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(Blooper) Bunny
Encyclopedia
Bunny is an eight-minute Merrie Melodies
cartoon
directed by Greg Ford
and Terry Lennon, produced in 1991 by Warner Bros. Animation
. Featuring the voice talents of Jeff Bergman
and Gordon Hunt
, the short is a parody of some of the specials produced for Bugs Bunny
's 50th anniversary the previous year. The short never received its intended theatrical release and was shelved for several years. It was finally given a television premiere on June 13, 1997, after Cartoon Network
discovered the film sitting unseen in the vaults. During the years since its rediscovery, the cartoon has garnered a huge cult following
among animation fans because of its edgy humor, and is featured on the Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 1
.
The short opens with a special 51½ Anniversary Celebration of Bugs Bunny. Once that is finished, what happened earlier that day is shown, with a backstage look at Bugs, Daffy
, Yosemite Sam
, and Elmer Fudd
(featuring 3D rendering of the scenery). They attempt a performance, which results in a series of animated "bloopers."
Bugs Bunny begins to dance, but the music is slightly out of tune and skips like a broken record. He then dryly looks at the camera and says his trademark phrase, "What's up, Doc?". The director and producers laugh as Bugs walks off stage. He then peeks back in to say "Monotonous, isn't it?", which gets the director and producers laughing again.
Blooper 2:
Bugs stops the music midway through dancing, as a result of noticing a loose floorboard on the stage. He then suggests moving the action back and readjusting the camera.
Blooper 3:
Bugs misses the cane when it flies out.
Blooper 4:
The cane is thrown before Bugs is ready to catch it, much to his annoyance.
Blooper 5:
While waiting for the cane to be thrown, it becomes apparent that Daffy Duck has refused to throw it to Bugs. According to Daffy, his contract says that he is not supposed to throw canes to rabbits, resulting in the director reluctantly agreeing to have someone else throw it in Daffy's place.
Blooper 6:
Daffy enters the stage at the exact time that Bugs does, claiming that he thought that it was the best improvement as he walks away, only to bump his head on the boom mike.
Blooper 7:
Daffy does not come on stage when he is supposed to. While Bugs, the director, and the producers wait, Daffy is heard telling them to wait, followed by the sound of a toilet flushing. As Daffy then rushes onto the stage, the director can be heard yelling "Cut! CUT! CUT!!"
Blooper 8:
Elmer Fudd fires a real gun as opposed to a prop. Bugs scolds him, but Elmer responds that he thought that it would be "a gweat, big birthday surpwise" if he finally shot Bugs "after 51½ years of twying." Daffy starts yelling at Elmer for not using the prop gun and neglects Bugs's insistence on cutting. He then walks away as he tells Elmer to expect his lawyers to call him and gets struck in the face by the loose board Bugs had avoided earlier, with the board going through his beak. When Bugs asks if they can cut now,
Daffy says, "You thmug thon of a--" and is then cut off.
Blooper 9:
Daffy dances onto the stage with the board still smashed into his face. When he pulls it off, he yanks his beak off as well in the process, but continues speaking, failing to notice it.
Blooper 10:
Everything plays out correctly until Yosemite Sam emerges from the cake frowning. The director instructs him to act cheerful for the next take. He then goes back into the cake mumbling "But I hates rabbits."
Last Blooper:
The spectacular performance is done perfectly, except for one thing, as Bugs puts it - there were supposed to be five rockets. A fifth rocket attached to Sam's belt sends him flying about before crashing into the camera. He then yells at Bugs, calling him a "low down flop-eared son of a kangaroo", along with his usual cursing (which lasts throughout the credits) before being knocked-out by an unseen glass object. Bugs then suggests that what had just happened be taken out in the editing before one of the producers asks "Can we go to lunch now?"
, eventually discontinued for some time from 2004 to 2009. The film was animated using a combination of both new computer technology and traditional cel animation — a first for a Warner Bros. cartoon — with three-dimensional rendering distorting the background in the "backstage" scenes to give the appearance of a handicam
being used. The first "backstage" scene in the film, a sequence that goes on for nearly a minute and a half without a cut, is, according to co-director Greg Ford, one of the single longest uninterrupted shots ever attempted in animated cartoons. The short features several direct references to some of the previous output of Warner Bros. animation department. During the first, aforementioned "backstage" scene, the name of Bosko
, the first true Looney Tunes star, can be seen on one of the dressing room doors for a few frames. Midway through the film, there is also a deliberate homage to the "Hunting Trilogy
" made popular by Chuck Jones
, of whom Ford reportedly holds great admiration. Additionally, during the end credits, the theme song of One Froggy Evening
, another Chuck Jones creation, can be heard.
