{"id":41742,"date":"2023-11-14T11:02:58","date_gmt":"2023-11-14T16:02:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/?p=41742"},"modified":"2023-11-14T11:02:58","modified_gmt":"2023-11-14T16:02:58","slug":"every-bugs-bunny-ever-hare-remover-1946","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/2023\/11\/14\/every-bugs-bunny-ever-hare-remover-1946\/","title":{"rendered":"Every Bugs Bunny Ever: Hare Remover (1946)"},"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>Hare Remover (1946)
\n<\/strong>Directed by Frank Tashlin, Bob McKimson
\nWritten by Warren Foster
\nMusic by Carl W. Stalling
\nAnimation by Richard Bickenbach<\/p>\n

\u201cHare Remover\u201d is one of the rare misses by the Elmer Fudd and Bugs Bunny team up. Usually their team ups and rivalries amount to some great laughs, but \u201cHare Remover\u201d really hits the mark at all corners. It\u2019s not to say that the short is bad, but in the long line of Bugs and Elmer shorts, this is not even top tier. If anything, \u201cHare Remoer\u201d feels shockingly like a precursor to \u201cHair Raising Hare\u201d where Bugs Bunny confronts an evil scientist and becomes the rival to a vicious monster. Here, much of the set up allows for a really raucous and funny short but everything really is just a complete misfire.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The animators even recycle a gag involving Bugs Bunny pretending to be a vicious bear mauling a petrified Elmer playing dead, a la 1941\u2019s \u201cWabbit Twouble.\u201d Basically Elmer is an evil scientist who has devoted his time to testing his latest formulas on poor animals. After losing his latest to his potion, he decides to trap a rabbit next. In comes Bugs Bunny who is so unimpressed by the trap that he decides to allow himself to be caught and trapped by Elmer. Because\u2014you know\u2014if he isn\u2019t caught, then we basically don\u2019t have a short to watch. In either case, a lot of \u201cHare Remover\u201d revolves around Bugs outwitting Elmer who is dead set on giving Bugs his newest potion.<\/p>\n

Elmer gives it to Bugs, Bugs has a freak out and forces the potion on Elmer who also proceeds to have a freak out. Save for the sharp animation the gag is a lemon, even with the attempts at sight gags with Bugs flashing signs like \u201cScrew Ball,\u201d and \u201cBats in the Bellfry\u201d to punctuate Elmer losing control of his faculties. The big gag of the piece is Elmer running in to the woods with his bowler cap falling no to a random wild bear. This prompts Bugs to believe Elmer has transformed in to a bear. Again, the foundation for the gags and plot are so weak that the writers have to introduce a random character as a convenience, and a means to help sell the whole idea of the potions.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not nearly as fun, inexplicable, or funny as 1955\u2019s \u201cHyde and Hare.\u201d Everyone in \u201cHare Remover\u201d acts so out of character and the whole idea of the potions feels so extraneous and clunkily conceived. It would have been so much easier to introduce a new evil scientist foe to the short, which would have at least been more interesting. Also Bugs doesn\u2019t really have much to do here, which is shocking considering he willingly submits himself to a foe here. It implies he has something big in store for Elmer, and he doesn\u2019t get much done by the end of the short.<\/p>\n

This is also disappointing in that the writers set Elmer up as someone who abuses animals, and it would have been fun to see him get his comeuppance by Bugs. In either case, \u201cHare Remover\u201d is fine enough, but it doesn\u2019t belong in the top five Bugs and Elmer shorts. I\u2019d argue it wouldn\u2019t even warrant being included in a top ten.<\/p>\n

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