Original subtitles

[cheerful music]

*

- Oh. - [laughing]

- * Dancing through springtime flowers *

* And rays of summer sun

* Catching white snowflakes on your nose *

* Running through autumn leaves *

* That float from trees on high *

* With our love that is bigger than the sky *

* Guess how much I love you

* Guess how much I love you *

* Guess how much I love you

* Guess how much I love you *

* Guess how much I love you

* Guess how much I love you *

* Guess how much I love you

female narrator: It was early

on a snowy winter's morning,

and Big Nutbrown Hare was awake before his son,

Little Nutbrown Hare.

- [yawns]

It's morning, Little Nutbrown Hare.

- [yawns] Already?

- I have promised to help Otter with his dam,

so I have to go.

- Oh.

- It's snowing outside. [shivers]

So sleep a little more if you like.

- Oh good. I was dreaming about spring.

Lovely warm spring. [sighs]

Maybe I won't wake up until then.

- [panting]

Little Nutbrown Hare!

Little Nutbrown Hare!

Why aren't you up yet? - [sighs]

Because it's snowing outside.

- No, it's not.

It's snowing inside!

- Oh! - [giggles]

See? It has stopped snowing.

- Are you sure?

[both laugh]

[both laugh]

- Missed me! - [laughs]

[both laughing]

- Let's see who else wants to play.

- Yes!

[giggles]

[humming]

I don't see anyone.

- There must be someone around.

- Maybe there isn't. Look!

Bluebird has flown somewhere warmer for winter.

Maybe others have gone too.

- [sighs] [gasps] Oh!

I know someone who doesn't fly away for winter.

Little Gray Squirrel!

Do you want to come out and play in the snow with us?

- It's so wintery wonderful! [giggles]

- [snoring]

- [laughs]

It sounds like Little Gray Squirrel is sleeping.

- Yes. He doesn't like to come out when it's cold.

- Which means we've got this snow all to ourselves!

[both laugh]

both: Yay!

- [humming]

- [sighs]

Winter just gets more and more beautiful!

- And more fun!

[both laughing]

- Whoa! - Whee!

- [laughing] Whoa!

- [laughing]

- Ooh! - Aah!

- [laughs]

- Oh.

Listen.

- We can't possibly hear Little Gray Squirrel snoring from here.

- No. Listen.

There's no sound at all.

We are the only living creatures in all this snow.

- Oh! [laughs]

Whee! [laughs]

[both laugh]

Huh? Maybe we're not the only living creatures.

Look!

[suspenseful music]

*

- What do you think made these tracks?

- I don't know.

I've never seen anything like them before.

- What's that long line down the middle?

- It must be the creature's tail.

Look what happens when I drag my tail in the snow.

[quiet grunts]

See? It leaves a mark just like that.

- Only much, much bigger.

It's got really big feet too.

- Maybe it's a really big field mouse!

- Yes!

A really big field mouse

that only comes out in winter.

- It's got white fur, and big fluffy ears

that can hear a snowflake fall.

[giggles] And a big wooly nose,

that can sniff out roots and shoots in the snow.

[both laugh]

- That must be an amazing creature.

Let's find it.

- Wait a minute.

How many feet do field mice have?

- Four.

- Well, this really big winter field mouse

has got a lot more than four feet.

It's got...lots!

- Then it can't be a field mouse,

little or big.

- With that many feet, it must be a...

caterpillar!

- A caterpillar with big feet and a big long tail?

- Why not? It's a special winter caterpillar.

- A winter-pillar!

[both laugh]

- Yes!

And it wraps its big long furry tail

around itself to keep warm in the winter.

- Yes! We've got to see this winter-pillar.

[cheerful music]

*

Hmm.

I've just noticed something, Little Nutbrown Hare.

- What? - These feet are webbed.

- What do you mean? - Look.

These feet have bits of skin between the toes.

- Like a frog's foot? - Yes.

That helps it swim in the water.

- But caterpillars don't swim.

- So it can't be a winter-pillar.

[both sigh]

- But the feet on this side aren't webbed.

So the creature is only half froggy.

- Half frog and half winter-pillar?

- Yes, so it must be a--

A froggy winter-pillar.

- Or a winter-froggy-pillar!

- I know!

both: A frinty-wogga-pillar!

[both laugh]

This has got to be the most amazing creature ever!

- Wow.

[cheerful music]

*

- Oh! Winter berries!

