Bugs Bunny is the King of Cartoons for a reason. Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the funniest and most iconic cartoons starring that Oscar-winning rabbit.
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00:00 (Gunshot)
00:02 "Of course you realize this means war."
00:04 Welcome to Ms. Mojo,
00:06 and today we're counting down our picks for the funniest and most iconic cartoon starring that Oscar-winning rabbit, Bugs Bunny.
00:13 "He he he he he he he, I have not even begun to fight."
00:17 "I am a rabbit!"
00:22 Before this Oscar-nominated cartoon,
00:25 versions of Bugs popped up in Porky's Hair Hunt and Elmer's Candy Camera.
00:29 A wild hair defined the character as we know him, however.
00:33 Bob Givens gave Bugs a polished redesign,
00:35 while Mel Blanc cracked the rabbit's Brooklyn/Bronx voice.
00:39 Director Tex Avery also contributed an old Texas saying that unintentionally sparked a catchphrase.
00:44 "What's up, Doc?"
00:45 It's the dynamic between Bugs and Elmer Fudd that the cartoon nailed above all else.
00:50 Fudd was firmly established as an antagonist hunter who's gullible to the point that we almost sympathize with him.
00:57 Yet we can't root against Bugs.
00:59 A crafty trickster who's justified in his pranking.
01:02 After all, Bugs is fighting for his survival,
01:05 but that doesn't mean he can't have fun along the way.
01:08 "You know, I think the poor guy's screwy."
01:11 Bugs is a one-rabbit army.
01:15 "Why I could lick them in a ball game with one hand tied behind my back!"
01:19 It's only natural that he'd be a one-rabbit baseball team as well.
01:23 In this frizz-freeling cartoon scribed by Michael Maltese,
01:26 Bugs goes up against the hulking Gas House Gorillas,
01:29 a play on the St. Louis Cardinals Gas House Gang.
01:32 With nobody else on his team,
01:34 we get to see Bugs play every position from pitcher to catcher,
01:37 sometimes at the same time.
01:39 "Eh, I think I'll perplex him with my slowball."
01:43 Although Bugs can quip his way out of some confrontations,
01:46 this cartoon allows him to show off his physicality as a slapstick master.
01:50 At the same time,
01:51 Bugs' signature wit is on full display as he continually outsmarts the Gorillas.
01:56 That's not to say the rival players are doormats,
01:59 but Bugs has Lady Liberty on his side.
02:02 "That's what the man said, you heard what he said, he said that!"
02:05 We're used to seeing Bugs in constant control.
02:10 During his early years though,
02:11 Bugs occasionally found a worthy adversary.
02:14 "Greemland.
02:15 "Heh heh heh heh heh heh."
02:16 "Oh, murder!"
02:18 Cecil Turtle gave Bugs a run for his money in cartoons like Tortoise Beats Hare.
02:23 "Huh?"
02:24 Bugs would also be continually bested by a gremlin in Falling Hare.
02:29 "It ain't Vandalville, kid!"
02:31 Produced during World War II at the height of the gremlin myth,
02:34 Bugs learns that those mischievous little troublemakers
02:37 are not merely the product of a Roald Dahl book.
02:39 Being a Bob Clampett directorial outing,
02:42 Falling Hare is loaded with unhinged energy and non-stop sight gags.
02:46 Although the gremlin brings out Bugs' rarely seen aggressive side,
02:50 it doesn't come across as out of character.
02:52 For all the blows Bugs takes,
02:54 he maintains a certain level of control even when crashing down.
02:58 "We ran out of gas!"
03:00 "Yeah, you know how it is with these acots."
03:03 Self-preservation is typically Bugs' goal,
03:08 but it can be a global threat when pitted against Marvin the Martian.
03:12 "Oh, oh, I'm going to blow up the Earth."
03:15 The opening of Hare Devil Hare unearths Bugs' cowardly side
03:19 as he's reluctantly sent to the moon,
03:21 although his heroic nature eventually shines through.
