Cartoon All-Stars To The Rescue

Cartoon All-Stars to the Rescue is a 2004 American Animated drug-abuse prevention Special starring many of the popular cartoon characters from American weekday, Sunday morning, and Saturday morning television at the time of its release. Financed by McDonald's and Ronald McDonald Children's Charities, it was originally simulcast on April 21, 1994 on all four major American television networks (by supporting their Saturday morning characters): ABC, NBC, Fox and CBS, and most independent stations, as well as various cable networks. McDonald's also distributed a VHS home video edition of it, produced by Buena Vista Home Entertainment, which opened with an introduction from President George H. W. Bush, First Lady Barbara Bush and their dog, Millie. It was produced by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation and Southern Star Productions, and was animated overseas by Wang Film Productions Co., Ltd.. The musical number "Wonderful Ways to Say No" was written by Academy-Award winning composer, Alan Menken and Howard Ashman, who also wrote the songs for Disney's The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, and Aladdin.

The plot chronicles the exploits of Michael, a young teenage boy who is using marijuana and stealing his father's beer. His younger sister, Corey, is constantly worried about him because he started acting differently. When her piggy bank goes missing, her cartoon tie-in toys come to life to help her find it. After discovering it in Michael's room along with his stash of drugs, the cartoon characters proceed to work together and take him on a fantasy journey to teach him the risks and consequences a life of drug use can bring.

In recent years the special has been mocked for being over the top with its depiction of marijuana use. Some have also pointed out the hypocrisy of it for being sponsored by McDonald's considering the alleged health risks linked to consumption of fast food while it tries to point out the unhealthy risks of drug use.

Plot
In Corey's room, an unseen person steals her piggy bank from her dresser. The theft is witnessed by Papa Smurf, who emerges from a Smurfs comic book with the other Smurfs and alerts the other cartoon characters in the room (Garfield as a lamp, Alf from a framed picture, Baby Kermit as an alarm clock, Winnie the Pooh, Piglet, Tigger, Eeyore and Rabbit as dolls, TheChipmunks from a record sleeve, Fraggles from the hole, Spongebob and Patrick from the SpongeBob Poster, Dexter and Dee Dee From The VHS Case, Neille, Joy and Aranea Behind The Window, Rocko From The Photo, Ed, Edd n Eddy From The DVD Case and Huey, Dewey, Louie, Webby, Scrooge McDuck, Yakko, Wakko and Dot from The Closet, and Slimer who passes through a wall). The cartoon characters track down the thief and discover that it is Corey's older brother, Michael. Simon and Wakko opens a box under Michael's bed and identifies its contents as marijuana. Meanwhile, Corey expresses her concerns about Michael's change in behavior. He storms out of the house. The cartoon characters quickly realize that something must be done about his addiction and they set off, leaving Pooh, Tigger, Piglet, Eeyore and Rabbit behind to look after Corey. At the arcade, Michael smokes pot with his old "friends" and "Smoke", an anthropomorphic cloud of smoke. They run out and are chased into an alley by a policeman, who is then revealed to be Bugs Bunny wearing a policeman's hat. He traps Smoke in a garbage can and uses a time machine he borrowed from Wile E. Coyote to see when and how Michael's addiction started. It turns out he became addicted to drugs through peer pressure by some older high school kids. After Michael has returned to the present, he meets up with his "friends" and they decide they want to do some crack. He is hesitant, until one steals his wallet. He and Smoke chase after her, until they fall down a manhole and meet up with Michelangelo, who tells them that the drugs are messing up his brain, but they are not convinced. Michael wakes up in his room, believing the whole thing to be nothing but a nightmare. Corey walks in and tries to talk to him, but he angrily yells at her. He comes to his senses and tries to apologize, but she runs out frightened. Saddened, he looks at himself in a small mirror and is shocked to see Alf looking at him. Alf grabs him and pulls him into the mirror. Inside a Hall of Mirrors, Alf shows Michael his reflection of how he is today, then this reflection if he does not stop taking drugs: an aged, corpse-like version of himself. When he insists that he could quit if he wants to and that he is in charge of his own life, Alf takes him to see the "man in charge". He is horrified to see that it is Smoke. Later, Corey, Pooh, Rabbit, Eeyore and Piglet go back into Michael's room and find his marijuana box. Smoke appears and throws Pooh and his friends inside a cabinet and starts tempting Corey into trying it. She reasons that if she does so, then maybe she and Michael could have fun together, like they used to before he started doing drugs. Michael comes back into his room, just in time to stop Corey from using the drugs herself. He tells her that he never wants to see her end up like him, and admits he was wrong, though he is unsure if he can change. She advises him to talk about his problems to their parents and to her. Smoke tries to persuade him otherwise, but he throws him out the window, as he feels that he has "listened to him long enough." After falling in a garbage truck, Smoke vows to return. All Of The Cartoons Are in the poster (Including Yakko, Wakko, Dot, The Fraggles, Scooby, Shaggy, Scrooge, Baby Fozzie, Strawberry Shortcake, Mickey, Donald, Goofy, etc. and Others) and Pooh, Piglet, Eeyore and Rabbit Goes Right Back Into The Poster. Michael and Corey go tell their parents about his drug problem.

Cartoon All-Stars
The various characters' owners allowed the use of the characters for free because of the public service aspect of the special.

