In April of 1990, writer Sharon Bernstein noted in The Los Angeles Times: “The next network simulcast isn’t going to be a presidential conference or a space shot. It’s not going to bring news about an earthquake or coverage of an invasion. And it’s not going to be in prime time.

The next network simulcast is going to be a cartoon.”

Bernstein was referring to Cartoon All-Stars to the Rescue, which debuted 35 years ago this week, simultaneously on ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, USA Network, and syndicated stations. Broadcast on a Saturday morning, the half-hour TV special brought together a number of animated characters from different studios, networks, and TV series in a thoughtful show that educated children about the dangers of drug and alcohol use.

The combination and co-starring of these all-stars were, and is, unprecedented, as the studios behind them, usually rivals, worked together here to stress the importance of the subject matter.

The show was financed by Ronald McDonald’s Children’s Charities, produced by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences and Silver Star Productions. and executive produced by Roy E. Disney. Cartoon All-Stars to the Rescue sprang from anti-drug campaigns, such as the 1980’s message of “Just Say No,” which gained prominence thanks to First Lady Nancy Reagan’s efforts.

Many TV shows devoted episodes (some of them “very special” episodes) that highlighted the dangers of drug use, and there were also a number of Public Service Announcements.

The ambitious Cartoon All-Stars to the Rescue would bring together major animated TV characters in a half-hour special that would provide no-holds-barred insight into the threats of drugs and alcohol.

Originally airing on April 21, 1990, Cartoon All-Stars to the Rescue centers on a young boy named Michael. As the special opens, he is stealing the piggy bank of his sister, Corey. In a nearby comic book, Papa Smurf and the other Smurfs witness this and alert others as to what is happening.

Alf jumps out of a picture, the Chipmunks emerge from a record album, a Garfield lamp turns into Garfield, a Muppet Baby Kermit alarm clock changes into Kermit, a Winnie the Pooh stuffed toy comes to life, and Slimer from Ghostbusters comes through the wall.

The cartoon characters uncover a box of drugs hidden in Michael’s room and realize that this is why he has stolen the money. Michael lashes out at his innocent sister, Corey, and storms out of the house.

A number of the characters follow to see if they can help Michael, who meets up with some friends and they smoke marijuana. Here, a character called Smoke, the villain and the personification of drug addiction, floats in the air and appears to Michael throughout the special, discounting the good advice that the Cartoon All-Stars are imparting.

Shortly after, Michael and his friends are chased into an alley by what they think is a police officer, but who turns out to be Bugs Bunny. He takes Michael in a time machine to show him how Michael got hooked on drugs.

Back in the present, Michael is tempted to try crack until he falls into a sewer, where he meets Michaelangelo from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, who tries to convince Michael that Smoke’s constant temptations have put him in danger.

Kermit, Miss Piggy, and Gonzo from Muppet Babies appear to take Michael on a roller-coaster-like tour of his brain so that he can see what damage has occurred.

Michael then finds himself in a park where Tigger, along with Huey, Dewy, and Louie, join the other characters in the song “Wonderful Ways to Say No,” which provides thoughts on how to refuse drugs.

Michael wakes in his room, thinking that this was all a dream, and he argues again with Corey. Michael is then pulled into a mirror by Alf, who lets Michael know that Smoke is in charge. This is seen back in Michael’s room, as Smoke looks to tempt Corey, while Michael finds himself trapped in a surreal, psychedelic carnival, where he encounters Daffy Duck as a fortune teller. Daffy peers into his crystal ball, revealing a zombie-like future Michael.

Michael returns to his bedroom just in time to save Corey from Smoke and realize how wrong he has been. Smoke is tossed out a window and lands in a nearby garbage truck. Michael knows that Smoke will be back someday as he reconciles with Corey, and they both decide to talk with their parents. The special ends with a poster of all of the Cartoon All-Stars hanging on the bedroom wall.

Cartoon All-Stars to the Rescue appropriately featured an all-star cast of voice actors: Jim Cummings as Winnie the Pooh and Tigger, Townsend Coleman as Michelangelo, Ross Bagdasarian, Jr. as Alvin and Simon, Janice Karman as Theodore, Paul Fusco as Alf, Don Messick as Papa Smurf, Danny Goldman as Brainy Smurf, Lorenzo Music as Garfield, Laurie O’Brien as Baby Miss Piggy, with Russi Taylor as Baby Gonzo, Huey, Dewey, and Louie and Frank Welker as Slimer, Hefty Smurf and Baby Kermit.

Cartoon All-Stars to the Rescue marked the first time someone other than Mel Blanc had provided the voices for Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck, as Blanc had passed away the year before. Here, they are voiced by Jeff Bergman.

Additionally, Jason Marsden provided the voice of Michael, Lindsay Parker as Corey, and George C. Scott as Smoke.

The song “Wonderful Ways to Say No” was written by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman, who had just won Oscars for their work on The Little Mermaid.

Animation for the special was completed overseas at Wang Film Productions. Thanks to directors Milton Gray, Marsh Lamore, Bob Shellhorn, and Mike Svayko, along with writers Duane Poole and Tom Swale, Cartoon All-Stars to the Rescue brings the characters into the story in very creative ways. Even though they are from different animation houses, each character is brought to the screen in their own style and still look quite at home together.

Cartoon All-Stars also manages some good “pair ups” (Alf and Garfield go well together), and despite the subject matter, uses humor to enhance the message. When first spotting a box of drugs, Alf declares, “Toto, something tells me that we are not in cartoon territory anymore.”

Additionally, and probably most importantly, the special doesn’t shy away from its subject matter, including scenes of Michael and his friends doing drugs and the compelling flashback scenes revealing how Michael first “got hooked.”

And, like any good, animated story, Cartoon All-Stars creates an ominous villain with Smoke. With his skeletal-like head, Scott’s raspy voice, and wispy body, he’s the perfect embodiment of the dangers that Michael faces.

In addition to airing on multiple networks, commercial-free, Cartoon All-Stars to the Rescue was later released on home video, where it could be rented free of charge from stores. And President George H. W. Bush and First Lady Barabara Bush provided an introductory message for the special.

The warnings in Cartoon All-Stars to the Rescue are very forthright and impactful; they are done touchingly as Michael reconnects with the innocence of his past and the importance of his family.

This makes the combination of so many coming together and the message behind Cartoon All-Stars to the Rescue still significant thirty-five years later.