03:24 In his debut, Marvin nonchalantly announces that he plans to blow up Earth,
03:29 leading to one of Bugs' funniest double-takes.
03:32 "Whoa!"
03:35 We also love how Bugs chastises Marvin,
03:38 sounding like an angry parent taking fireworks away from a troublemaking kid.
03:42 Although both come off as hilariously casual,
03:45 the world is on the line.
03:47 While Earth survives, the moon is another story.
03:50 The short's only drawback is that Mel Blanc hasn't quite found Marvin's voice,
03:58 but he would get it down by Hare Way to the Stars.
04:01 "Oh dear, now I shall have to create more Martians."
04:06 Whereas most of Bugs' foes are pushovers,
04:11 Frizz Freeling wanted to create an enemy who could come off as legitimately intimidating.
04:16 Enter Yosemite Sam,
04:18 "Whee-hee!"
04:20 who shared some resemblance to Freeling's appearance and temper.
04:23 Sam's hot-headed nature made him a splendid comedic foil
04:26 in shorts like Bugs Bunny Rides Again and Buccaneer Bunny.
04:29 "Or say your prayers, varmint!"
04:32 Our favorite has to be high-diving Hare.
04:35 The premise is simple, with Sam forcing Bugs to perform in a diving act.
04:39 This setup makes way for one brilliant gag after another,
04:42 as Bugs turns Sam into the spectacle.
04:45 Although the punchline rarely changes,
04:47 the build-up makes every joke feel unique.
04:49 Even when it appears Sam has Bugs cornered,
04:52 Gravity and Cartoon Logic have other plans in one of the series' finest endings.
04:56 "I know this defies the law of gravity, but, uh, you see, I never studied law."
05:08 Is Daffy Duck a friend or foe to Bugs?
05:11 If Alibaba Bunny demonstrates anything,
05:14 it's that Bugs is the best friend that Daffy has.
05:17 "Hey, wait a minute. Since when is Pismo Beach inside a cave?"
05:21 Meanwhile, Daffy is his own worst enemy.
05:24 Stumbling upon treasure, Daffy continually throws Bugs under the bus.
05:28 Daffy does a 180 whenever trouble arises,
05:31 rushing to his pal's aid.
05:33 Bugs, being such a stand-up rabbit,
05:35 gives Daffy a hand without ever giving two cents about the treasure.
05:38 Daffy's greed repeatedly gets the better of him, though,
05:43 eventually leaving even Bugs powerless to help him.
05:46 Alibaba Bunny finds Bugs at his coolest,
05:48 Daffy at his most selfish,
05:50 and both at their purest,
05:52 getting their dynamic down to a T.
05:54 It's one of the best character-based cartoons in the Looney Library.
06:04 Bugs is a smart aleck, but he rarely instigates the conflict.
06:08 In "Long-Haired Hare," Bugs peacefully relaxes with some music
06:12 when he's rudely interrupted by opera singer Giovanni Jones.
06:16 Bugs is willing to let it slide,
06:20 although after being antagonized three times,
06:22 he turns opera against Giovanni.
06:24 "Of course you know, this means war!"
06:27 Crashing his performance, Bugs breaks out the hammers and dynamite,
06:31 saving the best for the finale.
06:34 Bugs channels Leopold Stokowski,
06:37 who founded the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra
06:39 and preferred conducting with his hands rather than a baton.
06:42 Commanding the stage, Bugs pushes Giovanni to his limits
06:46 with the highest of high notes,
06:48 bringing down the house.
06:53 Beyond the sharp comedic timing,
06:58 the cartoon contains clever commentary on modern versus classical music,
07:03 with Bugs' banjo playing things off.
07:05 These are the titles that come to mind when we think of Holy Trinities.
07:25 The latter elevated the iconic rivalry between Bugs and Elmer
07:28 by throwing Daffy into the mix.
