The Raccoons project - a Christmas special, with an environmentalist message, that introduced the three main Raccoons (Bert, Ralph, Melissa), Cyril Sneer, Cedric Sneer, Ranger Dan, Tommy, Julie, and Schaeffer. This is the only time in the whole franchise where the humans (Tommy and Julie) and the Raccoons met each other.
A second special which focused on a hockey game between the Raccoons and Cyril's team, for the fate of Evergreen Lake. Introduces Cedric's girlfriend Sophia Tutu, the Sneer's pet dog Snag, and Cyril's bear henchmen. The characters are all far-more closer in style to the final series' characterizations of them (notably Ralph and Melissa, who previously seemed to have the same personality as Bert rather than their calmer, more intellectual forms, seen later). The animation had also progressed significantly from the first special too, notably the images of both Cyril and Cedric.
Toyed with the series concepts and format, setting the action on an alien planet that Schaeffer the dog ends up on (possibly an early attempt to write-out the three human characters he had been seen with in the previous two specials). Also introduces Cyril's three pig flunkies and Broo the puppy. Considered by many to be closest to the regular series in terms of tone, characterization, etc. Also of note is that it was twice the length of the other specials. This special was separated into two parts for some TV broadcasts, with a couple of scenes edited out, due to timing.
Cyril smells conspiracy when the pigs report having overheard a disturbing conversation between the raccoons, about a surprise for Cyril that would "teach him", and involves balloons loaded with gun powder... Feeling his health and wealth threatened, he sends out his spies. Soon after, he's told the raccoons were hiding a secret weapon. He remembers Cedric's friendly relationship with the "traitors", and wants to send him to further investigate, but puts right into his private jail when he finds him in the middle of writing a warning message to them. Fortunately, little Broo manages to escape unnoticed and alert Cedric's friends, who sneak into the house at night. They free him, but in such a noisy manner that Cyril awakens and chases them into the woods on a motorcycle, in the hope they'd lead him to their hiding place, which actually happens. Finally, he reaches them standing around a huge wooden box (which he suspects to be holding the secret weapon), falls into a mad rage and tries
Julie and Tommie, Ranger Dan's kids, are about to spend their first night alone in the woods. Before he leaves them in their tent, Dan tells them about Evergreen mountain, and a mystical being that legends claim to be living up there, watching over the mountain and protecting a dark secret. Ralph and Melissa have a discussion with Bert: they feel he's clinging to them more than he should, and doesn't grant them enough privacy. Bert's deadly insulted, but, at the same time, mightily provoked by their idea that he might be afraid of being alone... so in order to show them, he wants to undertake something truly impressive, all by himself, and decides to climb said mountain. But as soon as Cyril gets wind of Bert's enterprise, he's after him, trying by all means to prevent him from reaching the top. We then learn that the dark secret hidden there belongs to Cyril; an inheritance he hates deeply, but can't destroy due to a promise he gave. He feels he can't allow anyone else to find it, he
Bert and Ralph set off to visit The Fortress, an old "clubhouse" where they used to spend their time when they were young. They take Cedric with them, in order to introduce him into the club, but lose the girls by telling eerie stories about the place they'd go to - ghosts terrorizing unsuspecting campers, and an old spooky house. Soon, they arrive at the Fort, which turns out as a wooden cabin that could break down any minute. Before they can move in, they'll have to spend some time with repairs. They're not aware that Cyril is spending his vacations nearby (as recommended by his doctor), together with the pigs who are to serve him and watch his blood pressure, which rises dangerously when the Raccoons and Cedric start their noisy activities. The pigs are sent to check out the noise. At night, our friends row through a nearby lake, to an island where said house is located. In order to prove himself as a worthy club member, Cedric will have to spend the night in there, alone... At this
Cyril pitches his idea called the "Sneermobile" to Mr. Mammoth. The design sounds simple enough, but when Mammoth begins to have doubts about a solar-powered car being sold, Cyril instantly halts production and gets to work on a menacing new "Sneermobile." When it seems the new car could threaten the very existence of the forest, such as be levelled for land to make a "Sneermobile Factory," Cedric's friends help him salvage the parts and rebuild the car anew. With Bert at the wheel, the car is now dubbed the "Solarcoaster." On the day of the "Sneermobile's" trial run before Mr. Mammoth, our gang brings the Solarcoaster to the race, and pretty soon, Cyril is pulling out all stops to not have his new demonic-looking Sneermobile lose. But still, almost all tricks don't hold up in the end, as the Solarcoaster makes it over the finish line in one piece, while Cyril's car is decimated by being pushed to the limits of it's "Turbo-power." Mr. Mammoth decides that through the trial run, the "So
While fishing, Bert finds a treasure map in a boot. They make a ship out of barrels with Cedric and set out to find treasures. In the meantime, the pigs find out about their scheme and tell Cyril Sneer. Cyril, greedy for money, chases them. Bert and Cedric find the treasures, but Cyril shows up and claims possession of the land where they dug up the treasures. But Cedric recollects that Cyril never told him that the land was his, and he and Bert set out in pursuit of Cyril. During the pursuit, Cedric falls in the river and Cyril must choose if he loves Cedric or the treasure more dearly. He chooses Cedric, and the treasure chest is irrevocably lost in the river.
