Hiawatha's Rabbit Hunt

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Hiawatha's Rabbit Hunt
HiawatharabbitTC.png
Directed by I. Freleng
Story by Michael Maltese
Produced by Leon Schlesinger
Starring Mel Blanc
Music by Carl W. Stalling
Animation by Gil Turner
Color process Technicolor
Production
company
Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures
Release date
  • June 7, 1941 (1941-06-07)
Running time
7:30
LanguageEnglish

Hiawatha's Rabbit Hunt is a 1941 Merrie Melodies cartoon directed by Friz Freleng. [1] Mel Blanc voiced all characters. This film was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Short Subject (cartoons), but lost to Walt Disney's Lend a Paw (a plot point which would figure into What's Cookin' Doc? ). This was the first Bugs Bunny cartoon directed by Friz Freleng. [2] The short makes several direct references to The Song of Hiawatha , an epic poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

Contents

Plot

Bugs is reading The Song of Hiawatha out loud to himself and the saga turns real as a pint-sized, Elmer Fudd-like Hiawatha (minus the speech impediment) turns up, paddling his canoe. Hiawatha is looking for a rabbit for his dinner. Hiawatha manages to trick Bugs into thinking he is preparing a hot bath for him. It is actually a cooking pot, which Bugs quickly vacates once Hiawatha casually mentions that he is having rabbit stew for supper.

Reception

The Film Daily called the short a "very funny cartoon", saying, "the result is a howl from start to finish. The serious-minded Indian's efforts to catch the screwball rabbit for stewing purposes makes a lively and comical race. Bugs Bunny gets better and funnier with every screen appearance." [3]

Home media

Notes

Hiawatha's Rabbit Hunt was one of the 12 Bugs Bunny cartoons that were pulled out of Cartoon Network's June Bugs 2001 marathon by order of AOL Time Warner due to having a negative caricature of a Native American. [5]

References

  1. ↑ Beck, Jerry; Friedwald, Will (1989). Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies: A Complete Illustrated Guide to the Warner Bros. Cartoons. Henry Holt and Co. p. 117. ISBN   0-8050-0894-2.
  2. ↑ Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. pp. 60–61. ISBN   0-8160-3831-7 . Retrieved June 6, 2020.
  3. ↑ "Reviews of Short Subjects". The Film Daily . 79 (119): 5. June 19, 1941. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
  4. ↑ "Looney Tunes DVD and Video Guide: VHS: Viddy-Oh! For Kids". Archived from the original on July 19, 2012. Retrieved October 17, 2012.
  5. ↑ Watson, Pernell (June 12, 2001). "NETWORK PULLS BUGS BUNNY SHOWS". Daily Press . Retrieved June 22, 2022.
Preceded by Bugs Bunny Cartoons
1941		Succeeded by


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