Frank the Wrabbit

Comfortably living in a carrot patch, pondering matters both physical and metaphysical (such as how the sun resembles a giant carrot seen from one end), the highly intelligent, individualist "wrabbit" Frank, finds his worldview severely shaken when he awakes one morning to see his breakfast, lunch and dinner (i.e., the farm's carrot harvest) speeding away in a produce truck. Back legs bounding in hot pursuit, Frank chases the "thief" (like a topsy-turvy version of Beatrix Potter's Tale of Peter Rabbit) all the way to the market where he vociferously argues his case (though silently, since rabbit language is soundless) to a salesman, grabs what small portion of his property he's able to retrieve, and promptly becomes the object of the hunt himself. I won't reveal the rest of Frank's adventures, which extend beyond the market (and even into the future); suffice it to say that Oscar-winning animator John Weldon (whose Special Delivery remains one of my favorite animated shorts) throws several more kinks into this wacky "wrabbit" tale that celebrates creative thinking while casting a satirically skewed glance at human foibles. Although some of the comedy will likely be lost on younger viewers, most audiences will find this slightly twisted bunny story to be a real treat. Recommended. Aud: E, P. (R. Pitman)