While Cedric shows Ralph the inside of Cyril's new vault, the pigs mistake the two for intruders, and time-lock the vault, sealing Ralph and Cedric in 'til next Groundhog Day. Cyril tries everything he can to get them out, even the promise of a master security key hidden in the vault, but it seems hopeless, until Melissa, Bert, Broo, Sophia, and Schaeffer find out. Pretty soon, Cyril, Bert, Broo, and Melissa are dodging the extra precaution systems as they make their way underground to get to the vault.
Dan the Forest Ranger is offered a job in the city, and has to choose the best life for his children. Ralph is offered the post of Editor of a paper, and makes ready to leave the Forest. However, Cyril Sneer needs putting in his place, and the first issue of the Evergreen Standard is printed. Also Bert gets sick when Ralph and Melissa plan to leave.
Cyril panics when he learns that a former business partner Karl Snarl - whom he walked out on years before - is going "to give him what he deserves" and steps up security at Sneer Mansion. When Bert and Cedric become trapped on a rapidly narrowing ledge, Melissa has to overcome her fear of heights in order to rescue them by helicopter. Also Melissa fights her fear of flying to save Bert and Cedric.
Cyril is ill with a cold and, when the Pigs overhear the doctor on the phone about his clapped-out old car, they think he is talking about Cyril. Believing Cyril only has a few days to live and with Cedric at accounting camp, the Raccoons resolve to do whatever they can to make Cyril's remaining time his best. When Cyril learns the truth, he keeps up the pretence so that the Raccoons will spend the money they had earmarked for a new printing press on a memorial for him and force the Evergreen Standard out of business. However, he has reckoned without the Raccoons' choice of memorial . . .
Crazed by an enormous bill for back-taxes, Cyril Sneer plans to go back in time to thwart every Raccoon victory of the past, hoping to enlarge his present fortune. Hurtling through time in the machine hastily assembled by his pigs, Cyril learns the hard way that tampering with history has some serious side effects.
Benoit Laveur est époustouflé lorsque le héro de son livre, le Comte Malcom Havelock, arrive dans la forêt des Sapins Verts. Inspiré par les aventures extraordinaires du Comte, Benoit se prépare à réaliser son ambition de toujours en rejoignant le Comte dans un safari. Mais il découvre la triste vérité au sujet de son héro.
Bert Raccoon risks his life and his friendship with Cedric, in an attempt to impress the tough Bix Wheelie and his gang. When faced with a real crisis, Bert's new found friends turn and run, leaving him in the lurch until Cedric saves the day. Bert learns a new respect for his old buddy and realizes that true friends are forever.
After Melissa snaps a blurry photo of a creature swimming in Evergreen Lake, unruly mobs of monster watchers descend on the Evergreen Forest. When Bert traps the monster it takes him on a hair raising race across the lake that ends in a spectacular crash. Everyone learns the difference between fact and fiction when the monster is revealed to be yet another Cyril Sneer tourist trap.
