Bewitched Bunny

Last updated
Bewitched Bunny
BewitchedBunny TC.png
Directed by Charles M. Jones
Story by Michael Maltese
Starring Mel Blanc
Bea Benaderet (uncredited)
Music by Carl Stalling
Animation byLloyd Vaughan
Ken Harris
Ben Washam
Abe Levitow (uncredited) [1]
Layouts by Maurice Noble
Backgrounds byPhilip DeGuard
Color process Technicolor
Production
company
Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures
The Vitaphone Corporation
Release date
  • July 24, 1954 (1954-07-24)
Running time
6:56
LanguageEnglish

Bewitched Bunny is a 1954 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes cartoon directed by Chuck Jones and written by Michael Maltese. [2] The short was released on July 24, 1954, and stars Bugs Bunny. [3] Jones created the character Witch Hazel who debuted in this cartoon.

Contents

Witch Hazel later appeared in Broom-Stick Bunny (1956), A Witch's Tangled Hare (1959), and in A-Haunting We Will Go (1966). She also has a brief cameo appearance in Transylvania 6-5000 (1963).

Plot

The story begins with Bugs Bunny reading the classic fairy tale Hansel and Gretel . Witch Hazel plays the witch who tries to cook and eat the children (her cookbook has such recipes as "Waif Waffles", "Moppet Muffins", "Kiddie Kippers", "Children Chops", and "Smorgas Boy"). Bugs witnesses Witch Hazel coaxing the children inside. He comments that this looks like a job for the Masked Avenger, but he's not around. Bugs goes in her house, disguised as a truant officer, and saves the youths from her clutches. The children both turn to Hazel as they leave and say in a thick German accent: "Ach - your mother rides a vacuum cleaner!"

However, once Hazel realizes that Bugs is a rabbit, she tries to cook him instead, using a carrot (hollowed out and filled with a sleeping potion) as a lure. Bugs eats the carrot and falls asleep and Witch Hazel puts him into a roasting pan to make rabbit stew.

After the witch goes down into the basement to get something else, a character resembling Prince Charming enters the house and kisses Bugs' hand. Bugs wakes up and says: "You're looking for Snow White. This here's the story of HAHHN-sel and Gretel", and the Prince takes his leave, confused about how Hansel is pronounced. Then Hazel emerges from the basement and Bugs races down a nearby hallway to escape, but is trapped by Hazel. As she approaches, Bugs quickly finds a grenade full of her magic powder (in a case marked with the message "In case of emergency break glass") and uses it to transform her into a gorgeous female rabbit who has a feminine voice but still has Hazel's laugh.

As he gets ready to leave with the bunny beauty, Bugs looks at the audience, breaking the fourth wall, and comments: "Ah sure, I know. But aren't they all witches inside?".

Cast

Controversy

This cartoon caused some controversy in Canada due to Bugs' ending line about Witch Hazel being turned into a rabbit being perceived as misogynistic. [4] And Bugs' closing line, "Ah sure, I know, but aren't they all witches inside?" was edited out of commercial broadcasts in the 1980s, and was replaced in later versions with "Sure uh, I know, but after all, who wants to be alone on Halloween?", which was the re-dubbed line for the ending of Bewitched Bunny after it was repurposed in 1977's Bugs Bunny's Howl-oween Special . This controversy was briefly mentioned by Eric Goldberg [5] on the DVD commentary of the fifth volume of the Looney Tunes Golden Collection DVD set. However, the original version has been aired in Canada (as recently as 2015) on the Canadian cable channel Teletoon Retro.

Home media

Bewitched Bunny is available on the second disc of Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 5 , and the first disc of Looney Tunes Spotlight Collection: Volume 5.

On HBO Max it appears as Season 19 Episode 20.

See also

Related Research Articles

Witch Hazel (<i>Looney Tunes</i>) Warner Bros. theatrical cartoon character

Witch Hazel is an animated cartoon character in the Warner Bros. Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons and TV shows. Witch Hazel is a fairy tale witch antagonist with green skin, a round figure, bulbous facial features, and a single tooth. The name is a pun on the witch-hazel plant and folk remedies based on it.

<i>Tortoise Beats Hare</i> 1941 Bugs Bunny cartoon

Tortoise Beats Hare is a Merrie Melodies short film directed by Tex Avery and released on March 15, 1941. The short, loosely based on Aesop's fable The Tortoise and the Hare, stars Bugs Bunny and, in his first appearance, Cecil Turtle.

<i>A Wild Hare</i> 1940 Bugs Bunny cartoon directed by Tex Avery

A Wild Hare is a 1940 American animated comedy short film directed by Tex Avery, produced by Leon Schlesinger, and distributed by Warner Bros. as part of the Merrie Melodies series. The film was released on July 27, 1940, and features Elmer Fudd and Bugs Bunny, the latter making what is considered his first official appearance.

<i>Super-Rabbit</i> 1943 film by Chuck Jones

Super-Rabbit is a 1943 Warner Bros. cartoon starring Bugs Bunny. The cartoon is a parody of the popular comic book and radio character Superman by DC Comics. Super-Rabbit was the 16th Bugs Bunny entry, and the 47th short directed by Chuck Jones.

<i>From Hare to Eternity</i> 1997 film

From Hare to Eternity is a Looney Tunes cartoon directed by Chuck Jones released on November 4, 1997.