07:30 "Why, everybody knows it's really duck season!"
07:33 Produced over three years,
07:35 Rabbit Fire, Rabbit Seasoning, and Duck Rabbit Duck
07:38 contain some of the most quotable dialogue in cartoon history.
07:41 The slapstick is equally top-notch,
07:44 with every gunshot directed at Daffy providing an inspired spin.
07:48 The duck season/rabbit season debate in particular
07:51 is a comedy routine so legendary
07:53 it's ingrained in society along with Who's on First,
07:56 or Lucy's TV commercial.
07:57 "Rabbit season! Duck season! Rabbit season!"
08:01 The folks at Termite Terrace weren't just gifted animators,
08:04 they were comedic geniuses,
08:06 the hunting trilogy being a testament.
08:09 The looney tunes could be more dialogue-heavy
08:16 than some other cartoons at the time,
08:18 but music and movement are the primary driving forces behind Rabbit of Seville.
08:22 Bugs and Elmer are up to their usual shenanigans
08:25 when the pursuit leads them to a performance of The Barber of Seville.
08:28 Giochino Rossini's compositions provide the cartoon's DNA,
08:34 although Carl Stalling's arrangements are the key to its success,
08:37 meticulously matching the speed of comedy
08:39 while throwing in a few zany twists.
08:41 As humorous as the revised lyrics from Michael Maltese are,
08:47 the short standout moment is a pantomime routine
08:50 as Bugs gives Elmer a hectic head massage.
08:53 From there, the action just keeps gaining momentum
08:55 as we build toward the final curtain.
08:58 Before we unveil our top pick, here are some honorable mentions.
09:06 Bugs and Thugs, a gangster tune so good it's criminal.
09:10 "You don't think I'm the kind that would keep blabbing,
09:12 some people never know when to stop.
09:13 When I'm told to shut up, I shut up!"
09:16 "Shut up, shuttin' up."
09:18 Hair Raising Hair, Bugs' first confrontation with Gossamer.
09:21 "Here, you look like a strong, healthy boy.
09:24 Give me a hand."
09:25 [Bugs growling]
09:27 [Bugs growling]
09:32 Little Red Riding Rabbit, what big laughs this cartoon has.
09:36 "Say, what's right?"
09:39 "Oh, yeah!"
09:42 Rabbit Hood, if Space Jam was made in 1949,
09:45 it might have starred Errol Flynn instead of Michael Jordan.
09:48 "Oh, you again. Sheriff of Nottingham, meet Little John."
09:53 "How do you like to meet ya?"
09:55 Nighty Night, Bugs.
09:56 After 18 years, Bugs made the grade with his first Oscar-winning short.
10:01 "I wonder why they call it the singing sword."
10:04 [Bugs singing]
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10:23 Bugs Bunny and Opera might seem like an odd pair,
10:34 but the two went together in perfect harmony.
10:36 What's Opera Doc is widely considered Chuck Jones' musical masterpiece.
10:40 While the story doesn't stray far from Bugs and Elmer's established formula,
10:44 everything is elevated to an epic scale.
10:46 From Maurice Noble's imposing layouts to Philip DeGarde's angelic backgrounds.
10:50 Then there's the music, which Milt Franklin arranged
10:53 from Richard Wagner's most cherished works.
10:55 Funnily, Wagner's legacy might be outshined by three words
11:04 that Michael Maltese added to "Ride of the Valkyries."
11:07 "I'll kill the wabbit!"
11:10 In an unexpected twist,
11:12 Fudd succeeds in killing the wabbit, sort of,
11:15 making for a tragic ending that still leaves you smiling.
11:18 No wonder 1,000 animation professionals voted this
11:21 the greatest cartoon of all time.
11:24 "Well, what did you expect in an opera? A happy ending?"
11:27 What's your favorite Bugs Bunny cartoon?
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11:39 (Music)
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11:54 (Music)
11:59 (Music)
12:04 (music fades)