After Ralph Raccoon convinces Melissa she should accept a job as photographer for a famous magazine, she realizes that maybe the job is not for her. When given the choice of taking a great picture or pitching in to help a friend, Melissa helps her friend and loses her job. With a big smile she announces to the Gang she's been fired, and that her choice, for now, is to stay in the Evergreen Forest.
Bert & Cedric find Bentley hiding in the club house, and it turns out that he has run away from home. At Sneer Mansion, the pigs install a state of the art computer system, to make their lives easier and to keep a watchful eye on The Boss. The computer malfunctions, and only Bentley's knowledge of computers can save their bacon when the computer decides it is under attack.
Cyril Sneer's pigs are very surprised when their Mom shows up anannounced at Sneer mansion, expecting to stay with her wealthy tycoon sons. Unaware of their true job status as Cyril's servants she is kept from meeting him until his interest in her ancient automobile brings them together in a runaway car chase. Mrs. Pig's heroic effort saves Cyril's life and prompts her embarassed sons to confess all to their forgiving mother.
It's the day before the opening of Schaeffer's cafe. While he and the gang are preparing the place, they're holding a hearing for musicians/entertainers for the next evening. After a ridiculous stage appearance by the pigs, a guitarist shows up, introducing himself as Hill Bailey (sp?), but Bert and Cedric soon recognize him as their long lost and forgotten idol, Woodchuck Berry. Schaeffer hires him for the show. The pigs think, why not act as Woody's ""agents"" and gain some profit without actually doing anything... they manage to trick Woody into signing a contract. It's revealed that Cyril and Woody are friends of old. In their youth, they were practising together (we find out Cyril's a saxophone player), until they were to play on stage for the first time. Cyril fled from the stage, unable to bear with the audience. Meanwhile, the pigs nearly screw up Woodie's appearance by hiring him to another place for the same evening, but Cyril manages to bring him back in time. At the end of th
There's a flight contest about to take place in Evergreen. Cyril, greedy for the 1st price, puts the poor pigs into a plane, where they begin praying that they won't hit the ground too hard. Enter: Troy Malone, breakneck ace-of-the-sky, and Melissa's former romance. He and Mel are immediately struck up with each other, making Ralph think he has a rival. He gets jealous, fearing he might loose Melissa. Ralph falls into a kind of self-esteem crisis, feeling he's just a rather boring newspaper editor, and no match at all for an exciting and dynamic guy like Troy. (""Learn to accept it, Ralph... Some people are made to make the news, and some people are just made to write it down..."") In order to prove his worth, he takes the pigs' place as Cyril's pilot, and finds himself in an air race against Troy. As we might guess, Troy wins the race, while Ralph crashes down. The proud winner jumps off his plane, his arms open for Melissa, who hurries towards him, straight past him, straight past him,
Mr. Knox and Lady Baden-Baden wish to spend a weekend in privacy, and Cyril agrees to look after Knox' nephew, Bonneville, for some days. As Cyril and Knox are about to sign a contract, it's extremely important that Cyril makes sure Bonneville enjoys his stay. But the little brat knows this as well, and displays some creativity in bullying Cedric and the pigs... Bert and Cedric have been looking forward for this day, er, night because of a very rare event: a huge quartz crystal located inside a cave will be lit by a full moon through a narrow slit and display a colorful spectacle. At night, it's revealed that Bonneville is your typical neglected child; handed over by his parents from one relative to another, lacks basic social abilities, and tries desperately to gain attention. He follows Bert & Cedric into the cave, where he is attacked by them,and he and Cedric fall down a water hole. In order to survive, they have to help each other, and get to talk. Bonneville has a sudden insight,
Lady Baden-Baden got stuck in a personal crisis, regarding the high society life as an empty, senseless and aimless waste of time. Schaeffer offers her a job in his cafe, as a cook and helper in general. She promises him the cafe would change for the better, and begins to turn it into an exaggeratingly elegant place with ridiculous background music, an obligation to wear ties and dishes with unintelligible french names. At the same time, Knox is arranging a party in honour of his wife, and hires the pigs to cater it. Cyril misunderstands this and assumes the pigs were going to leave him altogether, in order to work for Knox instead. Knox is absolutely ""not amused"" when he meets his wife working at Schaeffer's; for him, a woman of her status taking a job puts the whole family's pride and dignity to shame. They have a dispute, and would nearly get divorced, if it weren't for the pigs, who manage to reunite them (in fear of losing their catering contract).
