The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Movie | |
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Directed by | Chuck Jones Phil Monroe Classic Cartoons: Chuck Jones Maurice Noble Tom Ray |
Screenplay by | Chuck Jones Michael Maltese |
Story by | Michael Maltese |
Produced by | Chuck Jones |
Starring | Mel Blanc Stan Freberg Paul Julian Nicolai Shutorev Arthur Q. Bryan |
Edited by | Treg Brown |
Music by | Dean Elliott Milt Franklyn Carl W. Stalling William Lava John Seely |
Production company | |
Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
Release date |
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Running time | 97 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Movie (originally entitled as The Great American Chase) is a 1979 American animated comedy package film directed by Chuck Jones, consisting of a compilation of classic Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies shorts (specifically those that Jones himself had directed) and newly animated bridging sequences hosted by Bugs Bunny. [1] The bridging sequences, which had been produced in 1978, show Bugs at his home, which is cantilevered over a carrot-juice waterfall (modeled on Frank Lloyd Wright's "Fallingwater" house in Bear Run, Pennsylvania). The film was released to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Bugs Bunny. [2] [3]
Bugs Bunny takes audiences on a tour of his opulent mansion, delving into the rich history of comedic chase sequences that define the essence of Looney Tunes. As he showcases his lavish abode, Bugs reminisces about the pioneers of cartoon comedy and his famous adversaries, each contributing to the evolution of slapstick humor.
Throughout the tour, snippets from classic shorts highlight iconic rivalries and hilarious escapades, providing a nostalgic trip down memory lane for fans. The climax of the film culminates in an exhilarating chase between Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner, seamlessly blending multiple shorts into one thrilling pursuit.
As the tour concludes, Bugs and his fellow characters transcend into the night sky, immortalized as constellations engaged in their eternal chase.
In the introductory segment, Bugs Bunny recounts his encounters with various antagonists from past cartoons. This is followed by a satirical overview of comedy history and a pivotal scene where Bugs addresses his "several fathers." Authored by Chuck Jones, this scene serves to refute claims made by animation director Bob Clampett in the 1970s that he solely created Bugs. Clampett's absence from Bugs' acknowledgments reflects the discord between Jones and Clampett.
The 1975 documentary film Bugs Bunny: Superstar prominently features Clampett and comprises a compilation of cartoon shorts, marking one of the earliest attempts to delve into the history of Warner Bros. cartoons. However, the film downplays Bugs' other creators, contributing to the ongoing conflict between Jones and Clampett. All shorts showcased in The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Movie are under the direction of Chuck Jones.
This film's fusion of vintage animated footage with new animation sets a precedent for subsequent theatrically released Looney Tunes movies until Daffy Duck's Quackbusters (1988). It is dedicated to the memory of Chuck Jones' late wife, Dorothy Webster, who passed away prior to the film's release.
The film was released between April–May 1979 in some test markets as The Great American Chase. [3] The film was shown at the 17th New York Film Festival on September 29, 1979, at Alice Tully Hall. [4] The film opened at the Guild 50th Theatre on September 30, 1979. [5] It set an opening-day record at the theater with a gross of $6,280. [2]
It aired on HBO, CBS, Disney Channel and Cartoon Network.
Warner Home Video debuted The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Movie in VHS and Betamax formats in 1979, as part of its initial 20-title release (catalog number WB-1003). It was reissued in 1981 and also on CED the same year. In 1983, a corrected version was released on VHS and Betamax to address previous time-compression issues. Subsequent releases in 1986 reverted to time-compression until 1997.
On February 3, 1998, the film was re-released on VHS and LaserDisc as part of Warner Bros.' 75th Anniversary VHS promotion. It was included in the Looney Tunes Movie Collection DVD set alongside Bugs Bunny's 3rd Movie: 1001 Rabbit Tales in 2005.
The film is available for purchase or rental on the Apple iTunes Store and has been featured on Netflix, both offering remastered HD quality. Additionally, it can be streamed or downloaded in HD on Google Play, Amazon Prime Video, Microsoft Store, Movies Anywhere, Vudu, and Xfinity. [6] As of November 2024, no official Blu-ray version of the movie exists.
Bugs Bunny is a cartoon character created in the late 1930s at Warner Bros. Cartoons and voiced originally by Mel Blanc. Bugs is best known for his featured roles in the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of animated short films, produced by Warner Bros. Earlier iterations of the character first appeared in Ben Hardaway's Porky's Hare Hunt (1938) and subsequent shorts before Bugs's definitive characterization debuted in Tex Avery's A Wild Hare (1940). Bob Givens, Chuck Jones, and Robert McKimson are credited for defining Bugs's design.
Looney Tunes is an American media franchise produced and distributed by Warner Bros. The franchise began as a series of animated short films that originally ran from 1930 to 1969, alongside the related series Merrie Melodies, during the golden age of American animation. Following a revival in the late 1970s, new shorts were released as recently as 2014. The two series introduced a large cast of characters, including Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, and Porky Pig. The term Looney Tunes has since been expanded to also refer to the characters themselves.
