Rabbit Hood (1949)
Directed by Chuck Jones
Written by Michael Maltese
Animation by Ken Harris
Music by Carl Stalling
After the nastiness that was last week’s “Which is Witch” it’s nice to see Bugs Bunny return to the basics again. “Rabbit Hood” is one of my top ten Bugs Bunny shorts of all time. It’s a hilarious spoof of the Robin Hood tale that ranks up there with 1958’s “Robin Hood Daffy” in terms of hilarity and clever jokes. Oddly Bugs isn’t Robin Hood but he is falling prey to the fascism of the king who is desperate to snag Robin Hood at every turn. Now with the king’s property guarded, Bugs comes under attack by the Sheriff of Nottingham. When Bugs seeks a few carrots from the king’s garden, the two go at it, prompting a hysterical war between the pair.
All the while Little John keeps appearing at random intervals declaring “Don’t you worry, never fear, Robin Hood will soon be here!” Chuck Jones really is on his A game with this short as it’s consistently funny and filled with so many great one-liners and visual easter eggs. There are a ton of “No Poaching” signs posted around the garden with one saying “No poaching. Not even Eggs.” And it’s hilarious how the garden is so protected but Little John marches in and out whenever he pleases to announce Robin Hood’s arrival.
I’m also a big fan of Bugs tricking the Sheriff in to thinking he’s buying a house. Not only does he trick him but he’s so far in to the trick we see him later building the home in suspenders only for him to finally come to the realization. It’s just so fun and funny and Sheriff Nottingham is a great mark. Bugs is especially great here as someone who’s merely trying to get out of the massive garden but can never seem to quite escape the Sheriff. Eventually it all comes full circle with one of my favorite bits as he convinces the sheriff the king is coming.
Bugs then appears, smashing the sheriff’s head over and over with the scepter declaring “Arise, Sir Loin of Beef! Arise, Earl of Cloves! Arise, Duke of Brittingham! Arise, Baron of Münchhausen! Arise, Essence of Myrrh! Milk of Magnesia! Filet of Fish! Quarter of Ten!” Typical of Looney Tunes, the pay off to Robin Hood’s entrance is pretty funny as Little John appears yet again to announce the coming of Robin Hood. Despite Bugs’ anger at his constant declarations, Robin Hood appears in live action form.
The producers opt to splice in edited footage of Errol Flynn from his iconic 1938 “Robin Hood” movie, with Bugs just outright refusing to believe his eyes. “Rabbit Hood” is such a great skewering of the Robin Hood tale that benefits from rewatchability. That’s thanks to the great animation from the collective of artists on this short, as well as the great one-liners that are delivered almost rapid fire. I emphatically recommend pairing with this “Robin Hood Daffy.” It’s a comedy one two punch with Bugs and Daffy at their peak.
It’s an easy top ten placer for me.
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