Lumber Jack-Rabbit
Encyclopedia
Lumber Jack-Rabbit is a 1953
3D Looney Tunes
animated short film directed by Chuck Jones
and featuring Bugs Bunny
. With a story by Michael Maltese
, the short was released by Warner Bros. Pictures on September 25, 1953. It was notable as the first Warner Bros. cartoon short produced in 3-D
. It premiered with the Warner Bros. 3-D feature The Moonlighter and the 3-D Lippert short, Bandit Island.
and his exploits and states that many people still question the giant's existence. Then he challenges to ask "a certain rabbit" whether he is real. Just then Bugs Bunny
come walking by touting a bindle
and singing "Blue Tail Fly
". He then comments on the unusual looking trees he passes, oblivious to the fact that they are abnormally large asparagus
and that he has entered a rather large vegetable garden. He then finds an oversized carrot
and lies next to it for a nap under the pretense that it is a boulder. But he quickly rises up and points out that he smells carrots. Turning his attention to the so-called boulder he's propped against, and scratches some of the contents onto his finger and tastes. Suddenly he ecstatically comes to the conclusion that he has discovered a "carrot mine" and starts to frantically dig through the carrot.
On the other end of the garden Paul Bunyan leaves his log cabin for work with his dog Smidgen (a gag in itself as the word is a measurement for a small amount.) following behind. Paul instructs the dog to watch over the garden and literally leaves over the mountains.
Back in the garden, Bugs has managed to tunnel through several carrots and lay down tracks for the mining cart he is using to dump the excess carrot chunks over a cliff. Smidgen, drawn to the sound of Bugs' singing, pulls up the carrot that Bugs is in with his teeth. Bugs comes out, stops at the sight of what he assumes is a large billboard (Smidgen's dog license), and wonders where it came from. Suddenly he realizes that he is suspended high in the air, and frantically climbs up the carrot onto the edge of Smidgen's nose. Bugs then sees the large bloodshot eyes staring at him and realizes what he's up against. However, he becomes enraged, stating to the audience, "I'll be scared later, right now I'm too mad". He climbs up, approaches Smidgen's eye, and balls his fists to fight. Smidgen takes his fingers to flick Bugs off his bridge, but Bugs jumps up causing Smidgen to flick his own eye. Bugs then walks through the dog's head, out the left ear to the ground below, and runs down the garden with Smidgen not far behind.
Bugs then happens upon a wormhole and dives in forcing its previous occupant, a worm, out. Smidgen sticks his nose over the hole and starts to sniff, unbeknownst that Bugs has a feather, which he uses to tickle Smidgen's nose, causing Smidgen to give a hearty sneeze that rockets Bugs into Paul's cabin and inside a moose call horn. Smidgen runs in the cabin, grabs the horn and gives several blows which alert a nearby moose. The normal-sized moose happily runs after what it believes is another moose, only to find in waiting an enormous dog. Thus, the moose flees yelping like a dog. Smidgen gives the horn another blow, sending Bugs flying into the barrel of a revolver
. Smidgen fires it, sending the bullet Bugs is riding on into a nearby apple in a fruit basket. Smidgen grabs the apple and takes a large bite, leaving Bugs' backside exposing. Smidgen then eats the entire apple, grabs a toothpick to pick his teeth, and walks away assured that Bugs is taken care of. When he picks his teeth, Bugs comes out unharmed on the top of the toothpick. Bugs then hops up grabbing Smidgen's ear and wraps it around Smidgen's head covering his eyes. Then Bugs dives into the hair on the back of Smidgen's neck. From there, Bugs proceeds to scratch the surface of Smidgen's skin. This causes Smidgen to shiver, coo, and moan in pleasure. With the dog distracted, Bugs exits via Smidgen's leg and leaves the cabin. Smidgen chases after Bugs, only now he wants him to continue scratching. Bugs, feeling he's safe, stops to catch his breath, not knowing Smidgen is right behind. Before he knows it, Bugs is licked by the dog's enormous tongue which lift him off the ground each time. Bugs tries to run away, but stops at the sight of something. Quickly he sees the world's largest pine tree and calls Smidgen's attention to it, and the dog runs off to it.
The only concession that Lumber Jack-Rabbit made to the 3-D format was at the very beginning of the cartoon, where the zooming "WB" shield seems to leap into the laps of the viewers, springing much farther forward than normal before returning to its usual position. The effect is heightened by a much different sounding "buoinng" sound effect before the Looney Tunes theme plays. (This was also recycled into the 2010 3-D CGI Road Runner/Wile E. Coyote shorts, but in a much more convincing manner.) The closing sequence is modified as well, with the "That's All Folks!" script fading in rather than being written out.
1953 in film
The year 1953 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*September 16 — The Robe debuts as the first anamorphic, widescreen CinemaScope film.-Top grossing films : After theatrical re-issue- Awards :Academy Awards:A...
3D Looney Tunes
Looney Tunes
Looney Tunes is a Warner Bros. animated cartoon series. It preceded the Merrie Melodies series and was Warner Bros.'s first animated theatrical series. Since its first official release, 1930's Sinkin' in the Bathtub, the series has become a worldwide media franchise, spawning several television...
animated short film directed 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...
and featuring 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...