<i>Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 1</i> 2003 American DVD box set

Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 1 is a DVD box set that was released by Warner Home Video on October 28, 2003. The first release of the Looney Tunes Golden Collection DVD series, it contains 56 Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoons and numerous supplements. The set won the Classic Award at the Parents' Choice Awards.

<i>Bugs Bunny and the Three Bears</i> 1944 film by Chuck Jones

Bugs Bunny and the Three Bears is a 1944 Merrie Melodies cartoon short directed by Chuck Jones and written by Tedd Pierce. The short was released on February 26, 1944, and features Bugs Bunny. This short marks the first appearance of Jones' dysfunctional version of The Three Bears, and is a parody of the old fairy tale, Goldilocks and The Three Bears.

<i>Hair-Raising Hare</i> 1946 film

Hair-Raising Hare is a Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies cartoon, released on May 25, 1946. It was directed by Chuck Jones and written by Tedd Pierce. It stars Bugs Bunny and features the first appearance of Chuck Jones' orange monster character "Gossamer".

<i>The Old Grey Hare</i> 1944 film by Bob Clampett

The Old Grey Hare is a 1944 Merrie Melodies cartoon directed by Bob Clampett. The short was released on October 28, 1944, and features Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd, voiced by Mel Blanc and Arthur Q. Bryan respectively.

<i>Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 4</i> 2006 American film

Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 4 is a DVD box set that was released by Warner Home Video on November 14, 2006.

<i>Stage Door Cartoon</i> 1944 film by Friz Freleng

Stage Door Cartoon is a 1944 Merrie Melodies cartoon directed by Friz Freleng. The short was released on December 30, 1944, and features Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd.

<i>Hyde and Hare</i> 1955 film by Friz Freleng

Hyde and Hare is a 1955 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes cartoon, directed by Friz Freleng. The short was released on August 27, 1955, and stars Bugs Bunny. The short is based on Robert Louis Stevenson's 1886 novella Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. The cartoon pits Bugs against Dr. Jekyll, who continues to turn into Mr. Hyde. The title is a play on the expression "neither hide nor hair."

<i>Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 5</i> 2007 American film

Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 5 is a Looney Tunes collection on DVD. Following the pattern of one release each year of the previous volumes, it was released on October 30, 2007.

<i>Bugs Bunnys Howl-oween Special</i> 1977 American TV series or program

Bugs Bunny's Howl-oween Special is a Looney Tunes animated Halloween television special directed by David Detiege, which first aired on CBS on October 26, 1977.

Looney Tunes Super Stars is a series of nine Looney Tunes DVDs consisting of two Bugs Bunny DVDs and other characters who got their own collections. It started on August 10, 2010, and ran until April 23, 2013. The series consists of:

<i>Bugs Bunnys 3rd Movie: 1001 Rabbit Tales</i> 1982 animated feature film

Bugs Bunny's 3rd Movie: 1001 Rabbit Tales is a 1982 American animated fantasy comedy film produced and directed by Friz Freleng. It combines classic Warner Bros. cartoon shorts with new animation, with Bugs Bunny serving as the story host.

<i>Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 3</i> 2005 DVD compilation of Looney Tunes animated short films

Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 3 is a DVD box set from Warner Home Video that was released on October 25, 2005. It contains 60 Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies theatrical short subject cartoons, nine documentaries, 32 commentary tracks from animators and historians, 11 "vintage treasures from the vault", and 11 music-only or music-and-sound-effects audio tracks.

<i>Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 2</i> 2004 American film

Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 2 is a DVD box set that was released by Warner Home Video on November 2, 2004. It contains 60 Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoons and numerous supplements.

<i>Looney Tunes Platinum Collection: Volume 1</i> 2011 American cartoon anthology

Looney Tunes Platinum Collection: Volume 1 is a Blu-ray Disc and DVD box set by Warner Home Video. It was released on November 15, 2011. It contains 50 Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoons and numerous supplements. A DVD version of the box set was released on July 3, 2012, but contained no extras.

<i>Bugs Bunny 80th Anniversary Collection</i> 2020 American film

Looney Tunes: Bugs Bunny 80th Anniversary Collection is a Blu-ray Disc box-set released by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment on December 1, 2020. It contains 60 Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies shorts starring Bugs Bunny and numerous bonus features and supplementary content. The set's packaging includes a slip book, a booklet, and a collectible Bugs Bunny Funko! POP doll.

References

  1. ↑ "Animation Breakdowns #10" . Retrieved 3 January 2021.
  2. ↑ Beck, Jerry; Friedwald, Will (1989). Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies: A Complete Illustrated Guide to the Warner Bros. Cartoons. Henry Holt and Co. p. 263. ISBN   0-8050-0894-2.
  3. ↑ Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. pp. 60–62. ISBN   0-8160-3831-7 . Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  4. ↑ Saunders, Doug. "The Bureaucrats and Bugs Bunny, The Toronto Globe and Mail, Aug 19 1999". Archived from the original on March 2, 2000.
  5. ↑ Lambert, David. "The Bugs Bunny/Looney Tunes Comedy Hour - Complete Disc-by-Disc Details of Golden Collection Vol. 5 Cartoons, Extras". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Archived from the original on February 8, 2009. Retrieved August 5, 2007.
Preceded by Bugs Bunny Cartoons
1954		Succeeded by
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.