Tag Archives: Adventure

Every Bugs Bunny Ever: Any Bonds Today? (1942)

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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.

Follow us on this massive journey where we discover and re-discover Every Bugs Bunny Ever.

Any Bonds Today? (1942)
Directed by Bob Clampett
Written by Bob Clampett
Music by Irving Berlin, Carl W. Stalling
Animation by Virgil Ross, Bob McKimson, etc.

“The tall man with the high hat and the whiskers on his chin, Will soon be knocking at your door and you ought to be in, The tall man with the high hat will be coming down your way, Get your savings out when you hear him shout “Any bonds today?”

In 1942, the war effort was strong and America did whatever they could to promote patriotism and support for the armed forces during World War II. Among one of their tactics was to use one of the most popular cartoon characters of the time, Bugs Bunny, to promote the purchase of war bonds. In what is one of the most blatant uses of propaganda for the war, Warner implements the use of Bugs Bunny (a real testament to his popularity during this era) who appears in the ninety second musical short to encourage theater audiences to buy war bonds.

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Every Bugs Bunny Ever: The Wabbit Who Came to Supper (1942)

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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.

Follow us on this massive journey where we discover and re-discover Every Bugs Bunny Ever.

The Wabbit Who Came to Supper (1942)
Directed by Friz Freleng
Written by Michael Maltese
Music by Carl W. Stalling
Animation by Richard Bickenbach

I have a big sentimental value attachment to “The Wabbit Who Came to Supper.” When I was a kid we didn’t have cable television, but VHS tapes were readily available and often cheap. Back then stores would sell cartoon compilation tapes filled with hours of animated shorts for dirt cheap (often times they were a dollar, two dollars tops). So my mom and dad would buy at least four of them and give them to me and my brother and sister, and we’d watch them for hours. I spent so many days watching random shorts from MGM and Warner.

Basically, it consisted of whatever was public domain at the time, as the “unofficial” compilation tapes were filled with public domain animated shorts. That’s basically how I familiarized myself with Popeye, and Felix the Cat, and how I fell in love with the Fleischer Brothers Superman series.

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Shazam! Fury of the Gods (2023)

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Hey, it’s better than “Black Adam.”

That’s about the biggest glowing opinion I can give “Fury of the Gods” when all is said and done. The follow up to the 2019 crowd pleaser is a perfectly fine film. It’s a solid adaptation of a unique comic book series, and it’s a good chance this is the last time we’ll see “Shazam!” with this cast. That being said, I liked “Fury of the Gods” even if I wasn’t a big fan of how much they toned down the content to make it so much more appealing to the younger audience. “Shazam!” had demons, and “Fury of the Gods” has unicorns.

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“Super Mario Bros: The Movie” 30 Years Later: The Baffling Feature Film Adaptation

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Kids today will soon know their Mario Brothers as CGI animated sprites in the upcoming “The Super Mario Bros. Movie.” I, for one, am psyched. But back in 1993, my Mario Bros. (beyond the video games) were found on television and in the movies. After Captain Lou Albano and Danny Wells ended their run as Mario and Luigi in “The Super Mario Brothers Super Show!” in 1989, the studios decided to finally bring the Super Mario world to the big screen in 1993. Said movie was called “Super Mario Bros: The Movie.”

You’d probably think: “How they could possibly get such an easy concept so wrong?”

But they did. They really did.

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Every Bugs Bunny Ever: Wabbit Twouble (1941)

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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.

Follow us on this massive journey where we discover and re-discover Every Bugs Bunny Ever

Wabbit Twouble (1941)
Directed by Wobert Cwampett
Written by Dave Monahan
Music by Cawl W. Stawwing
Animation by Sid Suthewwand

With “Wabbit Twouble” we have what will come to be known as Fat Elmer Fudd. For some reason during the development of Elmer Fudd, his weight fluctuated between the thin hunter we know him as today, and an obese model. The latter overweight Elmer would only appear a three more times before becoming thin again, but it’s interesting to note how much his weight dips and rises between shorts every now and then. Maybe they just thought Bugs fighting an overweight man who looked like Curly from “The Three Stooges” would be funnier than his rhotacism? Apparently his physique was based on voice actor Arthur Q. Bryan’s own physique.

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Space Race (2022) [CINEJOY 2023]

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There’s nothing better than an inventive animated film that makes the most out of simple elements. Director and Writer Shane Dioneda’s animated short “Space Race” isn’t just a great, inspired space adventure, but it really feels like something that would have come out of the age when ATOM Films was a presence on the web (with a dash of Aardman for good measure). I mean that as the utmost compliment.

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Every Bugs Bunny Ever: All This and Rabbit Stew (1941)

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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.

Follow us on this massive journey where we discover and re-discover Every Bugs Bunny Ever.

All This and Rabbit Stew (1941)
Directed by Tex Avery
Written by Dave Monahan
Music by Carl W. Stalling
Animation by Virgil Ross

In the list of things that Warner Bros. wants you to forget about Looney Tunes, there’s “All This and Rabbit Stew.” Not only is it Tex Avery’s final short for Warner and Bugs Bunny, but it’s also one of the dreaded “Censored Eleven.”

It’s seventh in a list of animated shorts that have otherwise been banned or pulled from circulation due to sensitive content (racial, political, or otherwise). “All This and Rabbit Stew” has been banned since 1968 mainly for its depiction of black face and African American stereotypes that are just so offensive, that it’s almost impossible to get around. At least with something like “Swing Time” and “Hold that Ghost” you can simply move past it.

But with “All This and Rabbit Stew” it’s the absolute centerpiece.

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