Big Nutbrown Hare says these are good.

- Oh!

- [munching] Mmm.

- Mmm.

The frinty-wogga-pillar must like winter berries too.

A bit of its fur has got caught on this branch.

- [gasps] Hmm.

It's a sort of nut brown color.

- [gasps] Like your fur!

- Then it must be

a big nutbrown frinty-wogga-pillar!

both: Amazing!

It can't be much further now!

- [breathing heavily]

Do you think big nutbrown

frinty-wogga-pillars are friendly?

- I don't know. Nutbrown hares are.

Big Nutbrown Hare is so friendly

he got up early today to help Otter with his dam.

- I'm not worried about nutbrown hares,

but this big nutbrown frinty-wogga-pillar

is so big!

- And so strange.

It's got lots of legs,

and a tail, and different sorts of feet.

- And it can swim, and fly, and--

- [growling and chuckling] - [gasps]

both: The frinty-wogga-pillar!

- It's just over there!

[growling and chuckling continues]

- I've just remembered something I've got to do back home.

- Wait! You can't leave me here.

- You can come with me if you like.

- But then I won't get to see

the big nutbrown frinty-wogga-pillar.

Don't you want to see it?

- Well...

- We might never get another chance.

- All right.

If you'll hold my hand.

- Okay. And you hold mine.

[growling and chuckling]

both: What?

[both laugh]

- Hello, you two!

Want to give us a hand with this log?

- Of course, Big Nutbrown Hare.

- We're always happy to help a frinty-wogga-pillar.

[both laugh]

- Frinty-water-lipper? - [laughs]

narrator: It was almost bedtime when the nutbrown hares

arrived home after helping Otter,

but Little Nutbrown Hare was still excited

by his big adventure.

- And even though we couldn't find anyone to play with,

Little Field Mouse and I had the best time

following an amazing creature!

- Well, I hope you weren't too disappointed

that it was only me.

- I'm never disappointed by you, Big Nutbrown Hare.

Guess how much I love you.

- More than a frumpy log walloper?

- [giggles] - A wooly logger frumper?

- [laughs] A frinty-wogga-pillar.

And no, I love you more than

a giant, two-headed, four-eared, eight-legged,

nutbrown hare.

[roars comically] - That's us!

[roars comically]

[both laugh]

- And that's the most amazing creature of all.

[cheerful music]

narrator: Spring had finally arrived,

and the last of the winter snow was melting in the sunshine.

Little Nutbrown Hare and Little Field Mouse

were very excited to play hide- and-seek in the spring meadow.

- Four butterflies, five butterflies!

Oh! [giggles]

[giggles]

Ready or not, here I come!

[quiet rustling] Aha!

- [chuckles]

- Aha! Ooh!

- [giggles]

You found me! - Hooray!

It's my turn now, and I have the best place to hide.

- I can't wait to find you!

One butterfly, two butterflies,

- Little Field Mouse is counting.

You'd better hurry.

- Come and hide with me. It's so much fun.

- I'm going to find some springtime treats for us to eat.

- [giggles] - You have a great time,

and I will see you very soon.

- Okay.

[grunting] - Ready or not, here I come!

- Uh-oh.

- Hmm. Where can Little Nutbrown Hare be?

[giggles] - Ugh!

- Huh?

[groaning]

- [giggles]

I wonder where Little Nutbrown Hare is?

I'm sure he must be around here somewhere.

[giggles]

Little Nutbrown Hare,

I can see you.

- Uch! I can't fit underneath.

I used to hide here before winter.

- Hmm.

Are you sure this is the right log?

- It's in exactly the same place.

But it does seem a bit smaller.

- [humming]

Maybe someone took your big hiding log

and put this small one here instead.

Whee! [giggles]

- Do you think?

- What else could have happened to it?

- Hmm.

I think you're right.

Let's go and find the big log,

so I can hide under it again.

[cheerful music]

*

- I don't see your hiding log.

Whoopsie!

Oh! [giggles]

Where will we look now?

- How about the river?

- Good idea.

Whee!

- [laughs] Wait for me!

Whoa! Whoa-ho-ho-ho!

Ooh. [chuckles]

I think I'll run instead.

[both laugh]

[both panting and laughing]

[both laughing]

both: Hello, Otter!

- Ooh, hello, Little Field Mouse

and Little Nutbrown Hare.

- We're trying to find a log, and--

- Ooh, ooh! Let me find it for you.