of some of the specials produced for Bugs Bunny's 50th anniversary the previous year, 1990. The short, however, never received its intended theatrical release and was shelved for several years. Albeit "one of the things the studio apparently disliked was the sound of a toilet flushing", critics speculate the true reason for the film's initial suppression was Daffy's rant towards the beginning of the cartoon, in which he is overheard lamenting his role and complaining that "Warner Bros. doesn't have an original bone in its [body]", while making a backward crack at Disney by claiming: "The next thing you know they'll stick me with three snot-nosed nephews" (a la Donald Duck
). Jonathan Rosenbaum, in a review for Chicago Reader, noted: "Ironically, Invasion of the Bunny Snatchers
, another Bugs Bunny cartoon directed at the same time by the same rebellious duo, Greg Ford and Terry Lennon, is even more directly critical of studio greed, yet it got a pass and wound up on the TV special Bugs Bunny's Creature Features, perhaps because it was less formally transgressive."
(Blooper) Bunny would not receive a television premiere until 1997
, after Cartoon Network
discovered the film sitting unseen in the vaults. During the years since its rediscovery, the cartoon has garnered a tremendous cult following
among animation fans because of its edgy humor. It is featured on the Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 1
, , along with an optional audio commentary
by co-director Greg Ford
. (Blooper) Bunny was shown again on Cartoon Network on August 19, 2011.
Jules Faber, in a review for DVD.net, lauded the cartoon as a "highlight" and elaborated further: "Blooper Bunny: Bugs Bunny’s 51½ Anniversary is a clever little blooper reel created in 1991 and utilising some brilliantly conceived early 3D rendering making a very funny behind the scenes mockumentary
." Chicago Reader also gave the film a positive mention, saying:
Dawn Taylor, in a review for The DVD Journal, said: "it has some very funny moments, and falls completely flat in others."
Merrie Melodies
Merrie Melodies is the name of a series of animated cartoons distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures between 1931 and 1969.Originally produced by Harman-Ising Pictures, Merrie Melodies were produced by Leon Schlesinger Productions from 1933 to 1944. Schlesinger sold his studio to Warner Bros. in 1944,...
cartoon
Cartoon
A cartoon is a form of two-dimensional illustrated visual art. While the specific definition has changed over time, modern usage refers to a typically non-realistic or semi-realistic drawing or painting intended for satire, caricature, or humor, or to the artistic style of such works...
directed by Greg Ford
Greg Ford
Greg Ford is an animator, director, historian and consultant to Warner Bros. Animation. He is perhaps best known for directing the films Daffy Duck's Quackbusters and Bunny .-Biography:...
and Terry Lennon, produced in 1991 by Warner Bros. Animation
Warner Bros. Animation
Warner Bros. Animation is the animation division of Warner Bros., a subsidiary of Time Warner. The studio is closely associated with the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies characters, among others. The studio is the successor to Warner Bros...
. Featuring the voice talents of Jeff Bergman
Jeff Bergman
Jeff Allen Bergman is an American voice actor, who provides the modern day voices of various classic cartoon characters, including Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Elmer Fudd, Yosemite Sam, George Jetson, Fred Flintstone, Yogi Bear, and Huckleberry Hound.-Life and career:Originally from Philadelphia,...
and Gordon Hunt
Gordon Hunt (director)
Gordon E. Hunt is an American actor, voice actor, director of stage, film, and voiceover and casting director.-Life and career:...
, the short is a parody of some of the specials produced for Bugs Bunny
Bugs Bunny
Bugs Bunny is a animated character created in 1938 at Leon Schlesinger Productions, later Warner Bros. Cartoons. Bugs is an anthropomorphic gray rabbit and is famous for his flippant, insouciant personality and his portrayal as a trickster. He has primarily appeared in animated cartoons, most...
's 50th anniversary the previous year. The short never received its intended theatrical release and was shelved for several years. It was finally given a television premiere on June 13, 1997, after Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network is a name of television channels worldwide created by Turner Broadcasting which used to primarily show animated programming. The channel began broadcasting on October 1, 1992 in the United States....
discovered the film sitting unseen in the vaults. During the years since its rediscovery, the cartoon has garnered a huge cult following
Cult following
A cult following is a group of fans who are highly dedicated to a specific area of pop culture. A film, book, band, or video game, among other things, will be said to have a cult following when it has a small but very passionate fan base...
among animation fans because of its edgy humor, and is featured on the Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 1
Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 1
Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 1 is a DVD box set that was released by Warner Home Video on October 28, 2003. It contains 56 Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoons and numerous supplements...