. With a story by Michael Maltese
Michael Maltese
Michael "Mike" Maltese was a long-time storyboard artist and screenwriter for classic animated cartoon shorts.-Career:...
, the short was released by Warner Bros. Pictures on September 25, 1953. It was notable as the first Warner Bros. cartoon short produced in 3-D
3-D film
A 3-D film or S3D film is a motion picture that enhances the illusion of depth perception...
. It premiered with the Warner Bros. 3-D feature The Moonlighter and the 3-D Lippert short, Bandit Island.
Plot
As the story opens a narrator recalls the character Paul BunyanPaul Bunyan
Paul Bunyan is a lumberjack figure in North American folklore and tradition. One of the most famous and popular North American folklore heroes, he is usually described as a giant as well as a lumberjack of unusual skill, and is often accompanied in stories by his animal companion, Babe the Blue...
and his exploits and states that many people still question the giant's existence. Then he challenges to ask "a certain rabbit" whether he is real. Just then 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...
come walking by touting a bindle
Bindle
Bindle is a term used to describe the bag, sack, or carrying device stereotypically used by the commonly American sub-culture of hobos. The person carrying a bindle was called a bindlestiff, combining bindle with the Average Joe sense of stiff....
and singing "Blue Tail Fly
Blue Tail Fly
"Blue Tail Fly", "De Blue Tail Fly", or "Jimmy Crack Corn" is thought to be a blackface minstrel song, first performed in the United States in the 1840s that remains a popular children's song today....
". He then comments on the unusual looking trees he passes, oblivious to the fact that they are abnormally large asparagus
Asparagus
Asparagus officinalis is a spring vegetable, a flowering perennialplant species in the genus Asparagus. It was once classified in the lily family, like its Allium cousins, onions and garlic, but the Liliaceae have been split and the onion-like plants are now in the family Amaryllidaceae and...
and that he has entered a rather large vegetable garden. He then finds an oversized carrot
Carrot
The carrot is a root vegetable, usually orange in colour, though purple, red, white, and yellow varieties exist. It has a crisp texture when fresh...
and lies next to it for a nap under the pretense that it is a boulder. But he quickly rises up and points out that he smells carrots. Turning his attention to the so-called boulder he's propped against, and scratches some of the contents onto his finger and tastes. Suddenly he ecstatically comes to the conclusion that he has discovered a "carrot mine" and starts to frantically dig through the carrot.
On the other end of the garden Paul Bunyan leaves his log cabin for work with his dog Smidgen (a gag in itself as the word is a measurement for a small amount.) following behind. Paul instructs the dog to watch over the garden and literally leaves over the mountains.
Back in the garden, Bugs has managed to tunnel through several carrots and lay down tracks for the mining cart he is using to dump the excess carrot chunks over a cliff. Smidgen, drawn to the sound of Bugs' singing, pulls up the carrot that Bugs is in with his teeth. Bugs comes out, stops at the sight of what he assumes is a large billboard (Smidgen's dog license), and wonders where it came from. Suddenly he realizes that he is suspended high in the air, and frantically climbs up the carrot onto the edge of Smidgen's nose. Bugs then sees the large bloodshot eyes staring at him and realizes what he's up against. However, he becomes enraged, stating to the audience, "I'll be scared later, right now I'm too mad". He climbs up, approaches Smidgen's eye, and balls his fists to fight. Smidgen takes his fingers to flick Bugs off his bridge, but Bugs jumps up causing Smidgen to flick his own eye. Bugs then walks through the dog's head, out the left ear to the ground below, and runs down the garden with Smidgen not far behind.
Revolver
A revolver is a repeating firearm that has a cylinder containing multiple chambers and at least one barrel for firing. The first revolver ever made was built by Elisha Collier in 1818. The percussion cap revolver was invented by Samuel Colt in 1836. This weapon became known as the Colt Paterson...
. Smidgen fires it, sending the bullet Bugs is riding on into a nearby apple in a fruit basket. Smidgen grabs the apple and takes a large bite, leaving Bugs' backside exposing. Smidgen then eats the entire apple, grabs a toothpick to pick his teeth, and walks away assured that Bugs is taken care of. When he picks his teeth, Bugs comes out unharmed on the top of the toothpick. Bugs then hops up grabbing Smidgen's ear and wraps it around Smidgen's head covering his eyes. Then Bugs dives into the hair on the back of Smidgen's neck. From there, Bugs proceeds to scratch the surface of Smidgen's skin. This causes Smidgen to shiver, coo, and moan in pleasure. With the dog distracted, Bugs exits via Smidgen's leg and leaves the cabin. Smidgen chases after Bugs, only now he wants him to continue scratching. Bugs, feeling he's safe, stops to catch his breath, not knowing Smidgen is right behind. Before he knows it, Bugs is licked by the dog's enormous tongue which lift him off the ground each time. Bugs tries to run away, but stops at the sight of something. Quickly he sees the world's largest pine tree and calls Smidgen's attention to it, and the dog runs off to it.
Availability
"Lumber-Jack Rabbit" is available, uncensored and uncut, on the Looney Tunes Superstars DVD. However, it was cropped to widescreen.3-Dimensional Gimmick