Tag Archives: Bugs Bunny

Every Bugs Bunny Ever: Buckaroo Bugs (1944)

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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.

Buckaroo Bugs (1944)
Directed by Bob Clampett
Written by Tedd Pierce
Music by Lou Lilly
Animation by Manny Gould

It would be a while before we would ever see Yosemite Sam on the big screen battling Bugs Bunny. We already saw the proto-granny in “Hare Force,” so “Buckaroo Bugs” has the proto-Yosemite Sam otherwise known as the Red Hot Ryder. This character would appear first and obviously be the character that would morph in to the aforementioned gun slinging bandit. This is also one of the very few times that we’ve seen Bugs Bunny playing the super villain in his own short. While yes there was the Tortoise and Hare but shorts, with “Buckaroo Bugs,” Bugs comes right out and says it to the audience that he is a bandit known s the notorious Masked Marauder.

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Every Bugs Bunny Ever: Hare Force (1944)

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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.

Hare Force (1944)
Directed by Friz Freleng
Written by Tedd Pierce
Music by Carl W. Stalling
Animation by Manuel Perez

What–? Two dog foes in a row? Either Termite Terrace were a fan of the popular trope of Bugs fighting predatory dogs, or they were just out of ideas. In either case, it’s at least a good thing that both dog villains are different. The dog foe in “Hare Force” is funnier and more interesting than the one in “Hare Ribbin’” and that’s mainly because he’s so much less whiny. I also get a kick out of his goofy speech pattern which makes him sound oafish but absolutely hilarious. And he’s at least given a name this time, Sylvester. No relation to the black and white Tom cat, of course.

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Every Bugs Bunny Ever: Hare-Ribbin’ (1944)

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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.

Hare-Ribbin’ (1944)
Directed by Bob Clampett
Written by Lou Lilly
Music by Carl W. Stalling
Animation by Bob McKimson

It’s pretty surprising how many of Bugs Bunny’s shorts were trimmed down or censored over the years once they made it to cable television. The syndicated airings always opted to take out certain scenes, which is indicative of where Warner’s head space was when approaching these characters. Bugs Bunny’s original appeal was to a general, wider audience, so he was able to realty wreak havoc most of the time. I’m not referencing the black face or horrible racial stereotypes, none of that is even remotely funny. I talk about more in the terms of death and how these shorts handle it. Although I can appreciate the rule of not having Bugs Bunny perceived as either murdering another character, or being murdered, sometimes the joke is necessary for a pay off.

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Every Bugs Bunny Ever: Bugs Bunny Nips the Nips (1944)

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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.

Bugs Bunny Nips the Nips (1944)
Directed by Friz Freleng
Written by Tedd Pierce
Music by Carl W. Stalling
Animation by Gerry Chiniquy

The best way to approach “Bugs Bunny Nips the Nips” is by examining it within the context upon which it was released. This was during World War II where anti-Asian sentiment was high. So, typical of movie studios at the time, the animators at Warner brought their iconic Bugs Bunny in to the war to fight a spiritual battle on screen against Japanese enemies. “Enemies” is putting it lightly. They’re horrendous Japanese stereotypes and clichés, and the animated short never misses a beat. There’s the Japanese that sounds like gibberish. There’s the big buck teeth, the bug eyes, the fractured English, the big glasses, there’s the appearance of a Sumo Wrestler for some reason, and yes, Bugs Bunny dresses as a Geisha girl to woo the sumo wrestler.

There’s also Bugs referring to them as “Japs” for most of the picture.

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Every Bugs Bunny Ever: Bugs Bunny and the Three Bears (1944)

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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.

Bugs Bunny and the Three Bears (1944)
Directed by Chuck Jones
Written by Tedd Pierce
Music by Carl W. Stalling
Animation by Robert Cannon

“Once Upon a Time There were Three Bears–” is what sets of the chaos of what happens when Bugs Bunny meets the iconic three bears. The three bears is the iconic bedside story written by Robert Southey from the nineteenth century, and it’s been twisted, and retold, and adapted dozens of times since its introduction. While Warner and the Looney Tunes aren’t the first to offer animated versions of the Three Bears, they are surely the best. Here, rather than three inadvertent characters of a story that come across Goldilocks, they’re instead a dysfunctional family on the verge of starvation. This take on the three bears is not only prime material for pure comedy but it’s one of the few times in this era where there’s not a traditional nuclear family.

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Every Bugs Bunny Ever: What’s Cookin’ Doc? (1944)

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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.

What’s Cookin’ Doc? (1944)
Directed by Bob Clampett
Written by Michael Sasanoff
Music by Carl W. Stalling
Animation by Bob McKimson

“What’s Cookin Doc?” is one of the few times where Warner tried to mimic Tex Avery, as where Avery had a knack for creating shorts that featured various facets of society and satirizing them, Bob Clampett and Bob McKimson go for that same method. With the narration, cuts to various sight gags, clever subversions of jokes, and implementation of live action footage to help land a joke, it’s hard not to compare this to a Tex Avery/MGM creation. That’s not a criticism per se, but more an observation, as it’s obvious what they’re aiming for here. Their primary goal is to satirize Hollywood and the Hollywood climate of the time. They also inject their big star Bugs Bunny in to the proceedings, which adds an extra spice that makes it all the better.

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Every Bugs Bunny Ever: Little Red Riding Rabbit (1944)

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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.

Little Red Riding Rabbit (1944)
Directed by Friz Freleng
Written by Michael Maltese
Music by Carl W. Stalling
Animation by Manuel Perez

I love “Little Red Riding Rabbit.” It’s brilliant, it’s hysterical, it’s so damn quotable, and it gets better and better when replayed. It’s one of the shorts from Bugs Bunny that genuinely gets me giddy, if only because the handling of Red Riding Hood and how they twist it comically is genius. There’s something so abundantly appealing about the adaptation of “Little Red Riding Hood.” Movies have been adapting the tale for decades and decades, and throughout the early 1900’s, studios sought to offer up their own animated versions of the fairy tale. Surprisingly almost all of them were pretty damn good. Disney gave us Little Red Riding Hood from 1922, and The Big Bad Wolf from 1934, while Tex Avery famously gave us the laugh riots Little Red Walking Hood from 1937, Red Hot Riding Hood from 1943, and Little Rural Riding Hood from 1949.

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