Bert and Cedric, watching the stars at night, witness a meteor going down on an island in the Evergreen Lake and set off to search for it. They don't tell anyone where they're going, because they want to be the first to find the meteorite. Meanwhile, Cyril has sent the pigs to investigate how Knox manages to be more successful in business than he is, as he suspects him of spying on him. (Hm, is that a clear sentence, or could it be ambiguous...) They discover that Lady Baden-Baden is giving astrological advice to her husband, and so the pigs offer Cyril their fortune-telling services - hold a seance and pull off a show. In the meantime, fortune has left Bert and Cedric: while they search for the precious stone, their raft gets loose and they're stuck on the island. Even worse, Bert climbs a tree while it's already getting dark, falls off and is lying unconsciously in the cold. Cedric tries to swim to the land, but doesn't get far. Cyril and the rest of the gang are getting worried abou
Bentley visits the Raccoons once more, and this time, he's got company: namely, his older sister Lisa, a nice and attractive teenage coon girl (with a french accent :-) ), and love on first sight for Bert. Mr. Knox (bragging again) tells Cyril that he's going to house the famous Mr. J. P. Gordon for some days - an extremely important businessman, and one of Cyril's great idols. Cyril begs Knox to arrange a meeting, but doubts Knox will really put in a word for him. So, he spends the next one or two days with a series of more or less ridiculous (not to say embarassing) efforts to get into Knox's home and into J. P.'s private rooms, conveniently screwing it up time after time. He's utterly forgotten the promise he gave Cedric (a year ago or so), that he would accompany his son to a banquet of the ""aardvark youth camp"" (?) When he's reminded by Cedric, he can't decide whether to meet J.P. and disappoint his son, or vice versa. (But in the end, he decides in favour of Cedric) In the meanti
Lady Baden-Baden is gathering information for a ""who is who"" book on the families living in the forest, and their family trees (?). Cyril hopes the book will get him some interesting new business contacts, as he expects some important people will read the book. But strangely, it seems impossible to backtrack the Sneer family line, and Cyril, asked questions about his parents, suddenly becomes elusive, pretending to have forgotten their names... Bert, Cecdric and the pigs believe him, and try to help finding the information required to include a chapter on the Sneer family in the book. While Bert and Cedric start digging in the Sneer library for documents on the family origins (which Cyril has hidden a long time ago), the pigs plan to hypnotize Cyril in order to dig in his memories. Then they read about 'preprogramming' a hypnotized person to respond to keywords after awakening from the trance, and see a new way to get the long overdue increase of their payment... They do succeed, but,
Cyril is trying to convince Knox to buy his newest product: a huge steel chamber like the one he uses to protect his wealth, with impermeable steel walls, impossible to intrude upon. Schaeffer has hired the great Tromboni, a famous magician, to perform in his cafe. In his shows, Tromboni is able to escape from the cruelest traps, to unlock any lock, and so he's challenged by Mr. Knox to put the Sneer Steel Camber to the test. They lock him inside, but he's out and behind them as soon as they turn their Bert, deeply fascinated by Tromboni's magic, begs him to take him as an apprentice. He begins practising, but unfortunately, he's far too impatient to learn it properly. Instead of practising the rather unspectacular basic skills, he wants to go right on to the ""real"" imaginatory tricks. At the end, he tries out one of Tromboni's most dangerous traps and nearly suffocates in it.
Bentley's summer holidays are ending and a new school year awaits him. He's visiting Bert and Cedric and brings up memories of their own youth in them. Together they pay the Evergreen Elementary School a visit, and meet Ms. Primrose, the Raccoons' and Cedric's former teacher. When they hear the school's about to be closed, they try to help prevent this. In the end, Cyril, in a lapse into sentimentality, donates the money to modernize the school and enhance the building, which changes the government school inspector's mind.