.
The short opens with a special 51½ Anniversary Celebration of Bugs Bunny. Once that is finished, what happened earlier that day is shown, with a backstage look at Bugs, Daffy
Daffy Duck
Daffy Duck is an animated cartoon character in the Warner Bros. Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons, often running the gamut between being the best friend and sometimes arch-rival of Bugs Bunny...
, Yosemite Sam
Yosemite Sam
Yosemite Sam is an American animated cartoon character in the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons produced by Warner Bros. Animation. The name is somewhat alliterative and is inspired by Yosemite National Park...
, and Elmer Fudd
Elmer Fudd
Elmer J. Fudd/Egghead is a fictional cartoon character and one of the most famous Looney Tunes characters, and the de facto archenemy of Bugs Bunny. He has one of the more disputed origins in the Warner Bros. cartoon pantheon . His aim is to hunt Bugs, but he usually ends up seriously injuring...
(featuring 3D rendering of the scenery). They attempt a performance, which results in a series of animated "bloopers."
Featured "bloopers"
Blooper 1:Bugs Bunny begins to dance, but the music is slightly out of tune and skips like a broken record. He then dryly looks at the camera and says his trademark phrase, "What's up, Doc?". The director and producers laugh as Bugs walks off stage. He then peeks back in to say "Monotonous, isn't it?", which gets the director and producers laughing again.
Blooper 2:
Bugs stops the music midway through dancing, as a result of noticing a loose floorboard on the stage. He then suggests moving the action back and readjusting the camera.
Blooper 3:
Bugs misses the cane when it flies out.
Blooper 4:
The cane is thrown before Bugs is ready to catch it, much to his annoyance.
Blooper 5:
While waiting for the cane to be thrown, it becomes apparent that Daffy Duck has refused to throw it to Bugs. According to Daffy, his contract says that he is not supposed to throw canes to rabbits, resulting in the director reluctantly agreeing to have someone else throw it in Daffy's place.
Blooper 6:
Daffy enters the stage at the exact time that Bugs does, claiming that he thought that it was the best improvement as he walks away, only to bump his head on the boom mike.
Blooper 7:
Daffy does not come on stage when he is supposed to. While Bugs, the director, and the producers wait, Daffy is heard telling them to wait, followed by the sound of a toilet flushing. As Daffy then rushes onto the stage, the director can be heard yelling "Cut! CUT! CUT!!"
Blooper 8:
Elmer Fudd fires a real gun as opposed to a prop. Bugs scolds him, but Elmer responds that he thought that it would be "a gweat, big birthday surpwise" if he finally shot Bugs "after 51½ years of twying." Daffy starts yelling at Elmer for not using the prop gun and neglects Bugs's insistence on cutting. He then walks away as he tells Elmer to expect his lawyers to call him and gets struck in the face by the loose board Bugs had avoided earlier, with the board going through his beak. When Bugs asks if they can cut now,
Daffy says, "You thmug thon of a--" and is then cut off.
Blooper 9:
Daffy dances onto the stage with the board still smashed into his face. When he pulls it off, he yanks his beak off as well in the process, but continues speaking, failing to notice it.
Blooper 10:
Everything plays out correctly until Yosemite Sam emerges from the cake frowning. The director instructs him to act cheerful for the next take. He then goes back into the cake mumbling "But I hates rabbits."
Last Blooper:
The spectacular performance is done perfectly, except for one thing, as Bugs puts it - there were supposed to be five rockets. A fifth rocket attached to Sam's belt sends him flying about before crashing into the camera. He then yells at Bugs, calling him a "low down flop-eared son of a kangaroo", along with his usual cursing (which lasts throughout the credits) before being knocked-out by an unseen glass object. Bugs then suggests that what had just happened be taken out in the editing before one of the producers asks "Can we go to lunch now?"
