Home | Movies By Year | Movies from 1981
The Looney Looney Looney Bugs Bunny Movie
Buy The Looney Looney Looney Bugs Bunny Movie now from AmazonFirst, read the Wikipedia article. Then, scroll down to see what other TopShelfReviews readers thought about the movie. And once you've experienced the movie, tell everyone what you thought about it.
Wikipedia article
{{Infobox film
| image = The Looney Looney Looney Bugs Bunny Movie.jpg
| caption = Theatrical release poster
| director = Friz Freleng
| producer = Friz Freleng
| story =
| starring =
| narrator =
| music =
| editing = Jim Champin
| released =
| studio = Warner Bros. Animation
| distributor = Warner Bros.
| runtime = 79 minutes
| country = United States
| language = English
}}
'The Looney Looney Looney Bugs Bunny Movie' (credited onscreen as 'Friz Freleng's Looney Looney Looney Bugs Bunny Movie') is a 1981 American animated comedy package film with a compilation of classic 'Looney Tunes'/'Merrie Melodies' Warner Bros. cartoon shorts and animated bridging sequences produced by Friz Freleng, hosted by Bugs Bunny. The new footage was produced by Warner Bros. Animation and the first 'Looney Tunes'/'Merrie Melodies' film with a compilation of classic shorts produced by Warner Bros. Animation.
Synopsis
The film starts with a showing of the 1958 award-winning cartoon 'Knighty Knight Bugs' before going into its opening credits. This is followed up by Bugs narrating how 'Looney Tunes' and 'Merrie Melodies' immediately replaced baggy-pants comedy before he introduces us to "a warm-hearted humble little introvert called Yosemite Sam".
Act 1: 'Satan's Waitin'
In a shot-for-shot remake of 'Devil's Feud Cake', Yosemite Sam courts Granny with evil intentions for the $50,000,000 she has inherited, but Bugs overhears his scheming and thwarts Sam under the guise of another suitor and later Granny herself. In the end, Sam dies after being crushed by a safe that Bugs drops on him and lands in Hell. Satan offers to give Sam another chance in life provided he sends someone in his place. Sam agrees to this and, as a Roman guard captain, an Arab, and in his usual cowboy guise, attempts to kill Bugs. His attempts are unsuccessful, but when Satan keeps offering him one more chance, Sam refuses, stating Satan should get the rabbit himself and decides to stay.Act 2: 'The Unmentionables'
Bugs Bunny explains about cops and robbers, as well as gangster films. In Act 2, there are three cartoons dedicated to the gangster character, Rocky.Immediately after becoming a police detective (with the codename "Elegant Mess"), Bugs is captured by Rocky and his gang, who try to drown him. Bugs promptly escapes that and then infiltrates Rocky's birthday party that night, disguised as a showgirl. Rocky soon sees through Bugs' disguise and, accompanied by Mugsy, chases him into a cereal factory, where Bugs traps the pair on the cereal manufacturing machine. Afterwards, he brings Rocky to court, but thanks to some manipulations and obfuscating legalese by Rocky's sleazy and unethical lawyer at his trial, the mobster is free to go.
Bugs has problems finding Rocky's new hideout until word breaks out of farmer Porky Pig's golden egg, which was apparently laid by Daffy Duck. Upon reading of this, Rocky and his men capture Daffy and demand him to lay a golden egg. He eventually does after Rocky shoots him in the head, and is then ordered to lay more to fill up their collection of egg cartons. Bugs and the police suddenly bust in and arrest Rocky's troop. But another law loophole sets Rocky free again.
Rocky then captures Tweety and holds him for ransom, and Bugs appoints Sylvester to find Tweety. Sure enough, the pussycat finds Tweety in Rocky's hideout. After several failed attempts by Sylvester to free Tweety, the police arrive and surround Rocky's hideout. Sylvester ends up being hailed as a hero for having seemingly rescued Tweety, and Bugs brings Rocky to justice, but is forced to go to jail with him and Mugsy (who was likely arrested too) because he lost the keys to his handcuffs.