I'm very good at finding things.

[both laugh]

- Let's go this way.

There's something different about these stepping stones.

- Like what? Uh!

- Well, they seem a bit closer together than when we...

[grunts]

Hopped across them last summer.

- Do you think someone moved the stepping stones

as well as your big hiding log?

- Hmm.

I don't know.

We've got a puzzle to solve, Little Field Mouse.

[both laugh] both: Otter!

- And I found a log for you! Look!

[both gasp]

- Whoa, thanks Otter.

It's a nice log,

but it's not my log.

- Oh, that's a shame.

- Bye! See you later!

- Good-bye!

- [humming]

Oh!

Our favorite climbing rock!

Let's climb it. - Okay.

I'll climb up first, and pull you up.

[grunting]

- [giggles]

I climbed up all by myself!

- You did too.

Oh, you couldn't do that before.

- How did everything become different?

- [both giggling] - Oh, it's the twins,

awake from their nap.

Hello there!

[both giggling]

- Oh, do they want to come up here?

- They do, but they're too little.

- It's lucky they are,

because I can give them a ride on my back.

- Whee-hee!

They'll love that.

both: Whee! - I know.

Let's visit our special "I Spy" tree

and see if it's changed, too.

- To the "I Spy" tree!

Can you still peek through? - Yes.

- So nothing is different?

- There is one thing. - What is it?

- I don't need to stand on tippy-toes

to spy through the hole.

- Oh! But you always used to stand on tippy-toes.

So the "I Spy" hole has moved...down?

- Hmm.

[both giggling]

I guess so. - What does that mean?

[both giggling]

- It means there are lots of things that have changed

a little bit over the winter,

and we don't know why.

narrator: And so the friends set off,

to find Little Nutbrown Hare's father to ask him.

- And it's not just my favorite hiding log.

Lots of things are smaller. - Or different!

- Yes, different than they were last summer.

- Like the stepping stones across the river.

- And our favorite climbing rock.

- Ooh! Is that right?

- Do you know why my hiding log is too small?

- [chuckles] I think I do.

- Yay! Whoo-hoo! [all laughing]

What is it, Big Nutbrown Hare?

- Come and see.

Stand as straight as you can against the tree.

That goes for your ears, too.

Hmm. Aha!

- What is it, Big Nutbrown Hare?

- I don't think your hiding log is smaller,

and the stepping stones are closer,

and your spy hole has been moved down.

I think you have grown bigger.

See? This is how tall you are now,

but last summer, you only came up to here.

- So I've grown bigger. - [chuckles]

You're growing all the time.

- Yay! I'm growing bigger!

- Oh, measure me too!

Please, Big Nutbrown Hare.

- Okay. You can look now.

I remember when you reached this knot here.

- Oh, I'm very tall now.

Come on, twins. Your turn.

- Let's measure everyone!

- See you very soon! - Very, very soon!

- Very, very, very soon! [giggles]

- Big Nutbrown Hare? - Yes?

You don't play hide-and-seek very much at all.

Is it because you're too big?

Because I don't think I want to grow up

if I can't play hide-and-seek.

- I'm never going to be too grown up to play hide-and-seek.

- Really? - Let's play now,

and you can see for yourself.

- Yes!

Which do you love more,

hiding or seeking?

- Both, but since I have the best hiding place,

why don't I hide first? - [laughs]

I didn't know you had a favorite hiding place.

- Of course I do!

Cover your eyes and count.

- One butterfly, two butterflies,

three butterflies, four butterflies,

five butterflies!

Ready or not, here I come!

[quiet rustling]

[gasps]

Oh, ha ha. Aha!

Huh?

Hmm.

Oh! Ha-ha!

[panting]

Huh?

[quiet rustling]

Oh!

[birds singing]

Oh, you're a great hider, Big Nutbrown Hare.

- [chuckles] - Aha!

[laughs] Found you!

Whoa! - Oh!

- And you're a great finder.

- This is a great hiding spot.

- And you climbed in all by yourself.

- Because I'm growing up.

Hey! This can be my new favorite hiding spot.

[both laugh]

narrator: And so, Little Nutbrown Hare discovered

that every new season

there were new and wonderful things to do

that made growing up exciting.

- Guess how much I love you.

- As much as all the games we've played together?

- Much, much more.

As much as all the games we will ever play together,

no matter how big we get.

[both laugh quietly]

[cheerful music]

*