The Raccoons: Let's Dance!

The Raccoons: Let's Dance!
The Raccoons Let's Dance! Title Card.
Written by	Kevin Gillis
Directed by	Kevin Gillis
Starring	Len Carlson Michael Magee Carl Banas Hadley Kay Additional voice: Kevin Gillis
Theme music composer	Kevin Gillis Jon Stroll
Country of origin	Canada, United States
Original language(s)	English
Production
Producer(s)	Kevin Gillis
Editor(s)	Norman LeBlanc
Running time	25 minutes
Production company(s)	Gillis-Wiseman Productions Atkinson Film-Arts
Distributor	Embassy Home Entertainment (United States)
Release
Original release	1984
Chronology
Preceded by	The Raccoons and the Lost Star (1983)
Followed by	The Raccoons (1985–1991)

The Raccoons: Let's Dance! was released in 1984 and is the last of four Raccoons specials. Unlike the previous three, it was a direct-to-video release by Embassy Home Entertainment and Warner Home Video. However, The Disney Channel, Nickelodeon, and Teletoon have shown it when they were airing the Raccoons series. It also serves as the pilot to the television series.

Plot

The story begins with the human characters, Julie and Tommy, listening to records, until their father, Dan the Forest Ranger, reminds them they both have school tomorrow. The kids go to bed and are soon asleep. Schaeffer, the humans' pet sheepdog and the newest member Broo stay awake and notice a falling star in the night sky. Schaeffer tells Broo about the belief that wishes can come true if they are made on a falling star. Broo makes a wish, which Schaeffer interprets as "To be with our friends, dancing". Immediately afterwards, a NASA space shuttle lands outside the cabin, piloted by Bert Raccoon, who takes the two dogs to a dance party elsewhere in the forest, with the rest of their friends attending (along with Cyril's workers).

However, Cyril Sneer and Snag aren't happy with the party, as they want some sleep, and they set about to try and stop the music. They manage to pull the plug on their party (literally) when they find out that their power supply is plugged in back at his mansion, so he unplugs it and all the power goes off, with his evil laughter echoing throughout the Evergreen Forest, but Bert manages to restore the power back on and the party is saved, much to Cyril and Snag's dismay. As the party comes to a close, Bert flies Schaeffer and Broo back home and then flies off into the night sky.

Cast

• Len Carlson - Bert Raccoon
• Michael Magee - Cyril Sneer / Snag
• Carl Banas - Schaeffer
• Sharon Lewis - Broo
• Tammy Bourne - Julie
• Hadley Kay - Tommy

Album

A soundtrack album was released in 1984 to coincide with the special. However, due to contract restrictions, John Schneider was not allowed to feature on the album, despite him performing on three of the songs. This resulted in several other singers (backup singer Frank Floyd and Hank Martin) being drafted in to replace Schneider. Also, four instrumental cues from The Raccoons and the Lost Star appear on this album.

External links

• The Raccoons: Let's Dance! on IMDb