Act 3: 'The Oswald Awards'
In the third and final act, Bugs introduces the Oswald Awards, an award ceremony created by Friz for animated characters. He then hosts the ceremony himself, announcing the nominees - the Wolf from 'Three Little Bops', Sylvester & Tweety and himself. During Bugs' show, Daffy talks to an impressed Yosemite Sam, who then yells at him to shut up, which sends Daffy right into Granny's arms who glares at him and an angry Sam. After Sylvester and Tweety's performance, Clarence eats Tweety, but Sylvester and Granny both grab Tweety back from him. In the meantime, Daffy continually gripes about the fact that he has 'not' been nominated. When Bugs wins the award, an infuriated Daffy challenges Bugs to a talent showdown. Bugs seems to have the audience's favor, but Daffy ultimately wins their applause by blowing himself up. Bugs gives the now-ghostly Daffy the award, with the duck responding, "It just goes to show you, you gotta 'kill' yourself to win an Oswald in this town!" He then bows but the audience stops applauding, and he leaves in a huff. The only explanation is they only applauded because he is now dead."That's all Folks!"
There was no outro/send-off for this film, because after the third and final act, Bugs, at first, does the "That's all Folks!" send-off, but then Porky tells Bugs that it was his line. Bugs then allows Porky to do the send off, but sadly, before he could do the chance, the Iris-Door used in the opening credits, instantly closes on him, Porky just grumbles and says, "D-D-Dirty Guys" as the film fades out.Featured cartoons
The cartoons used to make the film include:
* 'Knighty Knight Bugs' (introduction. Full episode. Merrie Melodies intro music used instead of Looney Tunes music and red rings used instead of blue rings, no credits and end card removed)
* 'Hare Trimmed' (act 1)
* 'Satan's Waitin' (brief snippet of Satanic bulldogs originally barking at Sylvester)
* 'Roman Legion-Hare' (act 1, as part of 'Devil's Feud Cake')
* 'Devil's Feud Cake' (act 1; 'Note:' Uses the same premise of that short, but features a different Satan design/voice and new animation and dialogue; some scenes are re-used from 'Devil's Feud Cake' such as when the lions pursue Sam to a cliff, with a river below. Faced with an awkward dilemma of falling to his death [again] or being eaten by the lions, Sam hastily jumps, hoping to land in the river, but is killed again and ends up back in Hell. Also used is the ending where Sam 'does' say '"I'm' staying" and wickedly laughs dressed as the devil)
* 'Sahara Hare' (act 1, as part of 'Devil's Feud Cake')
* 'Wild and Woolly Hare' (act 1)
* 'The Unmentionables' (act 2)
* 'Golden Yeggs' (act 2)
* 'Catty Cornered' (act 2)
* 'Three Little Bops' (act 3)
* 'Birds Anonymous' (act 3)
* 'High Diving Hare' (act 3)
* 'Show Biz Bugs' (act 3)
Also, clips from 'Little Red Rodent Hood', 'Speedy Gonzales', and 'A Pizza Tweety Pie' can be seen in the introduction.
Voice cast
* Mel Blanc - Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Yosemite Sam, Porky Pig, Pep Le Pew, Speedy Gonzales, Sylvester, Tweety, Rocky and Mugsy, King Arthur, Sir Osis of Liver, Sir Loin of Beef, Gerry the Idgit Dragon, Treasury Director, Judge, Cop # 1, Cop # 2, Clancy, Clarence, O'Hara, Cats in B.A
* June Foray - Granny
* Bea Benaderet - Granny (classic cartoons, uncredited)
* Stan Freberg - The Singing Narrator, Big Bad Wolf, Three Little Pigs
* Ralph James - The Narrator (classic cartoons)
* Frank Nelson - Satan
* Frank Welker - Reporter Dog, Lawyer, The Narrator (bridging sequences)
Home media
The film was released on VHS in 1982 by WCI Home Video. The film was released on DVD in the USA on April 28, 2009 from Warner Home Video. Special features included three bonus cartoons: 'Box-Office Bunny', 'From Hare to Eternity' and 'Pullet Surprise'.
References
Notes
Buy The Looney Looney Looney Bugs Bunny Movie now from Amazon
<-- Return to movies from 1981