
- Producers: Alex Rockwell, Ritamarie Peruggi
- Words and Music: Dave Kinnoin
- Music Produced by: Dave Kinnoin, Jimmy Hammer
- Theme Song: Mark Radice
- Vocal Coach: Dave Conner
- Puppet Captain: Kevin Clash
- Muppet Workshop: Rollin Krewson, Fred Buchholz
- Executive Producer: Brian Henson
Sources
- ↑ Barry, Chris. "The Muppets pay tribute to Jim Henson", Jim Hill Media, September 14, 2005
- Footnotes
- ↑ A production photo of Miss Piggy as Emily Cratchit is seen in Kermit's cabin during the framing scenes.