Cast
- Jeff BergmanJeff BergmanJeff Allen Bergman is an American voice actor, who provides the modern day voices of various classic cartoon characters, including Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Elmer Fudd, Yosemite Sam, George Jetson, Fred Flintstone, Yogi Bear, and Huckleberry Hound.-Life and career:Originally from Philadelphia,...
as Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Elmer Fudd, Yosemite Sam - Gordon HuntGordon Hunt (director)Gordon E. Hunt is an American actor, voice actor, director of stage, film, and voiceover and casting director.-Life and career:...
as Man in Audience, Movers, Director
Production
(Blooper) Bunny was produced at a time when newer Looney Tunes shorts were being released to introduce the Warner cartoon characters to a younger, more modern generation — a process that was, thanks to the tepid reception of 2003's Looney Tunes: Back in ActionLooney Tunes: Back in Action
Looney Tunes: Back in Action is a 2003 American live action/animated adventure comedy film directed by Joe Dante and starring Brendan Fraser, Jenna Elfman, Timothy Dalton, and Steve Martin. The film is essentially a feature-length Looney Tunes cartoon, with all the wackiness and surrealism typical...
, eventually discontinued for some time from 2004 to 2009. The film was animated using a combination of both new computer technology and traditional cel animation — a first for a Warner Bros. cartoon — with three-dimensional rendering distorting the background in the "backstage" scenes to give the appearance of a handicam
Hand-held camera
Hand-held camera or hand-held shooting is a filmmaking and video production technique in which a camera is held in the camera operator's hands as opposed to being mounted on a tripod or other base. Hand-held cameras are used because they are conveniently sized for travel and because they allow...
being used. The first "backstage" scene in the film, a sequence that goes on for nearly a minute and a half without a cut, is, according to co-director Greg Ford, one of the single longest uninterrupted shots ever attempted in animated cartoons. The short features several direct references to some of the previous output of Warner Bros. animation department. During the first, aforementioned "backstage" scene, the name of Bosko
Bosko
Bosko is an animated cartoon character created by animators Hugh Harman and Rudolf Ising. Bosko is the first recurring character in Leon Schlesinger's cartoon series, and is the star of over three dozen Looney Tunes shorts released by Warner Bros...
, the first true Looney Tunes star, can be seen on one of the dressing room doors for a few frames. Midway through the film, there is also a deliberate homage to the "Hunting Trilogy
Rabbit Fire
Rabbit Fire is a 1951 Looney Tunes cartoon starring Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and Elmer Fudd. Directed by Chuck Jones and written by Michael Maltese, The short is notable for being the first film in Jones' "hunting trilogy"—the other two films being Rabbit Seasoning and Duck! Rabbit, Duck!. It is also...
" made popular by Chuck Jones
Chuck Jones
Charles Martin "Chuck" Jones was an American animator, cartoon artist, screenwriter, producer, and director of animated films, most memorably of Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies shorts for the Warner Bros. Cartoons studio...
, of whom Ford reportedly holds great admiration. Additionally, during the end credits, the theme song of One Froggy Evening
One Froggy Evening
One Froggy Evening is an approximately seven-minute long Technicolor animated short film written by Michael Maltese and directed by Chuck Jones, with musical direction by Milt Franklyn.The short makes the debut of Michigan J...
, another Chuck Jones creation, can be heard.
Suppression, rediscovery, and subsequent reputation
(Blooper) Bunny is a self-parodyParody
A parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...
of some of the specials produced for Bugs Bunny's 50th anniversary the previous year, 1990. The short, however, never received its intended theatrical release and was shelved for several years. Albeit "one of the things the studio apparently disliked was the sound of a toilet flushing", critics speculate the true reason for the film's initial suppression was Daffy's rant towards the beginning of the cartoon, in which he is overheard lamenting his role and complaining that "Warner Bros. doesn't have an original bone in its [body]", while making a backward crack at Disney by claiming: "The next thing you know they'll stick me with three snot-nosed nephews" (a la Donald Duck
Donald Duck
Donald Fauntleroy Duck is a cartoon character created in 1934 at Walt Disney Productions and licensed by The Walt Disney Company. Donald is an anthropomorphic white duck with a yellow-orange bill, legs, and feet. He typically wears a sailor suit with a cap and a black or red bow tie. Donald is most...
). Jonathan Rosenbaum, in a review for Chicago Reader, noted: "Ironically, Invasion of the Bunny Snatchers
Invasion of the Bunny Snatchers
Invasion of the Bunny Snatchers is a Bugs Bunny short cartoon directed by Greg Ford and Terry Lennon and released in 1992. The cartoon was intended for a release in theaters, but was left out of production and was instead later seen on TV on Nickelodeon, and later, Cartoon Network.-Plot:In a parody...
, another Bugs Bunny cartoon directed at the same time by the same rebellious duo, Greg Ford and Terry Lennon, is even more directly critical of studio greed, yet it got a pass and wound up on the TV special Bugs Bunny's Creature Features, perhaps because it was less formally transgressive."
