The 1976 made-for-television special “Bugs and Daffy’s Carnival of the Animals” marked the first time since “False Hare” in 1964 that an original production starring Bugs Bunny was created by Warner Bros. Why did it take 12 years for Warner Bros. to bring Bugs back? And why did Warner Bros. wait until 1976 to produce an original prime time special featuring its animated characters?
In retrospect, it is too bad that Bugs’ return wasn’t in a more invigorating presentation. “Bugs and Daffy’s Carnival of the Animals” feels like three different films sharing the same half-hour format involving the visualization of Camille Saint-Saëns’ musical “The Carnival of the Animals.” There is a live-action symphonic performance conducted by Michael Tilson Thomas, then there is Bugs and Daffy Duck as rival pianists reciting Ogden Nash’s poetry inspired by the Saint-Saëns music, and there is fanciful animation designed to bring the music to cartoonish life.
The Bugs and Daffy segments get off to a good start when the characters are introduced by their voices – they are bickering off-camera on the proper pronunciation Saint-Saëns, and it is to Mel Blanc’s credit that these distinctive voices sound like they are coming from separate entities. There is also the now-standard joke of Bugs going on stage to rapturous applause while Daffyenters to dead silence – a cute closing gag (no spoilers, sorry) explains why this happens. (Porky Pig is in a blink-and-you-miss-him cameo but has little amusement to offer).
Unfortunately, Nash’s fey poetry doesn’t quite fit the Bugs and Daffy personas, even if it is positioned for Bugs to constantly one-up Daffy with cute puns. Even worse, the animation for this special was directed by Chuck Jones at a time when he insisted on presenting clearly defined characters in soft, cutesy visualizations.
The stylized animation to illustrate the Saint-Saëns feels like it was plucked out of a “Sesame Street” episode – it is a far cry from the nihilist exuberance of “A Corny Concerto” or “Rabbit of Seville.” Oddly, the best part of “Bugs and Daffy’s Carnival of the Animals” had nothing to do with the animation – the live-action segments were genuinely invigorating, and conductor Michael Tilson Thomas was endearing and entertaining.
I can recall watching “Bugs and Daffy’s Carnival of the Animals” when it premiered on CBS on November 22, 1976, and thinking that it wasn’t that remarkable. Viewing it again for the first time in 50 years, I am surprised that my childhood diagnosis still holds up.
“Bugs and Daffy’s Carnival of the Animals” sparked good news and bad news. The good news was that more original Warner Bros. animation would follow this production. The bad news was that it was a hit-and-miss run, with too many misses along the way.