I know, it's Thanksgiving time and I'm reviewing a Halloween special. What of it? It's the last day of October in the Chucklewood Forest (and everywhere else for that matter) and adorable cubs Buttons and Rusty sit in a tree and watch some children playing with their dog, when suddenly a mean old woman dressed as a witch yells at them to stop having fun. Well, the dog's Frisbee gets tossed right at Rusty, knocking him out of the tree, causing he and Buttons to run away. The witch, Mabel, phones Ranger Jones and reports wild animals on the attack, but Jonesy laughs it off. He knows the anthropomorphic animals in his forest are harmless. Soon enough, Rusty and Buttons make it to his cabin, and he tells them about the holiday of Halloween while preparing for the big party he was hosting that evening, and then sends the cubs on their way, because it's a humans-only party. Humans and wild animals don't mix...or so he says. Meanwhile at the cave, the worried parents find their cubs haven't come home yet, so Abner and George go out to look for them. At the trailer park, a Boris and Natasha-esq duo, Lenny and Lulu, are planning something nefarious for the evening while everybody is at the ranger's Halloween the party. What could it be? What else, robberies.
Lenny dresses as a bear, and as soon as Abner and George spot him, they assume he's Buttons and give chase. But when the little bear removes his head to reveal a person underneath, the flummoxed fathers head for the hills. Boy, will they be in dutch with Bridgette and Rosie when they get home. So as the ranger's party takes off, Lenny and Lulu loot Mabel's shop and attempt to steal a van. They're spotted by Buttons and Rusty, who assume they're a bear and a "fox with a funny hat." The robbers are chased away by the van's owner, Sam, and the cubs pick up the witch's hat and bear mask they dropped, deciding to do a little trick or treating of their own. So the two robbers attempt to flee in their RV, only it won't go, so they decide to steal another car. They snatch the van they tried taking before, not knowing Rusty and Buttons were hiding in the back. Sam called in to Ranger Jones to report the stolen van and that kids dressed as a bear and a fox were the perpetrators. We pause for a music break while the ranger heads out to sort this mess. I'm serious, we get an interlude of dancing pumpkins, ghosts and witches, and it's where the title of our special comes from. So Jonesy in his jeep, with stowaways George and Abner set out looking for the cubs, and quickly run into the stolen van. After a brief car chase, the van crashes and the crooks are apprehended. As for Rusty and Buttons, well, that fox just couldn't let well enough alone and attempted to trick-or-treat an old gopher... only to discover it was really a skunk. But it's once again George and Abner who get the worst of the situation.
While not as memorable or as good as The Christmas Tree Train, Which Witch is Which is definitely a good Halloween special. All the great characters are back, getting into all sorts of mischief. This time the kids' fathers get in on the action. George and Abner, those lovable buffoons. And this time, we get a couple of villains added to the story, but they're about as harmless as the animals. If you love Buttons and Rusty, and honestly, how can you not, then I definitely recommend WWIW. It's not as fast paced as Christmas Tree Train, so there's some room for character building, which I think is a nice touch. Though much like CTT, there's a lot of running around, but at least they stop and catch their breath now and then. I also like that Mabel Thorne character and how bi- polar she was. One minute a mean, no-nonsense, no-fun crone and then a thoughtful, kindly woman who was concerned about the children. As I said before, good character building. Check this one out around Halloween or whenever, you'll have a good time.
Lenny dresses as a bear, and as soon as Abner and George spot him, they assume he's Buttons and give chase. But when the little bear removes his head to reveal a person underneath, the flummoxed fathers head for the hills. Boy, will they be in dutch with Bridgette and Rosie when they get home. So as the ranger's party takes off, Lenny and Lulu loot Mabel's shop and attempt to steal a van. They're spotted by Buttons and Rusty, who assume they're a bear and a "fox with a funny hat." The robbers are chased away by the van's owner, Sam, and the cubs pick up the witch's hat and bear mask they dropped, deciding to do a little trick or treating of their own. So the two robbers attempt to flee in their RV, only it won't go, so they decide to steal another car. They snatch the van they tried taking before, not knowing Rusty and Buttons were hiding in the back. Sam called in to Ranger Jones to report the stolen van and that kids dressed as a bear and a fox were the perpetrators. We pause for a music break while the ranger heads out to sort this mess. I'm serious, we get an interlude of dancing pumpkins, ghosts and witches, and it's where the title of our special comes from. So Jonesy in his jeep, with stowaways George and Abner set out looking for the cubs, and quickly run into the stolen van. After a brief car chase, the van crashes and the crooks are apprehended. As for Rusty and Buttons, well, that fox just couldn't let well enough alone and attempted to trick-or-treat an old gopher... only to discover it was really a skunk. But it's once again George and Abner who get the worst of the situation.
While not as memorable or as good as The Christmas Tree Train, Which Witch is Which is definitely a good Halloween special. All the great characters are back, getting into all sorts of mischief. This time the kids' fathers get in on the action. George and Abner, those lovable buffoons. And this time, we get a couple of villains added to the story, but they're about as harmless as the animals. If you love Buttons and Rusty, and honestly, how can you not, then I definitely recommend WWIW. It's not as fast paced as Christmas Tree Train, so there's some room for character building, which I think is a nice touch. Though much like CTT, there's a lot of running around, but at least they stop and catch their breath now and then. I also like that Mabel Thorne character and how bi- polar she was. One minute a mean, no-nonsense, no-fun crone and then a thoughtful, kindly woman who was concerned about the children. As I said before, good character building. Check this one out around Halloween or whenever, you'll have a good time.
