{"id":39726,"date":"2023-05-16T00:16:24","date_gmt":"2023-05-16T04:16:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/?p=39726"},"modified":"2023-05-07T23:01:27","modified_gmt":"2023-05-08T03:01:27","slug":"every-bugs-bunny-ever-tortoise-wins-by-a-hare-1943","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/2023\/05\/16\/every-bugs-bunny-ever-tortoise-wins-by-a-hare-1943\/","title":{"rendered":"Every Bugs Bunny Ever: Tortoise Wins By a Hare (1943)"},"content":{"rendered":"

2023 marks the 85th<\/sup> Anniversary of Bug Bunny\u2019s first animated appearance in 1938’s \u201cPorky\u2019s Hare Hunt.\u201d 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\u2019re discussing every animated appearance by Bugs Bunny. We\u2019re big fans of Bugsy and we hope that you are, too. <\/em><\/p>\n

Follow us on this massive journey where we discover and re-discover Every Bugs Bunny Ever.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Tortoise Wins By a Hare (1943)
\n<\/strong>Directed by Chuck Jones
\nWritten by Tedd Pierce
\nMusic by Carl W. Stalling
\nAnimation by Ken Harris<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t 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\u2019t do a very good job, as with the sequel to \u201cTortoise Beats Hare,\u201d he still comes off like a reluctant hero. If he\u2019s intended as the hero, then there\u2019s 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\u2019 favor. Once again Bugs comes off petty, conniving, and kind of dumb. They\u2019re traits that you figure the writers would have left way behind back in \u201cElmer\u2019s Candid Camera,\u201d but they insist on giving us a follow up to \u201cTortoise Beats Hare<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

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What\u2019s more is that Bugs loses. Again. So, is Cecil supposed to be considered a Bugs Bunny villain or not? It also doesn\u2019t work in that regard either as Cecil isn\u2019t all that entertaining a character, at all. I know he\u2019s appeared in cameos and whatnot throughout the whole Looney Tunes universe, but beyond the whole racing shtick, there\u2019s not a lot that can be done with him. And I don\u2019t know I just wouldn\u2019t 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 \u201cWhat, again<\/em><\/strong>?!\u201d<\/p>\n

There isn\u2019t a ton of reasoning to push the narrative forward. Bugs just can\u2019t cope with the fact that the Tortoise beat him in a race, and he has to know why. That\u2019s about it. \u201cTortoise Wins By a Hare\u201d 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\u2019s also the inclusion of group of mobster rabbits that are \u201censuring\u201d Bugs will win the race this time. The whole idea of Cecil using aerodynamics to win the race becomes something of a Chekhov\u2019s gun, as Bugs decides to engineer his own aerodynamic shell in order to zoom past Cecil.<\/p>\n

But things turn on him as he\u2019s 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\u2019s kind of clever, but also infuriating. How did Bugs not anticipate this turn of events? And wouldn\u2019t Bugs have known the mob would interfere? In either case, the race really doesn\u2019t take center stage so much as the whole plot of Bugs looking for a way to defeat Cecil does.<\/p>\n

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\u2019d seen it as a kid. Over the years, the short ended in Bugs angrily proclaiming \u201cI\u2019m the Rabbit!\u201d to where the rabbits exclaim \u201cNow he tells us!\u201d cutting to the dissolve. But the uncensored short goes in to this final gag where the mobsters then shoot themselves on-screen. It\u2019s a bit extreme of a gag that lands with a thud, sadly.<\/p>\n

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\u2019s intelligent but blinded his pettiness, or just deep down just a dumb character. Save for the great animation, and usually on point comic timing, \u201cTortoise wins by a Hare\u201d never really offers a good reason as to why we should keep watching this rivalry between Cecil Turtle and Bugs Bunny.<\/p>\n

Thankfully his rivalry with Daffy Duck in the future would prove to be so much funnier and make much more sense.<\/p>\n

Find out what we think are the BEST<\/a> and WORST<\/a> Bugs Bunny shorts of all time!<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n