Daffy Duck is a cartoon character created by animators Tex Avery and Bob Clampett for Leon Schlesinger Productions. Styled as an anthropomorphic black duck, he has appeared in cartoon series such as Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies, in which he is usually depicted as a foil for either Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig or Speedy Gonzales. He was one of the first of the new "screwball" characters that emerged in the late 1930s to replace traditional everyman characters who were more popular earlier in the decade, such as Mickey Mouse, Porky Pig, and Popeye.
Porky Pig is a cartoon character in the Warner Bros. Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons. He was the first character created by the studio to draw audiences based on his star power, and the animators created many critically acclaimed shorts featuring the character. Even after he was supplanted by later characters, Porky continued to be popular with moviegoers and, more importantly, the Warners directors, who recast him in numerous everyman and sidekick roles.
Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner are a duo of cartoon characters from the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of animated cartoons, first appearing in 1949 in the theatrical short Fast and Furry-ous. In each episode, the cunning, devious and constantly hungry coyote repeatedly attempts to catch and eat the roadrunner, but is humorously unsuccessful. Instead of using animal instinct, the coyote deploys absurdly complex contraptions to try to catch his prey. They comically backfire, with the coyote often getting injured in slapstick fashion. Many of the items for these contrivances are mail-ordered from a variety of companies implied to be part of the Acme Corporation. TV Guide included Wile E. Coyote in its 2013 list of "The 60 Nastiest Villains of All Time".
Marvin the Martian is an extraterrestrial character from the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series. He frequently appears as a villain in cartoons and video games, and wears a Roman soldier's helmet and skirt. The character has been voiced by Mel Blanc, Joe Alaskey, Bob Bergen and Eric Bauza, among others.
The Looney Tunes Golden Collection is a series of six four-disc DVD sets from Warner Home Video, each containing about 60 Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies animated shorts originally released from the 1930s to 1960s. The initial run of the series was in folding cardboard packaging issued gradually from October 28, 2003 to October 21, 2008. A boxed set combining all six volumes was released in 2011, and each volume was reissued separately in standard Amaray-style cases in 2020.
Daffy Duck's Quackbusters is a 1988 animated compilation film featuring classic Warner Bros. Cartoons shorts and animated bridging sequences, starring Daffy Duck. The film was released to theaters by Warner Bros. on September 24, 1988. It was the final theatrical production in which Mel Blanc provided the voices of the various Looney Tunes characters before his death in July 1989.
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.
Fast and Furry-ous is a 1949 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes cartoon, directed by Chuck Jones and written by Michael Maltese. The short was released on September 17, 1949, and stars Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner, in their debut.
Paul Hull Julian was an American background animator, sound effects artist and voice actor for Warner Bros. Cartoons. He worked on Looney Tunes short films, primarily on director Friz Freleng's Sylvester and Tweety Bird shorts.
The Road Runner Show is an American Saturday morning animated anthology series which compiled theatrical Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner cartoons from the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies, which were produced by Warner Bros. Cartoons between 1949 and 1964. Several of the shorts, especially the ones produced from 1965 onward, were produced by DePatie–Freleng Enterprises after Warner Bros. closed their animation studio. DePatie–Freleng Enterprises provided the animation for the show's intro, closing credits as well as the wrap-around bumpers.
Kids' WB Fun Zone is a themed attraction in Warner Bros. Movie World on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia based on the Looney Tunes cartoons. The attraction was originally named Looney Tunes Village and was renamed in late 2007 when two new rides were added. At the same time, the Australian Kids' WB TV show began filming at the theme park. Two similar themed attractions, Looney Tunes Land and Cartoon Village, opened at Warner Bros. Movie World Germany in Bottrop Kirchhellen, Germany in 1996 and Parque Warner Madrid in Madrid, Spain in 2002, respectively, with the latter remaining to this day.
This is a list of all cartoons featuring Porky Pig. Directors are listed in parentheses.
Bugs Bunny's Thanksgiving Diet is an animated television special that aired November 15, 1979 on CBS. It stars Bugs Bunny and incorporated parts of several Looney Tunes cartoons. The special followed up on the successful Looney Tunes special Bugs and Daffy's Carnival of the Animals that had aired in 1976, which reintroduced the character of Bugs Bunny in his first new material since 1964.
Virgil Walter Ross was an American artist, cartoonist, and animator best known for his work on the Warner Bros. animated shorts including the shorts of legendary animator Friz Freleng.
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:
The Looney Tunes Show is an American animated sitcom produced by Warner Bros. Animation, and aired on Cartoon Network for two seasons from May 3, 2011, to November 2, 2013. The series featured characters from the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies theatrical cartoon shorts in a sitcom format with Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck, who live a suburban life together within a neighborhood of fellow cartoon neighbors, dealing with various issues in their own way. Many episodes also include a musical short under the Merrie Melodies name, and the first season also includes computer-animated shorts involving new antics between Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner.