2023 marks the 85th Anniversary of Bug Bunny’s first animated appearance in 1938’s “Porky’s Hare Hunt.” Debuting originally as Happy Rabbit, Bugs eventually became one of the most iconic animated characters of all time. In honor of the landmark anniversary, we’re discussing every animated appearance by Bugs Bunny. We’re big fans of Bugsy and we hope that you are, too.
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Tortoise Wins By a Hare (1943)
Directed by Chuck Jones
Written by Tedd Pierce
Music by Carl W. Stalling
Animation by Ken Harris
I don’t know entirely what the animators and writers had intended for Cecil the Turtle, when all is said and done. If he was intended as a villain, then they didn’t do a very good job, as with the sequel to “Tortoise Beats Hare,” he still comes off like a reluctant hero. If he’s intended as the hero, then there’s not a ton of logic behind making Bugs Bunny the villain. I get that they wanted to jump on the Tortoise and the Hare fable, but these pair of shorts where Cecil and Bugs race never works out in Bugs’ favor. Once again Bugs comes off petty, conniving, and kind of dumb. They’re traits that you figure the writers would have left way behind back in “Elmer’s Candid Camera,” but they insist on giving us a follow up to “Tortoise Beats Hare.”
What’s more is that Bugs loses. Again. So, is Cecil supposed to be considered a Bugs Bunny villain or not? It also doesn’t work in that regard either as Cecil isn’t all that entertaining a character, at all. I know he’s appeared in cameos and whatnot throughout the whole Looney Tunes universe, but beyond the whole racing shtick, there’s not a lot that can be done with him. And I don’t know I just wouldn’t care enough to see a Cecil the Turtle short centered only on him. He works in small doses, but his entire purpose is just downright confusing. Even the writers approach the follow up short with a sense of cynicism, as one scene finds the announcement of a second Hare and Tortoise race to which the announce exclaims “What, again?!”
There isn’t a ton of reasoning to push the narrative forward. Bugs just can’t cope with the fact that the Tortoise beat him in a race, and he has to know why. That’s about it. “Tortoise Wins By a Hare” is at least funny in some respects with a pretty good gag involving Bugs donning a fake beard in order to ask Cecil how he always wins their races. There’s also the inclusion of group of mobster rabbits that are “ensuring” Bugs will win the race this time. The whole idea of Cecil using aerodynamics to win the race becomes something of a Chekhov’s gun, as Bugs decides to engineer his own aerodynamic shell in order to zoom past Cecil.
But things turn on him as he’s confused for Cecil, prompting the mobsters to attack him at all corners and hinder his potential victory. And, anticipating this turn of events, Cecil dons a Rabbit costume and breezes by unfazed. This is once again a twist that’s kind of clever, but also infuriating. How did Bugs not anticipate this turn of events? And wouldn’t Bugs have known the mob would interfere? In either case, the race really doesn’t take center stage so much as the whole plot of Bugs looking for a way to defeat Cecil does.
The race only really lasts for a minute and once again Cecil wins thanks to the aid of the confused mobsters. Funny enough, this short does have an ending that was very much censored in all the times I’d seen it as a kid. Over the years, the short ended in Bugs angrily proclaiming “I’m the Rabbit!” to where the rabbits exclaim “Now he tells us!” cutting to the dissolve. But the uncensored short goes in to this final gag where the mobsters then shoot themselves on-screen. It’s a bit extreme of a gag that lands with a thud, sadly.
The whole Cecil vs. Bugs rivalry is one of my least favorite Bugs Bunny relationships built in the Looney Tunes universe. The writers can never decide if Bugs is the villain or the victim or if he’s intelligent but blinded his pettiness, or just deep down just a dumb character. Save for the great animation, and usually on point comic timing, “Tortoise wins by a Hare” never really offers a good reason as to why we should keep watching this rivalry between Cecil Turtle and Bugs Bunny.
Thankfully his rivalry with Daffy Duck in the future would prove to be so much funnier and make much more sense.
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