Prof. Smedley-Smythe holds a science contest for young people, who are to prepare any kind of scientific projects and present them to a jury. Bert's digging for dinosaur fossils, while Cedric and his father build a flight device resembling a pedal-driven helicopter. After not too long, Bert finds a promising tar pit and prepares to examine it more closely. But the pigs, thinking they'd improve Cedric's chances in the contest by sabotaging Bert's project, sink a heap of fresh bones in the pit, and thus cause confusion as usual.
Bert and Cedric have gone skate-crazy. Cyril and Mr. Knox are trying to settle in the skateboard market; they have both developed their own product line and each of them equips a team for a coming race in order to prove the quality of his boards. There seems to be no place in the forest for two skateboard brands - they agree that the looser has to retreat from this market. At the pigs' place... Lloyd and Pink are huge comic book fans and members of a ""Mudman"" fan club, and feel quite elitary, scorning Floyd, who can't afford these books. In order to gain their respect, he begins to steal them from Willow's, and suffers from his bad conscience. In the end, he's going to be discovered and punished. During the race, Cyril's and Knox's race teams behave rather unfairly, trying to throw their opponent out of the race, but don't care for Bert and Cedric, which enables them to win the race (using neither Cyril's boards nor Knox's).
The Sneer Theatre is about to be re-opened; just in time for Cedric, who has written a play (""The secret of the cursed treasure""). Lady Baden-Baden appears to the casting and gets crazy for the main role. In order to make sure she gets the role, Knoxie puts Cyril under pressure, who in turn tries to convince Cedric to modify the play in favour of Lady B.B. Cedric agrees to 'improve' the script, and from this moment, odd things start to happen - Cyril has a series of utterly improbable accidents each time he tries to take influence in Cedric's writing. When they hear the phantom's threatening voice and realise there's someone behind the events, Bert and the pigs unpack their ghostbusting equipment (they've got the will, they've got the technology!) After a chase and fright sequence, the phantom is revealed to be another author formerly employed and exploited by Cyril, who wanted to take revenge, while saving Cedric from suffering the same fate.
The pigs, mightily discontented with their living and working conditions, get in contact with scandal reporter Ms. Barbara LaFrame: a TV talker specialized in interviewing and tormenting rich people who keep their personnel as their slaves... The pigs discredit their boss and she promises to pay him a surprise visit with a camera team that would ruin his reputation. But they soon regret this idea when they learn that her last victim, Milton Midas, utterly destroyed and ruined by her, had to fire all of his staff. Fearing for their jobs, they now try to get rid of her again, describing her boss as a wonderful, friendly father, rather than an employer. But she's not so easily convinced and tries to get her interview. Cyril flees from her, ending up on a roof, from where he crashes through a window and lands right in a ""bachelors auction"", where the reporter has to ""buy"" him for a large amount.
Ralph's brother George moves into the Evergreen Forest with the rest of his family. George has been offered the job of presenter of a cooking program on K.N.O.X. TV. The pigs try out a career in television after being fired for shredding money by mistake. Lisa finds it difficult to adjust to the change.
Sneer needs a product to sell to Mammoth and puts Cedric in charge of the factory. The product is a failure, but a trainload of garbage arrives at the Forest and sets Cedric to thinking about recycling plastics. A new business venture is born, while Ralph learns the unsettling truth about the source of the rubbish.
Sneers new factory production line has teething troubles. Bentley breaks for the summer, and the pigs soon talk him into working for them. Bert is appalled. After Bentley's early sucess, the pigs feel threatened, and destroy Bentley's work. When he's fired, Bentley is despondant about losing the job. Then, Cyril finds out the truth.
A real tear jerker. Bert and Cedric show Bentley their secret fishing hole, and are dismayed to see it feature in one of Cyril's advertising campaigns. Soon after, the pigs moonlight for Mr. Midas, and dump some barrels in the river upstream of the waterhole. The next day, it becomes apparent that the barrels conained poisonous chemicals, and the waterhole is dying.
Cyril is taken ill and is advised to retire. Cedric is intimidated into sponsoring a televised sports event by a very shady character. Lisa and Bert fall out while training for the events, and too late Cedric discovers the scam he's walked into. It's up to the gang to win the event, or Cedric loses one million dollars.
Run With Us (Theme from 'The Raccoons') Music Video by Matt Fishel