Was shown theatrically with Give My Regards to Broad Street (1984). Unlike the critically derided live-action feature film, this short was hailed as a charming classic as its BAFTA win for Best Animated Film attests. Executive Producer Paul McCartney eventually agreed with that opinion and later gave this film special considerations for video release while the live-action feature film was ignored as much as possible.
The song (credited to Paul Mccartney and the Frog Chorus) was recorded in 1980 by McCartney and George Martin but not released until 4 years later (November 1984) when the animation was completed and legal rights regarding the use of Rupert Bear had been cleared up. McCartney was a huge childhood fan of the Daily Express comic strip, which had run since 1920, and funded the impressive animated short film himself. The song and video appealed to many UK children and adults fondly remembering their chilhoods and reached number 3 in the UK singles charts (kept off the top spot by the Band Aid charity single and Wham' s 'Last Christmas') during the 1984 Christmas holidays. However as Rupert was a particularly British creation and relatively unknown outside of the UK the record was not released in most other countries.