Every Bugs Bunny Ever: Rabbit Seasoning (1952)

Posted on January 22, 2025 by Phil Hall

Rabbit Seasoning (1952)
Directed by Charles M. Jones
Story by Michael Maltese
Animation by Ken Harris, Lloyd Vaughan, Ben Washam, Richard Thompson, Abe Levitow, Harry Love
Music by Carl W. Stalling

The second of the “Hunting Trilogy” featuring Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and Elmer Fudd in a triangular adversarial relationship, “Rabbit Seasoning” has been viewed by some prominent animation scholars as the best film of the trio. I respectfully disagree and view “Rabbit Seasoning” as a verbose retread of the more effective first entry in the series, “Rabbit Fire” from 1951.
Continue reading →

Every Bugs Bunny Ever: The Hasty Hare (1952)

Posted on January 8, 2025 by Phil Hall

The Hasty Hare (1952)

Directed by Charles M. Jones
Story by Michael Maltese
Animation by Ken Harris, Lloyd Vaughan, Ben Washam
Music by Carl W. Stalling

In the early 1950s, flying saucers could be found in newspaper headlines and movie screens. The Termite Terrace gang tapped into that environment by bringing back the extra-terrestrial characters of 1948’s “Haredevil Hare” – but whereas Bugs Bunny went into the space to encounter those otherworldly characters for that film, the 1952 short “The Hasty Hare” has the beings from out there land their flying saucer on Earth to meet the rascally rabbit.
Continue reading →

Every Bugs Bunny Ever: Water, Water Every Hare (1952)

Posted on January 1, 2025 by Phil Hall

Water, Water Every Hare (1952)
Directed by Chuck Jones
Story by Michael Maltese
Animation by Ben Washam, Ken Harris, Phil Monroe, Lloyd Vaughan, Richard Thompson, Harry Love
Music by Carl Stalling

Comedy horror movies rarely work, if only because they devolve into the obvious buffoonery of having the funnymen go into unamusing spasms of anxiety when confronted by ghouls, ghosts, creepy beings, and other unpleasant entities. The 1952 cartoon “Water, Water Every Hare” clicks because it doesn’t sink into the standard nonsense of the comic (in this case, Bugs Bunny) being endlessly frightened by the stock villains. Instead, it offers some brilliantly inventive segments that take the comedy horror genre to a new dimension.
Continue reading →

Every Bugs Bunny Ever – Operation: Rabbit (1952)

Posted on December 11, 2024 by Phil Hall

Operation: Rabbit (1952)
Directed by Charles M. Jones
Story by Michael Maltese
Animation by Lloyd Vaughan, Ben Washam, Ken Harris, Phil Monroe
Music by Carl Stalling

Prior to the 1952 “Operation: Rabbit,” Bugs Bunny’s foes could be classified in one of four categories: the dimwitted hunter, the hotheaded loudmouth, the pompous authority figure, and the smart-ass who consistently played Bugs for a chump – Cecil Turtle and the gremlin in “Falling Hare” were among the rare detractors who kept getting the best of him.
Continue reading →

Every Bugs Bunny Ever: Big Top Bunny (1951)

Posted on December 4, 2024 by Phil Hall

Big Top Bunny (1951)
Directed by Robert McKimson
Story by Tedd Pierce
Animation by Charles McKimson, Rod Scribner, Phil DeLara, Bob Wickersham
Music by Carl Stalling

The reigning animal star of Col. Korny’s Circus is Bruno the Slobokian Acrobatic Bear – the ursine star is a burly biped with a tan body, a chalk white face and a green and red derby, as well as a heavy accent that sounds like it comes from any country behind the Iron Curtain. Bruno’s spotlight reign is threatened when he is given a new performing partner with Bugs Bunny. Bruno is furious at this arrangement and tries to sabotage Bugs during their premiere engagement. Bugs quickly realizes Bruno’s intentions and deftly turns the tables on the arrogant acrobat, ultimately resulting in a big top ejection via a cannon.
Continue reading →

Every Bugs Bunny Ever: His Hare-Raising Tale (1951)

Posted on November 20, 2024 by Phil Hall

His Hare-Raising Tale (1951)
Directed by Friz Freleng
Story by Warren Foster
Animation by Virgil Ross
Music by Carl Stalling

One of the relatively few Warner Bros. cartoons that mainly consisted of recycled footage from older shorts, “His Hare-Raising Tale” is an amusing endeavor that pointed to a potential scenario shift that, sadly, was never explored in depth.
Continue reading →

Every Bugs Bunny Ever: Rabbit Fire (1951)

Posted on November 6, 2024 by Phil Hall

Rabbit Fire (1951)
Directed by Chuck Jones
Story by Michael Maltese
Animation by Ken Harris, Phil Monroe, Lloyd Vaughan and Ben Washam
Music by Carl W. Stalling

In the realm of the Bugs Bunny cartoons, “Rabbit Fire” is both a blessing and a curse. The blessing, of course, is the film’s contents – a fast, inventive serving of classic dialogue and innovative visual comedy that resulted in an animated masterpiece. The curse, however, involved the same issues that make it a blessing. “Rabbit Fire” is so remarkable that it created a lightning-in-a-bottle moment that could never be repeated with the same level of style and substance. And Lord knows the Termite Terrace gang tried endlessly to duplicate its brilliance, with results that ranged from almost perfect to dreadful.
Continue reading →