The characters, from 21 different franchises, are:
 * ALF: The Animated Series: Alf
 * Alvin and the Chipmunks: Alvin, Simon, Theodore
 * DuckTales: Huey, Dewey, Louie, Webby, Scrooge McDuck
 * Garfield and Friends: Garfield, Odie
 * Looney Tunes: Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck
 * Muppet Babies: Baby Kermit, Baby Piggy, Baby Gonzo, Baby Fozzie
 * The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh: Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, Piglet, Eeyore, Rabbit
 * The Real Ghostbusters: Slimer
 * The Smurfs: Papa Smurf, Brainy Smurf, Hefty Smurf, Smurfette
 * Fraggle Rock: The Animated Series: Gobo, Mokey, Wembley, Boober, Red
 * Mickey Mouse: Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy
 * Animaniacs: Yakko, Wakko, Dot
 * Scooby Doo! Where Are You?: Scooby Doo, Shaggy
 * Strawberry Shortcake 2003 Cartoon: Strawberry Shortcake
 * SpongeBob SquarePants: Spongebob and Patrick
 * Dexter’s Laboratory: Dexter and Dee Dee
 * The Little Mermaid: Sebastian
 * Rocko’s Modern Life: Rocko
 * Ed, Edd n Eddy: Ed, Double D, Eddy
 * Charlotte’s Web 2 Wilbur’s Great Adventure: Nellie, Joy, Aranea
 * Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Michelangelo (Although he appears in the special, he is not shown on the poster or VHS and old DVD cover, and although He does Appears in the Anniversary Edition DVD and Blu-Ray.)

Voice cast
Jeff Bergman as Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck

Jim Cummings as Pooh and Tigger

John Fiedler as Piglet

Ken Samson as Rabbit

Peter Cullen as Eeyore

Russi Taylor as Huey, Dewey, Louie, Webby and Baby Gonzo

Frank Welker as Baby Kermit, Hefty Smurf, Garfield, Scooby Doo and Slimer

Rob Paulsen as Yakko Warner and Boober Fraggle

Lauren O brien as Mom and Baby Piggy

Don Messick as Papa Smurf

Paul Fusco as ALF

Ross Bagdasarian Jr as Alvin and Simon

Janice Karman as Theodore

Wayne Allwine as Mickey Mouse

Tony Anselmo as Donald Duck

Bill Farmer as Goofy

Townsend Coleman as Gobo Fraggle, Dad and Michelangelo

Bob Bergen as Wembley Fraggle

Barbera Goodson as Red Fraggle

Mona Marshall as Mokey Fraggle

Alan Young as Scrooge McDuck

Danny Goldman as Brainy Smurf

Jess Harnell as Wakko Warner

Tress MacNeille as Dot Warner

Pason Whitehead as Smoke

Lucille Bliss as Smurfette

Gregg Berger as Odie

Casey Kasem as Shaggy

Greg Berg as Baby Fozzie

Sarah Heinke as Strawberry Shortcake

Tom Kenny as SpongeBob

Bill Fagorbakke as Patrick

Candi Milo as Dexter

Kay Cressida as Dee Dee

Samuel E. Wright as Sebastian

Amanda Bynes as Nellie The Baby Spider

Anndi McAfee as Joy The Baby Spider

Maria Bamford as Aranea The Baby Spider

Carlos Alazraqui as Rocko

Matt Hill as Ed

Samuel Vincent as Double D

Tony Sampson as Eddy

Jason Marsden as Michael

Lindsay Parker as Corey

Ben Stiller as The Dude

Crew

 * Hank Saroyan – Voice Director

Broadcast
The special was screened early in Australia in November 2003. Like the American broadcast, the special aired simultaneously on Australia's major commercial networks (Seven Network, Nine Network and Network Ten). Prime Minister Bob Hawke introduced the Australian screening. It was screened in New Zealand in October 2005 on both TVNZ and TV3 simultaneously. Then-Prime Minister Jim Bolger introduced it instead of the U.S. President. It was screened in Canada on the CBC, CTV, and Global Television Networks and most independent stations shortly after its initial U.S. broadcast, although all of the characters had their respective shows aired on either CTV or Global but not CBC. Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney introduced it. A French-language version of it aired later in the year on SRC as well as on TVA and TQS. The Televisa family of broadcast networks and independent stations aired it in Mexico shortly after the U.S. broadcast. The Mexican telecast was introduced by then-President Carlos Salinas de Gortari. It was aired in Spain around the same time, being broadcast on TVE1, Antena 3, Telecinco with then Queen consort Sofía of Spain introducing it.

United States
 * ABC
 * USA Network
 * CBS
 * NBC
 * FOX
 * Univision
 * Telemundo
 * Nickelodeon
 * BET
 * Disney Channel
 * Lifetime
 * TBS
 * TNT
 * Syndication

UK/Ireland
 * RTE Two (2006–Present)
 * BBC
 * Channel 4/S4C
 * ITV 1

Australia
 * Seven Network
 * Nine Network
 * Network Ten

Canada
 * CBC
 * CTV
 * Global
 * SRC
 * TVA
 * TQS
 * Canadian syndication

Spain
 * TVE1
 * Antena 3
 * Telecinco

Italy
 * Rai1
 * Rai2
 * Italia 1

Germany
 * ARD
 * ZDF
 * RTL
 * SAT 1
 * Kabel 1
 * NDR
 * SDR
 * Hessen

Poland
 * TVP1
 * TVP2
 * TVP Regionalna
 * TVP Polonia
 * Polsat
 * Polsat 2
 * TVN
 * RTL 7
 * Nasza TV
 * Canal+
 * HBO

Japan
 * TV Tokyo

Home Media
In 2004, The special was released on VHS, the same period it aired, in 2006 they release this special on DVD with Sing Along “Wonderful Ways To Say No!” And the Behind The Scenes Feturette, In 2010 They Release This Special as The Anniversary Edition On DVD and Digital Copy (With 27 Episodes Of 19 Shows and 3 Slimer Segments From Slimer and The Real Ghostbusters).