The Tale of Peter Rabbit is the ninth episode of the series HBO Storybook Musicals that aired on June 11, 1991. It is based off of the book of the same name by Beatrix Potter, originally published in 1901. It is narrated by Carol Burnett.
Synopsis[]
A beginning song introduces us to the characters. Mrs. Rabbit sings, alerting her children that they can go into the fields and down the lane, but not into Mr. McGregor's garden. She explains that their father went into the garden to gather vegetables when they were little babies, but he had an accident when Mr. McGregor caught him and turned him into rabbit pie. Mrs. Rabbit then goes to the baker's for bread. Flopsy, Mopsy, and Cottontail go to fetch blackberries, but Peter runs off to Mr. McGregor's garden despite Mrs. Rabbit's warning. As the girls sing about the day while collecting blackberries, they notice Peter is missing. Peter squeezes under the garden gate and finds all the vegetables growing. He eats everything he can find, ignoring the birds that fly by, trying to warn him about Mr. McGregor working in the garden. He eventually runs into Mr. McGregor himself and ran away. Flopsy, Mopsy, and Cottontail continue to wonder where Peter is and bet he might be having fun.
Meanwhile, Peter is still being chased by McGregor, losing both of his shoes and eventually running on all fours. He believes he has lost McGregor for a while until he gets caught in a net, his jacket buttons snagged. Peter gives up, but three birds sing to him, encouraging him to think of a trick quickly. McGregor approaches with a circular net and intends to catch Peter, but only his jacket remains; Peter had run off beforehand. Peter scrambles to the toolshed and hides in a watering can. McGregor searches, and Peter sneezes, causing him to hop around inside the can. He then leaps out the window and hides behind a leaf to rest and dry. Lost and unable to find the exit, he worries he'll be trapped in the garden forever, growing old there, unless McGregor catches him first. Suddenly, a family of mice, reminding Peter of his own family, walks by on their way to a mushroom for lunch. The mother mouse tells her children to play while she prepares lunch, instructing them that they can go under the house and down the path, but to avoid Mrs. McGregor's pantry because their father had an accident with a white cat. Peter sings about wanting to return home to his family, losing hope of finding his way out. But the birds encourage him not to give up, telling him the gate is by the willow tree, and then they guide him there.
They, however, spot the white cat who was by the pond staring at goldfish, and Peter sees the gate that he has to get to by creeping by her. She sings about what she wants to eat. Peter hears the sound of Mr. McGregor working near the gate, but he shouts that he's not scared and starts running as fast as he can to the gate, passing by McGregor. He gets caught in weeds and gets his foot stuck in the mice's picnic basket, but it still doesn't stop him and he reaches the gate. As he tries to squeeze out, McGregor grabs his bottom, but he escapes and he only gets part of his cotton tail. McGregor utilizes his jacket and shoes as a scarecrow, and Peter runs off home, where he lays on the ground and falls asleep. As his siblings have dinner, Peter is bedridden and his mom feeds him tea. He tells her the truth and lost his jacket and shoes in McGregor's garden. She sings to him, and turns off the light for him when he goes to sleep, dreaming about the occurrences that previously happened.
Voices[]
- Carol Burnett - Narrator, Mrs. Rabbit, Cat
- Harry Barandes - Peter Rabbit
- Ivy Aystin - Flopsy, Bluejay
- Fran Brill - Bluejay, Sparrow
- Kevin Clash - Mr. McGregor, Bluejay
- Margery Gray - Cottontail, Cardinal
- Tracey Moore - Mopsy, Sparrow
Uncredited[]
- Kevin Clash - Sparrow, Crow, Bluebird
Songs[]
- Introduction
- That Kind of a Day (sung in three parts)
- Peter Be Careful
- So Near, and Yet, So Far
- Decisions, Decisions
- So Far, and Yet, So Near
Trivia[]
- It is noticeable that whenever the scene cuts, the picture jumps for a quick second before changing.
- This episode was animated by the Canadian Nelvana.
- 22 years later, Nick Jr. aired a British computer-animated television adaptation series of the book. In 2017, a half-live action film was released, but produced by Sony.
- The birds sing Peter's name, but it is unknown how they know his name. It's possible they met before, or they just happen to know who he is.