(Blooper) Bunny would not receive a television premiere until 1997
1997 in television
The year 1997 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1997.- Events :-Debuts:-Miniseries:*Knots Landing: Back to the Cul-de-Sac, a reunion of the 1979–93 series*The Last Don...
, after Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network is a name of television channels worldwide created by Turner Broadcasting which used to primarily show animated programming. The channel began broadcasting on October 1, 1992 in the United States....
discovered the film sitting unseen in the vaults. During the years since its rediscovery, the cartoon has garnered a tremendous cult following
Cult following
A cult following is a group of fans who are highly dedicated to a specific area of pop culture. A film, book, band, or video game, among other things, will be said to have a cult following when it has a small but very passionate fan base...
among animation fans because of its edgy humor. It is featured on the Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 1
Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 1
Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 1 is a DVD box set that was released by Warner Home Video on October 28, 2003. It contains 56 Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoons and numerous supplements...
, , along with an optional audio commentary
Audio commentary
On disc-based video formats, an audio commentary is an additional audio track consisting of a lecture or comments by one or more speakers, that plays in real time with video...
by co-director Greg Ford
Greg Ford
Greg Ford is an animator, director, historian and consultant to Warner Bros. Animation. He is perhaps best known for directing the films Daffy Duck's Quackbusters and Bunny .-Biography:...
. (Blooper) Bunny was shown again on Cartoon Network on August 19, 2011.
Jules Faber, in a review for DVD.net, lauded the cartoon as a "highlight" and elaborated further: "Blooper Bunny: Bugs Bunny’s 51½ Anniversary is a clever little blooper reel created in 1991 and utilising some brilliantly conceived early 3D rendering making a very funny behind the scenes mockumentary
Mockumentary
A mockumentary , is a type of film or television show in which fictitious events are presented in documentary format. These productions are often used to analyze or comment on current events and issues by using a fictitious setting, or to parody the documentary form itself...
." Chicago Reader also gave the film a positive mention, saying:
Much of what's funny about Blooper Bunny is the temperament of the aging cast: Bugs rehearsing his opening line, "Gosh, I'm so unimportant," over and over; Elmer still trying to grow hair with tonic; Daffy insanely jealous about being upstaged and threatening to have "my people" talk to "your people"; and Sam grouchily declaring as he's being forklifted onstage that he couldn't care less how old Bugs is — he still hates rabbits.
Dawn Taylor, in a review for The DVD Journal, said: "it has some very funny moments, and falls completely flat in others."
Credits
- Written by: Ronnie Scheib, Greg Ford, Terry Lennon
- Music by: George Daugherty
- Classic Voice Recreation: Jeff BergmanJeff BergmanJeff Allen Bergman is an American voice actor, who provides the modern day voices of various classic cartoon characters, including Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Elmer Fudd, Yosemite Sam, George Jetson, Fred Flintstone, Yogi Bear, and Huckleberry Hound.-Life and career:Originally from Philadelphia,...
- Voice of O.S. Director: Gordon HuntGordon Hunt (director)Gordon E. Hunt is an American actor, voice actor, director of stage, film, and voiceover and casting director.-Life and career:...
- Layout: Michael Wisniewski
- Animation: Nancy Beiman, Russell Calabrese, Doug Compton, Frank Gabriel, Bob McKnight, Nelson Rhodes, Larry Ruppel, Louis Tate, Dean Yeagle
- Key Assistant: Michael Wisniewski
- Background: Cotty Kilbanks, Kimball Miskoe
- Xerox: Chris Carrington
- Effects Animator: Don Poynter
- Ink & Paint: Sharon Alasheimer, Ann Barrett, Eva Bloom, Susan Burgos, Amber Chiarito, Ann Stein Decker, Mary Grant, Edna Jacobs, Richard Laslo, Stella Loguirato, Deborah Lomax, Elizabeth Olivier
- Assistant Animators: Kevin Brownie, Ed Cerullo, Ed Klein, Jeff LaFlamme, Levi Louis, George McClements, Roger Mejia, Juan Sanchez, Dick Williams
- Ink & Paint Supervisor: Marilyn Carrington
- Animation Checking: Rose Eng
- Animation Camera Operator: George Davis
- Sound Effects: Frank Raciti
- Film Editor: Jim Champin
- Production Manager: Bill Exter
- Associate Producer: Christopher Walsh
- Produced by: Greg Ford
- Supervising Producer: Veronica Chiarito