Easter Is

I have been looking for new Easter shows to watch. I vaguely remember I don't know how old-I-was and one morning, I turned on the TV and saw a snippet of this TV special. Then it slipped from my memory-until I saw it on YouTube, that is.

This lesser-known Easter special is about a boy named Benji who must make a poster portraying the meaning of Easter for a classroom Easter decorating contest at his school. Frustrated for lack of good ideas, he pushes Waldo, his dog and pal, away. Waldo then runs away and becomes lost. In a really bad part of town, Waldo was held hostage by a bad kid in exchange for money. Will Benji pay the ransom? Well, that is all I have to tell you, folks. You will have to tune in to YouTube, if the special is still on there.

I really consider this and a few other Easter specials I could think of criminally underrated and never seen on TV anymore! I mean that the next generation of kids, including my young nephew, should watch these for their Easter. So anyway, I love every bit of this special, with a message that is never too cliche. I really wish it was on DVD.

This is one of many animated specials produced in the 1970s by Lutheran Television that centered around pre-teen Benji and his faithful pet sheepdog Waldo. The one thing that suffers the most is the rather crude, limited animation style and its surreal use of dream sequences (including a live-action outdoors montage), as well as some bits and pieces unsuitable for a children's special.

The voice-over talent does add some charm to it, including Leslie Uggams, as Benji's teacher, who also sings a couple songs throughout the special, but you may still enjoy it for what it is.

Waldo is in trouble. I hope he gets home safe. My sisters Dana and Jolene watched this with me every Easter many years ago. I hope my little nephews Atticus and Beau watch some day to.

This is the best Easter show.

I doubt that this movie succeeds as the producers intended, but as a mix of terrible 70's animation, wrong-footed Christian teaching, and just...some very strange things, I think it's an artifact worth seeking out. Produced by Screen Images, a strange Lutheran production company, "Easter is..." seeks to explain the miracle of Christ's resurrection by way of a boy and his dog, some kidnappers, rats, a surprising amount of blood, and a wholly inappropriate resurrection from the dead. And Leslie Uggams. It's become a cliché to say "this show is like (genre) meets David Lynch", but there is a definite vibe of a Charlie Brown special that has unexpectedly veered off in dangerous, and strangely dreamlike, direction. Highly recommended.